Page 2 of Song of Night

The riders do not wait further. They spin their mounts and spur them back into a gallop. Within moments they’re out of the city, their huge horses eating up the ground with incredible speed.

“Why did they call us citizens of Illiare?” I ask. “And who is this king—Vyrin?”

“You seem to know him, Kieran.” Ellielle jerks her head toward my former mentor and commander. She must have heard the noise he made. “And you, Asher—I can only assume you are the son of the demon lord?”

My eyes flick between Asher and Kieran. I know they’re brothers, but it’s a secret from centuries ago that they keep well-guarded. The leaders of the other houses of Night do not know.

“I know of King Vyrin,” Kieran responds. “His people fought ours before we were trapped within Night.”

He’s an excellent liar. I’ve experienced that firsthand—he’d kept so many things from me over the years.

Asher’s words come out in a low rumble, as if he were the dragon shifter rather than Kieran. “Vyrin was the greatest enemy we ever faced. Back when this place was called Illiare.”

He looks down, his gaze unfocused for a moment, clearly reliving past memories. When he looks up again, his jaw rolls in anger.

“It was Vyrin who started the war that set our people against each other in the first place, house against house, brother against brother. He is ancient... I do not know how old exactly, but he likes to claim that he was born when the world was born. His magic is vast beyond description.” His eyes rake over the crowd, carefully avoiding both me and Kieran. “And yes, I am the son of the demon lord he refers to.”

A grim hush falls over the courtyard as everyone contemplates what this means.

“We will adjourn to my tower to strategize,” Ellielle says, gesturing to her warriors. Her gaze lands on me. “Except the shadow witch, of course. I trust you know what to do with her?” She looks disdainfully over at Kieran.

“I do indeed.” He smirks, but he doesn’t look at me. He looks at Asher when he says it. “Most people go mad within the first week in my prison cells in the old tunnels. Lack of light and all. But our Zara likes the dark.”

“As long as I don’t have to look at your lying face,” I snarl.

Several of the Animus warriors—warriors I’d spent the last decade of my life fighting beside—grab me roughly and drag me away.

I don’t struggle this time—I’m too numb to fight anymore. But I do look back, once, at the edge of the courtyard, to see if I can catch a final glimpse of Asher. He’s facing away from me, but as if sensing my gaze, he turns and his eyes catch mine instantly.

They burn with such intense fury it feels like an arrow in the gut.

And then he spins and stalks away, surrounded by Ellielle’s guards.

Chapter Two

ASHER

I find myself seated at a long table crafted of translucent grayish quartz, facing the angel who imprisoned and tried to kill me the day before, and my brother, who has attempted to murder me more times than I can count. Not to mention sending one of his spies to seduce me.

Or was that last part just Zara’s sick addition to her mission?

Rage simmers in my veins, burning like fire. I relish the pain, because the pain and the anger keep me safe from the torment twisting around my heart like a wolf trap. Just hours before, I’d asked Zara to rule by my side. And now this.

The battle, the explosion, my ancient enemy rising from the ashes like a fire bird. None of it compares to Zara’s betrayal.

It’s all I can do not to lunge across the table and slit Kieran’s throat. This is worse than centuries of rivalry and failed assassinations. Sending Zara to spy on me, to gain my trust, to make me feel things I’ve never felt in my very long life…he couldn’t have planned a more perfect pain if he had the rest of eternity to orchestrate it.

“So,” Ellielle says, her fingers steepled on the rough-hewn table, wings folded behind her. “Tell me everything you know about King Vyrin. What kind of magic does he possess? How large is his army? What is Cyrena?”

I forget sometimes that Ellielle is barely past a century in age. All the beings in Night—Daemonium, Incantrix, Animus, Angelus, and Syreni—have the capacity to live for centuries upon centuries. But the war claims so many that few live that long anymore.

Kieran, of course, stays silent and lets me answer. Since we’re pretending I’m the only son of the demon lord. The others at the table, a couple of Ellielle’s advisors and one of Kieran’s, haven’t a clue, either.

“It’s been over two centuries,” I growl. “So, naturally, I don’t know what has transpired beyond the Waste since that time.”

Ellielle makes an impatient sound in her throat. I pin her in a burning gaze and continue.

“What I do know is that Vyrin attempted to claim my father’s realm—Illiare, as it was called then. Both Illiare and Cyrena are realms within this continent. Aureon, it is called.”

---