He loved them like brothers.
Podara he’d plucked from the streets after she’d been abandoned by her tribe in Nethyr. She’d been responsible for the death of a member of her tribe and as was custom, they exiled her.Unfit to be an assassin, they’d said.It broke her in more ways than one. So, Akadian found her. Gave her a new tribe and a new purpose. Paired her with the twins and made her into a lesser noble, much to her vehement protests. She’d claimed she loathed palace life and could usually be found raiding the winery, but every once in a while, he’d catch her smiling. She would never admit it, but she was family.
And Felius… He’d been serving with him as one of the kingdom’s fire mages for two decades. The redheaded fae always brought such life to everything he did. He taught Akadian how to find beauty in his flames. Had it not been for him, Akadian never would’ve learned that his flames could be something more than just destruction, even for something as simple as the festival. It was almost unbearable to think about his body lying somewhere, torn apart by the Alkijin.
Danthan had been for her. The prince noticed how close they’d gotten during her magick training. The healer would tell her all about his home city outside the Capital and the way she would light up hearing about other places made something in the prince’s chest tighten. He watched them grow closer over the weeks and how much her progress had been owed to the healer’s support. He’d wanted her to have someone kind, and familiar on this trip. Someone who would encourage her but not push her. She’d been pushing herself so hard lately. He wanted her to enjoy her training. To worry less of what was to come.
Akadian never imagined…
He never thought he would have to ignore their screams, unable to return to their sides as his insides tore themselves apart with grief.
There was nothing he could do.
So he continued on.
The darkness swallowed him from every side and he focused on using his hearing to find his way. The Alkijin had grown silent and while his head split against his skull, his hearing was still stronger than any human or fae could achieve. One of the benefits of being neither.
It would all be for nothing if he couldn’t find her. Their deaths would be for nothing.
He wouldn’t allow that to happen.
He’d find her.
He slowed his breathing until every whisper of the forest carried to him. Searching the space he closed his eyes and listened for anything that could help him find her. Holding his breath, a couple of miles to the northeast voices could be heard. They were too far away for him to be able to tell how many, and if they were male or female, but it was the best he had so he began running in the direction they carried from. With no other choice than to send a silent prayer to the gods that he never let past his lips, lest they actually hear him.
Once her found her, he would never let her out of his sight again. Would never leave her so vulnerable again.
Please, let her still be alive. I’ll do anything,Akadian silently pleaded.Anything.
The voices grew stronger as he closed the distance and the furious roars of a dragon broke through the trees and the wall around his heart.
No.
Akadian ran faster, as hard as his legs could carry and even with his strength and speed, it wasn’t enough as he cursed.
Faster.
Faster.
So close now. He could begin to make out the silhouettes of a few figures and almost cried out when her voice carried over to him.
Hefoundher.
She laid on the ground, facing a mage who held a blade in each hand as his face stared down at her wickedly. The dragon had broken free and was launching itself into the air as its blood rained down with each beat of its wings and it disappeared over the treetops.
Red seeped across the prince’s vision as he took in the dagger buried deep into her abdomen, her body twisting on the ground with a horrible wet squelch he would never be able to remove from his mind.
Blood.
So much blood.
It covered the ground as the prince broke through the trees. The only thing that cut through hisrage was the sight of her laying there, riddled with dagger wounds and bleeding into the grass.
Heat seared inside him. His channels raged with a blinding inferno, pushing against the barrier he kept it locked in.
Burn…
Out of the corner of his eye, a small flash of movement drew his attention for a moment as the prince glared at the juvenile boy who attempted to run away and commanded, “Stay.”
