“Abraxas, we have been lovers for years now, you could at least respect me enough to not lie to me.”I’dhurt him, but beforeIcould apologize, he boldly asked, “It’sthe princess, isn’t it?”Iwas stunned into silence for a moment too long.Amischievous twinkle lit his eye.
“I’msurprised you haven’t invited her to any of our little parties.Sheseems like she would go quite feral, especially based on whatIsaw tonight.”Ihummed a response, but my face must have revealed something.Nalux’seyebrows shot up. “Bythe gods, you haven’t…Interesting.”
Ishot him a look over the rim of my crystal glass asItook another sip, avoiding answering him, but a knowing smirk crossed his lips.
“Veryinteresting.”Iturned from him, partially to set my now empty glass down, but mostly to avoid his eyes.Butas the container clacked onto the serving tray,Ifelt his hand slide in a familiar way across my back, as he came to set his glass down as well.
“Ithink it’s about time you met your match,YourMajesty.I’mhappy for you.”Atrue smile lit his beautiful face, and he gently placed a kiss on my lips that felt an awful lot like goodbye.
* * *
Sleepnever found me.Inormally made this journey on the solstice itself, but this would have to do.
Themoon was full, its light dazzling off the sea beyond the cliffs, and the storm that had threatened the skies early had disappeared.ButIdidn’t need the light to trace the pathIhad taken for over five hundred years.
AsIapproached that scorched land, every fiber of my being begged me to turn away.Thepain lodged in my chest, and it felt as if needles were being driven into every inch of my skin.Thewind whipped up again, butIcalmed it, the focus helping to drive away some of the torment.
Ifinally reached the edge of that great wound, that place that had changed everything on that fateful day.Ikept to the path that had been worn down by the humans, as it was always the easiest for me to traverse.Eachstep seemed to draw more and more of me away untilIwas nothing but an empty husk.Butthis was my penance, andIgladly paid it.
Ireached the edge of the cliff and saw the small stack of rocks that had been built by hands that had likely been dead for centuries.Afew recent tokens remained.Asmall bundle of flowers, a set of golden pastries, and numerous dragon figurines both carved and folded.
Ifell to my knees, and as every year,Iwondered if this would be the yearIwouldn’t survive this short journey.Butdeep within me, a small golden light clung to my heart, as it had never done before in this wasted place.
“Everythingis different now,”Ispoke the words out loud, and they were whipped away by the wind. “Forso longIhave had one goal, one focus.Now, in just a few weeks, she has changed everything.”
Iwasn’t the manIhad been a few centuries ago.Ihad let my anger swallow up all my pain and fear, along with everything else untilIfelt nothing at all.Ihad become the monster they all saidIwas.Icould almost laugh about it, another self-fulfilling prophecy.
Ayounger me would have hated whoIhad become, but he hadn’t lost everything.Hehadn’t survived these past centuries on rage alone.Butseeing her inHadeon’sgrasp tonight, fear had cut straight into my heart.
Ilooked up at the stars, and as so often was the case,IwishedIcould hear what they were saying. “IwishIhad never gone to that gods-damned island.”
Thatgolden light inside me seemed to spark with a familiar annoyance.Iknew it wasn’t true.
Ilooked at that stack of rocks.Sosmall a thing seemed so inadequate for what had been lost here.ButIwould not lose her.Hadeonhad taken everything from me once.Iwould not let him do that again.Iwould not let him have her.
Ihad been harsh with her tonight, butIhad no other choice.Iwould keep her— keep her safe, no matter the cost.
Ireached into my pocket and drew out a small candle.AsIhad done for centuries,Itried to light it.Ithad become more and more difficult with each passing decade.Buttonight green flame danced easily between my fingers.Ishouldn’t have been shocked.Everythingelse in my life had changed, why not this as well?Iset the small light atop the rock and began my long walk back to the castle.
Chapter27
Tori
Afterweeks of absence, my sleep had been filled with nightmares of blood running down the white marble steps of my home.Butthis time,Itried to run in— to fight, but strong hands held me back.Ihad barely slept a wink.
Avlynhad come to accompany me to the beach.Ilooked terrible, but they had the good sense not to mention it.Wedidn’t speak at all as we made our way out along the sand.Theylined us all up for our morning warmups, andImade sureIended up at the far end of the line.Whenwe broke formation for the first water break,Ilingered as all the other soldiers made for the barrels.Itook off my shoes and waited.Aftera few moment,Iran.
Iran as fast as my legs could carry me.Thesand slowed me, the sharp rocks of this barren shore cutting into my soles, butIdidn’t care.Icould smell my freedom, and it lay just beyond that rock wall.Ireached the base of the cliffs and allowed myself three heaving breaths to look at the wall and choose a route beforeIwas off.Myhands found purchase in the cleft between two of the massive basalt columns, my feet following behind.Icontinued to climb, hands and feet moving together at a rapid pace, finding my balance and keeping myself close to the wall.
AsImoved up, it became harder, the rock no longer worn by the sea, but my body remembered how to move, using my legs to counterbalance, and swing from one hold to the next.
Icould hear shouting behind me, but it was mostly drowned out by the crashing waves.Iallowed myself to look back as an arrow hit the rock wall next to me.Wouldthey really shoot me?Icouldn’t believe it.Ilooked back to seeAvlynpunching the archer straight across the mouth, laying him out cold on the sand.Icould see their mouth moving and shouting at the other two guards who had raised their bows, and they lowered them slowly.Thewhole cohort stood watching me.Kaleosmade to climb the cliff after me, butAvlynswatted him down as well.Theyknew the truth as well asI, he would never catch me, and if he did, the only result of our meeting on the wall would be one or both of us falling to our deaths.
Ikept climbing.Inorder to find my footing,Ihad to travel sideways, out over the sea itself, but thenIwas able to keep climbing.Thewaves crashed beneath me, andIsaw the jagged rocks that cut out of the surface.Yes, a fall now would destroy me, my body raked over those sharp rocks by the sea, butIdidn’t intend to fall.
Icould just hearAvlynshouting my name, butIdidn’t turn back again.Ikept moving, up and sideways, further out over the ocean.Icrested the edge of the rock and the harsh wind whipping around from beyond the bay.Isaw another similar cliff about twenty feet from my back, as if the cliffIwas on had been split by an invisible hand a millennia ago.Onthis side, the climb was much easier, andImoved up quickly.Icould no longer seeAvlynand their guards, the wall protecting me from them.ButasIreached the top of the cliff, my heart dropped asIheard the clink of armor.
Ilooked up and sawNokireaching down for me. “Princess, take my hand!”Hespoke as ifIhad fallen from the cliff and hung on for dear life, not climbed there myself.Twomore soldiers joined him on the edge, waiting for me.
