“I cannot stand here before you and state that everything will be simple and easy. In fact, I’m willing to bet that we will face challenges never before seen. How does one undo over a century of hatred and vengeance? How does a queen seek the confidence of her people when they have been at odds for more than triple the lifetime of one of its races?”
Silence answered me, and I took it all in, standing beneath the weight of their stares.
“My sweet Lia.” Jace’s voice filtered through me, gentle and reassuring.
My gaze flickered over to him then, and my eyes met the fierce commander, staring down potential enemies before they swore an oath to his mate and queen. Eyes narrowing in on him, I forced myself to halt my smirk, knowing that he would slaughter them all himself without hesitation if they defied me.
After a tense moment, the first among them, a battered warrior with fatigue etched across his face, stepped forward. “Solus,” he started, and my husband aggressively cleared his throat from where he remained, startling the soldier.
“Captain…Valderre,” he continued. “I cannot say I speak foreveryindividual here, but I will confidently say that this is for most of the masses that had been trapped under Idina’s control. We will gladly follow you and your reign. You had my sword as my captain, and now you will have it as my queen.” He slowly sank to one knee on his last word.
My eyes flared as I willed the rest of my features to remain emotionless. “And what say the rest of you?” My voice was stern.
Suddenly, his surrender rippled through the ranks like a quiet wave. My lips parted at the sight I never thought I’d see.
The clinking of armor was the only sound to be heard through the darkened streets as, one by one, the Islan army knelt.
Chapter eighty
Jace
It had been amonth since the battle decimated the land directly beyond the Islan Gates—a full turn of the moon since we defeated the malevolent beasts that usurped their way to my mate’s throne, and since their people chose to bow before her, pledging their allegiance to the rightful queen.
The city itself had been partially destroyed thanks to the battles of witches and wyverns that took to the skies. Entire towers of the castle had crumbled to the ground, and their lashing tails and power had slammed into the terracotta roofs spread throughout Isla, bringing buildings down with them. Thankfully, the civilian casualties were minimal from inside the city walls, but any loss was too great for my Lia.
She had desperately tried to prevent the fighting and destruction from entering the city, but an aerial war was unavoidable upon arrival.
She had spent every moment of the following days out in the streets with her people, getting to know them further. And for every life lost, she personally visited the homes oftheir families, offering condolences from the crown, and aid if needed.
Every moment I thought to myself that I couldn’t possibly ever love her more, she proved me wrong—which, of course, was her favorite thing to do.
The sirens had lingered in Isla’s harbor the following days as we worked to clean the disaster created. None of the soldiers would even near the docks, fearful that they might catch the sea-witches’ attention and fall into a lulling song.
Lia had confidently swaggered down the longest dock that sat in the bay, twirling the conch shell she had stolen from them between her fingertips as I watched from the port. Of course, she taunted them with it before handing it over, making them swear to only feast upon the flesh of the wicked that sailed the sea, but she took it for what it was—a battle for another day. In that moment, the sirens were allies, and that was what mattered.
Veli's ascension to High Witch was both terrifying and relieving, though it was clear she mourned her old self. She originally expressed her nerves regarding the power she now exuded, but quickly learned it didn’t change who she was—for magic was merely a reflection of its wielder’s nature. And she now kept the book,Tinaebris Malifisc,under lock and key, hidden away from the rest of the realm.
The witches who remained hidden all this time were still nowhere to be found. Even Empri was missing, who vanished from the battlefield after her sister’s death. We didn’t blame her for her reaction, but she caused casualties on our side from her explosion of fury, and it was unacceptable. Veli searched for them throughout the realmwith her newfound power, but they were now hiding the use of their magic, just as she had for centuries.
Whenever they were brought up, Lia and Veli both wore menacing grins, stating that they couldn’t hide forever—and may the gods help those traitor witches if they were found.
If there were ever two females that I would never want to be on the receiving end of their wrath, it would be those two—and where they went, Zaela followed, which made them even more terrifying.
Now that Veli held the nearly untapped power of High Witch, she was able to summon portal rifts effortlessly and opened a bridge from Isla to beyond the mountains, where Alaia Valley awaited. Our mortal soldiers were able to return home to their loved ones and heal in comfort. However, there had been one reunion that held nothing but shattering pain and sorrow.
Lynelle was the first to walk through the rift, Nyra trotting at her side. The wolf’s eyes landed on Lia, pushing her into a sprint across the short distance between them and tackling her to the ground. She planted kisses all over Lia’s face as she whimpered in happy excitement.
Zaela had stepped up beside me, her face etched with grief as her mother approached. The moment Lynelle’s steps faltered, it revealed that she had pieced together Leon’s fate. We told her of the sacrifice he made and that her daughter stood before her now because of him.That is the price of loving a warrior, she had said once she caught her breath.
My heart lurched for her as my gaze drifted to my own warrior queen while she stepped up next to me to give her condolences and support to Lynelle.
Now, a month after the Battle of Isla, I stood off to the side of the dais with Finnian, Gage, and Landon as the newly appointed castle guards funneled the realm’s lords and the families of noble houses to their seats, awaiting our queen’s coronation.
The throne room was decorated intricately, all of Avery’s doing, who couldn’t wait to direct the staff to the gardens to handpick her sister’s favorite flowers.
The once blood-stained room now sparkled with an ethereal glow, the afternoon sunlight filtering through the high, reforged stained-glass windows that depicted the scenery of Velyra.
At the center of the dais stood the throne of her father, though there was one change made to the royal seat. Wyvern wings, crafted from steel by the city’s finest blacksmiths, were fastened to its back, protruding out at its sides.
