I crouched down to the ground, and the tips of my fingers traced over the engravings that readSir Lukas Salvinae. Beloved male and guardian.
Jace slowly approached me from behind, and I pivoted to face him. The cast of the setting sun forced me to squint,but the light that shone behind him beautifully framed his figure, giving him an otherworldly aura, as if Lukas was casting the light onto him himself. He carefully reached down, silently asking for my hand, and then pulled me to my feet.
He guided me backward leisurely. “Thank you,” I whispered. “This means so much to me.”
His hold on my waist tightened, and he craned his neck to kiss my forehead as he spoke the words onto my skin. “Anything for you.”
My gaze moved from Jace to my wyvern, who continued to wait in silence as he watched us curiously. I cleared my throat and gently gestured to the box. “Send him home, Nox.” I paused, and when I spoke again, the word was barely above a whisper. “Ignystae.”
Nox’s gaze softened as he let out a chirp that more resembled a whine. His eyes moved from me down to the box before he opened his jaw and sent a small, contained blaze of flame directly at the chest before us. I watched in awe as his fire swallowed what remained of my lifelong guardian, trainer, and dear friend.
“Thank you for saving her,” Jace whispered from beside me. I glanced up and observed him as his focus remained on the box that had already been nearly reduced to ash. “Your sacrifice will never be forgotten,” he finished.
I reached up and cupped his cheek with my hand. “I wish you could have met him. He would have loved you.”
He gave me a soft smile in answer.
I continued to watch him. “Are you ready to finally put an end to all of this?”
A small smirk tilted his lips as his eyes found mine once more. “Always.”
Our gazes returned to the embers that lingered on the ground, where nothing else remained but charred terrain and where Lukas was finally put to rest.
A triumphant grin slowly spread across my face as I took in the sight—the time was finally upon us, uponme.
I would reclaim the Valderre family name, my rightful throne, and the Kingdom of Velyra if it was the last thing I ever did.
By blade, blood, and flame.
Chapter thirteen
Elianna
After nearly a weekof tirelessly informing the citizens of Ellecaster about our relocation and assisting them with arrangements, we were finally ready to proceed to their sanctuary beyond the mountains.
Preparations had taken longer than I had originally hoped. However, I reined in my nerves that refused to settle, realizing that I was asking these people, who still barely knew me outside of what they had recently witnessed, to completely uproot their lives once more.
Endless lines of humans, fae, carts, and livestock stretched around the bends of the city, waiting for us to lead them into the passageway hidden between the peaks. Significantly more people had decided to leave their lives here behind and journey to Alaia than we expected, making it clear that their fear of history repeating itself was at the forefront of their minds.
Scouts reported sighting several of the horses I had liberated from our enemy's army all those days ago, including Matthias. Once the scouts had gathered them up, they were swiftly escorted back to Ellecaster.
I followed my mate's lead as we led the army at our backs to the farthest inner edge of the city, where their stone structures met rocky cliffs. Glancing up into the sky, I watched Nox as he circled above in the nearly dawn sky as he waited for us.
We had sent word by falcon to those beyond the peaks, letting them know what was to come. The plan was for Jace and me to fly to Alaia on our own, making sure they were as prepared as possible for the onslaught of new citizens that were about to pour into the valley. It would also allow me a chance to formally meet the generals who watched over Alaia in his absence.
Zaela and Gage would lead my siblings and the rest of those who chose to relocate through the hidden passage.
We moved past the stone courthouse built into the mountain’s base, and a glorious chill made its way up my spine, knowing that Vincent’s body had been left to rot within it. The male didn’t deserve a proper send-off into the afterlife.
Once at the very back edge of the city, we came face-to-face with what appeared to be an enormous boulder molded to the mountain's base—that was until Jace whistled his command to the guards who watched this secret entrance. My gaze lifted to the top of the left tower, where a soldier pulled a lever. Out of nowhere, concealed ropes connected to pulley contraptions sprung to life, deftly maneuvering the boulder by slowly lifting it up the mountainside.
Our necks craned as we watched the enormous, heavy piece of granite climb the jagged edge of the cliff before us.
“Oh my,” Avery whispered as she sat atop Matthias, snapping me out of my trance.
My gaze followed hers to see that the passageway carved into the mountains had revealed itself as the dust and debris leisurely settled.
The pathway was by no means wide, and I could already envision some of the carts lined up behind us having a hard time getting pulled through without snagging on some sort of root or crevice.
