Flames roared to life in Draevyn’s palms, and he sent a torrent of controlled fire straight at the guards, lighting up the dungeon’s corridor. Their screams died at the edge of their tongues as the blaze consumed them both. Their armor blackened before melting to theirforms, and seconds later their flesh and bones were reduced to nothing but piles of ash.
Draevyn stared down at the soot before his boots, waiting for the remorse and guilt of what he just did to drape over him, but it never came. He was done playing the courtly games, and if the realm dared challenge him or get in the way of him finding Esmyra, then they would meet the Phoenix. It wouldn’t matter who they were at this point. If they were an enemy of her, then they were an enemy of him.
If they threatened his Wildfire, their end would come at the hands of the Phoenix’s flames.
Draevyn raced through the iron door, leaping over the charred piles of bone and ash he left behind, and barreled through the corridors until he met the sight of golden eyes.The Night Wraith’screw stood just beyond the barred cell door.
They looked worse than when he’d left them before. Faces bruised. Limbs bloodied. One man had a rag tied around his arm, crusted with dried blood.
“It’s about godsdamn time, Phoenix,” Jak greeted him. He was surprised to see a subtle smirk curve the owl-shifter’s lips.
“Aye,” Draevyn huffed, out of breath. “It’s time. But we need to be quick.”
“No shit.”
He stared at the lock, Atlas’s shadows swirling in and around it like living vipers.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
“I don’t presume you have a key?” Riven taunted.
“There isn’t one. It’s locked by Atlas’s magic,” he admitted.
“This may appear slightly obvious,” Jak started, and Draevyn slowly lifted his gaze to him, “but it appears your brother isn’t here. Nor do I think he would unlock the cage he placed us in either.” His last few words came out in a grumble.
“Just let me think for a minute,” Draevyn snapped.
“Do we even have a minute? How’d you get past the guards anyway?” Ren asked.
No. No, we don’t have a minute.
Draevyn rattled the lock as he pulled and yanked, but nothing made it budge. His shoulders tensed, panic crawling into his lungs as he watched the shadows weave and slither along the metal. If he couldn’t get them out, if he’d come all this way,murderedthose guards, and failed?—
The lock isn’t velsinyte.The thought was like a violent smack to the face.
“Of course,” he whispered with a half laugh, then glanced over his shoulder, making sure no guards were after them yet.
“Everyone, take a step back,” Draevyn ordered. He raised his palm, summoning flame.
“You’re going to burn us alive now?” Riven sneered, as they all simultaneously did as they were told.
“Why would he do that if he told us to step back, you idiot?” Ren grumbled.
Jak sighed. “Can you all just shut the fuck up?”
Draevyn rolled his eyes. The fire curled through his fingers before pressing it slowly to the lock. The blaze chased and then merged with the shadows, coiling in, out and around the metal.
“Come on,” Draevyn whispered.
Everyone seemed to collectively hold their breath as the golden light illuminated their faces in the dungeon’s darkness.
The heat intensified as he pushed more power into his wriggling flames. The lock hissed and then began to warp before their eyes. In tandem with his rapid beating heart, molten iron dripped to the floor. And after a few tense seconds, the mechanism fell away, falling in a pile of sizzling metal.
It worked. It fuckingworked.
“Holy Irah,” he breathed, pulling the door open.
“This is treason,” Jak said as he stepped out of the cell. “Prince or not, you’ll be hunted for this.”
