“I do, too.” I kiss her temple and she turns her attention back to the void of darkness that is only illuminated by the moon and stars.
The two of us take in the feeling of peace that only the sea can offer. The sound of the waves coming from the ship fills the silence between us as we bathe in the moonlight. To simply exist with her feels like a gift. Neither of us feel the need to speak. It’s a comfort I’ve never felt with anyone before. There’s always a feeling of needing to act or plan or command. But not with her. With her I can just simplybe.
As Zentria comes into focus, I savor the last of the sea’s serenity.
“They really know how to celebrate, don’t they?” Reign finally says, pointing to the orange glow of the island up ahead.
“They certainly don’t do anything half-assed.”
“Not at all. I can only imagine what the wedding will be like tomorrow.”
A wedding.
Something else I’ve never let myself dream of, but standing here with her, it’s almost impossible not to. The unity of two souls forever linked even in the afterlife is a sentiment I’ve never entertained for myself. Instead, I’ve spent most of my life imagining that my soul is condemned. It wasn’t until Reign that I even allowed myself to consider a different fate. One that didn’t have to consist of eternal damnation.
What would the afterlife even look like with her? Would my link to her soul break with her rebirth?
Questions I surely have no right to be asking at this point in time. She made it clear that she can’t promise forever, only right now. So right now is where I should stay. The future is uncertain, and I would be a fool to drown myself in the thoughts of tomorrow.
For now, being here with her is enough. More than enough, actually.
It’s everything.
“Something’s wrong!” Naomi shouts from her post at the wheel. Fear and panic coat her face as she points toward Zentria that now looks like it’s been set ablaze.
Reign whirls around and clings to me. “I’m going with you.”
My fear for her safety is overshadowed by my need for her respect. If I’m going to be with her, then that means I can’t hold her back. She’s my equal and I have to treat her as such.
Before my smoke even clears and I have time to make sense of what is happening, we’re both thrown across a field of rubble. In less than a second, I feel her body slip from my hold. Pain radiates as my vision fights to return. Blurry silhouettes of dragons and other winged beasts flying overhead claim my attention first. As my vision begins to clear, I start making outthe sharp claws and large jaws tearing each other apart in the sky.
Streams of dragon fire engulf tails and wings. I watch as a silver-scaled dragon shoots off a round of fireballs aimed at the ground, realizing that must’ve been what sent me and Reign airborne just as we landed. I lift my head and quickly find her several yards away covered in a blanket of debris.
I’m still slightly disoriented when I vaporate to her, landing on my knees by her side.
“I’m okay, I’m okay,” she assures as she fights to sit up. I start to look her over, but she shakes me off, motioning to the chaos surrounding us.
We each take in the sight of death that has replaced the parade of love we had witnessed before leaving this morning. What was once a sea of white is now a graveyard of blood and deceased. Screams and cries have taken the place of cheers and chants. Where flowers rained down earlier, rubble now falls. All signs of harmony have been corrupted by unrelenting violence.
What was meant to be a day of celebration has turned into a day of slaughter.
“What do we do?” Reign asks as she slowly stands back up with my help.
The brief pause of shock ends and the part of me that was raised for moments like this is activated. The Ryder that was swept up in the dreams of tomorrow retreats back into the shadows while the Ryder who was chosen by his people to be their king emerges.
I do a quick intake of the damage. Most of the Infinite Sea people lack weapons. This wasn’t an attack they were prepared for. It was a strategic ambush. As I glance around in each direction, including the sky, I realize the only soldiers my father sentare dragons and winged chimera. The only ones who could’ve made it to the island of Zentria without ships.
The people here would’ve outnumbered them easily if they had been prepared. This attack was thought out, though. My father would have known that the people of the Infinite Sea would be distracted and unarmed. He would’ve planned this, knowing they would only have their power to defend themselves.
Looking around at the rainbow of magic breaking through the dark smoke climbing higher into the sky, it’s clear that my father miscalculated. Even with the advantage of a surprise attack, the odds are still in Zentria’s favor.
“You’re here!” Ion grips my shoulder as if it were a lifeline. “They attacked. It happened so fast.”
He seems dazed but still somehow aware.
“Tell me more,” I demand, holding onto him for support.
“Zane said they’re all from the Sector. This isn’t the result of King Cimmerian’s army.”
