Page 159 of The Starlight Savior

Before it could grasp at her skin, a spear of ice flew towards them, slicing through Anya’s magic and freezing the water midair. Conor struck his palm against it, shuddering as it shattered like glass around them.

Sebastien wedged his way through the crowd. He had tugged on a pair of trousers, but his chest was bare. His pale skin was covered in knife marks and bruises. A wielder ran at him, but he blocked the blow, diving towards Conor and Niana. His brother’s own form of glittering lightning replaced the shield that had fallen.

“You can’t have her,” Sebastien cried, shuddering as another ball of water threatened to strike them.

Dozens of wielders followed Sebastien. A handful of them were Silva’s northern warlocks, their bodies shifted back into their wolf forms. Their jaws snapped as saliva dripped from their mouths.

A chill swept across Conor’s skin as he watched Cylas and Royce enhance his brother’s barrier of storm.

Layers of magic surrounded them as the tension curdled in the air. He could almost sense how badly each powerful commander wished to seize control over the situation with Saige. But more joined in protecting her, the very being who had driven the mist back and saved Opela from being damned. Even a handful of mortals separated themselves from the crowd, trembling alongside wielders with swords in their palms.

“You waste energy,” Anya called. “Her aunt forged a blood bond. Even in the wake of her death, it is unbreakable. Her niece’s life in exchange for the revival of Oscar Nerestel.”

Conor had never stepped foot into Tiranos, but the Otherworld was claimed to be under the water kingdom. Some bloodlines were said to have power mingled with Caelum, along with rumors of necromancy and being able to descend to the spirit world.

“And what if she has her own blood bond?” Niana declared, “with the kingdom of Etrane.”

Anya paused, cocking her head. “Eva Nerestel mentioned no such thing. What does this blood bond entail?”

Niana looked towards Conor, giving him a curt nod. Saige’s body rested gently in his lap. Slowly, he moved aside the sleeve of her tunic, revealing the branded swirls of Vospella’s blood bond. The ink was still intact, but the skin around it was red and raised. She was lucky it hadn’t burned her from the inside out the moment she stepped into the portal.

Beyond the barriers of power, Queen Anya squinted at the darkened ink branded to Saige’s skin.

“This bonds Saige to Etrane for life. She can’t cause harm to King Vospella’s court, and she must act in the interest of his kingdom,” Conor shouted from beyond their defenses, reciting the words that had haunted his memory since he witnessed the king’s blade drag across Saige’s skin.

“Leaving with Tiranos would kill her,” Niana continued. “She’d be going against the interest of Etrane. And I imagine whatever you want her for, you’d need her alive. Breathing. Blood pumping through the veins you’ll likely steal from.”

Anya’s smooth face cracked as a scowl split her lips. “And what do you know about blood bonds?”

“You can take the chance”—Niana shrugged—“fight through each wielder willing to lay their life down for her. But like I said, why go through all the resources when you have a whole kingdom to rebuild?”

Anya stepped forward until Conor imagined she could feel the heat of their magic on her cheeks. Wind blew back loose strands of her hair. Her eyes narrowed in on the blood bond revealed on Saige’s arm. A finger briefly touched the amulet on Anya’s neck as her brows furrowed. She looked back towards Myles, giving him a small nod.

“The ice-wielder may speak some truth,” Queen Anya said slowly, looking back at the water-wielders still clutching magic-encased blades. “With the mist expelled, I will not only be rebuilding my kingdom, but my army. Eva Nerestel bled herself dry with promises of a starlight-wielder. And I will come back for what is mine, blood bond or not.”

“Retreat!” Myles snarled at Tiranos’s legions as they turned towards the hill in the direction of the portal.

Queen Anya turned towards the mortal general. “Tell your king we’ll be negotiating soon.”

Conor blinked slowly as silence filled the air. The crowd parted for the water-wielding queen and her army. Still shaking with adrenaline from the battle, he couldn’t believe that had worked. There truly was no way to find out whether stepping into Tiranos would go against the blood bond, but Niana had clearly used the right words to get under Queen Anya’s skin.

The mortal general and Conor’s father’s eyes still lingered on Saige’s crumpled body. The only sign of life was the shallow breaths escaping her dry lips.

“You cannot take her,” Conor said, eyes leveling on the mortal general and his father.

“I agree,” Sebastien declared, cracking his neck. If their father wouldn’t listen to Conor, he’d listen to Sebastien. His prized shifter. The usual stab of jealousy didn’t exist. Only hope.

His father and Sebastien shared a passing look. Finally, the General of Etrane turned to Conor and Saige. “The mortal kingdom must decide her fate first. Their punishment of crimes is heavier than our own.”

“I will speak with our king,” the mortal general said sharply. The crowd parted for him and began to disperse, soldiers retreating. Some stayed close, but Etrane’s wielders circled around Saige with concerned and quizzical looks.

Althea knelt beside Saige and Conor. Saige’s breath was shallow, her heart beating slow, but she was there. “We need to get this blade out,” Althea said softly. “Can I touch her?”

Conor gave a curt nod, never taking his eyes off Althea’s hands.

“She cares for you, y’know.”

“It matters little whether she cares for me. I’ve broken her trust countless times. I’ve learned quite well how much that means to her. Especially what happened with Eva.” The words came out bitter upon his tongue.