by AE Watson
“Magic has a cost, Amillia,” she spit her words at me. “In order to kill your dragon and take your throne and ensure I was strong enough, I had to sacrifice!” She held her hands out, flashing the ash stained tips of them on the inside of her palms. I reached for the necklace he should have been wearing but it wasn’t there.
I crumpled and sobbed, twitching my head back and forth as I tried to understand this loss. I couldn’t let go of him. Even when she shot at me with her pathetic magic.
It burned but it was nothing compared to dragon fire.
I pushed out the cool part of my magic, creating a barrier between me and her. The pain in my heart blinded me as I kissed his cold cheek, taking some of him with me, and stood on shaky legs. “Did you arrange for my mother’s rape?” I asked through the tears. “Your own son’s wife?”
“I did what I had to do to ensure my son had a child,” she spit at me and tried to shoot me with her magic again. She looked down on her burnt fingers in disbelief.
“You’re a disgrace of a mother.”
“The only disgrace left in this family is you. A bastardization of nature.” She tried to shoot at me again but it did nothing. “You do not deserve to sit on the throne of Enderoth!”
“Is that what this is?” I almost laughed out of sheer incomprehension. “You were angry my mother had me after you had gone to such lengths to ensure the heir to the throne was someone you had chosen. Angry your own son had a child that was his?” Rage built in me. “I am your only true grandchild!”
Her eyes widened and I remembered that wasn’t the case.
“I’m the only one left,” I growled, drawing a sword. “Your precious Anamay is dead. Her son too!” I lied, praying this wounded her.
“Your whore of a mother reached too high. First those disgusting half breeds!” She spit her words at me. “She deserved everything she got—” she froze and I realized she couldn’t speak. Not with my sword lodged in her lungs as it was. I hadn’t even meant to react. She coughed and blood stained her lips.
I stepped in closer, sliding the blade in further slowly as tears streamed my cheeks. “I will sit on this throne,” I said with a shaky voice. “Not because I want it. Not because I deserve it. Not even because it would have made my parents happy. No,” I seethed, holding her up with the blade as she fought to buckle. “I will remain here until I draw my very last breath just to spite you and anyone who thought they could undermine my family’s legacy. For every person you killed in cold blood. And for this kingdom who deserved better than you and Barrel and Herrick and Roland and Anamay.” My anguish got the better of me and I sobbed. “And for my father who deserved a better mother than you.”
My body burst into flames, my wings spreading out behind me. I lifted my head and screamed, ripping open the wall next to us and shooting stone and bricks out into the back of the grounds.
Her eyes widened like she wanted to say something but I twisted the blade and watched as the light spilled from her. Her body collapsed to the floor, sliding off my sword.
My breaths heaved from me as the realization of what I’d done hit me. I turned back to Michael, rushing to him. I held him once more, just for a moment, wishing I’d been here in time.
A noise drew my attention to the hole in the wall as Artan struggled to climb in. he whimpered, snorting and making soft noises. I carried Michael to him with every bit of strength and magic I possessed and crumbled at his feet.
He nudged Michael, whimpering.
“He’s gone,” I whispered through the tears.
Artan gave me a look and I knew what he wanted to do.
“No, my brother.” I lifted a hand to his cheek. “No. Michael wouldn’t want your gifts for his life. He would want you to be safe. Always.” I closed my eyes and pressed my face into his.
“King Michael?” a small voice called from the hall opposite us. “Can I come out now?”
Artan snorted again, nudging me. I rushed out there to find a small door with a chair against it. I moved it and opened the door to find Thomas sitting on the dusty floor playing with the necklace I’d given my brother. More sobs ripped from me as I crumbled to my knees and bowed my head.
“Cousin, are you all right?” he gasped and hurried for me, still limping but managing.
I wrapped my arms around him and held him to me, unable to answer his question because I didn’t know if I was ever going to be all right again.
Chapter 30
I stood at the side of the pyre where my brother’s body sat, afraid to let go of his hand though his spirit had left three days ago when our grandmother murdered him in cold blood.
A sacrifice to her dark magic. A cost she paid for magic that didn’t even work on me.
I blinked, expecting tears to trickle my cheeks as they had for days but nothing came. My eyes were dry.
Fingers touched my hand, sliding in and gripping tightly. I didn’t have to turn to know it was Ed. He stepped closer to me, speaking softly, “None of us could have known, Millia. It was impossible—”
“I gave him the cure. It was my idea.”
“You also gave him a necklace to keep him safe from magic and he gave it to our small cousin to protect him. It was who Michael was. He was the best of us.”
“And we are the worst. Surviving like rats or cockroaches.” I blinked and again, nothing.
He let go of my hand and wrapped himself around me, kissing the side of my head and whispering, “You are so much more than you know.” His voice cracked and he walked away, taking the status of the worst of us with him. I didn’t turn or try to persuade him otherwise. My heart was broken beyond repair. And the magic of the mages inside of me whispered I could use it to cut myself off. I could numb my pain and be free of guilt.
But I swore then and there I would never use anything to cover my feelings again.
“We’re ready,” Katy said as she neared me. Nodding her head at the massive crowd gathering in front of the castle.
I squeezed him once more, aware this would be the last time I touched Michael. “I love you,” I whispered and turned away, walking to the crowd.
My stomach fluttered with nerves and I prayed my eyes didn’t light with the magic inside of me as I addressed them. The stairs in front of the castle, an entrance I almost never took, was vast. People lined them and stood in the market square below. There were thousands of people here. The largest gathering I’d ever seen. I wanted to tell myself it was Michael and his love of this kingdom that drew them. But the likelihood they were gathered in hopes of seeing me become a fire ball was better.
I gulped and straightened, feeling my mother’s hand on my back to make me stand tall. The eager crowd silenced, waiting for me to speak.
The words were stuck for a heartbeat, until I saw his face. Master Lindley. He was in the crowd and wearing our colors once again. The guard trainer of the Black Keep. Little did he know he would be the Queen’s guard master at the new castle that was nearing completion. The one Michael had been building all year.
Fighting the nervousness, I inhaled and began, hoping for my father’s words and my mother’s delivery. “A man once told me that the world was made up of two kinds of people. There were those who wanted a good life. Who saw only themselves and thought only for their family. And then there were those who wanted everyone else to have a good life. This person would never think of themselves. For they found joy in the happiness of others.”
I paused, smiling as I thought of my brother.
“Michael Morgentstein, my brother, was the second kind of person. He lived for bettering those he was responsible for and he took that job seriously. He died protecting others. He was the kind of man our father wanted us all to be. Smart, kind, strong, forgiving, and compassionate. But only Michael became that man. The rest of us struggled, being more akin to the first kind of person. Caring only for ourselves and our own futures and happiness.”
I lowered my face, aware I was shaming not only myself but Ed too.
Faces began to lift. Smiles crested their lips. Chests puffed with pride.
Fire began to build in me.
“And all I ask of you is faith. Believe we can heal this kingdom and right the wrongs that have given us an age of war and greed.”
The crowd began to cheer.
I turned and lifted the bow and arrow from the table next to me and lit the arrow. I aimed and fired, lighting the pyre and freeing my brother from this mortal world.
A young girl began to sing in the crowd, the funeral song for the king. I joined her, though I hardly knew the words. Others joined in. Soon the entire mass of people were singing, sending my brother to the heavens.
Ed stood next to me, linking his hand in mine, singing as the flames spread and began to consume the wood and straw.
Keanna walked to us, standing on my other side and linking her hand in mine. She squeezed tightly.
Maddox joined us, offering me a heartfelt look and nod.
Katy and Thomas, Egar and Erick, the light witches, and Lord Enderby stood off to the side, offering support.
“We took the cure,” Ed whispered. “About an hour before the funeral. Me and Keanna. I shouldn’t have turned down Michael or abandoned the family. I’ll go back to Firth—”
“No.” I turned to Keanna and then him. “You stay here and take care of Ettelbruck. Egar and Erick are going to Florents. I’ll find someone else for Firth.” I squeezed his hand back. “Thanks.”
“You were right.” He offered me a sympathetic look. “You and Michael were right. Hearing that Michael was dead was the worst moment of my life. I don’t know if it’s that grandmother killed him or that he died saving Thomas, but it felt worse than mother and father. And I never want to feel that again.”
“You won’t.” I promised.
“I know you’re magical and powerful and probably can’t die, but you’re still my little sister. And I can’t bear the thought of losing you. Not now that we’re all that’s left of us.”
“Well now you can make more of us. And fill this castle up like it once was. Children running wild and pet dragons everywhere.” I tried to lighten the tone but the pyre and the death was too heavy.
I kissed Ed on the cheek and whispered, “Thank you for coming back. I need you.”
“I’m here.” He leaned in.
I kissed Keanna before letting them go and walking to where Maddox was and stood next to him. “Thank you for coming.”
“I’m so sorry, Millia.”
“Me too.” I looked up into his dark stare. “I’m really sorry for everything.”
“What I said before—”
“It doesn’t matter,” I murmured, shaking my head and turning back to the pyre. “Today is a new day. A first day in a long line of first days. I’m being crowned queen soon. Grayson is being crowned king of the Southern Isle tomorrow. And from here on out, everyone will have a home and every kingdom will be at peace.”
“Isle?” he asked.
“You didn’t hear?” I puzzled at that. “The land from the sea rose up, making one enormous continent again. There was a great quaking and then up it came, joining all the Southern Isles into one mass.”
“Was it you?”
“There’s a prophecy that suggests a child would be born who would unite the kingdoms again.” I scowled. “And I think everyone in Enderoth assumed that was about us. But the truth is, uniting the Southern Isles again and creating a place for all Vulkodlak might have been the biggest issue of all. Displaced people who caused nothing but disputes for themselves and those around them would be a bigger problem to solve.” I offered him the best attempt at a smile that I could. “In short, I don’t know. Maybe it was me. Maybe it’s Grayson. He will rule the entire continent as king.”
“The wolves will be given their home back? Treated with respect?”
“You know Grayson, he doesn’t give a fig about what a person is, only who they are in their heart.”
“And he hardly even cares about that,” Maddox joked and we both smiled though his was short lived. “There’s something I need to tell you. Well a few somethings, but the most important is that my mother was working with Barrel and Anamay and your grandmother. She was part of it all.”
“How do you—”
“When I took the cure her hold over me died and took with it all the manipulations she had used on me.” His brow knit. “I’m so sorry for everything she did. And the death you gave her was kind and merciless compared to the cruelty she forced on us all. There was no wolf uprising. She lied to everyone about that as a means to con them into helping Barrel and Herrick.”
“I’m sorry the memories of your mother are tainted that way.”
“She killed my father for your grandmother. Everything I ever knew about her is a lie. Not unlike your grandmother, I suppose.”
“Everything about her was evil. The woman I loved the most was a traitor.” I sighed. “It’s why we need to be so careful now. Our kingdoms are in fragile places and we can’t risk even one traitor.”
“I will stay in Midland and rule. You know you can count on me.”
“Thank you, but if you don’t want the job I will find someone else to do it. I don’t want to be like your mother and force you into something against your will.” A little bitterness clung to the words.
“No, I will stay. I’m making headway. And I like it there, the castle is finally cleaned up. We’ve started repairs.” He offered a side glance, scared to tell me something.
“What?”
“And I’ve met someone recently that I am quite fond of.”
My heart skipped a beat, not out of jealousy but something close to it. My feelings for him died slowly, as he was my oldest love. In some ways my purest. Even if his feelings for me had been forced on him until they became something of a habit or close to real. But the truth was, he was not mine and had never been.
“She’s one of the few remaining nobles who never fled. She stayed and helped the hungry and displaced on her estate. She’s quite lovely. Her parents were killed by the king.” He cleared his throat, indicating his discomfort with this. “They never supported Barrel.”
“How do we know that? We need to be sure—”
“I’ve introduced her to Katy, who then brought Clarabelle for a visit once. She has been cleared of connection to the disastrous coup attempted by Barrel and—”
“Katy and Clarabelle approved?” That stung but I knew it was the right course of action.
“They did.”
“Good enough for me.” I pasted on a pleasant expression and looked back at the pyre. I really had to stretch to get out the next words. “I’m happy for you, Max.” It sounded real though it felt like a lie.
“I’m so sorry about—”
“I know.” I turned to him. “Can we leave it in the past with everything else? I’ve found the thing you wished for me.”
“What?” He scowled.
“I’ve found something worth not killing for. Worth living for. It’s not a man or a woman or love of a singular kind.” I pointed at the crowd of people singing the funeral song for my brother. “It’s a purpose and a love of this land. My journey, no my blood soaked trail of vengeance and brutality lead me to this. The loss of everything that I was and held dearly, you are included in those losses. I have nothing left and am naked and bare here. But I am reborn too. And I have my purpose.”
“You will be an amazing queen. You might not know it or see it, but this is the destiny yo
u were meant for.” He reached down and took my hand in his, lifting it and kissing. “And all my days will be spent doing everything I can to help in honor of your reign, my queen.”
My hand blushed where he kissed it, flashing a hint of my new scales. But he didn’t notice. He was staring at my eyes, likely focused on the swirling flames that seemed to linger there now always.
Chapter 31
“He looks noble, don’t you think?” Katy whispered to me as we watched from the seats below as Grayson was crowned the king of the Southern Isle by a beaming Clarabelle against the backdrop of the moon rising. A singular isle now.
“He looks annoyed,” Thomas answered honestly, making Katy giggle as she shushed him.
“I still can’t believe you claiming your magic healed the Southern Isles. Word has come from even the southern tip of Slynderal that it is as the old map showed. An age has passed since anyone has seen this.” Katy shook her head softly. “Mani would have loved to be here for it.”
“I hope she can see it, from wherever she is.”
“With my mom and dad,” Thomas added and we smiled.
“Indeed,” I agreed.
The ceremony was lengthy as each class of Vulkodlak offered respect and loyalty. Grayson did not bend a single knee with force, they came to him. The mortal men on the Isle pledged devotion and loyalty too.
As the crowd roared under the moonlight Grayson stood tall.
My heart flickered between pride and disappointment for us both. Not disappointment that we would rule our kingdoms, whether we had set out to do that or not, but that we would do it separately.
I would never marry nor bear children. I wasn’t even sure if I could. Not after the dragon fire cleansed me of my mortal coil. My skin shimmered in the moonlight. A reminder of the cost I paid to unite all the kingdoms, including the isles.
