by L J Andrews
I didn’t believe him, and the way Teagan ruffled down the line I knew he didn’t either.
“I would hope so,” Thane muttered next to Tao’s face. “Even still…” Thane rose to his feet speaking loudly to the entire room. “Based on what was witnessed and reported by our queen and fellow warrior, I exact discipline upon this warrior. You are no longer a unit lead.” Thane paused, giving Tao time to react. The warrior remained silent and steady. “You will surrender your sword, Tao.”
There was a gasp throughout the room. I didn’t understand entirely why this was worse than a demotion, but it was enough for Tao to lift his face finally. “No, commander. Please.”
“Do not beg,” Thane snarled with such disgust I’d never seen in his expression. “Surrender your sword. I refuse to place my life, my warriors’ lives, and that of our people in your hands.”
“What does this mean?” I whispered to Eisha who paled and seemed ill.
“It is a dishonorable discharge from his rank,” Eisha gasped. “It has been dealt only once in history—for disloyalty to the throne nearly six hundred years ago when your grandfather first ascended. There was a singular warrior who refused to declare allegiance.”
“Do you find it fitting?”
Eisha squeezed my hand tighter. “It is harsh, undoubtedly, but if what you and Leoch say is accurate—then Tao is disloyal to your crown. Jade, you mustn’t…no, he brings this on himself…”
Ignoring Eisha, I shot up from my seat when the suffocating air in the room threatened to squeeze the life out of everyone watching. “Thane,” I said breathlessly. Thane’s eyes found mine, and the other royals eyed me curiously. “May I propose a compromise?”
Thane’s brow furrowed, and I wished Tao would stop glaring at me. My knees threatened to give out, but I kept my focus strong.
“What compromise would you have?” Thane asked, his voice immediately softer.
“Probationary period. Tao surrenders his sword, until you… and all five royals deem it can be returned. That is, if everyone is in agreement. I wouldn’t want to seem undemocratic.” I dragged my eyes and my final word with purpose to Tao’s dark gaze. He glared at me, but hung his head when Thane stepped toward him again.
“It seems you have a protector,” he snapped. “She is more gracious than I would be. What do you say?” Thane looked to the other royal bloodlines.
Sapphire scanned the others, each nodding. After a tense pause, Sapphire smirked. “We agree. But I would add, my loyalty lies with the queen. We will be watching this warrior closely.”
Thane nodded. “Then it is done. Tao, after such a time as your royal lines and myself deem you worthy of your weapon, it shall be returned and your status restored. Now, surrender your weapon.”
Tao reluctantly took out the steel sword. It was beautiful and had streaks of gold in the metals. His jaw clenched tight, and every fiber of muscle in his face could be seen. Tao placed the sword gently in Thane’s hand, and without a glance, Tao turned and stalked out of the den. Though he never looked at me, Tao was certain to leave his energy to assault my heart. In the pit of my soul, I had the darkest feeling our feud was not over.
Chapter 18
The Mage
Every seam of my skin threatened to burst watching Tao’s discipline. When Leoch and Jade had reported his harsh words, I was positive Thane would shred Tao’s face from his skull at first. Disloyalty wasn’t in the realm of my father’s understanding—and for that I was grateful. But then, Jade—what was she thinking?
Tossing a small stone from the ledge of the cliff, I breathed in the scent of fresh rain mingled with the spicy sap of the lower forest. The dreary chill of winter was receding, yet tonight my heart felt just as gray as the clouds. As soon as Tao left the den, so did I. She was too good. When my soul screamed for vengeance, hers revealed compassion. Tao wasn’t to be trusted—she knew what I’d heard between him and Leoch. My fists balled, and the spaces between my ribs pitted with my harsh breaths. I loved her—so much—but sometimes that woman…
“Are you looking to be alone, or could you stand for company?”
I jerked a glance over my shoulder, my face riddled in frustration. Waving my hand, I scooted over slightly so Thane could sit next to me.
“Tell me, which one sent you out here to find me?”
Thane chuckled, the sound sending a calming ripple over my shoulders. “Believe it or not, neither Jade nor your mother sent me. This was my idea.”
“I just needed some air. I’m good.”
“Yes, so it would seem.” Thane smirked, staring into the distance. “To others. But remember, you are speaking with me—and your anger is making me want to cut anything I see to pieces.”
I chuckled. “It’s not my fault you can’t keep your empath away from my feelings.”
He smiled and leaned back on his hands. “You’re upset for Jade or for Tao?”
“I stood behind everything you wanted to do. He deserved it. In a way, I felt he deserved worse.”
“No,” Thane said boldly, though it took me by surprise. He’d been so angry at his warrior before. “He didn’t deserve worse. This is the lesson it took me years to learn after the divide. I wanted to tear each scale from every lindworm one by one. The only reason I was lead warrior was because my friend was dead. I couldn’t even stay in contact with the royals. I had little meaning apart from being angry. And Bron…” Thane’s jaw tightened and every muscle in his neck rolled tight. “I saw the pain and self-loathing the divide caused Gaia. Though I might not have known it at the beginning, the thought of anyone harming her—it led me to near madness sometimes.”
“But you still want to slaughter Bron,” I muttered.
Thane nodded. “He will pay, of that I’m certain, but it will be because his crimes fit the punishment. I hope I am the one to make him pay—but if the honor falls to another, so be it. I will not seek him out simply because I hold the deepest resentment. War fought through hatred will fail—but if we honor those who have fallen and seek justice—that is how we move forward.”
“Are you telling me to forgive Tao?”
Thane shook his head easily. “No. Forgiveness from your heart is not mine to suggest. It is your own journey and will be taken at your own pace. I’m saying these things because I’ve fought to seek revenge before, and I don’t want to see you suffer the remorse from such things.”
“What remorse? What did you do in revenge?”
Thane sighed and looked to the ashen sky. “We have only just reunited—I know you understand why we were separated and that we love you, but I find it’s still difficult to admit fault to you.”
“Please,” I said with a smile, mimicking his position and leaning back on my palms. “Admit fault. It will make me feel better. I’m a mess inside and always have been. My mother is the High Priestess—mages worship her—and my father is the greatest warrior of dragons—so, knowing you both aren’t perfect will make me feel a lot better.”
Thane laughed. I liked moments like these. Finding out my parents were alive should have caused confusion—maybe even resentment—but each day I woke grateful we were here. Yes, nearly twenty years had been robbed from us, but it was a drop in the bucket. We had countless years from here. If things had been different, it was quite possible Jade wouldn’t be in my life—at least not for years to come. Since meeting the dragons of Wyvern Willows, I was becoming more certain that fate and destiny played a role in my life more than I knew.
“If you insist,” Thane finally mumbled, but I sensed his apprehension. “I was escorting the mage to hide the onyx stone. Gaia was lost in herself, and I saw how she withered from Bron’s betrayal. I respected her, I cared for her. I saw the same empty expression in the warriors, the mage who were with us. I left that day filled with so much…hate, such as I’d never felt before.” Thane swallowed hard and shifted his position so one leg tucked under his other. “While I waited for the mage to hide the stone, I was overwhelmed with dark energy.
I thought Bron had found me at first, but it wasn’t as strong. I searched for the source.
“I found a dark mage nearby. The mage was young, most likely very impressionable to Bron’s smooth tongue. The mage was so inexperienced he didn’t even notice a new energy—an elemental warrior—was near. All he was doing was gathering herbs, and soil and all the things I’d seen the people I lived with do.
“This mage—I knew nothing of his story, why he joined with Bron and abandoned Gaia. All I knew was the blind hatred taking hold of my heart.”
I listened; my chest tight when Thane paused. I had a sense of what might have happened.
“I broke a rule that day. I killed from behind,” Thane continued. “I didn’t make a sound when I changed into my true form. I wanted it to be painful—more than a blade. The last thing I saw before I tore my claws across his face was his surprise. His eyes hadn’t even turned to darkness yet. They were so full of life and…light when I stole it from him. I killed him—in cold blood. I imagined I would feel satisfied, but I was cursed. My heart was so tormented with guilt and remorse, I considered myself unworthy of my position and nearly willed my life away.
“The mage who hid the stone came and surprised me by burying the dark mage, offering prayers to her lost friend. I asked why, until with a level of reluctance, she informed me of that particular mage. I never should have asked. He was young, as in still a young man. His family was killed at the divide. Put in perspective, a child’s mind would see the High Priest as a trusted figure, right? Yet, all I had seen was a traitor. How did I even know if the young mage knew he was on the wrong side? Perhaps his mind was so warped to believe Gaia was in fact the murderer. I didn’t even give him a chance at redemption before I took his life.”
“You shouldn’t feel so guilty,” I offered softly after a long pause. “Even if he wasn’t completely evil, eventually he would have been. And he stood with lindworms—even a young mage would know the lindworms were the ones who attacked. Like you said, the crime fit the punishment.”
“Yes, that is what Leoch and many others told me,” Thane whispered. “Except one person.”
I chuckled. “Let me guess…Gaia.”
Thane smiled and nodded. “When she learned what I had done—she saw the torment I’d caused my soul. I’ll never forget that night. She told me I deserved to feel agony for slaughtering the mage. I was wrong—the mage was young, and lost, and I struck from behind. But that isn’t what I remember most about what she said. After I moaned and complained about my anguish, then continued to speak bitter words toward Bron for making me do such things, Gaia stopped me—you can imagine the sort of looks that woman can give. She told me I now had a choice: spiral into bitterness and turn into a monster like the man I hated so much, or take that suffocating remorse and remember compassion.
“She told me we would have to fight our enemies someday, and they would die at our hands, but it was how we fought that mattered. Honorable defense of our people and for our way of life was the only way, or we would become no better than those we fought. Compassion was the last thing I wanted to have, but her words wouldn’t leave me. I’m convinced that night was when I first began falling in love with a mage,” Thane said with a smile. “Slowly, and I mean years, I began to embrace her words. I’ve tried to fight with honor, lead with honor, ever since.
“So, if I should face Bron again, I will fight him until he is no longer breathing. But I will not fight him out of hatred, I will take him out of love for my family, for my people. There is a power in such things. It is why I agreed with Jade’s compromise. She has compassion. I assure you, Teagan, she is the queen our people need. I see much of my younger self in you, and you have every right to feel angst against those who have wronged you. But do not lose yourself to anger, grudges, and hatred. Most often there is more to the story. I learned that a very painful way.”
We didn’t say anything for a long time, we simply allowed the space between us to fill with Thane’s words. Finally, I sighed and stood. “Well, that is a relief,” I muttered.
“What is?”
“I’m not the only one who screws up. I sort of like not having a perfect dad.”
Thane laughed and took my outstretched hand and lifted to his feet. “I never said I wasn’t perfect now. Perfection is a journey, and I reached the end of mine long ago.”
He shoved my shoulder, and we both stalked back to the cave. There was vulnerability in his story. I wasn’t the only one who had grappled with the thin line of turning to dark hatred or following the harder path of the light. Tao was a thorn in my side, but he’d been dealt with. But there was an entire bramble bush I hadn’t dealt with. The truth of what I’d heard ate at me each minute of the day. I could feel myself drowning in anger and hatred. It stopped today. I would face it. I hoped I could face it as Thane had advised—out of defense for someone I loved, not simply because I wanted to rip the scales from his slithering lindworm back.
Ced was surrounded as usual with his guard dogs at the ledge of the cave. Thankfully, they were in human form. Unsheathing one of the jade swords, I stomped toward the prince. Magnus saw me first and protectively stood in front of his royal. There were no weapons—the lindworms were inside the cave, but being armed was not part of the deal.
“You will stand back,” Magnus bellowed as I took hold of the second hilt and ripped it from my back.
Ced’s dark eyes studied mine—he wasn’t worried—more curious about what I was doing. Magnus seemed ready to shift and tear my head from my shoulders, so I tossed the second sword at his feet. “Pick it up, prince,” I snarled.
“What are you talking about?”
“Pick it up,” I muttered slower. “There is unfinished business I have with you.”
“I will not fight you with your own weapon. You mean to kill me, though I have done nothing wrong,” Ced insisted.
“Really?” I grumbled. “I do not plan to kill you unless you try to kill me. But I will stand against you today. As I said, we have business between us, and I wish to make my stance very clear.”
What I really wanted to do was run him through in that precise moment. Already the armor along my arms, legs, and the seal between my shoulders ached with scorching blood pulsing in my veins. He did not deserve compassion, but if this was the one who kept me locked in hatred—the dangerous kind that had Jade worried—then I would face it as I imagined Thane or Gaia would want me to.
Ced eyed me through his furrowed brow. With a wave at Magnus, the prince slowly stepped forward and reached for my blade. He was dressed in a russet tunic and athletic pants. Out of his black clothing, he almost seemed…I don’t know, brighter, less lindworm-like.
The prince’s hand curled around the hilt, and he didn’t recoil. Okay, first test passed. I had hoped the blade would burn him since I was positive the Prince of Night was full of dishonor. Ced spun the blade around once in his hand and smirked back at me.
“These are very powerful,” he muttered. “No wonder the dark High Priest wanted them back.”
I didn’t reply. Instead, I raised my sword and slashed at Ced. He knew it was coming and deflected my strike. The power of both jade swords crashing against each other shook into my arm. Ced backed away, his face neutral, but focused.
The prince attacked me with fervor, the cutting edges of the blades sparking, slashing, sliding against each other as Ced pursued me or I pursued him. I gripped the hilt with crushing strength and sliced my sword angrily against its twin. Ced gripped his sword locked against mine. Both our arms shuddered painfully as we refused to yield. My face contorted into a snarl, and I leaned closer to the prince.
“You still wish to mate with her. You lied—but I assure you, prince, I will never let you near her again.”
Ced’s eyes widened and his focus faltered, giving me the chance to thrust my strength down harder until he crumbled to the ground. Ced dropped the sword and stayed kneeling as his shadowy eyes met mine. “I don’t understand what you’re ta
lking about,” he growled.
“Don’t be stupid,” I spat. “You still think an alliance with the elementals is the answer.”
“How did you hear me say anything about mating?” Ced whispered darkly.
I shook my head, my blade resting just at the edge of Ced’s jaw. Magnus and Laina rushed forward, but Ced again waved them away. “You talk so loudly,” I breathed. “I heard you.”
“No,” Ced insisted. “I have never said such things out loud.”
I knew he was curious, but I wouldn’t give him time to wonder. “So you admit it,” I snarled. “You plan to mate.”
Ced smirked, looking into the distance over my shoulder for a split second. “If she agrees, then I’m not sure if anything would please me more.”
Raging blood swelled in my arms. I was going to cut his head off—this was the moment I would become a barbarian like all the violent video games and movies I’d watched in my life. My grip was so tight on the blade, the entire shaft of steel trembled. Compassion was forgotten. There was the admission, and I would do anything to protect Jade, even if she would hate me for it.
“Stop!” a female voice rang in my ears. “What do you think you’re doing?”
My brow furrowed, and I turned slowly. I didn’t miss the little chuckle breaking from Ced’s throat.
“Amber?” I breathed. The royal stomped with a passionate anger directed at me. Her golden eyes were like molten stones in her head. “Amber, he just admitted he plans to mate with Jade still.”
Now Magnus chuckled as Ced lifted to his feet. Amber stepped right next to me. She was my same height, and the emotion raging over her human form warned me she was not one to be messed with at the moment. “Did he now?” Amber glanced at Ced.
“I heard him talking about mating, a royal alliance or whatever, but what he forgets is Jade has my seal, and I have hers,” I hissed at Ced.
“I have not forgotten,” Ced muttered easily. He should be more concerned than he was.
“So, forcing her isn’t beneath you?” I growled.
