by Amy Sumida
“Several enemy armies have been spotted on their way to Kyanite Castle,” I reported. “How soon can you be here?”
“Not soon enough, I'm afraid,” he growled. “I'll take our cavalry forward; we'll be able to travel much faster without the ground troops. But you're going to have to hold them off for a few hours, El. Can you do that?”
“I'll do what I have to,” I said. “I love you; be careful.”
“I love you too, Ellie,” he said softly. “I'm on my way; stay safe until I get there.”
I contacted Torin next.
“How fast can you get here?” I asked Torin as soon as he answered.
“I'm about to cross into Turquoise,” he said.
“Don't!” I shouted. “Turn back!”
“Hold!” Torin shouted to his troops immediately.
I loved that he trusted me like that.
“What's in Turquoise?” He asked me once his army was stopped.
“Our enemy,” I said. “Turquoise is marching against us with several other armies. They're already in Kyanite, but I don't know if King Sean would be crafty enough to leave a force behind to intercept you, and I'd rather not risk it. Can you go around?”
“Yes, but it will add a day to our journey,” Torin said grimly.
“Declan is nearly here,” I told him. “We'll hold them off until he gets here and, hopefully, we won't need you.”
“Little bird,” Torin whispered; worry in his tone.
“I know, but I'm not defenseless, Torin,” I reminded him.
“No; never that,” he agreed. “But I'm going through Turquoise.”
“Torin, no!”
“I'll be on my guard,” he assured me. “Don't worry about me, Elaria. See to your own safety.”
Torin disconnected before I could say anything more.
“Damn it!” I swore.
“What are your commands, Queen Elaria?” William asked.
“Shut the gates,” I said. “I'll activate the Kyanite Gardens.”
The guardians are already awake, my love, Kyanite said. I woke them as soon as I felt intruders on our land.
Thank you, Ky.
I am with you always, Elaria, he said gently. Even when I'm not.
“Kyanite has awakened the guardians,” I said. “How long do you think they can protect us?”
“Against the might of several armies?” William asked with an anxious expression. “An hour at the most. Kyanite's powers aren't exactly the most deadly.”
“No; they're not,” I whispered. “Except when they're combined with mine.”
Yes! Kyanite said excitedly. I can absolutely channel your songs through the guardians.
“Then we may have a chance,” I said.
“What are you planning?” Sara asked me.
“The usual,” I said with a smirk. “I'm going to sing.”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Every Jewel Court had a first line of defense that was on display at all times but was only activated when the court was in dire need. They were called gardens but were actually a circle of statues carved from the kingdom's aligned jewel. They didn't work so well against a goddess; I had bypassed Malachite's and Howlite's defenses easily, and Queen Oonagh never had the chance to activate hers. But they should be able to hold off ordinary shining ones for awhile; even when the stone's magic wasn't the most aggressive. If what I was planning worked, it wouldn't matter; I'd be altering their purpose and changing it from defense to offense.
I could feel the power radiating upward and over us as I stood on the ramparts with Gage, Banning, and Darc. We were directly above the castle gates; grimly watching our enemies approach. They marched in formation down the packed dirt road that ran through the jungle that surrounded Kyanite Castle. Flocks of birds took flight as the rumble of thousands of feet startled them.
The Kyanite Gardens were just fifty feet away from us so not only could I feel their magic, I could see it; a pale blue shimmer in the air—like heat off asphalt. I was just about to tell Kyanite to start the music when I spotted King Cyrus of Copper and his army.
The Copper King rode near the front of the line with King Jarlath. Seeing him made me scowl; I had thought we were friends. But I'd probably destroyed a lot of friendships during my time as Faenestra. The fact that one so new had suffered wasn't really that surprising. What was surprising was what King Cyrus did next.
“Now!” Cyrus shouted.
The Copper Army broke away from the others and rushed toward the castle. They were about fifty yards from the Kyanite Gardens, and if they kept going at their current pace, they'd be cast away violently by the ward—possibly even killed. Cyrus had to see the ward by now; it was impossible to miss if you had a lick of magic in your blood. So, what the hell was he doing?
Then I heard Cyrus shouting, “About-face!”
The Copper Army turned around as one entity as it reached the line of kyanite statues. The front row of soldiers set their shields on the ground and formed a wall as mounted knights positioned themselves behind the kneeling men and angled their spears at the oncoming forces.
“That crazy copper king,” I muttered in disbelief.
“It appears that King Cyrus is changing sides,” Darcraxis noted with surprise.
“He played them,” Gage said and then chuckled. “He used them to get here and now, he'd defending us.”
“Kyanite,—”
Already on it, my love. The guardians have withdrawn the ward from the road to allow the Copper Army through. You may speak to Cyrus through the statues to advise him.
“Thanks, Ky,” I said.
“Hold on,” Banning grabbed my arm. “What if it's a ruse to get him inside?”
“Then we will have effectively cut off a large piece of their forces,” Darc said. “We'll have them surrounded in the courtyard.”
“Like shooting ducks in a barrel,” I murmured. “Okay, let me talk to him.”
Go ahead, my love.
I decided to keep it simple, “King Cyrus, get your army inside the gates now!”
King Cyrus gave a start and stared at the statues in shock. Then he glanced back at me and smiled brightly. Cyrus ordered his army inside as I shouted for my guards to open the gates. The other armies were just closing the distance when the last of the copper soldiers had made it beyond the border of the Kyanite Gardens.
“Kyanite!”
Got it.
Power blasted across the road; reuniting the circle of protection. King Jarlath glared at us through the waves of indigo power and then turned his horse about angrily and went to converse with the other monarchs. Cyrus—once a simple farmer—rode into my courtyard looking every inch the king. He pulled up on the reins of his horse and then dismounted; handing his mount off to a squire. As he strode up to the ramparts with a few of his knights, Cyrus unbuckled his helmet and took it off.
“That thing is hot,” Cyrus huffed as he handed the helmet to one of his knights. Then to me, he declared, “Well met, Queen Elaria! Thank you for the warm welcome.”
“Thank you for your timely desertion, King Cyrus.” I went over and hugged him even though he was wearing armor; I was that happy to have him with us.
“Oh, I see that you believed the lie I fed Jarlath.” Cyrus chuckled as he eased out of my hug. “I don't give up on my friends so easily, Elaria.”
“I hadn't pegged you for that type,” I said. “But things have been strange lately.”
“You mean the whole goddess thing?” Cyrus asked. “Yes; that was tense.” He glanced at Darc and nodded respectfully. “Thank you for doing your best to protect us from Faenestra.”
“The Shining Ones are our children; we really do love all of you,” Darc said gently. “Faenestra is simply more...”
“She's a bit of a bitch,” I finished for him. “But that part of me has been locked away.”
“So your message said.” Cyrus glanced at our enemies. “They plan on attacking your guardians together; the stones won't be able to t
ake abuse from several monarchs for long.”
“No; I imagine they won't,” I mused. “But it doesn't matter; I won't be using them for protection.”
“Oh?” Cyrus asked in surprise.
“Well, not only for protection,” I amended. “Kyanite's a stone of communication; as you just experienced.”
“You're going to sing through them,” Cyrus concluded with amazement. “Will that magnify your magic?”
“I don't know what it will do, but I'm eager to find out.” I smirked.
“Then it looks as if I've chosen the right side.” Cyrus stepped back and bowed to me. “And I'm honored to bear witness to another spellsong, Your Majesty.”
“What will you do to them, Elaria?” Darcraxis asked with concern.
“Show them that we're not weak,” I said firmly.
I set my eyes on the army and took a deep breath.
“Wait,” Darc stopped me.
I looked over at him in irritation. “We can't just talk them down, Darc. I'm not gonna go Faenestra on them, but I can't simply send them on their way either.”
“No, but maybe we can show them that we're strong without hurting anyone,” he said.
“What are you talking about?” I growled just as the monarchs began blasting the Gardens with magic.
“I think we should sing together,” Darc said. “I have this strange feeling that it's what we're meant to do. And I always follow my instincts.”
“You want to sing with me?” I asked in shock.
There's about to be some changes, my love, Kyanite said gently. Know that you are always first in my heart.
“What the hell is going on?” I gaped at Darc.
“Dude, just because you have some magic in you and you can sing, it doesn't make you a spellsinger,” Gage pointed out.
“I can hear him,” Darc said as he took my hand. “I can hear Kyanite.”
“Jumpin' Jewels,” I whispered in shock. “Seriously?”
“Darc might not be a spellsinger, but if he can access kyanite along with Elaria, he may be able to add power to her spell,” Banning said to Gage.
The possibilities flooded my mind as I looked from Banning to Gage to Darc.
“Will you do me the honor of singing a duet with me?” Darcraxis asked with a soft smile.
“What do you have in mind?” I asked in amazement.
The music for “Two is Better Than One” by Boys Like Girls and Taylor Swift began to play.
“Really?” I lifted my brow. “I didn't peg you as a Taylor Swift fan.”
“She has a sweet voice,” Darc said defensively. “Not as lovely as yours, but still very nice. And this song is about us, not them. Let's show the other kingdoms how strong we are without actually using that strength against them, Elaria. Help me tell children that we still love them, even when they try to hurt us.”
“God of Darkness,” I whispered. “How inaccurate. You should have been the God of Light.”
“Darkness has always been misunderstood.” Darc smiled softly. “It's very protective; concealing what it loves.”
This is the second time I've cycled through the intro, Kyanite muttered. You two want to give it a shot?
Darcraxis and I laughed together, and then we turned to face the faltering armies. They had heard the music and knew that it didn't bode well for them. As they fumbled about—trying to figure out how to counter whatever we were about to throw at them—Darc began our duet. Darc sang about a normal romance—a boy falling in love with a girl—but he communicated so much more. The power of kyanite rolled off him in waves and then blasted through the guardians; making everyone hear his true message. Not only hear, but also see.
Darc's deep, rich voice brought images to life inside my mind. I saw the cold emptiness of space lightened by a streaking energy. Light blended with Dark and as simply as that, the first love affair began.
The armies outside our gates went still, and I knew that they were witnessing the romance of their gods along with me. And they didn't just witness it; they lived it. Darc put solid emotions into his words; forcing those shining ones to feel what their gods had felt; attraction, excitement, hope, and then love.
Then I added my voice to Darc's and altered his message slightly. I knew the Shining Ones needed more than emotions to stop them from striking out against us; they needed to see our power. So, I sang about how Darc and I were better together than we were apart, but what I put into my magic was my intent to make every shining one there understand that not only were we better; we were also stronger. That even though we'd given up our godhoods, we still had more power than they could ever hope to gain.
A blast of energy pulsed out from the Kyanite Gardens and shivered through the armies. Men trembled in their saddles, foot soldiers fell to their knees, and weapons fell from every hand that held them. The kings and queens gaped at us a moment before they grudgingly bowed their heads in surrender.
I turned to Darc and kept singing; enjoying our love song too much to stop. He held both of my hands, and we gazed at each other as we vowed to never be separated again. We had been through too much together and given up so much for each other to ever be happy apart. We didn't want to hurt anyone, but if our love was threatened, we would do whatever we had to do to protect it. Loving each other didn't make us weak, it gave us more to fight for.
Our story continued to unfold before the shining ones with our song, and battle-hardened soldiers began to weep openly as they saw the depths of our love for each other. They witnessed what we had gone through to create their world and their ancestors; what we had given them and what we had given up to protect them.
By the time our song was over, all of the shining ones were on their knees; even those within the walls of the castle. They bowed their heads reverently as Darc pulled me into a passionate kiss, and our love radiated outward through the last echoes of our duet.
So, my question was answered; divinity was not something that could be cut away. Darc and I would always be gods, no matter how we chose to live. And now, the Shining Ones would never forget it.
The sound of hoof beats interrupted us, and I looked up to see Declan leading a few hundred mounted soldiers down the main road. He brought them straight through the other armies—soldiers and horses bolting out of their way—and then he reined in before the Kyanite Gardens.
“Kyanite,” I said.
I'm way ahead of you; as usual, Kyanite said smugly as the protection of the Kyanite Gardens shimmered into nothing.
Declan led his knights into the crowded courtyard of Kyanite Castle and then stared up at me in bafflement. “What the hell did you do to them, Elaria?”
“It wasn't just me this time,” I called down to him with a smug look in Darc's direction. “Darcraxis and I sang a duet.”
“It must have been a deadly duet to get shining one royals to kneel,” Declan noted.
Darc, Gage, Banning, and I started to laugh, and Declan scowled at us.
“It was a love song,” I finally explained to Declan. “There was nothing deadly about it.”
“A love song,” Declan muttered as he glanced around the courtyard and then up at us again. “Does that make Darcraxis the first King of Kyanite?”
Funny that it took a king of another jewel to figure that out, Kyanite huffed.
I looked at Darc in shock, and he lifted a smug brow at me. “Now, will you marry me? Or must we fight to the death over Kyanite?”
Chapter Fifty-Nine
“So, I'm late to the war, and I miss Darcraxis turning into a kyanite king and shining one soldiers sobbing like babies,” Torin noted.
“And Elaria using her Gardens as a loudspeaker,” Declan added. Then he said to me, “That was truly inspired, my dear.”
“Thank you,” I said sweetly.
“Let's not forget King Cyrus valiantly coming to our aid,” Gage said.
“It was my honor.” Cyrus nodded to Gage.
I was about to concede that maybe there was somethin
g to the theory that Cyrus was gay and had a thing for Gage when Sara strode up to the high table and took her seat. Cyrus followed her with his gaze and then stared at her with a goofy grin.
I knew it!
“King Cyrus, may I introduce you to Lady Sara?” I asked. “She's a very dear friend and one of the bravest women I've ever met.”
“That's a load of—” Sara cut herself off as she locked stares with Cyrus. She smiled back at him and then cleared her throat. “I mean; it's an honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”
“Please call me Cyrus,” he said.
I lifted my brow at Gage and smiled smugly. He just shrugged and laughed. I guess griffin-sense wasn't infallible.
“We need to talk about things between us,” Torin said to me. “Between all of us.”
“This is about Darc's proposal, isn't it?” I asked.
“It is,” Declan said with a look at Torin and then Banning.
“What about you?” I asked Gage. “You're not in on this?”
“I told you before; we're mated,” Gage said. “To a griffin that's as good as being married. I don't need a ceremony to tell me we belong to each other.”
“I agree,” I said pointedly.
“We're kings,” Torin said. “It's a little more complicated for us.”
“And I'm selfish,” Banning added with a smirk.
“Would you care to go first?” Declan asked Torin.
“You may have the honor.”
“No, really; it's fine.”
“Elaria.” Banning got up and knelt beside my chair.
Declan and Torin stopped being polite to each other and grimaced. They'd been outmaneuvered.
“I've loved you through two lifetimes and three incarnations,” Banning said. “Never once has that love wavered. I knew from the start that we were meant to spend forever together.” He pulled out an oddly-shaped ring; it was a gold band, but it angled side-to-side sharply. “Will you marry me, Elaria Tanager?”
“Yes,” I said as I grinned brightly and held out my hand.
Banning slid the ring on my finger and then kissed me triumphantly. As he drew back from our kiss, he glanced at Torin and Declan and said, “That's how you do it.”
