by Evelyn Skye
“Where’s Sora?” Daemon asked.
“She and Hana are supposed to be in the castle,” Empress Aki said. “Fairy, too, but she snuck in a different way.”
A hurricane blasted toward them. The soldiers shouted and held up their shields to try to block it.
“Liga,” Daemon shouted over the noise of the wind, “stay down here and help the empress and Broomstick.”
“What will you do?” Liga asked.
Daemon pointed his nose at the highest tower. It was shadowed, but he could make out figures on the balcony. His gemina bond was taut with tension, as if trying to reel him closer, and he knew. “Sora needs me.”
Liga nodded. “Gods-speed.”
In the past, that expression had just been a phrase said to someone going on a mission. But now, it suddenly meant so much more to Daemon, and his sparks flashed brighter. “Gods-speed, brother.”
Empress Aki ran up to Daemon. “Take me with you.”
He hesitated for a moment to bring her to the crux of the fight. But then he scooped her up onto his back. The empress was in as much danger down here as she would be up in the castle. Besides, if this was truly the end of Prince Gin, she deserved to see her brother one last time. “Hold on tight,” he growled, then leaped straight up into the sky.
The ryuu at both the castle and the Citadel continued their attacks. Flames shot out like fiery claws. Metal shrapnel hurled itself into the air, slicing and impaling flesh. Blood literally boiled when one of the ryuu got too close.
Screams filled the air.
Below, Broomstick detonated more bombs.
Then Liga roared as he dove into battle. His thunder shook the entire Imperial City, and chunks of bloodstone broke loose and fell from the castle.
“Are you ready to face your brother?” Daemon shouted to Empress Aki through the chaos.
“No,” she said. “But I’m ready to take my kingdom back.”
Urgency lanced through his gemina bond. Sora! There was no more time to lose.
Daemon aimed at the tower and dove.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Prince Gin stared aghast at the arrival of Daemon and Liga. Sora didn’t waste the opportunity. She ripped herself free of his ryuu particles holding her to the wall and lunged back onto the balcony. Just as the tip grazed Hana’s stomach, Sora grabbed the sword out of Hana’s hand. It sliced through Hana’s clothes and broke the skin. Blood welled, but Hana, still under the prince’s control, didn’t even react.
It was enough to snap Prince Gin out of his shock, though. He tightened his grip on Hana. “Not one step closer,” he said to Sora.
Daemon burst upon them at full speed and plowed into the Dragon Prince. Sora, Hana, and Prince Gin flew apart like bowling pins, each hitting a different part of the tower inside. Empress Aki jumped off Daemon’s back.
Hana scrambled for the sword Sora had dislodged from her. “I have to die honorably,” she muttered.
“No!” Sora sent a wave of ryuu particles at the sword, knocking it out of Hana’s reach.
Empress Aki grabbed Hana by the back of her tunic.
But Hana shook her off easily.
Daemon’s blue glow buzzed and filled the room. Sora was already protected through their gemina bond, but now his shield enveloped Hana and Empress Aki, too.
The anger fell away from Hana’s face as the Dragon Prince’s spell lost control of her. She looked at her stomach and rubbed the cut. “What did I almost do?”
Prince Gin staggered away, his back against the tower wall.
Sora wanted to run to Hana and hug her, but they needed to deal with Prince Gin first. “You’re outnumbered,” she said.
He didn’t look at her, though. Instead, he turned to his sister. “Go ahead and kill me. It’s what you’ve wanted from the start.”
Empress Aki took a step forward. “No, it isn’t,” she said. “I wanted Kichona at peace, and I wanted my brother with me, helping me to rule.”
“You never would have shared power.”
“I offered it to you when Father died; your memory is selective. I would have been happy to lead our kingdom together. It’s the Cult of the Evermore and your pursuit of empire that I would never subscribe to.”
Prince Gin looked around the tower, as if assessing whether he had any chance of escape. But Daemon put a quick end to that speculation by taking away gravity’s hold on the prince, and the Dragon Prince floated up until he was pinned against the ceiling.
“Put me down!” he said, thrashing.
“It’s over,” Sora said.
“My ryuu will be here any minute.”
“No, they won’t,” Daemon said. “There is more than one demigod like me, and they’re out there now, capturing your army.”
Sora wasn’t sure if he was bluffing. She thought she’d seen only him and Liga. Were there really more of his brothers and sisters out there?
“Demigod . . . That’s what you are?” Prince Gin’s entire body slumped, his arms and legs dangling uselessly in the air.
“Yes, and my father will see to it that all the souls you damned will be redeemed.”
“Vespre conducted the purification ritual?” Sora cried. Joy and relief rose tentatively in her chest. “You convinced him?”
“I struck a deal,” Daemon said, suddenly refusing to look at her.
Hana let out a small gasp of understanding. “That was the secret you hid from us before you left.”
The relief Sora had momentarily felt now vanished. “Daemon . . . what did you do?”
“What I had to. He tried to cast me away as soon as I showed up, but I made him listen by offering the only thing he truly wanted of me. I promised to live in Celestae—”
“No . . .” Sora stumbled. It seemed that all the air had been sucked from the tower. She and Daemon had just begun their new journey together as more than geminas, and now it was being dashed to pieces.
She whirled on Prince Gin. “This is all your fault! You claim to love your kingdom and its people, but all you’ve caused is misery.”
“Sora.” Daemon sent her a cascade of tenderness, like a bolt of rich velvet unfurling in their gemina bond. “You didn’t let me finish. I compromised with Vespre. I’ll spend fall and winter in Celestae, and spring and summer here with you.”
“But that’s only half your time . . .”
His voice went soft and quiet. “Believe me, I wish I hadn’t had to promise that to him. But it was the only way. During life, souls are marked as pure, tainted, or uncertain. Your soul—and all the taigas’ and other ryuu’s—were tainted, destined for an eternity of torture. Vespre was able to change the mark on your souls to ‘uncertain,’ giving them a chance to go either way when you die.
“The bargain with my father was worth it, Sora,” Daemon said. “And it won’t be that bad. I’m a demigod now; I’ll find a way for us to communicate even if I can’t be with you. Maybe I could use our gemina bond to visit your dreams.”
“Without genka?”
He laughed. “Without genka.” But then his smile faded. “The deal with Vespre only stands, though, if we survive this war. My father did his part of the purification ritual, but we still have to do ours.”
“Tell us what to do,” Hana said, stepping up so her sister could recover.
Sora was overwhelmed. But everyone had made sacrifices, and she wouldn’t let them do it alone. That was the taiga way.
She nodded at Daemon. “How do we finish the purification ritual?”
Strength like steel surged through their bond, and Sora no longer had any doubt that she and Daemon would be together through everything, even if they had to be apart. They would figure out the little details, but the big things were easy because they already knew how to be partners, and now they were more committed to each other than they’d ever been before.
“Vespre removed the shackle that was on all ryuu and taiga souls,” he said. “Even so, as long as the original thief is alive, no one who used Sight will be a
llowed in the afterlife.” Daemon turned to look at the Dragon Prince. “The originator of the curse has to die in order for the curse itself to die, too.”
Sora also looked at Prince Gin. All it would take is a knife. . . .
“I truly only wanted what was best for Kichona, Aki,” the Dragon Prince said, the fight in his voice gone.
“He’s trying to make you pity him, Your Majesty,” Sora said. “Don’t fall for it.”
Empress Aki looked at her brother on the ceiling, her eyes rimmed red with tears. “Despite everything, I love you, Gin. I would spare your life if you’d repent for all that you did.”
“Your Majesty—” Daemon began.
But Sora sent him the feeling she’d experienced upon being reunited with Hana, a dizzying sense of glee and relief that transcended any past misdeeds. She worried about Empress Aki forgiving Prince Gin, but Sora understood it, too. There was something about family that allowed you to forgive them even the most atrocious wrongs. It was the most incomprehensible yet noble gift. Daemon stopped his protest.
Prince Gin, however, shook his head. “I could no more repent what I’ve done in the name of Kichona than you could repent what you’ve done for the kingdom.”
Empress Aki furrowed her brow. “But I’ve built schools, encouraged Kichona’s rich traditions by paying for festivals and celebrations, and opened up our borders to bring more prosperity than our kingdom has ever seen.”
“And you believe this is right and what is good for Kichona.”
“Without a doubt.”
“Then you understand how I feel,” Prince Gin said.
Empress Aki let out a mournful sigh, and Sora, Daemon, and Hana all looked away. They knew what the conclusion was. There was no compromise that could guarantee Kichona would be safe. Prince Gin had to die.
A wave of sadness washed over Sora, not because she thought he didn’t deserve the sentence, but because she knew how much it would pain the empress to give it. Sora couldn’t imagine being the one to end Hana’s life.
“Lower me to the ground,” Prince Gin said to Daemon.
Gravity regained its hold on the Dragon Prince, and it pulled him to the floor. For good measure, Daemon applied extra gravity to prevent Prince Gin from trying to run. But it was unnecessary, because he stayed where he landed.
“Do it, Aki,” Prince Gin said. “Tell one of your warriors to kill me now.”
“I won’t make them commit regicide,” she said, her voice trembling. “I’ll do it myself.” The empress unsheathed a blade from her own belt.
She approached him slowly, as if hoping, with each step, that everything could be undone. Her grip around her knife tightened.
But when she was right next to her brother, she threw her arms around him, embracing him tightly instead of stabbing him.
“You used to be my best friend. What happened to you?” Her body shook with the tears she tried to keep bottled up inside.
Sora glanced at Empress Aki’s knife. Prince Gin could snatch it from her. Sora was just about to do something about it when green smoke filled the balcony outside.
A bearded giant stepped out from the cloud.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Sora’s mind raced as she watched Zomuri approach.
The god smirked at her. “You broke into my vault and stole from me. I thank you for providing me with such entertainment. However, I have allowed you to remain free for long enough. You must be punished for your transgressions.”
“I . . .” Sora had nothing to say. She’d known this would catch up to her. How could you steal from a god and expect to get away with it?
Daemon growled and moved in front of her, blue electricity blazing, baring his teeth at the god.
Zomuri chuckled. “As if a mere demigod has a chance against me. But I’ll deal with you children later. First . . .” He looked down upon Prince Gin and Empress Aki. “You summoned me and promised me the heart of a monarch.”
“Yes, my lord,” Prince Gin said eagerly, as if realizing he still had a chance to live. “Tsarina Austine of Thoma is waiting for you in my throne room.”
“Deception!” Zomuri’s spittle landed on the prince’s face. “There is no one there.”
“No . . . ,” the Dragon Prince said at the same time Sora heaved a sigh of relief. If the tsarina was gone, Sora hoped that meant Fairy had succeeded in saving her.
“I do not like being summoned for no reason,” Zomuri said to Prince Gin. “You owe me a royal heart, and I want it now.”
“Take my sister’s,” Prince Gin said.
“What?” Empress Aki jumped back.
“You should have killed me when you had the chance,” he said.
Zomuri snatched Aki off the floor.
“Spirit, help me!” she cried.
The god’s long sharp fingernail traced her chest, drawing a circle to scoop out her heart.
“You’re making a mistake!” Sora screamed, and somehow, that was enough to make Zomuri pause. She glared at both the god and the Dragon Prince. “All this death and destruction is happening based on a fable. But do you even know if the Legend of the Evermore is true?”
The prince scoffed. “Of course it is. Do you doubt the greatness of the god before you?”
She looked again at Zomuri. He filled the small tower, not only with his size but also with the iron stink of blood. And then there was the matter of him holding Empress Aki captive. Sora needed to approach this carefully.
“I don’t doubt his power,” she said. “But I know that myths are stories spun from a combination of reality and fiction. And I also know mischief rather well. This scene reeks of it. Isn’t that right, Zomuri? You never expected Prince Gin to be able to overthrow all the mainland monarchs. The Evermore was never a prize he could achieve.”
The god snorted, and the room filled with his rank breath smelling of rotten eggs. “Do you think the other gods would allow me to simply give away the equivalent of Celestae? There is no Evermore. But humans will forever want more than what they have. Even if you did have paradise on earth, you’d sell your soul for something else. But I pit you against each other, and I receive quite a show, as well as the occasional heart. Royal blood is delightful.” He salivated again, eyeing Aki.
“How dare you play with our lives as if they mean nothing!” Empress Aki said, wriggling in his grasp.
Prince Gin bowed his head. “But my lord, even if the Evermore itself doesn’t exist, there must be something you can grant to me and my people. I can prevail against the mainland monarchs, all seven of them. I promised you an empire to worship you, and I can still deliver.”
“No, you can’t,” Sora said. “And Kichona doesn’t want you at its helm.”
“What are you—?”
She gave Daemon a quick nod.
Daemon unleashed a stream of blue sparks and brought Prince Gin to his knees. Sora called on the ryuu particles around her and sent them charging into the Dragon Prince’s chest. They rammed straight through his breastbone and cut a hole in it.
Prince Gin’s eyes bulged as he looked down in horror. “You fool.”
“It had to be done,” Sora said.
Then the Dragon Prince toppled. His heart flew forward.
Sora lunged and caught it.
Chapter Sixty-Four
Prince Gin’s body crumpled onto the floor of the tower. Blood spilled over Sora’s boots, and his heart pulsed hot and strong in her hand. Zomuri lunged toward the heart, dropping Empress Aki in the process, and she raced to safety behind Daemon and Hana.
Sora’s entire body felt strangely warm. It was more than the familiar swell of ryuu magic filling her to brimming, and suddenly, the heat began to drain away, as if someone had opened the bathtub stopper. She gasped as she literally saw the emerald dust streaming out of her and into the Dragon Prince’s heart in her hands.
On the other side of the room, the same thing happened to Hana, whose mouth hung open.
A rivulet of green glitter trickl
ed in through the balcony, also drawn to the beating heart. Then more and more magic came, until the rivers became a flood.
The Dragon Prince’s heart absorbed it all.
Sora gasped. “What’s happening?”
Daemon circled the heart. “The last part of the purification ritual. Vespre began it, but the taint wouldn’t come off your souls until the originator of the curse was dead and you were free of the stolen magic.”
She stared at the throbbing heart before her. “You’re saying the curse is leaving me, Hana, and all the other taigas and ryuu by returning the magic to Prince Gin’s heart?”
“Yes, that is what he means,” Zomuri growled. “Now give it to me!”
Sora cocked her head. Why was the god asking her for the heart rather than just taking it? Surely he could use his magic to seize it.
Maybe it actually had to be given, like in the Ceremony of Two Hundred Hearts or how Prince Gin had offered up Tsarina Austine’s heart. Whatever the reason was, though, Sora wasn’t going to lose this opportunity.
She cradled the heart to her body. An idea was forming, but it required defying Zomuri—again—and she had to brace herself before she spoke. “I—I’m not giving up the heart yet.”
“What do you mean?” The god’s voice echoed throughout the whole castle.
She stood tall, shoulders proud, trying to channel the confidence she’d seen in Empress Aki. “I mean, you have to agree to my terms first,” Sora said.
“You impudent child! The deal has been struck. Gin owed me a royal heart, so it’s supposed to be mine.” The torrent of ryuu magic had lessened to barely a trickle. The heart was almost done collecting stolen magic from the taigas and ryuu, and the pulse had visibly weakened, barely thumping anymore. “Give it to me now,” Zomuri said, “while the heart still beats! It loses flavor with every pulse.”
Sora smiled smugly. She definitely had leverage now. “I agree that you and Prince Gin had a deal, but that doesn’t involve me. Now I have the heart, and if you want it before it dies, you’ll agree not to punish me or my friends for breaking into your vault and stealing the soul pearl. It will be as if that never happened.”
