Crown of Sunlight

by Payton Taylor

Instant tears sprang to Noelani's eyes. "How can you be so sure?" she whispered.

  "I'm always sure," Seren said in a monotonous tone.

  The Watcher must've seen us coming too late.

  Asteria was trying to keep up her queenly demeanor, but Westin could tell she was as panicked as her granddaughter.

  "Sound the alarm." The Queen had barely finished speaking when a shrill sound went off throughout the palace. "Guards! Do not give anyone a chance to get out of the royal residence until everyone has been thoroughly questioned. Khione, I need you to have each and every room, nook, and cranny of this palace searched, inside and out."

  Noelani put her head in her hands. Westin heard her muttering, "No, no, no," under her breath.

  The sight of her like that made Westin sick to his stomach with guilt. He had to get out of there before he did something stupid, like comfort Noelani when this was partially his fault.

  Westin’s contact beeped with a message. All it said was: mission complete. They could leave.

  Just as he was about to collect his squad, the queen found his face in the crowd. "I knew it was peculiar that the Ettrian general was here. Guards, over there! The general in gray!"

  The queen pointed directly at Westin and his squad. Noelani's gaze followed and their eyes locked. He saw the betrayal written clearly all over her face. Wearing an expression of stone and her body shaking with fury, the drapery behind her rose up in with flames—Noelani’s Gift at work.

  Suddenly, screams began to echo through the room, followed by sounds of distress and everything melted into chaos. Westin and his soldiers, who were mostly dressed in Viannese uniforms, started engaging the actual Viannese soldiers. He ordered them not to kill, only debilitate.

  They were heading for the secret exit in the servants’ quarters when they were intercepted. The Queen’s own general appeared, an Elemental who could control fire as well. He immediately started shooting blast after blast of fire at the Ettrian force. Thankfully, Westin was quick and had foreseen this, making sure his uniform was fire-proof.

  All of a sudden, a wave of water came out of nowhere, making Westin slip, but he was back up in an instant. He had to avoid the Water Elementals, they could drown someone in a split second.

  Gusts of air, fire, and water were blasting back and forth, and a pair of throwing knives almost knicked his leg. No one would get close enough to fight Westin with his superior strength. Good thing he excelled in weaponry.

  He pulled a blaster from the holster hidden beneath his jacket and began firing at will. Every shot hit its mark. An arm here, a leg there.

  Wounding, not killing.

  Not anymore.

  His body froze.

  The lovely singing entered his ears, and he'd never heard anything so pleasant. He saw one of the most beautiful women he'd ever laid eyes upon watching him from afar. The blonde Siren had a delicate grin on her face. She was trying to direct him back into the throes of battle, to the Queen—to Noelani.

  He abruptly didn't feel quite a bit of anything anymore, aside from the staggering desire to talk with Queen Asteria, yet why? He was strolling toward the queen, and he saw five enormous guards literally cage Princess Noelani in.

  Good, he thought. She needed extra protection, though he couldn't recall why.

  "NO! I must find my sister! Nothing will keep me from her!" Noelani was screaming.

  Intense pain in his arm snapped him out of his trance. He'd been stabbed. The Siren was trying to direct his thoughts. He had to keep his mental shields stronger. To think he could've gotten killed because of one small slip.

  Without warning, he was met with a fist to the face.

  Must be a Rifter. They could teleport through short spaces.

  You never see them coming.

  When his head snapped back around, he was instantly in a defensive position, ready to get revenge. But the man was already unconscious on the ground. He heard Leo’s dark chuckle. “You’re welcome, Airoldi.”

  Westin looked over to where Leo's voice had come from. "Too scared to fight when the opponent can actually see you, Cassavant?"

  "Of course not. I just don't want to get dirty," Leo said matter-of-factly.

  Westin shook his head, and without further delay took off running as fast as he could.

  Once outside of the castle, he regrouped with his soldiers at the arranged meeting place and noticed that one was missing. Westin groaned inwardly. He didn't agree with what was going on, but he couldn't leave a soldier behind.

  With the adrenaline wearing off, the pain in his arm came roaring back. Thankfully, Westin always planned ahead and had a Healer with them.

  The man quickly placed his hand over Westin’s injury and he felt a brief flash of warmth before the Healer backed away. He had stopped the bleeding, but the wound was still there, sore to the touch. There was no time for further healing.

  After a moment’s debate, Westin turned to charge back into the palace to retrieve their lost man. He could be tortured for information, and Westin wouldn’t have the guilt of yet another person’s peril on his conscience.

  Once inside, he quickly scanned each room he passed, looking for his fallen man. At last, he found him battling two Viannese guards near the exit to their rendezvous.

  Jun was young and hadn’t quite yet mastered the ability to use his Gift and fight with weapons at the same time. He lifted his sword as one of the navy-clad guards brought down her own, barely blocking the attack. The other guard took advantage of Jun’s loss of focus to sneak up behind him with a knife.

  Westin surged forward with his enhanced speed, taking out his own sword, and hit the guard over the head with its hilt before he could slice Jun’s throat.

  He heard the whistle of air behind him that indicated the other guard was swinging her sword at him. He turned and blocked her, strike for strike, before using his strength to get through her defense and knocked the sword from her hand.

  She raised her other hand, and a blast of air hit him, almost knocking him off balance. To her dismay, Westin was heavier than she had anticipated. He struggled forward against her curtain of wind and, with a burst of speed, he broke through the contained tornado and smashed his fist into her surprised face.

  He turned to Jun. “Get to the rendezvous.”

  Westin followed Jun back to his group of waiting soldiers. “Clear out,” he told them, “I’m to remain behind to gather intelligence.” He watched as his soldiers picked up their supplies and took off into the woods without a sound.

  Westin made sure their footprints were covered before turning to watch the chaos raging inside the palace. He was about to turn to head back to base when the ear-splitting sound of grinding metal reached him. Westin turned toward the noise and saw a white transport surge forward before coming to a screeching halt. He could hear the groaning and grinding of gears from where he stood. The transport sputtered back and forth for a moment before taking off at an alarming speed and hitting a tree head-on.

  Unnerved, Westin crept silently through the trees, drawing closer to the accident. The entire front of the transport was caved inward in a mess of twisted metal and wooden splinters.

  His enhanced senses picked up the sound of crying and the scent of blood and tears. As he inched closer, his view changed and he caught a glimpse of golden hair through the cracked windshield. He didn’t need any further information to know who was in the driver's seat. It was pure instinct that had him rushing to Princess Noelani’s side.

  When he slowly opened the door, her head jerked up, and it was painful to see her eyes widen with fear at the sight of him. She swiftly scrambled back, away from him. Blood was dripping down the side of her face, mixing with the tears that seeped from her eyes.

  Westin crouched down and, without thinking, he reached toward her to inspect her injury. As he reached forward, her leg shot out, foot connecting solidly with his chest.

  He flew out of the car, landing on his back.

  Chapter 23
/>   Sunny

  Writhia, 5219

  Vianna

  Sunny watched Westin sail backward and land painfully on his back with an oomph.

  It felt good to use his Gift against him.

  As she felt his strength and speed surge through her, she climbed out of the transport and prepared to take off running.

  She had barely taken a single step when Westin appeared in front of her, holding up his palms as if to show he meant no harm.

  “So what, is this the part where you kidnap me as well?!” Sunny seethed, throwing her hands up, as her face contorted with rage.

  “I tried—”

  “SHUT UP!” she exploded. Westin flinched at her shrill tone. "You knew. . ." Sunny's breath caught. "You just let them take Jo! How could you?” His guilt-stricken face blurred as her tears became more rapid.

  Sunny turned her back on him, not even caring that he was the enemy. She wished he would attack her. Then she’d be out of her misery.

  No , she thought, You can’t give up. Jo needs you now more than ever.

  Besides, even though it went against every ounce of common sense she had, she could somehow feel, deep down, that he wouldn't hurt her.

  When Westin spoke again, it sounded like he was using his most soothing voice. “I wanted to stop him, but you don’t know the king. He is evil, and I have a family to protect. I can’t go against the king and his people alone, especially when he can read and control my thoughts. I’m so sorry, Noelani, but there wasn’t anything I could do. Even giving you that warning was a risk.”

  His tone was earnest, and, in her gut, she knew he was telling the truth. But that didn’t take away the anger burning inside of her. That didn’t bring her sister back. Just the thought of Jo alone with that evil man made the tears come faster and created a pit of despair within her. Sunny felt like someone held her heart in a vice-like grip.

  Still in her ball gown, Sunny wrapped her arms around herself against the cool night wind. She hadn’t had time to change, she had simply taken her chance and ran. The need to find her sister was so great, it overshadowed every other instinct she had.

  "How did you get past your guards?" Westin asked quietly.

  Sunny took a few deep breaths, trying to get her emotions under control before she faced him.

  Sniffling, she bent and lifted the bottom of her dress to wipe her nose. Now was not the time to worry about decency.

  She turned and noticed Westin’s hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, as if he wanted to reach out and help her. His muscles were tense, his brow furrowed, his gaze searching the forest for any lurking creatures.

  Why is he still here? Either kill me or leave already.

  "I have my ways," she croaked.

  Sunny did feel guilty at the thought of Kian and Seren having to deal with Asteria, once she realized Sunny was missing. She’d been in the midst of escaping when Kian had caught her. He had started trying to bring her back when she had asked, “What if it was Seren? What then?” Kian had stared at her for a moment before he turned his back on her and walked away as if he’d never seen her.

  Kian might have been an asshole, but at least they had that in common.

  With that in mind, it gave her inspiration for an idea.

  "You said you have a family to consider. That's why you didn't try to stop things tonight?"

  "Noelani. . ." that was all the answer she needed.

  "What would you do in my position? If one of your siblings was in the evil king's custody?"

  She saw something flash in his eyes and knew she had him. She trudged closer to him, suddenly full of nervous energy.

  "Despite what happened tonight, something in my gut tells me you're a good guy." His eyes tracked her every move. "That's why I know you'll say yes when I ask you to help me get into the Ettrian palace tonight."

  “No,” he said immediately, glaring down at her with his arms crossed.

  Sunny clenched her fists and held her tongue. Lashing out at Westin would not make him help her.

  “Just get me inside, I can do the rest myself,” Sunny said, mirroring his pose. “If the tables were turned, I would help you.” She heard the desperation in her voice.

  Westin clenched his jaw, before letting out a resigned sigh. “I’ll help you under one condition.” “And what might that be?” Sunny asked, with an edge to her voice.

  “You give me three weeks to—”

  “No—” Sunny started, but Westin held up a hand.

  “Let me finish,” he said, voice hard.

  “You and I are no matches for the king. You barely have any control of your Gift as it is, and we can't just break in there. I would be killed, and you would be captured. He will sense you as soon as you step foot into the castle. I need to train you the best I can in that short amount of time and come up with a plan that doesn’t get us both killed.”

  Sunny was dimly aware that his plan made sense and that he’d actually agreed to help. The king’s general, who probably knew the king better than most, was going to help her, but her anger was still a living, throbbing thing inside of her.

  Couldn’t he see they needed to act now? “What about Jo? What will happen to her if she’s stuck in there for that long?” Sunny asked in a small voice.

  "He won't kill her."

  "How do you know? He's evil, you said so yourself."

  Westin stepped forward and she took a step back. He let out a sigh, "Look, why don't we go to my transport and sit down. I'll tend to your injury and tell you everything I know."

  She hesitated. Her first instinct was to demand answers there and then, but she did feel a bit dizzy. Her head was throbbing.

  "You're bleeding," Westin said, stating the obvious.

  He stepped forward again, and this time Sunny stayed rooted to the spot. He reached up with his thumb and gently wiped some of the blood off her head. His hand trembled every time their skin came in contact.

  Must be the aftermath of fighting, Sunny thought.

  He nodded to himself like he was having some sort of internal conversation.

  "Listen, I know you hate me right now, but I think you should stay with me. I have a spare bedroom you can stay in, and I could train you every day. It's the safest place for you to be right now. I have a transport hidden in there," he jerked his chin toward the forest. "We can take that to my trysk, and I can fix your injury once we’re in the air."

  "How do I know I can trust you?" Sunny whispered.

  She thought she saw hurt flash across his face, but it was gone in an instant. She got the feeling Westin was used to people trusting him.

  Westin stepped back and pulled a sword out of its sheath.

  Sunny gasped and took a step back, but then he dropped down to one knee and handed her the sword, hilt first. Hesitantly, she reached out and grabbed it. Westin raised his right hand as if he were swearing in court, then put his left hand over

  Sunny’s on the hilt of the sword. All the while making eye contact, and together, they sliced a deep cut into his palm. Sunny gasped again and tried to drop the sword, but Westin's hold didn't budge. The smell of his blood was strong against her sensitive nose, and she watched it spill onto the ground with wide eyes.

  "This is the Ettrian general’s sword that has been passed down from generation to generation. It is said that the god, Myrkur, manipulated this metal with the steel of truth. You cannot break a blood promise with this blade." Westin said deeply, voice vibrating with power.

  "I, Westin Airoldi, general to the Ettrian King, swear to Noelani Corvinus, Princess of Vianna, that I will protect you, train you, and help you get your sister to safety to the best of my ability. I will check in with Josephine Corvinus, Princess of Vianna, once a day to ensure she is being taken care of. And I will have her under surveillance when I am not there. This is the vow I make to you. I shall not be free of my promise unless Noelani Corvinus releases me, or death meets me first."

  Sunny felt the power and truth of his prom
ise sing through her veins. She'd never felt so sure of anything in her life. Her instincts were telling her to trust this man and stay with him.

  "Do you accept?"

  "Yes."

  Westin stood swiftly and sheathed his sword. He ripped off a piece of fabric from his jacket and messily dried his bloodied hand.

  “I live about two hours from here by trysk,” he said, gaze distracted as if he were mentally organizing everything that had to be done. His gaze returned to her face. "Do you need help walking?"

  She shook her head no, and he nodded.

  Westin led her deeper into the woods, listing tasks and explaining how each would be accomplished to get them safely to Ettria. His tone was businesslike. As Sunny listened, she realized this must have been how he talked to his soldiers, giving orders and expecting them to be followed.

  Westin's transport was much larger than the ones she had seen driving through the city. It looked like it was made to carry a large group of people over rough terrain. Though she was sure it hovered like the rest, there were also large wheels connected with tread, like a tank, that must have been meant as a backup in case whatever made it hover went out. It was definitely a military vehicle.

  Westin helped her inside and started the quiet engine. They rose slightly in the air before he pushed a lever and they began moving forward.

  Sunny made a mental note to add driving lessons to

  Westin’s “training sessions.”

  He was quiet as they moved quickly through the forest, dodging trees like it was second nature. Each time they swerved around a tree or went around a curve a little too fast, Sunny tried not to gasp and clutch at the door handle.

  Westin would glance over every time, and she kept forgetting that he had stronger senses. She was still skittish and recovering from everything that happened in the Forest of Death. She nervously kept playing with her hair, tying and untying it into tiny knots. She liked the way her hair felt against her skin, and that it gave her hands something to do. The repeated movement soothed her fraying nerves as some of her anxiety eased a bit. It was something she’d done ever since she was a little girl.