Crown of Sunlight

by Payton Taylor

  Westin observed Azmodeous’ face carefully, watching for any hint of suspicion or any inkling to what he had meant earlier when he’d said he would find Jo’s mom. Noelani had told him their mother was dead, that she’d been dead for years, decades there in Writhia. Westin wasn’t sure what the king meant when he said he’d find her, but he didn’t like the sound of it.

  Azmodeous nodded, his eyes distracted.

  Thinking. “She will come. You saw their connection. Whether she comes herself or rallies her grandmother’s army, she will come. And when she does, everything will fall into place.”

  The king turned and left before Westin could ask what he meant. Rally her grandmother’s army? The king had acted before as if he wanted to avoid war, but now he talked as if he expected it.

  Westin took solace in the fact that Noelani was with him and couldn’t raise an army. The last thing they needed was fighting between the two most powerful kingdoms this side of the Lussan Sea.

  But he would be bringing Noelani there, to the heart of her enemies.’ fortress. Westin didn’t want to, but as the king had said, she would come. Whether Westin was there to help her or not. He supposed he just needed to be there to protect her.

  *****

  On his way home, Westin thought back to his visit with his father earlier that day. He hadn’t told him the true details of what may be happening in the next few weeks, he had only said that there had been a security breach and their family was at risk. As a soldier, his father had understood and promised to have the family ready to move whenever Westin gave word.

  At the moment, Westin had Cassavant working on a way to get his family out of the country to someplace safe. He was relying on Leo’s web of spies and resources to get his family out safely when he and Noelani made their move against the king.

  Westin didn’t want to think about how much he would owe Cassavant when this was all over. Especially now that he’d agreed to help with the rescue mission. Westin didn’t know what had made the man agree to help. Cassavant always had reasons for everything he did, but Westin could finally breathe easier knowing now that when he and Noelani broke into the castle they would be completely invisible.

  Westin had given his father as few details as possible so that if the king somehow probed their minds, they wouldn’t know anything of consequence.

  If their plan worked, and they got Jo out safely, Westin planned on asking Noelani and her sister if they wanted to come into hiding with him and his family until it was safe for them. He hadn’t brought it up yet, though. For some reason, the idea of asking her to come with him made him nervous, even if it was only for safety purposes.

  Right, keep telling yourself that , he thought.

  The truth was, Westin had gotten used to having Noelani around. He knew things about her that he didn’t care to learn about other people. He knew she loved to read, and he’d been stopping by the store to buy her a new book at least once every few days. She liked books with action and suspense and a dash of romance because she’d claimed she got bored if no one stabbed anyone and no one fell in love. Every time he'd give her a new one, she'd always try for a stern look and say, “You’ve gotta stop buying me stuff. I'm going to owe you so much.” But Westin could tell she was secretly pleased.

  And she hadn’t complained once during training, even when he pushed her to limits that even his best soldiers would moan and groan about.

  Westin was in awe of her. That day in his gym he hadn’t been able to stop himself from kissing her and the feel of her lips against his was seared into Westin’s memory. He shook his head before the memory could take hold. They had more important things to do. Noelani was right to have pushed him away. It made Westin wonder yet again if the Match bond hadn’t worked on her as it did for him.

  When he entered his apartment, she was pacing in front of the television. The moment she saw him, she pounced.

  “Well, what happened?” Before he could respond, she went off on a tangent. “Did you see how pale she looked? She looked sick! She was so uncomfortable up there, next to that monster!” She sat on the sofa as she broke off, her fingers twisting the fine strands of her hair. “And I could feel it,” she said, her voice softer now, “when he was up there talking. It was like I wanted to believe him. I was almost happy he’d gotten his daughter back.”

  As she looked up at him with those big blue eyes, Westin prepared himself to tell her that afterward, it had only gotten worse.

  He told her everything that had happened, her expression becoming more and more enraged as he went on. He didn’t want to cause her to worry, but Noelani trusted him to tell her the truth. So he did. And when he told her about what the king had done, what he’d forced Jo to do, she bolted to her feet.

  The room around them began to shake as she clenched and unclenched her hands with nervous energy. Books fell from their shelves, and he heard a crash from the apartment above them.

  He looked to Noelani—she was the one doing this. Her hands were tangled in her golden hair as she clenched her head. He could see that she was trying to block it out, the way she’d learned to with his Gift.

  When glass shattered in another room, he walked over to her and firmly grabbed her shoulders. “Deep breaths,” he commanded.

  “Breathe with me.” They inhaled deeply, then let it out together.

  “That’s it,” he murmured, “In. . . out. . . in. . . out. . .” His hand rubbed soothing circles across her back.

  Slowly, things stopped trembling as the building stopped shaking. Noelani let out a shuddering sigh.

  They stood like that for a moment more before she whispered, “Thank you.” Squaring her shoulders, she put on a brave face before saying, “Please continue.”

  She wouldn’t meet his eyes, as if she was ashamed of her vulnerability. Westin sensed that Noelani wasn’t the type who wanted to talk things out when she was the one feeling embarrassed. Her face had already smoothed as if nothing had ever happened. He scanned her face one more time before hurriedly telling her the rest of the story.

  When he was done, they sat in silence for several moments while she absorbed everything he had told her. He wanted to help her somehow. He knew it wasn’t easy, with everything she was going through, and he wanted to make it better. He felt like he needed to take the weight from her shoulders, but he didn’t know how. She wouldn’t stand aside while he went out to save her sister on his own, and he didn’t expect her to. He just wished he could somehow show her that she wasn’t alone in all of this.

  After she had had time to adjust, Westin cleared his throat. “I talked to my father today.” He told her about the plans he had made to keep his family safe.

  She put her head in her hands. “God, Wes, I’m so sorry that I dragged you into all of this. And now your family has to move? I’m just really sorry,” she said, refusing to look up.

  Before he could get himself more worked up about it, he blurted out, “I was thinking you and Jo could come with us.”

  Her head snapped up as she met his gaze.

  “For safety, of course,” he assured her hurriedly.

  “Oh.” From her tone, Westin couldn’t tell if

  it was a good oh or a bad oh.

  “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me, and I might have to take you up on that offer. Thank you.” She paused a moment before continuing. “I was actually hoping we could find a Traveler and Jo and I could go back home.”

  Westin frowned. “But you are to be the queen of Vianna.”

  Noelani gave him a sad smile. “Wes, we both know I’m no queen.”

  Westin supposed he could understand not wanting the pressures of being queen, especially when she had grown up in another world. But he had no doubt she could rule if she put her mind to it.

  He didn’t want to tell her about Zoë, but he would never keep that from her. So, he told her about how the king had used Zoë to bring her and her sister to Writhia and how he had already planned on rescuing the girl.
/>
  “That poor girl! Of course we should rescue her when we get Jo!” She put her hand to her chest. “Will she even be in a condition to send us home?” “Last I saw her she was fine, but worst-case scenario, you’ll have to come with my family and me until she recuperates.”

  Noelani nodded. “Of course, I wouldn’t want to harm the girl any further.”

  But Westin saw the hope flash in her eyes at the thought of going home. At least when this was over, he’d know that she was where she wanted to be.

  Suddenly, Noelani placed her hand on top of his.

  “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. If it wasn’t for you, none of this would be possible. I just want you to know that I’m really grateful for all your help.” Before he could reply, she smiled warmly at him and told him she was going to bed.

  After she’d left, Westin decided to head to bed himself.

  It was a few hours before he could settle his mind enough to sleep. Just as he was finally drifting off, he heard Noelani let out a piercing scream.

  Chapter 31

  Sunny

  Writhia, 5219

  Ettria

  Sunny was sleeping in the guest room of Westin’s apartment when she felt something feather-light caress her cheek. Thinking it was a bug, she batted at her face and rolled over.

  Something stroked her cheek again, this time firmer.

  Sunny’s eyes popped open, “Westin?”

  It was not Westin.

  Standing over her was a man with long stringy hair matted to his head, bruises mottling his pale skin.

  Without another thought, she had zoomed across the room, getting as far away from the man as possible, and screamed at the top of her lungs.

  Her scream had barely finished when the door banged open and Westin appeared, looking panicked. His head was flicking back and forth, scanning the room.

  He rushed to her side and grabbed her face in his hands. “What happened?” he asked, eyes scanning her for injuries.

  Sunny frowned. “A man is standing right there!” she cried incredulously, pointing across the room at the large bloodied man. “Don’t you see him?”

  Westin whipped around and completely blocked her from sight, shielding her with his body.

  Sunny put her senses out and felt it at the same time Westin turned around, realization lighting up his features.

  “There’s a Necromancer who lives down the hall,” he explained. Meaning the terrifying man who was able to touch her was a ghost only she could see.

  She had heard some Necromancers could even raise the dead. She hoped this was not the case.

  "How do I get rid of him?" she whispered, feeling a shudder pass through her body. "Is it normal for ghosts to be able to touch people?" She peeked her head around Westin’s body.

  The ghost was too close for comfort, looking at her with his head tilted to the side.

  "AH!" she shrieked, causing both Westin and the ghost to flinch. She hurriedly hid back behind Westin. Sunny had always felt she was a brave person when she needed to be, but this was different. A ghost had never woken her in the dead of night. She felt like she'd been cast in a horror movie.

  “I can't help you,” Westin said calmly.

  "Only you have the power to block him out."

  He caged her in his arms and lifted her chin. "Look at me,” his smoky voice said, almost hypnotically. She met his honey-colored eyes.

  “He’s only drawn to you because he’s dead and you can see him. The dead just want to be noticed,” Westin told her.

  As soon as the words were out of his mouth, she understood. The ghost needed to show her something.

  She ducked under Westin's arm and made her way to the ghost on shaky legs.

  Upon closer inspection, Sunny noticed the bruises were thickest around his throat as if something had strangled him. When she reached him, the ghost lifted his arm up to touch her cheek. Sunny stood stock-still as his icy fingers pressed into her skin. The moment his skin touched hers, she was filled with a feeling of hopeless despair.

  The ghost turned his head toward the corner of the room and, following his line of sight, Sunny saw what looked like a projection play out in front of her.

  The man standing before her was also standing inside of a crypt. Two tombstones stood there, carved with the names Myra Lenon and Tatiana Lenon. Sunny somehow knew without a doubt that these were the man's wife and child. The scene changed, and the man was suddenly sitting in a chair. He was staring down at an object in his hands. The light shifted, and she saw that it was a rope.

  Even though she knew what was coming next, Sunny couldn’t look away.

  The man in the chair suddenly stood and climbed onto the chair. He threw the rope over a beam and secured it before slipping the noose around his neck.

  Then he kicked the chair out from under him.

  Sunny watched in horrified silence as he struggled for several minutes before his body finally went limp.

  Then the scene was gone, and Sunny gasped as if coming out of a trance. She turned her head and met the eyes of the man in front of her. Only now did she notice that her face was wet with tears.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. She wished she could offer him more than that.

  "I needed someone to feel my pain," the man said sadly, before fading away. As he vanished, he left behind a feeling of, not quite peace, but something close. Acceptance, perhaps?

  “Are you alright?” Westin whispered, startling her.

  She hadn’t realized he’d moved to stand beside her and taken her hand in his. He placed both of his hands on her cheeks and dried her tears with his thumbs.

  Sunny described what had happened, and Westin bowed his head in sympathy, as if saying a prayer for the man. He sighed and lifted his gaze back to hers.

  “I’m so sorry you had to see that, Noelani,” he whispered.

  “I wish I could've helped him. I wish I could've made him realize there's always a reason to keep going. I wish. . .” Sunny rubbed her chest still feeling the despair and recognizing it. She was familiar with the pain of losing a loved one. Would she have been any different after her mom's passing if Jo hadn't been there with her?

  Sunny felt the urgency to get her sister back now more than ever.

  “If I could fix it, I would,” Westin said quietly, his thumbs rubbing small circles on her collarbone. “ I'd go get Jo right now. I'd get the Traveler, and you guys could go home and pretend this never happened,” he said fiercely.

  Sunny knew he would. That was the thing about Westin, he always had a strong sense of what was right, always wanted to fix things.

  She pulled him to her, hugging him tightly. “I know,” she said. Then in a small voice, she asked, “Can I sleep with you tonight?”

  His arms tightened around her as he whispered, “Of course,” into her hair, while his fingers gently trailed through the long tresses.

  Once they were in his room, Sunny began pushing Westin’s stuff to one side of the bed, making sure they each had an equal amount of blankets.

  Westin stood to the side, watching her, an almost fearful look on his face as if he had never slept in bed with a woman before, but Sunny knew that couldn’t possibly be true. He was too good- looking; people noticed him wherever he went.

  As she was staring back, she noticed for the first time that he was shirtless. His Mark stretched over his shoulder and onto his chest. She had only seen glimpses of it that stuck out from under his shirt sleeves when they were training. The dark red ink formed a bold, almost tribal design that arced over his shoulder and turned into the snarling head of a wolf over his left pec.

  Sunny realized she was staring, so she cleared her throat and asked, “Is that your Mark?” She immediately felt dumb for asking because obviously, it was.

  Westin nodded anyway.

  “It suits you.”

  “Why? Because I’m wolfishly handsome?” he asked, smirking.

  Sunny gaped at him. The quick retort she usually
had died on her lips. She’d never seen this side of Westin before. She gave a grateful smile. He’d managed to take her mind off the horrible situation, even if it was only for a second. He grinned and turned out the lights.

  They lay in awkward silence for a while before Sunny blurted out, “Why do you call me Noelani?” She had wondered that for a while now.

  “Because that’s your name,” Westin replied simply.

  “But when we met, I introduced myself to you as Sunny,” she reminded him.

  “Because I’ve been raised to respect royalty my whole life, so when the queen said your name was Princess Noelani, it just, I don’t know, stuck.”

  Sunny got the feeling that there was more to it than that, but she didn’t press.

  “Well, at least Noelani’s a pretty name,” she said brightly.

  “Pretty name for a pretty girl.”

  If a guy back home would’ve said something to her like that, she would have laughed at the corniness of it. But when Westin did it, there was an honesty to it. He said it in a factual way that managed to always give her butterflies.

  “Night, Wes,” she said softly.

  “Night, Noelani.”

  They were quiet after that, and it took a while for Westin’s breathing to even out.

  Sunny never did fall asleep. Too many thoughts of her sister swirled in her mind, and when she closed her eyes, she saw the vision the ghost had shown her. She would never forget that vision for the rest of her life.

  Though she didn’t sleep that night, she did at least feel safe with Westin by her side.

  Chapter 32

  Leo

  Writhia, 5219

  Ettria

  A week later, Leo was hoping Jo had cooled off a bit and wouldn’t try to kill him when he went to check on her. He hadn’t meant for the dinner to turn out that way when he’d made those remarks. He actually felt guilty that she had been put through that. He hated when the king took away people's will and the fact that he had played a part in it made it worse.