Crown of Sunlight

by Payton Taylor

  Once they reached the end of the tunnel things would get more complicated. Even though no one could see them, he had still given Noelani a military uniform, and she had dyed her hair dark brown. She tucked it into a hat the best she could.

  “Can you sense anyone?” he whispered. “Yes, but they’re not close.”

  They ended up in the secret office the king had secured as an entrance for the tunnel and quietly slipped out. Thankfully, Westin knew precisely where Jo’s room was, so they started heading that way.

  Right before they were about to round a corner, Noelani stopped walking. “Three of them are coming. A Watcher, a Metallic, and an Electro.”

  The three of them stood against a wall completely still. The guards rounded the corner and they all let out a breath of relief, but the tension soon came flooding back when Noelani gasped, “It’s the Watcher. He knows we’re here!”

  “Cover me. You two stay here. Make sure I stay invisible,” Westin said.

  Westin knew this would have to end as quickly and quietly as possible. With the king's mind control, he would be alerted of their presence by now.

  At once, everyone's weapons floated into the air and directly into the Metallic’s hand, the ones he couldn’t hold clattering to the floor around him.

  The three guards knew they were there, but still could not see them.

  “Show yourselves,” the Watcher said.

  Westin decided he’d heard enough. He zoomed to the Watcher and, knowing he would see his next move, changed his mind at the last second. Instead of a solid punch to the throat, Westin used his thumbs to gouge out both of his eyes, crushing the occipital cavity.

  The Watcher would see no more.

  Above them, the lights began flickering, and several bulbs burst as the Electro became more distressed. An invisible force had a hold so tightly around her neck that her face started to turn blue.

  Sparks started arcing over a human form behind her, strong enough to knock out someone Westin’s size, and Westin knew that it must be Noelani.

  Alas, the electricity seemed to have no effect on Noelani because suddenly something strong and solid bashed in the Electro’s nose, causing a waterfall of blood to flow, and instantly knocking her unconscious.

  That was all he saw of her fight before the Metallic sent a metal light fixture soaring his way through the air. Westin barely heard it coming in time to move out of the way. He zoomed up to the Metallic and sent him flying with a powerful uppercut to the jaw. As his fist connected, he heard the sound of bones cracking and knew he had broken the bone. He went after him and gave him an extra kick to the head to make sure he was out.

  “Noelani,” Westin whispered, feeling disoriented since he still couldn't see her, Leo, or himself.

  “Right here,” she breathed right next to him, making him start. “Leo went looking for Zoë’s vial of blood. He said he has a pretty good idea of where it is.”

  They had planned for this. Noelani was confident she could use his Gift as long as Cassavant stayed inside the castle. He still felt the absence of the added security, though.

  *****

  When they got to Jo’s room, Noelani released the invisibility around Westin and his body came back into view.

  The guards outside Jo’s door were already on alert. There were two soldiers on duty, but luckily Westin had planned ahead and left Noelani hidden around the corner of the adjacent hall while he approached the guards.

  “The king has ordered me to bring the Princess and the Traveler to his private study,” he told them.

  The guards looked at each other, and it was only Westin’s training that kept him from tensing. At last, they nodded and opened the door.

  When he entered the room, Jo and Zoë were sitting on the sofa, Jo holding Zoë’s hand. A look of relief washed over their faces as they realized it was him at the door.

  “Princess, the king has ordered me to bring you and the Traveler to his study,” Westin said, in case the guards were still listening.

  Not wasting any time, they stood and exited the room, Westin escorting them close behind.

  As they reached the end of the hall and turned, Jo came to a standstill as she saw her sister. They stared at each other for a moment before rushing forward and embracing each other tightly, trying not to make any noise.

  Their embrace didn’t last long because they both knew time was of the essence. He actually felt hope surge forth at how close they were to achieving their goal. When they pulled away, they both had tears in their eyes but looked to Westin to lead them out.

  “I can’t sense anyone coming,” Noelani told him in a whisper so soft, only his enhanced hearing heard it.

  Noelani had turned them all invisible, and they made it back to the tunnel without any trouble.

  Too easy , Westin thought.

  As soon as he had the thought, he heard Jo whisper, “Is this too easy?”

  At the same time, Noelani put a hand out to stop them all. "I can sense something, but I'm not sure what," she said, voice tense.

  Suddenly, all of their bodies appeared again.

  Noelani gasped. “I can’t feel Leo anymore!” She closed her eyes and tried concentrating. She let out a growl of frustration. “He’s gone.”

  Westin kept his rage in check. Just barely. He didn’t think Leo would betray them, but was there any other explanation? Unless the Shadow was dead?

  Noelani’s distressed cry brought him out of his thoughts. Her eyes darted back the way they came. "At least a dozen people are coming. We're surrounded," she choked. He could practically taste her fear.

  Westin wanted to reach out and comfort her.

  How could he have failed Noelani twice now?

  Trying his best not to show his despair, he looked each of them in the eye. “We don’t go down without a fight. If it comes down to it, I will try for a distraction so you guys can get away.” “Wes—” Noelani started.

  “I will do this,” Westin said sternly, and then more softly to Noelani, “Trust me, this is what I’m good at.”

  He turned away from her teary gaze. When they reached the door, Westin looked into all of their frightened faces once more. "Get your weapons ready.”

  When he pulled open the tunnel door, the first thing he saw was the king.

  The second thing he saw was five Quellers, flanking him.

  Westin threw a throwing knife faster than the eye could track, and it would have hit the king squarely through the heart if a Queller wouldn't have thrown himself in front of him at the last possible second.

  The king stared at Westin with murder in his eyes. "It's a pity that I will have to kill my best general.

  Chapter 38

  Sunny

  Writhia, 5219

  Ettria

  Azmodeous looked at the dead Queller in distaste and stepped over him. He looked much more menacing standing in the moonlight with his obsidian crown than he had when he’d been masquerading as Jo and Sunny’s teacher.

  Figuring they had nothing to lose, Sunny tried repeating Westin's earlier move. She had her arm cocked back, ready to throw a knife at the king when he tutted at her, and she felt her whole body freeze.

  Sunny glanced at the Quellers, feeling their power, and tried to cover the king with it to dampen his Gift, but she wasn't strong enough. When his lips twisted into a dark smile, it told her he knew she was too weak and he was enjoying it.

  Sunny felt her hand with the knife come to rest directly on her chest. She then felt her uniform part as the knife in her hand sliced her shirt right down the middle, showing her bra and stomach.

  The king’s pale eyes roamed over her body from head to toe. "There, that’s better."

  Sunny’s chest was heaving with panic. She tried looking over to Westin and Jo, but couldn't move her head. From her peripheral view, she saw Westin vibrating with rage, and realized he couldn't speak and was as frozen as she was.

  “Now, where were we?” The king asked, gaze landing on Jo. “My own
daughter, running away from her beloved father. I could have given you everything, Josephine. We could have been happy.” Sunny was surprised to see genuine grief in his eyes as if he believed what he was saying.

  Jo made no reply, and Sunny knew she was concentrating. She felt Jo’s powers reaching for the king, trying to rise up past the Quellers, but so far she wasn’t making any progress.

  The king turned his gaze to the little girl, who flinched when he looked at her. “And my Traveler, who I rescued from the Wastes and took in under my wing. What an odd way to pay a man back for his kindness. Come here, my dear.”

  Zoë was visibly shaking as she walked slowly toward the king. When she reached him, he bent and whispered something in her ear. Her shoulders slumped and she looked back at them with tears in her eyes before she disappeared.

  Before anyone had time to wonder what happened to Zoë, the King’s eyes fell on Sunny again. He looked pleased with himself.

  "Thank you for being so unbelievably predictable. This really has been quite easy." He barked out a laugh. There was a slight madness in the sound.

  A secretive smile played on his lips when he turned to Westin. “And my own general.”

  Westin stared back, muscles tense and lips lifted in a silent snarl. Sunny could almost feel his barely restrained rage.

  No, wait.

  She could feel his rage. She felt it as strongly as she felt her own.

  “What could possibly make my most loyal general turn against his king?” Azmodeous’ eyes narrowed, and Sunny knew he was trying to read Westin's thoughts. She knew Westin could shield himself in a casual situation, but she wasn’t sure how those shields would hold up against an all-out attack.

  Suddenly, Westin’s knees buckled, and the king smiled in victory. Then, slowly, his face contorted with fury.

  “So,” he said, venom dripping from every word, “the general has found himself a Match. Ah, love. . .it gets me every time.”

  Shock and confusion swept through Sunny as Westin met her eyes. She saw the truth in his gaze along with regret, though she wasn’t sure what for. Was it regret over not telling her? Or did he regret being her Match? She searched his eyes, but she couldn’t find the answer through the torment.

  The king’s eyes flicked back and forth between Westin and Sunny, missing nothing. “Oh, she didn’t know. Sorry, love,” he said, without sounding apologetic at all.

  How could she not have known? She had never felt about anyone the way she felt about Westin. With her thoughts mostly on saving Jo, she’d tried to ignore her feelings for him as much as possible. But now that they may be on the brink of being torn apart, she wished she would have savored their time together much more. She wished she would have told him how grateful she was for his help and how sorry she was that she had dragged him into all of this.

  “Of course, my first thought was to kill you, Airoldi,” he continued. There was a manic gleam in his eyes as he looked at Westin. A cold, stark malice that chilled Sunny to her core. “But what if I let you live? What if I made her want me instead? What if you had to watch, every single day, as she chose me over you?” He cocked his head to the side as if listening. Then, pure hatred passed through his eyes. “What a sight she is! Is that your training room floor? Really, Airoldi? On the floor, like animals?”

  Rage and humiliation burned through her.

  She had never felt so violated in her life.

  Westin’s eyes were molten, his features so etched with fury that he didn’t look like himself. He didn’t even look human.

  The king smiled with satisfaction. “Maybe she and I could recreate those memories.”

  Westin exploded.

  Sunny expected him to go for the king, but instead, Westin leaped at the Queller closest to him. Even without his supernatural speed and strength, he was damned fast. There was a loud crack and an instant later the Queller fell to the ground, neck broken.

  A moment later and his dagger was buried in the throat of another Queller before the king got a grip on his mind and Westin froze completely.

  Sunny, the Quellers . Jo’s voice whispered in her mind.

  But Sunny couldn’t look away from Westin, whose face was twisted in pain. Pain that tore through her body as well, as if it was her own.

  Sunny, the Quellers! her voice came again, more urgent this time.

  Sunny tore her gaze from Westin and looked to the two remaining Quellers.

  Watch! her sister's voice floated through her mind like a cool breeze. Jo focused on one of the Quellers before whispering a single word. “Die.”

  First, the Queller’s eyes went blank. Next, his knees gave out, and he crumpled to the ground in a disturbing, boneless sort of way. Jo stared at the dead man for a long moment before she turned to Sunny. Her blue eyes, the eyes they shared, were hard and distant. Haunted.

  Now you.

  Trying not to let the horrifying truth that her sister had just killed a man sink in, Sunny followed her lead. She latched onto Jo’s powers and copied her actions. Sunny felt the Queller’s life coursing through her, the life that was protected and sustained by the power of her mind, and she cut it off. Uttering the word aloud as Jo had, Sunny felt the woman’s body simply. . .stop. Her brain was no longer sending out the impulses required to keep the body alive.

  She was dead.

  Sunny wasn’t sure how she should feel about killing a person, she only knew how she did feel. And she felt. . .detached. As if she’d done a simple, necessary task, like opening a pickle jar.

  Distantly, she wondered who the woman was, whether she had a spouse or children. Whether she had woke up that morning with the feeling that it was her last.

  Sunny knew it would hit her later, that she would have to work through this with her sister. That they would have to adjust to living in a world where they were capable of killing, a world where they had killed. But that would be later. Right now, it just felt necessary.

  Sunny turned back to Westin, and what she saw sent a jolt of terror through her. Westin had his knife in one hand inching toward his throat against his will, while the other hand tried to pull it back.

  “NO!” she cried, lunging toward him. The king looked her way, and suddenly she was caught in his snare, unable to move any further.

  Azmodeous glanced between them, lips curving into a slow, wicked smile.

  Westin cried out and Sunny watched as he succumbed to the king’s will entirely. The dagger dug into his flesh, carving a deep slash diagonally from shoulder to hip. Westin gritted his teeth as the blood seeped from his wound.

  Sunny didn’t recognize the horrifying noise that escaped her throat as she struggled against the invisible bonds that restrained her.

  Behind her, she felt Jo focus her full power on the king. The king recoiled and turned to face Jo, releasing Sunny and Westin.

  The sudden release had Westin falling to his knees with a pained grunt that turned into a moan. Sunny rushed to his side.

  She placed her hands over his wound, trying to hold the skin together, but she was unable to stop the blood that seeped between her fingers.

  “You need a Healer!” she said frantically. If he didn’t get help soon, he would be dead within the hour.

  Westin grabbed her face, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Don’t worry about me! Grab your sister and run—I can distract him from here. Just go.”

  She shook her head fervently as tears streamed down her cheeks, her mind made up.

  He would really do that, sacrifice himself for her and her sister. Now that she was so close to Jo and the king, she could see in his mind how much he had done for her and Jo. How much he cared for her.

  She glanced down at his wound. He was as good as dead if she didn’t get him out of there. He was going to hate her for what she was about to do, but her mind was made up.

  She grabbed onto Westin’s mind with a vice-like grip. He staggered back, eyes widening. His betrayal swept through her like a poison tide.

  “No,” he w
hispered, “You promised.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered before giving the command.

  Run. Get out of here. Use every ability you have. Survive. Don’t let them take you. Take your family and get out of Ettria. She paused before giving the last command, her heart breaking. And don’t come back.

  The king would kill him if he came back.

  Westin hesitated, a look of despair on his face. He was trembling, trying to fight the command. His expression was that of a caged animal.

  NOW! She screamed in his mind.

  He flinched, then took off at top speed, his arms wrapped tightly around his abdomen. He was out of sight before a second had passed.

  She would have to deal with her heartbreak over Westin later. Right now, she had to focus on getting her sister to safety. Sunny didn’t think the king would kill his own heir, maybe she could command Jo to run away as well.

  Turning to Jo, she was surprised to see she and the king were matched evenly, though a stream of blood ran from Jo’s nose.

  Reaching out, she shouted in Jo’s mind. Run

  Jo! I’ll distract him and catch up with you!

  But Jo didn’t even seem to hear, she was focused so solely on the king.

  She was about to try again before an idea struck her. Maybe if Sunny tried taking some of Jo and the king’s Gift, they could take him on together.

  Channeling all her energy and concentration on the king, she felt a stir in the air caused by the sheer power the three of them were sending out.

  The king’s eyes widened the slightest bit, but instead of panic coursing through his eyes, it was excitement. He was actually excited to finally see how powerful she and her sister were.

  Sunny’s anger rose at that. Not wanting to waste any more time, she began building up as much of her Gift as she could, and tried sending a command to him.

  DIE! DIE! DIE!

  She kept repeating the word over and over. The king didn't look any worse for wear and Sunny realized how powerful he truly was.

  This isn't right , she thought. No one should be this powerful.