Page 126 of Of Realms and Chaos

I would bet a hundred gold pieces that inside her head right now, Asher was calling Nrista unoriginal. Full pink lips tilted into a vicious smile, Asher’s posture going impossibly straighter. It reminded me of the time Henry had told her she sat like she had a stick up her ass. He had not been wrong, but perhaps that was just my dirty mind at work.

“I see inside that head of yours, you know. So many secrets. They fester like sores and burn like flames. Would you like to get some of them off your chest, Nrista? I can always make you if you would like me to prove my magic worthy of your acknowledgement.” The Sun’s mouth opened, jaw slack and dark eyes wide. She seemed to sink back into her chair, as if she could hide from whatever threats Asher was doling out. “Luckily for you, I do not care to do that. But please, for a moment, look inside of yourself. Peer into that shriveled abyss that you call a soul. Now, tell me, if I do not belong here, then why do you?”

Gasps of surprise and horror mingled, every set of eyes bouncing between the two females. Asher wiped her hands on her lavender skirts, a move that looked nonchalant to the others, but I knew to be a sign of her nerves. Still, her face was stoic, perhaps even a bit smug. My chuckle could not be stifled, Henry falling into a fit of laughter not long after. Soon, Lian was forcing herself to remain calm. All the while, Asher stared at Nrista, waiting for the female to concede.

“You have made your point. I think we all are very aware of what you can do and your importance in the coming war—as well as your position when the war is over.” Immediately after the words left Marjorie’s lips, I knew I was in for a long discussion with Asher. Seconds later, I was proven right when I felt her prodding at my mental shields, as if she were throwing water at the black flames. “Take your month, secure our allies, then come home. It is time we follow through with our plan for The Capital.”

At that, Asher began pounding on that wall of fire, trying to dismantle it with brute force. Her magic stung, causing me to wince at the pressure, but she did not let up. If anything, she barreled into my mind harder, like a battering ram against a stone wall.

“Excellent. We leave for Xalie in the morning. You all will have written instructions before then, and no move is to be made against Betovere until I return.” Like the coward I was, I stood and nearly bolted from the war room. Asher’s chair scraped against the floor just as I made it past the door, and I almost considered portaling away from her.

“If you do it, I will go to Xalie without you. Do not test me,” she seethed. I willed my feet to move faster, trying to weigh the pros and cons.

“You would have no way there!” My shouted response was immediately followed by a groan of frustration as Asher began jogging towards me, the sound of her slippers smacking against the stone floors making my heart race. Gods, she was scary when she wanted to be.

“Noe or Henry would take me! Maybe even Damon; he seems nice.” Her tone was smug as she halted her steps, Henry’s laughter splitting the air. I stopped, turning on my heels to face her.

Her long brown curls were loose now, small clips gifted by each of my Trusted holding them in place. They had gotten them made for her months ago for when she was ready to choose her birthday, but gave them to her this afternoon after losing her for so long. Each was silver and dotted with sapphires. Noe’s was shaped like a crescent moon. Henry’s was a sparkling sun. Lian’s was a swirl of wind. Ranbir’s was a leaf. Cyprus’s was a puff of smoke. Luca’s was a skull—to Asher’s sorrow-filled amusement. And last was Winona’s, which was shaped like a large paw. She had forced back tears as I placed them in her hair, lining them up to form a sort of crown on her head.

“You would not dare,” I growled through clenched teeth. It nearly sounded like a threat, but Asher did not flinch, her smile not so much as twitching.

“Try me, Elemental.”

Her arms crossed over one another, Henry chuckling from where he stood a few feet away. My hands threaded through my hair, tugging on the dark waves as I contemplated how I would tell her these plans without ruining everything.

“Fine. We can talk in our room.” I held out my hand, eager to get away from the public eye. No one was there yet, but it would not stay that way. She looked back to Henry, waving before closing the distance and placing her hand in mine. We portaled straight into our room, where she promptly tucked her foot between my ankles and then wrapped her leg around my calf, pushing me off balance and throwing me to the ground.

“What do they mean by your plan for The Capital?” she hissed, her fists gripping my black tunic. I felt my cock twitch, and I had to calm myself for a moment before speaking, or else I would probably stab her with it by accident.

“They killed Luca, Asher. We cannot let it go unpunished—I cannot. He was like a little brother to me”—my voice cracked on the words, on the memory of Luca’s body—“Xavier and Mia Mounbetton will pay for what they have done.”

“So the innocents on the island must suffer because of their rulers?” Light as a feather, she spoke, the words falling like paper in the wind. When they settled on my heart, they were suddenly as heavy as a rock.

“We have time to plan. They are mobilizing and expect an immediate attack. We will not play into their trap. Getting all who are innocent out in time is a possibility, but the war will happen, Asher. There is no longer a way to avoid it. I would rather it be on their shores than ours.”

“Theirs. Ours. That way of thinking will bury us all in a grave. Pack up; we leave tonight. I need to find Wrath. He told me earlier that he had heard of a creature roaming Xalie the last time he was there. Seems like we need all the help we can get.”

With that, Asher made to stand, but paused above me on her knees. Sighing, she leaned down and kissed me. On instinct, my hand went to her neck, pulling her deeper into me. The second my tongue slid across her bottom lip, the taste of mint and the smell of vanilla encompassing me, she pulled away.

“I am so sorry for all you have lost. I would change it if I could, Bellamy. Please believe that. Yet I fail to see how killing innocent fae will bring back those lost or do anything other than tie their memory to destruction. You dedicated so much of your life to saving fae in need. Do not let that go to waste.”

And then she really did leave, the sound of her fading steps matching the slow pounding of my heartbeat in my ears.

Chapter Forty

Asher

Two weeks. That was how long King Samell and Queen Prie had requested we wait to meet with them. It was a fortnight of what felt like wasted time looking for a creature we would not find and coming up with a plan for a kingdom that was notorious for their neutrality. But I could not bring myself to do anything other than press on.

Bellamy had promised to find a way to save the innocent fae in The Capital, and together, we did. The plan was not foolproof, but it was something. I would go and order everyone to leave, seeping my magic across the land and into their minds. If I could guide them slowly to a line of demons, we could portal them to safety. Not all demons had strong enough magic to do so, which meant it was a risk, but one that we would take.

It left me practicing often. For the first time in my life, I consciously existed daily with my mental gates open. At first, it was overwhelming, having my magic pull in so many thoughts and feelings and conversations. There were times when Wrath would speak to me and I would not even hear him, or others when I thought Bellamy said something, but it was really just the thoughts of someone nearby.

While I practiced, Bellamy read, diving into any and all texts we could find in Razc, the capital of Xalie. Every once in a while, he would mumble under his breath about the smell of books and the way his eyes hurt after too long, the quiet rants always bringing a smile to my face.

On the night before we were supposed to meet with Samell and Prie, Bellamy and I were sitting atop the bed, looking through historical records that dated back the last three hundred years or so, slowly fizzling out after that. Like the fae, the mortal history was lost beyond that. But even without the text, Bellamy knew of Xalie. Every king and queen passed on one important trait to their heir: rule with a neutral heart and a quick mind.

It left us with little to do other than offer everything we had. In terms of trade, Xalie was an ideal ally for Eoforhild. The former was rich in fish, with rivers running all through the kingdom. The latter could afford to trade for said fish, which would highly benefit Xalie—who had very little in terms of wealth. It was a pretty poor excuse for an alliance, which would not do much to benefit us when they had abolished their military centuries ago.

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