Toward dawning light, p.52
Toward Dawning Light, page 52
She closed her eyes, trying to focus on the breeze on her face and that steady wall behind her. That had to be Jin. She didn’t know how to explain it, even to herself, but it had to be. It felt like him, more than any of the others did.
Cold bled into the air, slowly at first but growing in strength. Astrea opened her eyes again. Tendrils of shadow swirled up from the ground just beyond the little footbridge. She gripped the edges of the railing.
Nazarov appeared in a blink, dressed in dark gray armor and armed with several daggers. His pale skin and dark hair almost glowed in the rays of dawn light creeping up behind the observatory and forest around them. He smiled that nasty predatory smile as he walked toward her, arms outstretched as if greeting an old friend.
“Little Lightbringer,” he said. “I’m so glad you finally made it.”
Chapter 57
“I promised I’d hold up my end of the bargain, didn’t I?” Astrea asked as Nazarov strolled closer.
“This is just one piece of it,” Nazarov said, dropping his hands back to his sides. “Only the beginning. We’re going to have quite the partnership, you and I.”
“As long as this all stops,” Astrea said. “I want all of this to stop.”
“I can see that.” Nazarov’s gaze roamed her body and settled on her face. “No offense, but you need to start taking care of yourself.”
Her cheeks burned, whether from the insult or the strange mix of aggression and desire in his eyes, she wasn’t sure. Potent hate burned within her. Astrea steadied her breathing.
“That’s been a bit hard to do with”—she gestured vaguely—“all of this going on.”
Nazarov appraised her again, sizing her up. He took half a step forward, then another. “It slows down after today,” he said.
“I thought you promised it would stop, not slow down.”
“Not until there’s a new little Ramkas running around, until my place at the top of the Paragon is secure. Then it can stop.”
“Always changing the terms,” Astrea said weakly, an argument she’d had with him before. Hopefully he’d buy it again. “What is it that you mean, slowing down?”
“Think what you want, little Lightbringer,” Nazarov whispered as he moved in closer, “but I’m still the one in charge here.” He glanced down at her hands. “You won’t be keeping those.”
Her rings. He meant her rings.
“I didn’t think I could get away with taking them off now,” she said. “My friends would’ve gotten suspicious.”
He sniffed. “Well, your friends aren’t here now.”
Skies, Astrea was not prepared for this. Not her rings, the ones Cressida had made her, that matched Jin’s so well.
“I’m waiting,” he whispered, holding out one hand.
Astrea pried her stiff hands from the cold stone railing. Every movement made her heart hurt, but she pulled off the ring on her left hand first. As she dropped it into Nazarov’s open palm, she had to force herself not to cry.
His lips curved up in another vicious smile as he pushed in closer so they were toe-to-toe. Nazarov wasn’t much taller than Cressida, but he leaned down toward Astrea’s face, his breath hot on her cheek. “And the other one.”
She pulled the ring off her right hand before she could think better of it. The silver and gold metal looked so wrong in his possession.
“Very good, little Lightbringer.” Nazarov threw them into the pond without breaking her stare.
Astrea’s heart broke a little more. He’d already stolen her necklace, the sapphire one Jin had gifted her all those months ago. She never took those rings off, not unless she was sleeping. And now here he was, tossing them away like they were garbage.
“You didn’t answer my question,” she said, squaring her shoulders. She would not let him see how much this hurt, and she needed to buy her friends more time, get them the perfect opportunity to attack. “About what comes next.”
“What comes next?” His hands covered hers as he whispered, “We’re going to go pay a visit to Emperor Kaius. Now, say goodbye to Varojin.”
How did he—
Shadows snaked up Nazarov’s hands and forearms, spreading around Astrea’s body. Panic exploded behind her. He grabbed hold of both her wrists, holding her in place as she struggled to pull away. A shot pierced the morning, just one explosive crack that made Astrea jump out of her skin. Pain seared her upper arm, but she hadn’t been hit.
Roaring, Nazarov dropped his hold on her. Light flared in front of Astrea, and she threw herself at him. Her shield bashed into him, propelled by the full force of her body, and sent him toppling. Nazarov crashed back, disappearing right before he hit the ground.
Jin sprinted around the edge of the lake, launching himself across the bridge and reaching for Astrea. He crashed into her so hard they nearly went sprawling on the ground. He righted them and backed Astrea up until it was only water behind them.
“Where’d he go?” Jin asked.
“I . . . don’t know. I feel him.” Astrea pushed her senses out wider and wider, every inch of her skin crawling as that cold appeared, then blinked away, appeared again, then disappeared. The rest of the team rounded the lake, Adi and Lucian joining them in the tiny gazebo. “He’s trying to throw me off. He knew about you, and he said he was going to Kaius—”
“And Ellie,” Jin said. “Lucian, the palace, we need to—”
“He’s coming,” Astrea said, bracing herself as the cold jumped closer and closer again.
Shadows snaked up from the ground, right between the four of them. As soon as Nazarov appeared, marble shot up around his legs, his arms. Adi yanked back, wrenching Nazarov’s bleeding arm backward. He roared and winnowed away again, reappearing a moment later right next to Astrea.
Nazarov grabbed her wrist, and Jin still held onto her other side. Inky darkness swallowed them whole, sucking them into the void. They jumped again and again and again, around and around the gardens, until Astrea’s head swam. The fighting was moving closer and closer to the palace, but Astrea couldn’t figure out who was winning or where Eliana was. They were jumping too fast, too erratically. Everything was a blur of red and blue, black and green.
The shadows receded again, and Nazarov threw Astrea to the ground, sending Jin tumbling with her. She smacked into cool tile floors, and instead of morning twilight or even shadows, Astrea found red and gold amid white marble. Chandeliers, tapestries, and a disorienting mix of confusion, joy, and fear pulsing in the air.
The palace.
“What is the meaning of this?” Kaius shouted, his voice echoing around the room.
“Told you I’d deliver them, didn’t I?” Nazarov drawled.
“You’ve attacked my city! My empire! We had a deal!”
Jin nudged Astrea. She rolled to her knees, then shoved to her feet.
Kaius was on the dais, dressed in red Helosian armor. Crimson rage and gray confusion danced in his aura. Caliban stood behind him, dressed nearly the same. Nazarov staggered forward as he tried to favor his injured arm.
“Your pesky brother’s team shot me as I tried to make good on my promise to you,” Nazarov said, “and you thank me by yelling at me?”
Caliban stalked forward, shadows snaking up his arms, but Kaius waved him off. The snowy-haired void mage glared at Nazarov.
“I’ll yell at you all I want,” Kaius snarled, lightning flickering around his fingertips. “Kalama’s on fire because of you. Your forces have attacked my city.”
“And yet I still bring you what you’ve been begging for,” Nazarov said. “Your sister at your back door. Your brother and his wife in your throne room.”
“That was only part of our agreement.”
“Yes, I do often like to go back on those.” Nazarov turned, smiling at Astrea. “Don’t I, little Lightbringer?”
She tensed, caught between Nazarov’s copper eyes and Kaius’s golden ones, the way they both stared at where Astrea and Jin stood, like predators watching prey. Jin shifted his weight slightly.
“You bring them to me at the worst time,” Kaius snapped. Gray hate and red anger swirled around him in such a thick fog that Astrea almost couldn’t make out the details on his armor. “I was just about to go deal with my sister.”
“And now you can knock this out of the way before you go,” Nazarov said, pivoting to face him again. “Lucky you, three obstacles down in one day.”
“More like four.” Kaius hopped off the dais and took slow, measured steps toward Nazarov. The heels of his boots clicked on the marble floors. Caliban followed a few feet behind him. “Call off your army, Lord Nazarov, and I may let you live past sunrise.”
“Let me live?”
Jin nudged Astrea with his shoulder—barely. She risked a glance at him, and he was focused on Kaius. Did Jin want to . . . work with Kaius to take down Nazarov? Try to get Kaius out of this room?
“Control them,” Jin whispered.
“You heard me,” Kaius snapped.
“And if I don’t do what you want?” Nazarov asked with a chuckle. “You’ll smite me with your lightning?” Black shadows spiked high above his head. “Here’s the thing, Your Imperial Majesty. You don’t scare me one bit.”
“I don’t?” Crimson rage pulsed around Kaius in bright, erratic spikes.
Nazarov shrugged. “No.”
“I should.”
Cold swept through the room as inky darkness swirled up from the floor. Solana materialized by Nazarov’s side, the edges of her mask sparkling in the chandelier lights.
Blue lightning flickered around Kaius’s fingertips. Caliban stepped forward, shadows swirling around his hands.
Solana and Caliban lunged at each other, disappearing as the void pulled them both away. Roaring, Kaius sprinted to Nazarov.
Astrea threw her hands out in front of her, squeezing tight as Kaius’s anger swirled into a tight rope that she pulled and pulled on. Choking, he stumbled forward, and his lightning skittered away into nothing.
Nazarov charged, but Astrea grasped at his icy veil, punching through until she found the gray hate that followed him like a shadow. She held onto it, feeding her own rage and hatred to both men.
Nazarov, for everything he’d done. Everything he’d put her—the continent—through.
Kaius, for murdering Saros. Because that’s what he was. A murderer.
Her chest swelled, heat searing her skin as both Nazarov and Kaius strained against her. Jin rushed forward, fire daggers in both hands as he raced for Nazarov. Hatred, confusion, pain—it all crashed into Astrea like a tidal wave, swallowing her whole. She held onto both warmongers as desperately as she could.
“Jin!” she croaked. “More coming.”
In the atrium behind her, and from somewhere deep within the palace behind Kaius, more were coming. More soldiers, more void mages. Whose side were they on? She didn’t know. Couldn’t tell. Not like this. Everything blended together, too much color and emotion as the doors behind the dais exploded open and the ones behind Astrea clattered against the walls.
Jin reached for Nazarov, to drive his blade home, but the sharp ratta-tat-tat of automatic gunfire made Astrea flinch and shy away. She lost control. Shadows swirled up around Nazarov, stealing him away into the void.
Swearing, Jin pivoted, searching the room. Pain seared Astrea’s left forearm, her shoulder, her side. A familiar voice cried, “Nic!”
Oh, no. No, no, no.
Not Eliana. Not Nicos and Zephyrine and the rest of them here, now.
Kaius shoved to his feet, his rage flaring hotter.
Nicos hadn’t been hit by aetherium. There was just pain, horrible pain, but not that telltale fire and ice echoing in Astrea’s veins. Nicos was sprawled out on the floor. Zephyrine held Eliana back as Lucian kneeled and placed his hands on Nicos’s arm.
“Sister!” Kaius shouted. “I see you finally decided to come home.”
Electricity buzzed in the air, forcing Astrea to turn her back on her friends, her team. To focus on Jin, on Kaius, on where the shadows at the edges of the room stretched and morphed.
But she only felt one void mage. Just one, swirling around, impossible to pin down. Nazarov. It had to be him.
The pain in Astrea’s arm died off to an ache, proof of Lucian’s healing. Boots shuffled into the room behind Astrea, dozens of pairs. And behind Kaius, on the dais, were Helosian guards, several with guns pointed at the group.
“Stand down, Kaius!” Eliana’s voice rang clear and true through the cavernous throne room. “Put an end to this now.”
“Oh, I’ll put an end to it,” Kaius snarled, starting forward.
A fiery wall erupted between Jin, Kaius, and the dais. Anger and confusion exploded behind the flames, and Astrea grabbed that energy, holding on tight to those guards. Jin reached for Kaius, not with fire but his hand.
The shadows at the edges of the room stretched more, encroaching on where they stood in the middle, seemingly kept at bay by Jin’s fire. Cold pulsed over Astrea’s skin. Shadows swirled up from the floor. Nazarov reappeared. Metal glinted in the firelight. He slashed at Jin’s arm, sending him reeling back a step.
He slashed again, spraying blood across the white floors, across himself, across Astrea and Jin. She cried out as the pain mirrored on her throat.
Look away, Astrea.
She didn’t look away.
Kaius’s hands went to his neck. He fell to the ground, spasming as blood ran in rivers across the floor.
Someone screamed. Color and emotion exploded in the air, a haze clouding Astrea’s vision and mind. Her ears rang, and her head swam.
Kaius was dead.
Kaius was dead.
No shadows snaked up his skin. He simply bled out, killed by a vicious man.
Fire and lightning and wind and water raged through the room. Steel clashed with steel, and both sides locked in battle. Eliana shouted for the Helosians to stand down, and gray confusion and hesitation began to replace some of the red haze in the air.
Nazarov grinned like a madman as he sprinted for Astrea. She urged her tired legs to move, but she was too slow. He slammed into her, arms circling around her waist. But someone crashed into him, heat blistering Astrea’s skin.
And then there was that cold again, sucking them in and tossing them into the darkness of the void.
Chapter 58
The shadows swirled and rushed around Astrea. Her back slammed into the ground, and her breath left her in a whoosh. The dawn sky hovered above her, creamy pinks and oranges and blues.
Nazarov peered down at her. Hot rage burned Astrea’s skin, and then Nazarov’s eyes went wide as someone yanked him off her.
Jin.
Astrea scrambled off the ground, nearly slipping on the soft dirt. They’d landed in one of the sparring circles near the barracks, a small crater in the landscape.
Nazarov slipped out of Jin’s hold, pivoting back a few steps every time Jin advanced on him.
“Well!” Nazarov called out, grinning. “One more Auris down. You should be thanking me, Varojin. I just did you a huge favor.”
Jin lunged, a fiery dagger in hand. Shadows snaked up from the dirt, swallowing Nazarov whole. That same darkness formed on the flat ground above the training ring. Jin sprinted up the training ring’s wall, then ducked as void fire blasted at him from behind.
Astrea spun. There, opposite where Nazarov had landed, was Solana. Shadows snaked up her arms. Her dark gray armor matched Nazarov’s, sleek like a second skin on her thin body. Daggers were strapped to her thighs, and she had another in her right hand, blood dripping from its tip.
“About time you fucking showed up!” Nazarov called to Solana, dodging the fire Jin focused on him. “What took you so long?”
“The snow-haired one was hard to kill!” Solana yelled back, her gaze fixating on Astrea.
Caliban was dead, too?
It was good, but—
Solana charged, racing down the slope into the training ring’s bowl, right where Astrea stood. The void mage brandished her dagger at Astrea, slashing the air as Astrea pivoted back, farther and farther away from Solana—and from Jin, who was focused on Nazarov.
Solana reached for Astrea’s arm, missing by a few inches. She swiped at her again, her hand slamming into the thick, impenetrable light of Astrea’s shield.
Astrea dug her heels into the ground, shoving hard against Solana. The woman snarled and stumbled back.
“Stupid little Lightbringer,” she hissed.
Echoes of fire burned Astrea’s upper arm. She didn’t dare look away from the woman before her, from the hate beaming out at her from behind that mask.
Lowering her legs, Astrea prepared for another blow. Solana charged, smashing into Astrea’s shield with her shoulder. But Astrea pushed her back again, so hard that Solana tumbled back into the loose dirt with a thud.
Astrea sprinted forward, throwing herself onto Solana as she tried to stand. Solana screamed, and ghostly pain flared in Astrea’s face, her shoulder. She fell on top of the woman, pinning her to the ground with her body.
She had to end this. She had to help Jin. He and Nazarov continued in a flurry around and around the training ring, a dance of flame and shadow.
Solana reached up toward Astrea, but she slammed the void mage’s hand back into the ground. With her other, Astrea reached for Solana’s icy veil, punching through as she fed her magic the rage and panic building in her bones. She hated this woman. She hated Nazarov. And she had to help Jin end this. This had to stop.
Her fingers brushed Solana’s burning hatred and anger, the crimson and gray flaring to life above the woman’s head in a thin band. Astrea yanked on them. Her sternum ached, making each breath painful. But she held tight, pulling harder and harder as Solana stared up at her, wide-eyed.
Solana struggled under her grasp, thrashing and tearing at Astrea as she tried to free herself. Astrea pushed down harder on this woman, hoping she would give up, pass out from the force of the energy Astrea pushed and pulled.
Something sharp pierced Astrea’s right thigh. She screamed. Her magical hold faltered. Pain flooded her veins, hot and stinging. But only hot.
