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“Fuck off! We’re busy,” Vadim shouted back.
Liliana’s scoff was crystal clear through the door. “When you’re finished jerking each other off, the rest of us are waiting.” King Airre’s booming laugh masked Liliana’s retreating footsteps, and I found myself grinning as I readied myself for another game of politics.
“We’ll continue this later. We have a queen to see,” Viktor said seriously. He led us from the room, all eyes and hidden grins on us as we entered the hall where our companions waited.
“I’ll take your lead, King Airre.” I motioned for him to lead the way to the dining hall where the monarchs of the Day Realm awaited us. The maze of breezeways passed in a blur until we arrived at a wooden building, glass doors thrown open to allow the warm winter air of the Day Realm to flow through the space. A shallow pool waited just outside them, beckoning the observer to sink into its cool waters on a hot day. But we bypassed it, stepping through the glass and finding Queen Viktoria standing behind a long table laden with food. Her head was close to her husband’s as they whispered, breaking apart when they saw us arrive. The queen flashed us a brilliantly white smile that was meant to disarm, her colorful dress floating on the soft breeze that entered behind us.
“Please sit, eat, and drink, my friends,” she cooed. She and King Consort Geza took the ceremonial head of the table, and King Airre and I sat beside them, Kaztar and Viktor to myimmediate left and Mikko and Tukka across from them. The King and Queen of the Day Realm bit into their food, and then we filled our plates from the smattering of fruit, bread, and meat laid before us. I studied Queen Viktoria, her colorful ensemble enhancing the richness of her dark skin. Yet her dark eyes were pinched with worry, and something was different about her than the last time I had seen her, nearly a year ago at the last Béke.
Her husband cleared his throat, glancing between King Airre and me. “So, King Zalan is dead. His illness finally took him?”
“Unfortunately not. He was killed when King Azim’s son attacked Este Castle some weeks ago. He also took Queen Izidora that night.” I dropped every major fact in one sentence, its power holding the breath of the monarchs for several moments before Queen Viktoria could respond.
“Princess – Queen Izidora? You found her?”
I nodded. “About three months ago, we found her in an almost impossible-to-spot cave in the Agrenak Mountains. She was chained in absolute darkness, hidden deep in the mountain. We killed many Iron Fae soldiers to get to her.”
She hissed, cursing under her breath. “That poor child. Your arrival must have been quite the shock for her.”
“It was. It took her time to warm up to us after everything she went through, but she is more resilient than you can imagine. She is incredible, a very fast learner, and so kind.”
A knowing half-smile spread across King Consort Geza’s lips. “Sounds like you are in love, High Lord Kazimir.”
“She is my mate, Your Majesty.” I bowed my head and waited for the response this fact would elicit.
Queen Viktoria clapped her hands excitedly, bringing them to her smiling lips. “Mates! Ah, how I enjoy love stories.” She glanced at King Airre and Queen Immonen, who gazed into each other's eyes like they were the only two in the world. “Andnow I see why King Airre has joined you here. You want to rescue your mate and need our help to do so.”
“Indeed, that is the purpose of our visit. As we speak, the armies of the Night and Crystal Realms are merging near the Day Realm border, and we would like permission to continue to move through the Day Realm and station them at the border with the Iron Realm as well,” I requested.
King Consort Geza glanced at his wife, whose smile fell as she considered our proposal. A heavy sigh escaped her, as if the weight of the world had suddenly fallen on her shoulders, and he placed a steady hand there, giving her a light squeeze as if reminding her that she did not have to carry this burden alone. “If it was any other time, we would have joined in a heartbeat. But right now, we have another priority,” he replied.
Red flashed before my eyes, panic gripped my chest, and every muscle in my body tingled as my fear of losing Izidora rushed through me like a tidal wave.
She was mine. Ruslan could not have her. I would force them to join us.
Dark rope surged to my fingertips, begging for release, and I inhaled sharply, ready to bite, when Kaztar kicked me under the table and opened his mouth to speak. “You might not be so quick to decline once you hear more about King Azim’s son.”
“As far as any of us were aware, only King Zalan had children up until now,” King Consort Geza responded, lacing his fingers together and staring at Kaztar over them.
“King Zalan knew about Ruslan, King Azim’s bastard. Apparently, the kings made an agreement to unite Ruslan and Izidora in marriage once she turned twenty-one. That is why he showed up, to take her as his. He also said that King Azim plans on using Izidora’s power to conquer the continent. You share a border with the Iron Realm, and you are in danger,” Kaztar warned.
“And what is this power that Izidora wields? Why would she use it against her own mate?” King Consort Geza challenged.
King Airre interjected, “She is part of the Goddess’s Prophecy – the one that predicts a fundamental change to our world. Do you know it?”
“I do, but it has been some time since I last heard it spoken.” Queen Viktoria’s face was grim, a frown pulling her lips down.
“Queen Izidora has white magic that is stronger than most Night Faes’,” I began, drawing a deep breath to steady myself as I realized we had to share the secret in order to gain their alliance. Down the table, Endre dipped his chin, encouraging me to continue. “And we found out shortly before we departed that it is because she is half Angel.” I begged forgiveness from King Airre and Queen Immonen with my eyes, while Kaztar sucked in a breath, and Liliana gasped at the end of the table. “The first line of the prophecy states that ‘the ones that are part of all will be born under a full moon,’ which I believe refers to Ruslan and Izidora. Supposedly, King Azim has a Mage in his employ whose sole focus is to create a superior race. The Iron Realm has been trafficking for years, and now we know why.”
The room was utterly silent, so much so that the light breeze through the open doors sounded like a raging battle. So I took another breath, then continued. “King Zalan cared more about power than bloodline, which is why he forced Queen Liessa to breed with an Angel imprisoned in the Iron Realm. The Angel was Queen Liessa’s mate, and King Zalan was jealous, so the day she gave birth to Izidora, he had her killed, and Izidora hidden away with a plan for Ruslan to have her once she came of age.”
Queen Immonen’s jaw hung open in shock, unable to control her features as I revealed the depths of depravity at the highest level of the Iron and Night Realms. Queen Viktoria’s hand went to her belly before her head dropped to her chest, shaking fromside to side. Both kings looked at their queens, a mixture of disbelief, worry, and anger swirling in their eyes.
“It is all coming together now,” King Airre murmured, and I was glad he was not angry with me for withholding this information. But Kaztar radiated tension in my direction, a promise of his sharp tongue once we were alone.
Queen Viktoria lifted her gaze, dabbing at her dark eyes with a cloth. “These are dangerous times indeed, and I sense the only way out of this is through war.” She splayed her fingers across her belly and pushed back from the table, chair scraping against the stone floor. She smoothed the flowing dress over her stomach to reveal a growing bump there. Queen Immonen gasped, hands covering her mouth as Queen Viktoria revealed her pregnancy. “This was the reason we declined before… but this is also the reason we cannot decline now. We’ve waited for over one hundred years for this, and I do not want my child to be born in a world where the Iron Realm rules us all.” She turned to look at me. “We will join the fight, but I will delegate to my husband to lead the Day Realm army.”
I bowed to them as low as I could while still seated at the table. “I am honored to have your support, Queen Viktoria. Congratulations on your pregnancy and thank you for sharing the incredible news with us. May the Goddess bless both you and your child.”
