by Olivia Ash
He propped himself up with his elbow and raised her hand to kiss her knuckles. The corner of his eyes crinkled as he smiled at her. “Actually, yes.”
“Really?” she asked, eyebrows lifting up. “Will you show them to me?”
Kaiser lay back down again. He beckoned her closer. She obliged him.
“See that bright blue glow, right there?” he asked as he pointed at the crystal stars. “And the two small orange ones on the left?”
She traced a line between his index finger and the underworld sky. “Mm-hmm. I see it.”
“Imagine that as a bow,” he said. “Now, there are four yellow gems that form a horizontal line, intersecting the bow.” He briefly looked at her and back to the sky. “Imagine it as an arrow.”
She nodded to herself. “I’m following.”
“Beside it, there are tiny, white gems that form a person holding the bow,” he said. “Four for the head, three on each arm, five for the body, two on the right leg, and three on the left.”
She counted with him, and she saw how the collection of stars resembled a body that held a bow and arrow. “I love this constellation already.”
He laughed under his breath. “The constellation’s called The Archer. Legend says it points to the one thing you want most in life, if you follow it.”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh?”
“Many travelers in the underworld had attempted to,” he said, continuing his story. “And they’ve all gotten lost. They never came back. It’s one of this world’s greatest mysteries.”
“Interesting,” she said. “What else is there?”
“Hmm… let’s see.” He pointed somewhere farther down from the Archer. “There.”
Again, she followed with her eyes.
“See that group of purple stars that form the outline of a bulb?” he asked.
She searched for a few seconds before she found it. “Yes.”
“There are tiny white stars surrounding the bulb. Imagine them as tentacles.”
“All right,” she said.
“That one’s called the Kraken.”
“Yeah?” she asked. “And what’s the story behind that?”
“No story. It just looks like a giant squid.”
She giggled. “I see.”
She sighed and sat up. Her eyes wandered to the statue in the middle of the garden, a few meters past the large skeleton of a tent.
The day after she had defeated Mara, she had asked Hobson to have a statue of Blair erected in her private gardens. The marble statue of her sister wore a pony tail, her sister’s usual black shirt, leather jacket, and jeans. It held a mageblade in one hand, and a small, circular orb in the other—the orb Blair had given her the last time she saw her, the one that had teleported her to the abandoned house.
Blair’s statue was fierce, like the warrior and hero she truly was. That was how she wanted to remember her sister.
Kaiser sat up, too, and brushed her hair with his fingers. “I know you must really miss her.”
“I’m just happy that she’s finally free of Mara,” she said before giving him a sad smile. “And wherever she is right now, I bet she’s kicking ass.”
Kaiser laughed softly. He caressed her neck with the back of his hand. “And I know she’s proud of you, too.”
“Thank you,” she said.
He began to play with her hair, twisting her locks with his fingers.
She started to talk about a different topic, because if they kept talking about her sister, she would probably lose it.
“I can’t believe the four of you agreed to share me,” she said.
He groaned. “No need to remind me.”
“Why? You work so well together,” she said, laughing at his reaction. “Besides, don’t you think it’s nice that you’ve become brothers again since you arrived at the fortress?”
“I suppose,” he said begrudgingly. He wrapped his arms around her and nudged her neck with his nose. “But I’m not saying it would be easy.” He placed his hands on her waist to pull her closer. “It’ll be very hard for me to share such an amazing woman like yourself.”
“I’m blushing,” she said, giggling. “But you’re going to have to. From now on, we’re on the same team. All of us.” She moved away to look into his eyes. “Promise me you’ll try.”
He sighed. “I promise. For my queen, anything.”
She smiled and moved away from Kaiser a little bit, so she could remove her maroon cape. She was beginning to sweat from the warm night. She kicked off her white slippers and wiggled her toes in bliss. The night breeze kissed her bare shoulders, and she folded the thin skirt of her red gown, so she could sit more comfortably. Beside her, Kaiser also discarded his black vest and folded the sleeves of his brown tunic, revealing well-toned, muscular arms. She folded her cape and placed it behind them to be used as a makeshift pillow.
Kaiser lay his head down on the folded cape. He held his arms out to her and guided her, so she could rest her head on his arms.
She sighed happily. “This feels nice.”
“I could stay like this forever, Sadie,” he said, murmuring against her hair. “At least I’d have you all to myself.”
She playfully hit his chest. “You promised.”
“What? They could sit on those stone benches right there.”
She laughed, and they didn’t speak for a while.
After a few minutes, she broke the silence. “What do you think will happen next, Kaiser?”
“What do you mean?” he asked. “What will happen with what?”
“With me as queen, with us, with the fortress,” she said. “With the entire underworld.”
He sighed. “So many answers to your question.”
He brushed her hair absently. “Well, there were those ifrits you sent out to find more ifrits. By the way, have they come back yet?”
“No, I don’t think so. Hobson would have told me if they came back. So far, no news from him.”
She felt him nod against her head.
“Do you think they met the same fate as the spies I sent after Mara?” she asked.
“It’s possible. But if she had, she would’ve sent you proof of their deaths, right? Just to taunt you? It’s possible but unlikely. Maybe they’re just taking a long time. Maybe they’re looking at a lot of places. There are other explanations.”
“You’re right. The best thing to do now is to wait and be patient.”
“What we should be thinking about is how my father will come for you when he learns that you didn’t take his deal.”
She snorted. “Let him try.”
Kaiser wasn’t amused. “He’s childish and it seems ridiculous, but please, don’t underestimate him. He’s a dangerous enemy to have, Sadie.”
She tilted her head back to look at him. “I know that, and I won’t underestimate him. He’s just so awful.” She cupped his cheek. “I don’t believe for a second that he raised the four of you. He doesn’t seem like your father at all.”
His eyes softened. “There’s something else.”
“What?” she asked.
“You also have to know that after the alliance you made with all four of us, we’ll be losing allies of our own.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” he said. “Some of our allies are mortal enemies with each other, and now that the four of us are together again, they wouldn’t accept we’re all on the same team now.”
“Bummer.”
“I know. It’s a complex web of grudges and pettiness down here.”
“Well, we can try to convince them to set aside their differences, so we don’t lose any allies,” she said and shrugged. “But if we end up losing them, then it’s their loss, I guess.”
“And then there’s the issue with Hecate—”
She had asked him the question, but his answers began to exhaust her. It turned out she had so many things to worry about. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy the rest of her night with him.
She l
aughed softly and placed a hand on his shoulder and pecked his cheek. “All right then, let’s just stop worrying for five minutes.”
“I don’t know, Sadie,” he said. “There’s a lot of things to worry about.” He kissed the top of her head. “But at least you don’t have to worry about us anymore. Me and my brothers, that is. Whatever happens from now on, I’ll always be here for you. And I know you can count on my brothers as well.”
She smiled. “Thank you, that means a lot.” She rubbed his chest. “But you should relax. Sure, there are plenty of things we should be thinking about. But let’s just enjoy the victory right now.”
He smirked. “You’re right, as always.”
“Besides, we have a great view up there, and you’re still not done telling me about the rest of the constellations.”
“Of course,” he said, and pointed to another star.
She smiled as she snuggled closer to him, feeling safe in his arms.
A war was coming. Possibly several. But between her magic and her men, Sadie was more than ready.
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About the Author
OLIVIA ASH
Olivia Ash spends her time dreaming up the perfect men to challenge, love, and protect her strong heroines (who actually don’t need protecting at all). Her stories are meant to take you on a journey into the world of the characters and make you want to stay there.
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