by May Sage
I really hope you enjoyed it, though!
If you enjoy Age of Gold…
Ever wondered what’s happening in the rest of Eartia?
This was how she died. She knew it, felt it to her bones. There was no other way, not here. Saving herself would mean condemning every breathing soul in the city of night. As little as she liked most of them, and however much they hated her in return, she couldn’t bring herself to destroy so many just to save herself.
She should give in now. Drop her bow, accept her fate. Yet she shot one arrow after the next, desperately holding on to life.
Devi took down enemy after enemy, her mind processing each kill with a cold, analytic indifference. They were relevant because she knew there had been fifty-one arrows in her quiver. Each fae she killed represented one arrow lost. There was every chance she'd run out of weapons before she reached the gates.
She was at the very center of the city, in the large Square of Dawn, famous for the obelisk erected at the end of the last war. The closest exit was a mile east, and there were three dozen enemies around her right now and more coming at every passing moment. It was a credit to her skill with a bow that none of them had managed to get close to her yet.
A horse whinnied to her left, and Devi’s head turned sharply. She expected enemy knights. She’d managed until now because she’d only had to deal with foot soldiers; fae knights were another matter altogether.
When they came into the square from the south avenue, there were only two riders. She stiffened in alarm, until her eyes took in the colors of their habits and then their faces.
Devi had no issue recognizing the two males, although she’d never seen either dressed in anything other than their fine court attire. Now they wore plain reinforced gear under dark unseelie coats.
Neither of them looked any less intimidating for it.
“Vale.”
The name fell from her lips in a tone she had never used to say it. With relief. Barely conscious of her decision, she adjusted her position to aim at the enemies following Vale and his second, rather than foolishly carrying on attempting to clear a path out of this nightmare. Vale was more important. If he lived through the night, there would be hope for the Isle.
Her shot hit the mark, killing a fae right behind the prince. As the enemy tumbled, Vale turned to see where the arrow had come from, his eyes landing on her.
He was on the other side of the square, but her vision could distinguish him quite clearly. For the first time since they’d met, he wasn’t amused. His trademark smirk had disappeared. That shouldn’t have come as a surprise given the circumstances, but his expression wasn’t what Devi might have expected. Vale wasn’t confused, shocked, or scared, unlike her. The dark prince seemed downright pissed right now. His violet eyes, so like his mother’s, watched her with pure fury.
Devi’s heart hit her stomach. Was this her fault? Had the attacks started because of her? It wasn’t impossible at all, given her history.
Then, to her astonishment, Valerius Blackthorn, the dark prince, lord of the court of sin, lifted his hands, pulling on the reins to turn his horse away from the road leading to the eastern gate. Away from safety. Instead of heading out, he rode at full speed toward her. Her. The half-breed who was “nothing,” according to him.
Devi regained her senses just as he reached her, in time to take his hand and hop behind him on his black mount.
“Fucking idiot!” he yelled before leaning forward and whispering sweet spells at the horse, who obeyed his master’s urging, rushing through the streets of the city of night.
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More from May Sage
Strands of Starfire
It wasn’t often that Lord Kai smiled, but that day should have been one of those rare occasions. He’d won. He’d accomplished his goal. After over ten years, he stood on the High Throne in the cold castle dominating the planet-wide city of Vratis, fort to the Warlord of Ratna.
He’d defeated his enemy—almost all of his enemies. Those who oppressed and allowed others to live under the talon of slavery had answered for their crimes. Children with magic in their blood, condemned to death because of what they were, would be free now.
And yet, Kai’s features were as expressionless as ever. Not even a hint of a smile.
Kai Lor, of the House of Hora, got up from the strange floating throne. Catching his intention, the responsive, coveted seat moved slowly to the floor. Now that he was at his companions’ level, his tall stature seemed even more imposing. Evris, be they male or female, stood taller than most creatures in the known universe, and Kai had yet to meet anyone who reached past his shoulders. This alone might have made him seem threatening, but there was something else about him—in the way he moved and in his intense gaze, perhaps. Those who met him for the first time generally knew to fear him. Those who were familiar with him, even more so.
The room only served to aggravate his fearsome persona. It was austere, like a temple, rather than the command center of a warlord. Kai didn’t like it much. He’d have to get it redesigned; change all the purple lighting to red and paint the black walls white.
His four advisors and the seven guards, who’d spent the last hour arguing about the next step, grew silent when he descended the dais. He didn’t bother to explain himself, leaving them to warily watch him head to the round balcony set at the back of the throne room.
The large beast that had rested on the platform over which the throne hovered lifted its head before trailing Kai’s steps, following him out. It didn’t fear him, unlike everyone else in the room.
The streets were eerily quiet below. This world didn’t yet know what sort of person their new master would be. They’d heard rumors. Terrible rumors. All of Vratis watched in an uneasy silence. By dawn, Kai would have more orders to give. He’d earn himself new enemies.
His fingers threaded through the rough bluish-silver fur of his snow wolf, his companion. The beast was the closest thing he had to real kin.
Kai frowned. That wasn’t exactly true. There was one person who belonged at his side. Back when he’d seen her through the eyes of a seer, he’d known, without any doubt, that the female was meant to be with him—always. She was there, somewhere. He’d find her. He’d destroy worlds until she stood next to him.
The door of the throne room slid open behind him, and without leaving the balcony or turning to check, Kai knew it was Wench, his head mechanic. His aptitudes extended to feeling people around him. With experience, he’d learned to identify the vibe they emanated. Wench was steady and loyal. He felt like a deeply rooted tree.
“Where’s the lord?”
The lord. That was him now.
“Out,” someone replied, waving toward the curved doors leading to the balcony.
The man’s confident steps had an upbeat ring as he rushed to the balcony. Kai wasn’t surprised when he told him, “Good news!” Kai turned to him, brow lifted. “We found the child.”
That caught and retained his attention.
Kai’d had many reasons for leading the civil war against their previous warlord. One of them was a child—a child without whom he may not be alive today.
There had been no sign of the child in the palace when he’d arrived, and the previous warlord’s men weren’t talking. Kai knew that now, over a dozen years after their first meeting, she wasn’t a child at all. She’d be a young female in her twenties.
But still, he would have recognized her. And everyone in this palace would have known who she was; the old warlord’s secret weapon. When he’d failed to find her, he’d guessed that his predecessor had had her killed, rather than surrendering her to him. A last act of defiance. But that theory didn’t quite fit with Wench’s upbeat demeanor.
“She’s alive then.”
Strange. Nothing outwardly betrayed a change in him, but he could feel it. His indifference vanished, replaced by a keen interest, and underneath it all, there was something else. Something he hadn’t felt for a l
ong time.
Hope?
The corner of Kai’s lips lifted a smidgen.
“You’ll want to watch the recordings we’ve dug out,” said his mechanic. “It’s a long story.”