by T. F. Walsh
“Ban, I have some blood I need you to identify for me.”
Saber stuck out his arm, eager to get this done.
The feaster edged closer, sniffing the air, then lowered his mouth to his hand. As fast as a snake’s strike, he bit Saber’s index finger, then retracted, licking his pointy teeth. The sucking sound made Saber’s stomach lurch.
He wiped the puncture wound on his tunic as the feaster spoke in a garbled language. The way the queen studied the feaster and nodded her head, she obviously understood.
“Balc, you speak the truth. Saber is no longer an Ash. Still, I don’t understand how he is a dazmeu now.” The queen studied him.
“He was a dazmeu all along, but needed another to awaken his dragon.” Balc approached Her Majesty. “And as I was trying to tell you before Saber arrived, the person who forced my hand to create an Ash with the intent of killing you was his lordship, your cousin, Vexare. He threatened my family if I ever told you.”
Vexare… the name circled in Saber’s mind like a vulture. Bile burned his throat. He remembered seeing the dickhead with the trolls at Noah’s old ark. So, he’d been the one responsible for bringing Saber into this world! Maybe he ought to thank him for the chance at love. Instead, his body trembled with the urge to hurt him.
The queen’s face paled, and she glanced around. “Vexare, come forward.”
No one responded, and as Saber searched the grounds, he came up short.
“He was just here,” the queen said.
Saber stood tall. “I will find him for Your Majesty.” Then he whispered in Fallen’s ear, “Stay here, don’t go. I’ll be back.”
Before she could turn around, he bolted toward the castle. He would search the entire kingdom to track down the bastard.
“Guardians, what are you waiting for? Go with Saber. Find Vexare and bring him to me.”
Behind Saber, other Guardians followed. When he glanced over his shoulder, his gaze locked onto Fallen who stared at him as if he’d just left her alone in a demon’s cave.
24
Saber was alive! And he was a freaking dazmeu. Fallen had not only removed Saber’s Ash message but called to his dragon. Together, they were the last dazmeuns. Sharing that designation with Saber meant she was no longer alone, and that thought filled her with a wave of joy. Plus, he didn’t appear pissed with his newfound abilities, more like excited.
Fallen’s gaze locked on the fairy tale castle where Saber had vanished seconds ago. Enormous dragon sculptures flanked the arched doors at the rear of the building. Farther to her left sat a fountain with a maiden statue holding a vase with flowing water. Beyond that, manicured hedges were formed into dragons mid-flight.
“My dear, you haven’t told me who you are.” Queen Kesra’s sudden words made Fallen flinch.
Her gentle smile held no menace, not the kind she’d seen on Noah. Her Majesty was not at all what Fallen had pictured, especially with everything her mom had said. Age lines deepened beneath familiar eyes—irises filled with flecks of colors. Even the queen’s eyelids displayed iridescent silver scales, matching her own.
Her Majesty’s hand gripped Fallen’s. The queen’s expression toward Saber was that of a parent seeing their long-lost child. Not a power-starved person in search of a dazmeu. While Noah’s hatred would never leave Fallen’s mind, the way the queen studied her, screamed the complete opposite. She smiled at Fallen as if something good was about to happen.
“I’m Fallen.” The words spilled from her lips quieter than a whisper. Something shifted inside her, pressuring her to tell the monarch anything she wanted. Her mother’s warnings kept crashing into her mind. In particular, the hatred she painted against Her Majesty. Already in her short time in the kingdom, Fallen had corrected two of the misgivings her mom had told her. The queen didn’t taste blood. Her feaster did. And she wasn’t ordering anyone to kill Saber for being a dazmeu. How could so many drae live in the realm if the monarch was so evil? Then why did she get her Guardians to hunt drae living outside the realm and force them back?
“Well, Fallen.” The queen patted her hand. “Do you mind if Ban tastes your blood? It’s a prerequisite for anyone who enters the realm. I need to ensure we don’t have intruders from the Aripi Empire. This is a haven for everyone, and I vowed to keep them protected.”
Despite the kindness of her words, there was steel behind them. Fallen glanced around the yard, and the clusters of draes behind her. Everyone remained immobile as if watching a movie starring her. She doubted the queen would accept no for an answer. Besides, there was nothing else left to hide. “Okay.”
The queen released a bird-like whistle, and the feaster scrambled to her side. How had she made the feral creature behave so well?
Fallen lowered a hand to the feaster. In the blink of an eye, he bit into two of her fingers. The pinpricks stung. She curled the hand and made a fist, pressing against the bite marks.
The feaster’s face scrunched while his gaze crossed between her to the queen. Fallen’s dread flared. Why wasn’t the feaster saying anything?
“What did you find?” The queen rubbed his pointy ear and crouched so they were face to face. The feaster spoke in a guttural language. Whatever he’d just told the queen had Her Majesty stiffening. She twisted her head over a shoulder at Fallen, eyes narrowed, then back on the feaster. “Are you certain?”
The creature nodded, his hands pressed to his chest as if the news worried him too.
Fallen’s exhale refused to come. After the crap her and Saber had gone through, she didn’t need bad news. Was this why her mother had told her to stay away from the kingdom? Because the queen would discover something else, something terrible? But what? As much as dread filled her, curiosity was a balloon on the forefront of her mind, ready to pop.
The royal lifted herself with the grace of a swan and took Fallen’s elbow. “Walk with me. Just us.”
Fallen’s stomach coiled so tight she couldn’t bring herself to even speak, yet her legs were already moving toward the entrance to the maze.
Once inside, a heavenly scent of lilacs engulfed her. White flowers dotted the hedge as they strolled along a worn path. “What did Ban say?”
The queen held tightly onto Fallen’s arm and urged Fallen to continue strolling. “Being the queen does not always mean one makes the right decisions. Twenty-three years ago, I made a horrible mistake. One that still stays with me today, and every day I regret my actions.”
Fallen could relate. She had a lifetime of mistakes.
“My daughter had fallen in love with a drae from the enemy realm of Aripi, and I forbade her from seeing him. I allowed the anger between our two kingdoms to dictate my decisions. Except love doesn’t follow our rules.” Her words choked, yet she continued. “Then one day, a guard from Aripi had infiltrated our realm and attacked my Guardians. They defended themselves, but the fight turned ugly, and the drae died. The young drae was my daughter’s lover. He had been coming to take her for his bride.” The queen halted, her head lowered, and she wiped her eyes. “I will never forgive myself. If I had been more open-minded, then he wouldn’t have died, and my daughter wouldn’t have left the kingdom in shame and sorrow.”
Fallen waited, absorbing every word she said.
Queen Kesra turned toward Fallen, her eyes glistening beneath the red moon. “And how was I to know she was pregnant?” The monarch took Fallen into an embrace and sobbed against her shoulder.
At first, Fallen wasn’t sure how to respond. Her mom had run away pregnant, too. Something about the situation caused a shudder that radiated through her whole body. The realization hit her hard, knocking the air out of her lungs.
Why hadn’t her mom told her the truth? Her mother had fed Fallen lies, insisting she never return to the kingdom and that the queen was responsible for her father’s death.
Fallen broke away. Still, the smile on Her Majesty’s face reminded Fallen of her mother with the same dimple on one cheek. “I thought I was alone in the world
with no family.”
“I’m your family now.” The queen’s tears welled and rolled free.
Fallen’s throat thickened, fighting her own emotions. While Fallen’s mom hadn’t told her the whole truth, how could she blame her? She’d lost the man she loved, the father of her child.
Damn. Fallen had been ready to let life consume her when she thought Saber was dead. Her lungs constricted thinking of what her mom had gone through.
“Is your mother here, too?” The queen’s chin trembled, hope spiraling behind her eyes.
The words didn’t come at first as she pictured her mom drained to death by Noah. She hadn’t visited the burial ground in weeks, and her last bunch of flowers would have wilted by now.
Salty tears streaked Fallen’s cheeks, running over her jawline and neck.
“I’m sorry.” She shook her head and dipped her chin to her chest, each inhale hiccuping. “She’s dead.”
The queen lowered her gaze and sobbed, her hands covering her face. Fallen took her grandma into an embrace, and they stayed that way for several moments. Then she explained how Noah had killed her mother and where Zana’s parents had buried her mom on the edge of the woods.
Her Majesty pulled away and swiped fingers across her eyes. “I can’t remember the last time I cried this hard.”
“It’s okay. I’ve been known to cry like a baby often.” Fallen broke into a laugh, surprised she could find anything funny at that moment.
“I may have lost my daughter, but the Creators have given me a granddaughter. And for that, I am in their debt. I have many wrongs to right, and with you by my side, we’ll achieve great things, my little dazmeu. The Creators have blessed Tapestry by bringing back two dragons. We now have hope that our Spell Forgers can resurrect everyone’s ancestry with a few drops of dazmeu blood. We may be related, but it seems the dazmeu only runs in your veins. Perhaps your father had a stronger lineage in his family.”
The darkness in her past was a few shades lighter. Her mom had painted a horrible picture of the queen, and Fallen had believed her, living with that hatred for years. This whole time, she’d never been in danger for being a dazmeu. Now, she’d found a family member and her soul mate. Fallen allowed herself to believe her dream of a happy future could exist, except she recalled that in a few days, the Blood Moon would rise. While she and Saber had found each other, what about all the other chosen ones in her dream? If one failed their mission to find a soul mate, every non-human race would still be turned into humans.
“Come, we’d better return before Saber tracks us.” The queen’s voice cut through her thoughts. “I’ve heard he was always a tenacious and natural leader while in my service.” Queen Kesra circled an arm around Fallen’s and guided her onto a path. “I think love is like finding a new book and getting lost in the story. Finding something so beautiful that it touches your soul. I had that with my life mate before he passed, and I’ll always remember the way he looked at me. A gleam of admiration in his eyes. I saw that again tonight in Saber when he stared at you. Did you know that dragons mate for life? And it seems your dragon has already chosen Saber as her mate.”
A ray of sunshine circled Fallen’s heart at hearing the Queen’s words.
By the time they emerged from the maze, Saber exited the rear doors to the castle. Other Guardians marched at his side, and in front of him, two draes staggered forward.
The closer they got, the more details became visible beneath the fairy lights. Fallen’s sights settled not only on Vexare, the drae Saber had wanted to beat up back in the rundown mansion, but on Noah!
Noah was dressed in the same trousers and vest he had worn in the church. His flesh remained half charred. The wild, lost look in his eyes belonged to a child, not a monster. His posture curled forward in a defeated pose. Did his connection to Vexare explain how Noah had grown to such power? How he always knew where to capture powerful draes? He must have had Vexare feeding him insider information on everyone’s whereabouts. Why were they working together?
The pair halted before the queen. A Guardian kicked the back of their legs, and both fell to their knees. Noah knelt so close to Vexare that their arms touched, and the duo exchanged a strange look, one of sorrow and longing as if their relationship was more than business.
Saber stepped alongside the prisoners, his shoulders squared as if fully in his element. Damn, he fit in well as a protector. “We found them in the basement, ready to sneak into an underground tunnel. I’d say that’s how the pair has been entering and leaving the realm. Now, I plan to drag every last bit of intel out of them. There are other draes out there who still need rescuing.”
Vexare lifted his chin, his smug expression belittling everyone. Even though Fallen had discovered the royalty in her veins, she’d make sure she never exhibited such arrogance.
“These accusations are false and ridiculous. You are taking orders from an Ash. He tried to assassinate you. Kesra, you know me. I’m family and would neve—”
“I tracked Noah in Tapestry,” Saber interrupted, his voice booming. “And together with Fallen, we stopped him and freed his prisoners. I saw Vexare working with Noah’s trolls outside the kingdom. I’d happily interrogate them until they confess to you, Majesty.”
The queen stared at her cousin, her lips twisted. “Vexare, I condemn everything you stand for. Let it be known in front of everyone here that you do not speak for me or represent the kingdom in any way. I officially strip you of authority, and your name will be stricken from all records as if you never existed.” Her body shook in a way that told Fallen she struggled with the betrayal. “And Noah, nothing excuses your greed and hunger for power, or killing for pure pleasure.”
Noah’s eyes narrowed, and he studied the queen as if a predator. “You killed my parents, and I’ll get my revenge. This is just the beginning. War is coming to your doorstep.”
Darkness in his words brought shivers to Fallen. The next priority would be to insist the queen lock Noah in the deepest dungeon without a hint of anything magical nearby in case any divination still lingered in his veins. She’d seen firsthand how disturbed Noah had become, and she took his threat seriously.
“Take them to the dungeons.” The queen’s voice thundered. “They will face judgement after the celebrations.”
“No!” Vexare’s chest puffed out, his oval face reddening. “You are not fit to rule this kingdom. You’re weak and sit back on your padded throne while the enemy realm prepares to butcher us. With me in charge, we can take over the Aripi Empire. Get Balc to create more Ashes, then we can infiltrate the enemy’s ranks. Doing nothing will just get everyone killed quicker.”
Kesra waved her hand at the Guardians. “I won’t have them ruining this special week. My granddaughter and I will determine an appropriate punishment later.” She reached over to Fallen and wrapped an arm around hers.
Everyone silenced.
“That whore?” Vexare spat, his voice echoing through the night. “She’s a stray and can’t be related to you. She’s brainwashed you, but I’ve been working to get—”
Saber’s fist connected with the back of Vexare’s head as the evil one crashed forward like a sack of potatoes.
Noah lunged for Vexare, hands caressing his head.
“Take them,” the queen called out.
Guardians grabbed the prisoners’ arms and dragged them toward the castle.
“Saber,” she continued. “Born an Ash, but reborn into a dazmeu, your recent actions have more than redeemed you. You stopped Noah, even though you’d been exiled from the kingdom. You rescued Balc and countless other victims. Plus, you brought back my granddaughter. That is the act of a noble warrior. Someone who never gives up and follows his heart. I welcome you back home. And during your training and work in my army, I had been told of your accolades dozens of times. When you’re ready, I’d like you to consider taking charge of my army. If you’ll have us, of course.” She flashed a genuine smile at him.
Saber nodded his ac
ceptance. Fallen wanted to jump into his arms and kiss him all over, but she resisted.
“Balc,” the queen turned toward the elderly drae. “You have served the realm for years and are now free to take pardon from your services if you so choose. No need to make your decision now. Tonight is about celebrations.”
Fallen stood motionless. Everything had changed so quickly she wasn’t sure where to turn next. Maybe it was only a dream. A few weeks ago, she lived in the human world, fought goblins, and hid from Guardians. Now she was the heir to the kingdom. Her heart belonged to Saber, but their futures hung on the hope that when the Blood Moon came in a few days, all the others from the Creators’ dream had found their life mates.
Epilogue
Like a bullet, Saber’s pulse raced, and he broke into a sprint, his boots striking the worn passage inside the kingdom’s maze. Greenery flanked his path, and the hedges towered over him as he careened around a corner.
Twenty feet away, Fallen ran away from him. Tiny flowers dotted her loose hair, glistening beneath the sun. Her golden chiffon gown swayed around her legs and cinched in tight around her waist in a majestic kind of way. For the past few days since they’d moved into the castle, Fallen remained the same sassy, strong-minded girl he’d given his heart to. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.
She glanced over her shoulder, a smile radiating, the hair around her face curled into perfect spirals. “Slowpoke.” She gathered handfuls of her layered skirt around her hips and dashed into an adjacent passage.
Darting after the little minx, his mind filled with happiness he never thought possible for someone like him. Fallen was his. He led the queen’s army, had gained back his life alongside his buddies, and so much more. He had died and come back with magical intervention from Fallen’s dragon as a dazmeu. Being an Ash was his past, a different lifetime, and something he’d never forget. Through Fallen, he’d learned to not judge so quickly and to have faith, and he was teaching this to his army recruits. With his team, he’d already infiltrated three manors with corrupt draes located outside the realm, and that was only the beginning. By the time he finished, he’d make sure not a single innocent suffered again.