A Crown of Cursed Hearts (Kingdom of Blighted Thorns #3)

52. Tempest

52

TEMPEST

A fter it was over, I walked through the city with Drask riding on my shoulder, pecking at my cheek to give me support I no longer needed.

It hadn’t been hard to dispose of a rabid pest.

There was no grieving something I’d never had. Even my anger had flown, shed to drift through the air along with his ashes.

I touched my people one after another as I cast the spell that had released the creatures from portraits at Bledmire. Here, it didn’t seem to make a difference. They remained frozen in place—my army in waiting if only I could free them.

I finally found myself standing on the top of a hill overlooking the broad valley full of gleaming homes and stone people. Drask flapped his wings and cawed, a mournful sound that slid across my soul.

Lydel deserved to shine once more. My people needed to be free. If I didn’t find a way to release them, there would be no one to fight the flying dregs who were coming. I could ask Jessia to send help, but they were overwhelmed at the border already and wouldn’t have even one rider to spare.

These were my people, and only I held the key.

It was past time.

Gathering from that smoldering place deep within my well, I tugged up a mass of the seemingly endless power. More. And even more. I bound it together with my court’s core, the power that didn’t truly belong to me but to everyone who called themselves Lydel. I only borrowed it for now.

The mass churned and grew, and it glowed with both energy and fury.

I closed my eyes and with a rushed exhalation, I shot the magic out of me, coating everyone and everything on Lydel Island and beyond.

The world exploded, and I was the flames. The power. The storm churning across this world, leaving only scorched, new earth behind.

When I opened my eyes, the sweetest sound reached my ears.

The laughter of my people echoed around me. Blazing, glorious sunlight shone down on the city, making it sparkle with life and beauty and everything right in this world.

No more spell.

No more thorns.

“Thank you, Mama,” I whispered. “For protecting me. For shielding them. You can trust me to carry forward your legacy and finally end the bitter blight tainting this world. ”

Vexxion’s voice bloomed in my mind.

Fury? he drawled. Where are you, my love?

Oh, how I smiled, stretching my face and my heart wide open. Letting my beloved Vexxion back in where he belonged.

I flitted to where he still stood in front of the fireplace and wrapped my arms around him.

His encircled me with his love, and everything was right in my world once more.

He was one of the king’s minions, I told Vexxion as I sat on his lap on the sofa with the fire dancing merrily on the grate and our friends slumbering in their chairs around us. I’d sent power through them, but it would take time for the willwort to clear.

Brodine’s latest forget spell had ended the instant he died, freeing Vexxion. He’d made quick work of the willwort plundering through his body, then added my magic to his to ensure our friends suffered no ill effect from what lingered.

Zayde snored. Did he know that? Layla must.

Reyla kept muttering something about channeling magic.

I swore Airia’s clothing kept shifting to something that appeared tattered, but I had to be mistaken. She wore a tunic and pants, like me.

My aunt kept lifting her hands before dropping them back onto her lap.

They’d wake soon.

How long? Vexxion asked in a deadly voice. His threads snapped out and wavered in the air, hissing as they sought a threat that no longer existed.

This man was my shield, and I was his high lady. We’d die to protect the other.

From the time we were about fifteen. I snuggled deeper into his lap, kissing the scars on his neck that still twisted, a testament to the rage meted out on his body by a monster I’d soon scorch from this world. He was born Lydel. Would you believe that?

How?

His father was one of my mother’s mainland generals, one who sacrificed himself to protect her, though we know how that turned out. When he traveled to the city one time, he met Ivenrail and allied himself to him. Ivenrail told him to watch out for women with power. Ultimately, me. The snarling hatred he’d vomited out at me after I took him to the cliffs near the aerie, where I confronted him, echoed in my mind. He protected me at the king’s command. Not because they knew who I was, but because I was one of many with the potential to become who they feared.

When you left for the Claiming, so did he.

I’m surprised he didn’t talk me into going. The end goal was to bring me to Ivenrail.

Maybe he didn’t have enough power to contain you if you fought back.

He had enough to keep casting forget spells on you. All the times where he’d rub Vexxion’s shoulder or sit beside him on the sofa were designed to keep Vexxion from remembering me and the love we’d shared. To blunt our combined power.

Together, we’re unstoppable , Vexxion said. I felt our bond grow stronger with each challenge we faced. Our love is formidable enough to make the king’s knees quake.

Brodine started wooing me a year ago at the king’s command. They assumed it would make me easier to manipulate. Brodine planned to hand me to Ivenrail himself.

Vexxion tightened his arms around me and placed his chin on the top of my head. He was back, and he’d never leave me again. Why did he claim Brodine?

To convince me that my friend was in grave danger. I huffed. Would you believe he mocked me for believing we were friends? Only now did the pain of my loss wash through me, but I could never grieve the man I’d killed. He’d never existed. I’d loved a mirage. He twisted my emotions and manipulated me every chance he could. A short time ago, he dared to stand in front of me and scorn me for being with you. He told me you didn’t truly love me, that our mate bond wasn’t real. Even as I lashed him with power, he snarled and told me I was useless, that I was a fool to think I’d ever get close enough to the king to kill him.

I should’ve killed him for you.

Because he saw himself as my shield, my protector from everything in life that might do me harm or cause me pain.

I had to do this myself. Facing him alone was the only way to end it. I had to prove to Brodine that he was wrong. He sent me to Prager, projecting Madrood’s voice in the meadow near the inn. He was poisoning everyone.

I’m sorry.

He mocked me right until the end. Slashed me with his scorn and disgust. Belittled me for believing there was anyone around me who wasn’t using me for their own gain .

Are you alright?

Surprisingly, yes. Something inside me has changed. I wasn’t hard—no harder than Vexxion. But the horror and dismay I’d felt after killing Delaine didn’t flood me. My hands didn’t shake, and my core didn’t feel hollowed out with dismay. Why don’t I care about this?

Because you were ready to do it.

Prepared?

In a sense, yes.

I was mad at him. I literally shook. Not with anguish but with fury. He used me. All this time, I loved him when he never felt the same.

Killing a person went against every instinct screaming inside me. One lonely tear trickled down my cheek, but I was mourning what I’d never had, not what I’d lost. I swiped it away and held up my fingers, studying the hot liquid as if it would reveal to the world what I’d done.

I didn’t make it easy for him, I said. How could I after what he’d done?

I’d blasted him with power and pinned him to the ground with magic. I stood over him while he begged, while he told me he had loved me, that I was a sister to him, that he’d been completely drained by the king, but I’d brought him back from the ether.

“All lies,” I’d hissed. “The king never drained you.”

He’d flinched and a vicious, corrupt expression crossed his face as he braced himself up off the ground. “Join with us, and we’ll give you the world.” He spoke with the voice I’d run to for most of my life but also with the voice I abhorred .

Ivenrail had slipped into Brodine, their faces morphing into a brutal mix of monster and a true master’s minion. “Join me, and you will have everything,” Ivenrail shouted through Brodine’s mouth.

“No,” I’d said.

“Then I’m coming for you, rider ,” Ivenrail snarled. “Can you feel my rage scorching across your skin? When your pitiful, insignificant body is bound by my feet, I will destroy you.”

“You have no control over me.” Drawing power from my well, I sent it at Brodine-Ivenrail. A blink and nothing remained of the brown-eyed boy I’d looked up to, the strong guy who’d given me a shoulder to cry on so many times.

The man who’d played a final, ruthless game of Wraithweave and lost.

“I don’t want the world,” I’d whispered to the wind and the sun and to Drask perching on my shoulder. “And everything I’ve ever needed is already inside me.”

Fury. Vexxion’s voice held the ache I struggled to grab onto but couldn’t quite wrap my hands around. It would come. There was no way of avoiding it now, but feelings were what kept me from sliding into the bitter realm where Ivenrail wallowed.

My friends started waking, peering around with wide eyes as if they’d stumbled out of a dream and into a new, better reality. We explained what Brodine had done.

“Where is he?” Reyla stormed to her feet, a weapon springing into her hand. “I’ll gut him.”

“He’s no longer a threat,” Vexxion said.

Her gaze homed in on him. “You . . .” Her head tilted, and she frowned. “You didn’t do it,” she diverted her attention to me, “but you. You did.”

I jerked my chin in acknowledgement.

She stumbled over me, nearly falling but righting herself, before she plunged down on top of both me and Vexxion, her hug enveloping us both. “I’m sorry. I should’ve seen what he was doing.”

“How could you?” I asked, finding myself patting her back to give her comfort. “He fooled all of us.”

“Even Kinart.” Her eyes swam with tears. “When will this end?”

“I’m afraid it’s just beginning.” Aunt Vera thrust herself out of her chair to stand on the carpet, her posture barely wavering. “The curse . . . Your mother’s spell . . .” Panic blazed across her face as she looked between me and Layla. “We’re open and exposed and . . .” Blinking slowly, she stared at the floor with a frown shoving aside the panic on her face. “It’s gone, but . . . Lydel Court is . . .” Her heavy sigh was followed by a tentative smile. “Lydel Court has been restored, and you, my lovely niece, have done it.”

“They’re free,” I said simply.

Pandemonium broke out as Airia, Zayde, and Layla got up and crowded around us. Reyla slipped away from me and Vexxion to stand with them.

When Vexxion stilled, so did I, though I wasn’t sure why he’d done it. I looked up, and he gave me the sweetest smile. For an instant, it felt as if none of this had happened, and we were twenty and meeting for the very first time as a betrothed couple. He’d politely take my hand and kiss it. I’d smile demurely. When we walked together through the garden, we’d start falling in love.

“Ah.” Aunt Vera cried out, scattering my daydream. She clapped her hands and sashayed in a circle, bumping into Airia who joined in on the dance, both women laughing shrilly. They came to a stop with my aunt wiping away tears while Airia grinned my way.

“They’re almost here, oh, my. By the fates, they’re almost here, and we’re not quite prepared.” My aunt hustled to the sofa and took my hand, dragging me off Vexxion’s lap, tugging me out into the open area in the center of the room. “We need to get you ready.” She looked me up and down, nibbling on her lower lip. “Where to start? Where to start?”

“I’m . . .” I wore a tunic and pants, an outfit that would do for almost any informal occasion. “Why do we need to get ready this instant?” Even my words came out giddy. She’d caught me up in her infectious happiness. Today had been a mix of enlightenment and destruction, and it was hard to find humor in what was left. How could she be laughing?

“This is yours.” Vexxion strode over to stand behind me, holding up the delicate chain with my pabrilleen stone pendant. It winked in the sunlight streaming in through the bank of windows on the far wall. “It belongs to you, Fury, though I thank you for the loan.” He gently placed the pendant around my neck and fastened it at my nape, his finger a whisper on my skin that blossomed into a kiss. “I’m returning it to you, and it’s never leaving your neck again.”

“What if I want to wear something else?” I asked, teasing .

“You can wear whatever you like, but I love seeing it fastened around your neck.”

“Because it tells the world I belong to you.”

“Our mating marks do that quite nicely.”

In a heartbeat, I could sink back into his arms and let them sweep me away, take me from here to a place where we could be together once more.

“Very good,” my aunt said, beaming at Vexxion.

“This belongs to you as well.” Zayde came over to stand in front of me, holding his clasped hand toward me. He peeled back his fingers, revealing a ring with a flat surface on the top etched with a dragon coiled around a sapphire stone. “I picked this up while we traveled and held onto it because I knew it was yours.”

“Where did you find the Lydel Court High Lady’s ring of power?” Aunt Vera breathed. Her finger twitched toward the ring before she snapped it back and looked at me with tears in her eyes. “The last time I saw it, it graced your grandmother’s hand. I thought the monster stole it somehow.”

“The emissary I sent to Evergorne was holding it for her,” Zayde said. “Mayline gave it to him before she cast the spell to protect this island.” His solemn gaze met mine as he lifted the ring from his palm and held it toward me. “If I may?”

I nodded, too overcome to speak. This was my grandmother—and my court’s—ring of power?

“This ring symbolizes the sanctity of this court,” Zayde said.

Layla clung to his arm, tears streaming down her face. She nodded. “It belongs to you, sister. Wear it in power. ”

“May it guide you well,” Zayde finished as he slid the ring onto my right middle finger.

I could feel it tightening to ensure a good fit, and the way it almost fused with my skin. It warmed before cooling once more, and I knew in my heart that this court had accepted me.

“Wonderful.” Aunt Vera clapped her hands together. “We must do more. Hurry!”

“You can’t wear a tunic and pants on a day like this.” Layla stepped away from Zayde. She hugged me quickly, whispering by my ear. “Hold still. I’m not sure I’ve perfected this spell yet and . . . Alright, Vexxion might enjoy the naked end result, but you’ll shock the rest of us.” Stepping back, she nodded, wincing as she pinched her eyes closed.

When she opened them, I wore a rich black gown adorned with tiny gold jewels.

“You and Vexxion have a similar style.” My soft laugh rang out as I spun in a circle to flare the skirt. “It’s lovely. I don’t know why I need it but thank you.”

“You’ll see.” My aunt cast her smile around the room. “Next?”

“My magic isn’t quite at Layla’s level,” Airia said. “But I think I can handle something simple like this.” She flicked her finger my way, and my hair arranged itself on the top of my head with only tendril curls whispering across my exposed shoulders. “You look amazing,” she gushed, color rising into her face. “I wasn’t sure I could do that. Look at me. I’m actually learning some magic.”

I gave her a hug and we parted, her rushing back to stand by the fireplace while Reyla stepped forward .

“I suspect this is an important occasion, though I’m as unaware of what’s going on as you,” she said with a smile. “You’ve been my friend forever, and that means everything to me.”

“Reyla.” Tears choked my eyes, and I sniffed them back before they fell to make a mess of my pretty gown.

My friend closed her eyes and whispered, and a protective spell slid across my body. She sucked in a breath and opened her eyes, her gaze meeting mine. “I think I did that correctly.”

“Reyla is your enforcer.” Awe edged through Vera’s voice. “Why didn’t I see this?”

“Because I’ve only recently come into my true power.” Reyla shrugged. “I mean, I haven’t exactly mastered most of it yet, but I’m working on it.” She gave me a solemn nod. “You feel different, right? You can sense that it’s there, giving you a cloak that will protect you from at least one blow?”

“I can feel it. Thank you.” My voice choked off. “Love you, Reyla.”

She clasped my forearms. “Love you too.” When she stepped away from me, the grin I remember from when we were still tiny and racing around the fortress courtyard filled her face. “Me, an enforcer. Would you believe that?”

“One final thing, and then we’re ready.” My aunt walked over to stand in front of me. She lifted her open, empty palm between us. “You’ll need this, though I don’t expect you’ll want to walk around all the time with it on your head.”

The crown I’d stolen from Ivenrail’s room appeared in her hand.

“I’m afraid it’s been abused, but I can fix that.” A tap of Vera’s finger and the twists along the surface smoothed, though the thorns—my court’s thorns like those on my mother’s precious roses—remained.

Aunt Vera swallowed back her tears as she lifted it up over my head with magic. “Do you accept the duty and humble honor that comes with serving as Lydel Court’s High Lady?”

“Where did you get it?” I asked in a thready voice.

“I called it, and it came to me.” Her eyes told me a slightly different story. Did she know where I’d obtained it? Each item appeared to play a role in whatever game the fates were playing with us, and the more I knew of their strategy, the better I could control my actions rather than let the fates move me across the board like a game piece.

“Do you accept?” she asked again.

“I do.” A chime rang out the moment I spoke, and magic swirled through the air, making the jewels in the crown sparkle.

She lowered it onto my head.

Everyone in the room dropped to one knee and bowed.

“Wait, wait,” I cried out, flapping my hands at them. “You don’t need to do that. Yes, err, rise. Please, rise!”

Smiling, everyone got back up.

“Lydel Court is yours, High Lady,” Aunt Vera said. “What would you like to do first?” Her head cocked, and her smile trembled across her lips. “Shall we go out into the courtyard? It’s time.”

It was time. I knew this in my heart, though I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next.

Something wonderful .

With joy springing through me, I left the parlor, holding Vexxion’s hand and with everyone else following.

A clamber rang out from the courtyard, but I felt no fear, only excitement tinged with the weight of expectation.

When I reached the big double doors leading to the courtyard, I dropped Vexxion’s hand, though I paused and curled my finger his way, urging him down for a kiss. Everything I was and everything I would ever be was only possible because this man stood by my side.

He kissed me and nudged his head toward the doors. Sunlight shot through, the brightness hiding whatever was happening outside.

I lifted my chin and strode to the doors, thrusting them both wide, my strength shot through with a touch of Lydel Court’s core of power. It flowed through my veins and seeped from my skin, channeling from my fingers to my toes. It was so much a part of me already, I couldn’t imagine existing without it.

Striding outside, I stopped on the platform, humbled and honored by what I saw.

The courtyard overflowed with people— my people.

They cheered and chanted High Lady. High Lady .

With my heart in my throat, I walked down and strode among them, touching one after another, stopping to welcome them back, to tell them how grateful I was that they were here to support our righteous cause.

At the far end of the courtyard, a line of men and women stood in a line proudly, dressed in black pants and dark green tunics with sparkling gild adorning their shoulders .

As one, they pressed their fists to their chests. One woman stepped forward and dropped her head in a lavish bow. “We’re here for you, High Lady. We’re yours to command.” She smacked her fist on her chest hard enough I could feel the vibration sliding across my ribs. My heart thrummed with power and the belief that with these people supporting me, I could vanquish anyone who sought to do us harm.

“Thank you,” I told them all, wiping away my tears. “I’m grateful to have you here with me.”

A low, fluttering sound grew until the flapping roar of wings blasted across the world from all around us.

“Back,” Aunt Vera shouted. “Everyone, get back. Clear the middle of the courtyard!”

I flitted to stand beside Vexxion and the others on the platform. The sound grew to a cacophony, loud enough I could feel the weighty mass of it stomping across my bones.

Dragons.

A least a thousand dragons passed overhead, an endless stream of power and might and the very will of the fates themselves fused into scales, claws, and furious flames.

Madrood led them all.

The tears in my eyes would not be denied, but they were a thing of joy and promise. My heart thrummed hard enough to burst. How could I take any more?

I would find a way. Not because I had to but because I wanted to.

This. Was. My. Destiny.

The dragons continued to stream past to the cheers of the crowd, traveling toward the aeries Airia had prepared at the top of the cliffs on the northern part of Lydel.

Except ten dragons, who peeled away from the rest. They spiraled down.

My fellow Lydel citizens gasped and scrambled into each other along the outer walls of the courtyard, clearing a path in the center.

The flap of their wings made wind gust through the big open area. Drask squawked, and as he fluttered his wings on my shoulder, my skirt whipped my calves in a frenzy.

The glorious beasts pulled up before they reached the ground. They landed lightly in a long row, a gleaming mass of strength and cunning and long claws sinking into the soft soil.

They were led by one wonderful silver dragon who towered above them all.

You’re back, I said to Madrood in his mind.

I’m sorry we took so long.

No problem. You’re just in time.

He stiffened and sent a chiding look to the dragons standing on either side of him. Now.

They dropped, their bellies dipping down to rest on the ground.

Every single, fabulous one of them bowed their heads to me alone.

High Lady, Madrood intoned in my mind, in the courtyard, and in a voice so full of power it must echo across all of Lydel and the continent beyond. I bring you an army.