Blood of Two Crowns (Hallowed Fates #2)

Chapter 9

Chapter

Nine

NAKOA

I closed my eyes against the cool wind as we soared high above Atratus, allowing myself to drink in this fleeting moment of peace. Flying beside my father filled my chest with a sensation I’d never realized even existed on the emotional spectrum, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was.

It was beyond unity because that would refer to a collective coming together for a common purpose. I’d been blessed with experiencing unity for not all, but at least a significant portion of my life: fighting and living beside my olana kah’hei , going to war beside my fellow Kahlohani’s, the connection I had with the woman who’d raised me…

But my peaceful euphoria was short-lived. Anxiety—fear—clutched my heart in its clawed hands. Life had taught me too many times over that this beautiful feeling I’d never dared to fathom experiencing would never last.

The male was far too in tune with my mind and emotions because, as we cut across the sky like twin blades, he turned his head to shout over the wind.

“When you’re this close, I can feel your emotions as if they were my own, Nakoa. Your mind is like a sail without a mast on the wind. Do not allow fear to govern you or steal your happiness as Zurie has.”

His words, despite their wisdom, further enflamed my fears.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that he was watching me as we flew. After several moments, I finally met his gaze.

“But how?”

A corner of Rumiel’s lips tipped up in one corner of his mouth to reveal that slight smile I was coming to know.

“There is only one mast that will not bow or break beneath the ever-changing winds of your emotion, and you must allow all other emotion to pass over you like the current upon your wings.”

I held my breath as his smile stretched until it split and revealed the fangs framing a radiant smile.

“Love.”

The rest of our journey was silent as the seed of my father’s words took root in my soul and turned my already toppling world on its head. I had lived my entire life ruled by my emotions. It destroyed my relationship with my soulbound because of it, and I could feel it in my soul that something had shifted.

Whatever surprise I would have felt by our arrival to the God of Death’s temple was greatly dampened by my Knowingness’s words.

They shall never be twain. Your fate is bound to his as much it is to hers now.

Instead of rage, I felt only grief and remorse. My mind briefly flickered back to the Sigil of Mors that had appeared on her arm when we had attempted to swear our soulbound vows. To the vision I’d had of Mareina standing in front of the River Oblivion. The Pharalaki that had always seemed to follow her wherever she went. It all seemed so obvious now.

Recalling my father’s wisdom, I tried to release the fear and tension squirming in my gut at facing Mareina for the first time since we’d nearly killed one another.

Before I could dwell any further on it, my father clapped a heavy hand over my shoulder and bestowed me with a compassionate look just before one of the enormous bronze doors bearing Mors’ effigy shifted ajar. Every hair on my body rose as a Pharalaki appeared. It briefly seemed to examine us before turning to lead us through the cavernous torch-lit foyer and down a hallway. The shadows seemed to have eyes, making my hackles rise.

“Cecil! Lovely to see you again after all these years.”

My father and the Pharalaki seemed to have some silent exchange that ended with my father tipping his long-haired head back on a laugh as though Cecil had said something wildly clever.

Cecil turned, disappearing in the unsettling and otherworldly darkness of Mors’ Temple.

“Mors is a lovely fellow. Much nicer than Azrael. Mostly. ”

Before I could reply to Rumiel, the Pharalaki came to an abrupt stop in front of us and opened a hidden doorway that revealed a set of descending, spiral stone stairs. It stepped aside to let us pass, and the moment we did, it drifted back down the hallway.

“How do you do that?”

Rumiel gave me a funny look. “Speak to them?” He shrugged thoughtfully. “You just have to break free from the prison of your thoughts, I suppose. If you’re only listening to what’s going on inside your head,” he explained with a gentle tap on my head before gesturing vaguely to the world around us, “You can’t hear what’s going on outside of it…”

My father turned and left me standing on the top of the stairs as he wound down the dark, spiralling steps. A breeze drifted over me, smelling of floral fields, just as a more distant scent caused a painful throb to echo through me. Night-blooming roses.

That’s all it took to spur me into action. I rushed down the stairs, jaw-dropping when they opened up to a field of flowers and tall grasses undulating in a gentle breeze. A distant mountain range surrounded it and to my right flowed the River Oblivion glowing an ethereal blue. My heart leapt and stuttered at the sight of the quaint home only a hundred meters away. Already knowing Mareina was behind those walls.

I didn’t give a fuck if Malekai was there with her.

My wings spread wide, giving a heavy flap and launching me into the air with my father shortly behind me. Flying towards Mareina felt like swimming up from the depths of the sea, rushing towards to the surface to take a breath of life-giving air.

As if a meteor had recently crashed, a large crater blackened the ground where I landed. Even more strange, there was no front door. Just the absence of one. My eyes caught on the wooden splinters peppering the ground, sending an icy spear of fear through my veins until a moment later, Mareina, somehow looking even more beautiful than I’d last seen her, appeared in the doorway. Laying my eyes on her cut off my breath like a fist squeezing my throat.

Tension knit her brows as her eyes leapt between me and Rumiel.

“I don’t have the desire, nor the energy, to fight with you, Nakoa.”

“I didn’t come here to fight. I came to make sure you were ok. Miroslav told me you were… unwell.” And because I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.

The words were on the tip of my tongue, but her gaze was fixed on my father, surely recognizing who he was based on our likeness alone.

“You found your father…”

Rumiel stepped forward, bowing. “Your Majesty.”

Mareina looked mildly unsettled by the title, and she didn’t bother faking a smile. “I’m relieved to see you two have been reunited. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“The honor is mine, Goddess of Death.”

Mareina frowned, giving a subtle shake of her head. “I know very little of my power, but I certainly hope that it lies with something more than death.”

Rumiel’s brows pinched. “Living in Bellorum has given you such a human perception. You forget that death does not signify merely an end but new beginnings. Reincarnation. Birth. Respite for the weary. The cleansing of karmic debts. Liberation for the soul… Without these things, the realms would descend into chaos. It is because of death that we are saved. Death brings peace. Healing. Transformation.”

Mareina’s expression gradually tensed as she took in my father’s words. “And what of the suffering? I have wrought more death than any single being should ever be allowed and witnessed firsthand the pain that death can bring.”

“Violence and death are mutually exclusive, and one needn’t precede the other, My Queen. If you speak of grief, there is much to be learned from it, as there is with all suffering. It is a necessary part of growth within the physical realms.”

Mareina’s gaze softened even if it appeared as though the weight of the world sat upon her shoulders. Her deep green eyes shifted to mine, making my breath catch all over again.

“What of Zurie?”

“Alive… For now.”

Mareina’s features tightened as she nodded. “I’m sorry, Nakoa… I’m so sorry I never told you the truth. I?—

My chest tightened with guilt. Though I still felt some modicum of betrayal, I understood her reasoning. I also recognized I’d not given her a reason to trust or be loyal to me. And having her stand here in front of, I suddenly didn’t give a fuck about any of it.

I just wanted her. I wanted my soulbound. My queen. The woman destined to be wife , I prayed.

“Don’t be. Words are not sufficient in expressing the remorse and shame I feel for my past actions.”

Mareina cleared her throat, gradually nodding. My mind reached for words that wouldn’t come, and thankfully, my father broke the brief silence.

“Where is your father?”

Mareina’s expression tightened almost imperceptibly. “Visiting another realm.”

I glanced at my father. I couldn’t help but wonder just how much he could detect beneath Mareina’s words. The tightening of distrust and wariness through mine and Mareina’s tether told me she was hiding something. If Rumiel sensed it, he said nothing and merely nodded in acceptance.

Mareina took a deep breath as she held my gaze, something like guilt shuddering through her expression. “There’s something I need to tell you.”