Chapter Twenty-One

C HAPTER T WENTY-ONE

The garrison is a mess.

Shifters, goblins and any other creature who was fortunate enough to survive Emberwell are yelling out their protests and need for answers.

Answers to what will come next.

Gus is trying to calm most of them down, but it’s not enough to keep them at bay. They are as infuriated as I would imagine them to be after we attacked Aurum’s castle.

My brothers are at my side, as are my friends, watching it all unfold across the hall. On the other hand, Darius returned to his cell despite how opposed I was and still am to it. But with the Aerians already angry with me, this would have been the final straw.

I close my eyes as if to drown out the noises from everyone around me.

‘How much longer must we remain here?’

There goes that.

I peel my eyes open and look at one of the shifters, who has spoken out for the rest of the people here. The others agree with him, murmuring and banging against the tables.

Gus waves his hands to quieten the crowd. ‘We are doing our best—’

‘That’s what you said last time!’ another chimes in, and the shifters clamour in another array of protests. ‘Where is Darius?’

Gus glances back at me; tension carves lines across his forehead, and I shake my head at him. Most of the people here are as stubborn as I am. They won’t listen, even if we are to gift them with a bigger place to stay in the meantime.

‘You don’t need to be here to witness all of this. Go get some rest, and we will meet later.’ I lean in to my brothers, whispering, but all three turn to me and scrunch their faces together at the same time.

‘That’s insulting. Do you know how entertaining this is?’ Iker says, and Illias slaps his abdomen, drawing out an oomph from him.

‘We’re staying,’ Idris adds with finality, straightening his shoulders as he looks forward, ending our discussion.

I know he is still mad at me for vanishing off with Darius, but I am not about to apologise for what I did, and he already knew that from the moment I appeared inside the garrison. ‘Idris—’

‘What has the mortal to say in all of this?’

I freeze, looking out at the flock of shifters.

‘She is the reason for Darius’s capture in the first place!’ the woman yells. She is the only one standing now, as she points accusingly at me. ‘We listened to her when we invaded the castle, and now, after everything we have done, she decides to stay quiet?’

Anger hits my throat, and I spring forward to say my part, but Freya jumps to my aid.

‘Nara has nothing to do with this,’ she says, and it’s a different side to Freya I now see. She’s fierce and a leader, unlike most. ‘She is the one who has ensured your safety – she stepped up when no one else would. Mortal or not, she is part of you, and you will respect her as much as you do Gus.’

Silence settles over the hall. Everyone’s attention is on Freya and Freya alone. I sense Idris tense beside me, and before I can look up at him, my gaze snags on one of the tables as a cup tumbles onto the floor. Dice scatter out from it, landing in a perfect line.

Liars’ Dice.

The very first game Darius and I played back at the den.

Every single muscle of mine seizes as I think of that moment. A moment that changed so much of what I knew back then. And even as the sudden rumblings of horse hooves from outside creep closer and the warning bells chime, I only focus on those dice. But as the doors are busted open, and I turn to see Lorcan and a dozen Aerians behind him, I realise what we are up against.

‘Aurum!’ he shouts, what I have dreaded for so long, and my stomach buckles as the shifters inside rise on alert. Chaos reigns in the Aeris lands as people push each other towards the front.

I whirl to my brothers as Link and Rydan draw out their weapons and Freya ignites her magic into the palm of her hands.

No, no – I need more time.

‘Nara, go!’ Idris is yelling, but it doesn’t register until I glance back at the dice. Idris grabs my shoulders, shoving me so that I start moving, but I plant my feet down on the ground and hold on to him.

‘Darius,’ is all I say. As I turn to look, I see Gus guiding a few children to some hiding spots at the end of the hall. When he finds my gaze, he gives me a stern nod, and I immediately know what he is implying.

I twist my head back at Idris. He’s looking at me with a strangled expression, stuck between being an older brother or an ally.

‘Damn it, Nara.’ He squeezes my arms, choosing the latter.

‘Find a dragon and ride out of here, the three of you.’ I don’t care if they can fight better than a goblin; I do not want Aurum near them. ‘Head to Terranos if you have to, but just, please , get to safety.’

Idris hesitates, his jaw ticking more by the second.

‘We will, as long as you do too.’ Illias touches Idris’s shoulder, struggling to drag him away from me. ‘Be safe, Nara. For us.’

I nod and my chest heaves in and out as I stare at the commotion unfolding before me. Lorcan is on the other side, lining people up as explosions of dragon fire fill the skies from outside the windows. As I make my way through the mayhem and snatch the cup and dice from the floor, my feet jump into motion and propel me forwards. Everyone who is left charges towards the doors, ready for a fight, but as I make it outside, I sprint in the other direction, where the palace lies and Darius is.