Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

HOPE

" W hy are we locked in a room?" I lean back on the wall, by the window. "Again?"

Xandry is sitting on the edge of the bed, a sea blue sword resting across his knees, and he is quietly wiping the blood off the blade as he lifts his eyes to meet mine, and like usual, I can't look away even if I wanted to. He has a way of pulling me in, and he always has done, but at least I have the answer to why. He is my mate. He is the one I'm destined to be with, and this obsession I have is normal. Dreaming about him? Normal. Wanting to jump him even when we aren't alone? Borderline insane. "Because we were nearly killed only an hour ago, and murdering more of them is a shit idea. We stay in here and call for help from the Spirit Court and our friends."

"Assassinations seem to be a problem," Meredith mutters, like she wasn't the one they nearly killed. If I hadn't heard her scream, I doubt Xandry and I would have been able to save her in time. There were twelve of them, and Xandry took out nine. The smug bastard hasn't mentioned the difference, but I know he will. We've been back only a few days, and the fucking nobles have made it very clear we aren't welcome. First, it was blocking us from having any food by claiming there was none and locking the kitchens for anyone but them. Then, it was flooding several royal quarters where they assumed we would be sleeping, but we weren't, thank the dragon gods. Today, they just sent assassins to deal with us. "The nobles have gotten used to ruling on their own. They, of course, didn't take it too well when I told them all he's back in this world and a little angry."

"Well, would you have taken it well when you're practically ruling?" Xandry questions. "They are stupid assholes. Sorry about my language, your majesty, but they are. Nothing will ever change, and you telling them that news without King Lysander here was risky."

"My son needs a council, and he set all of us up with this task." She lifts her head high. "And—" She pauses and looks behind her at the door that leads to the main corridor of the castle. Cold salt water pours through the gap beneath the door. I frown, looking down at the clear water, and notice right away how it doesn't touch us. It skirts around our feet, leaving a dry path on the floor at our feet. "The water king is back."

She looks proud, even when we all hear it. The screaming. The screaming doesn't last long, and I wince. Lysander isn't known for being merciful. Meredith opens the door, and we all see a waterfall going down the middle of the corridor, taking people with it. The water unnaturally glows with magic, and I'm familiar enough with Lysander's magic to know it is his.

Xandry moves close to my side, and we watch as Meredith steps out the door and the water parts around her as she walks. I rush with Xandry to stay close behind her, following her all the way down to the flooded throne room where Lysander's lounging in his chair, his chin resting on his fist. Hundreds of nobles are in puddles of water at the bottom of the court. All of the water council, all the men and women who have been ruling this place when they had no right to. They might be born nobles, but they never worked a day in their lives, never fought or defended anyone but themselves. I don't think there is a friendly soul among them anymore, and if there was, they would have disappeared by now for not being like them.

"Your highness." One of them stands.

Xandry leans into me. "Noble Christopher Icedriften."

I like how he knows I wouldn't have a clue what this one's name is. I gather he is their leader. He doesn't bow and I cross my arms at the insult to our king. Christopher is a chubby man with a rounded stomach, and all of him is stuffed into a dark blue suit. He runs a hand through his grey hair, what is left of it, and smiles at Lysander like a snake who isn't bothering to hide their teeth. Does he really think he could take on Lysander and win? Fool. "What are you doing here?"

Lysander laughs, and the sound echoes. It isn't a humoured laugh, but one of shock and surprise with a hint of darkness. "What am I doing here, in my own fucking court?" Lysander leans forward and puts his hands on the sides of the throne. Fury makes him look every bit like an angry king. "Let me think. Oh wait, what was the plan again? Yes, I remember now. I'm getting rid of all of you. I'm stripping my court from the generations of evil that have dampened this place and made it a cursed pit of bullshit betrayers who deserve nothing."

"You can't do that!" he splutters, and they all start panicking. A few reach for their powers to attack Lysander, but they don't work. This is Lysander's court, and the water only bows to him in here. Idiots, the lot of them.

"I absolutely fucking can. I own everything here. If I want to drown this entire island, which I'm fucking tempted to, I will." He leans back. "But my mate would be pissed if I did that, and I promised her I wouldn't murder everyone. Aren't you fucking lucky she is so merciful?"

It's really hard not to laugh. I can imagine Elle told him to behave, and clearly, he loves her enough to do so. "So, you're all banished from Ayiolyn. Refuse, and you're dead. I don't really give a shit either way."

"Banished?" Christopher shouts. "You can't do that to us! We are your court, your nobles!"

"You are my father's court, and you each are the bastards he chose because of how fucked up each of you are. That ends today and so does his hold on me and this court." I'm oddly proud of Lysander right now. I cast a glance at his mum, and she has tears in her eyes, along with a bright smile. She looks happier than I've ever seen her. Meredith has always struggled with her mental health since her king died, and I wonder how deep the evil in this place runs and how far it has pushed her down.

"Your father was the greatest?—"

"My father was a shit king, and I will not be him." Lysander cuts him off. "I made a deal with a certain god of nightmares and…" He clicks his fingers, and a portal appears to the side of the throne. "You step through this portal with no powers and fuck all anything. You will go and live out the rest of your pathetic lives in one of the shittiest places on Earth. You will be human and die of old age with no magic to keep you alive longer. There is no magic on Earth left." I look through the barrier, seeing a small town on the other side. It doesn't exactly look pleasant. There's rubbish rolling down the streets in the wind. "Go."

Christopher runs up the steps, nearly slipping in the water. He throws himself on his knees, bowing his head. "Please, please stop this and forgive us. What about our children?"

"Your children belong to the Water Court, and they can stay here. They're not complete dickheads yet, and I will find them therapists to deal with the memories of you lot. They can stay in the court and take over your places if they earn it." Lysander cocks his head to the side. "Now get the fuck out of my court."

"You can't do this!" Christopher screams, pulling out a dagger and heading for Lysander.

Lysander yawns and wraps magic around Christopher, holding him in the air. "Yes, I absolutely can. I'm sure you're not that worried about your kids. Most of them are in the boarding schools littered around the courts, and I know for a fact you don't see them, anyway. Too busy, I assume."

"I will never stop until I kill you and your queen!" Christopher yells, and it's his last words. Threatening Elle? A really stupid move. Christopher starts spurting water out of his mouth, coughing and choking on it right before he goes still. Lysander drops him on the throne steps and looks around the nobles. "Who's next then?"

They all get up and run to the portal like their asses are on fire. I actually think this is the most merciful I've ever seen Lysander. Has everything to do with Elle. Usually, he wouldn't have hesitated before just killing them all. But here he is. Rather than killing them, he's giving them a chance at a new life, even if the bastards don't want it. It takes a while for the hundreds of nobles in here to flood through the portal to Earth before Lysander closes it. The body of Christopher floats in the water and down a river straight to the sea.

"Did you mean it?" Meredith asks, walking to her son.

He stands up and faces her. "Why didn't you tell me about your firstborn? Why didn't you grieve with me?"

Xandry and I glance at each other. I want to walk out and leave them to it, but they haven't asked us to leave yet. Meredith sobs and Lysander pulls her into his arms, holding her as she cries for a long time. "I never grieved. Your father, he used magic to make me forget your sister, and when he died, the memories came back. I didn't want to make you hate him, and I didn't know how to tell you that I failed to protect your sister. I remember her now, and she looked like Kian. She was bright and smart…and she's gone. I'm sorry."

Lysander rests his chin on her head, his own cheeks wet with quiet tears. "No more lies, no more secrets, and our family is going to move on from him. He is dead, and it's about time we worked on a future. I want you to be at my mating party with Elle, and I want you at every special occasion. I want you here, ruling in my absence and making the decisions. I want my mother."

"I'm here," she whispers. "And I'm never letting you down again." Xandry leans over and wipes my cheek of the tear I didn't even know I had cried, and I lean my head on his arm, watching as so many cracks in the heart of the Water Court are fixed. "I appreciate you coming in and getting rid of all our problems. But now we have additional problems. Who's going to rule in your stead while you're at a Spirit Court with no nobles here? I can, but not alone."

Lysander straightens and points at us. "Hope and Xandry. You're now new nobles. Choose whatever land and houses you want to have. I don't care. They are the head of the council, and they can go around these lands and pick whoever the fuck you want to be a noble as long as they aren't assholes. I trust you both along with my mother's guidance." I feel like he means more than just giving us those titles. His eyes flicker to my head on Xandry's arm, and he smiles at me. I smile back. "I'm going to the kitchens because the Spirit Court castle really can't make the chocolate cake that my mate liked, and I'm going to take it back to her after she finishes the fire test."

"Tell her…" I pause. "Well, she knows, but good luck."

Lysander nods. "I will." He walks out with his mother, and I watch until they have left.

"Do you still love him?" Xandry's question catches me off guard. I turn around, the water puddling at my feet now.

Xandry waits patiently for my answer. I frown at him. He thinks I love Lysander. "No." I say the word firmly. "We were a distraction to each other, and I was using him to make me feel like I had a home and wasn't alone. I wanted so desperately to hold on to the family I found here that I couldn't see I was poisoning it. I need to tell you something." I clear my throat and just go for it. "I don't love Lysander, not like that, not anymore." I look at this man who literally followed me across worlds and asked for nothing even when we are mates. "I liked you back then. When we were teenagers. In fact, I was a little obsessed with you, and you were my best friend for a reason. Lysander was easier than admitting that I liked you, because I thought if I told you and you rejected me, then I'd lose everything I wanted. There'd be nothing left. So, I went for the easier option, even though I didn't really feel that much. I forced myself to because I wanted you. I was so angry when I saw you again in the spirit castle as our tutor because you dared to live without me. You didn't look for me, you gave up!" He goes still. "What I'm trying to say is that I love you. I've been falling for you for what feels like forever, and being vulnerable with my feelings is not something I do well, or even know how to do."

He steps into my space and grasps my upper arms. His eyes seem to stare into my soul. "I loved you back then and I love you now. I want a future with you here, in this court where we both grew up and it became our home. You are my mate and if you'll accept me, I'll never stop loving and protecting you, Hope. I want everything."

Xandry kisses me, and it feels like coming home. It feels like the moment I've waited for, the person I've been looking for, and from today, I'm no longer searching for my home. It's him.