Chapter 49
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
M y bare feet settle onto sand for the first time in over a year.
I stand at the edge of a pristine beach, the salty air making my hair clump in all its old ways as I take in the vast ocean I wasn't sure I'd see again.
Behind me is the long hut where Anarchy trained me and behind that is the vast jungle that makes up most of the island controlled by the dragon master, Ryuji.
The dark elves fan out around me on the beach, my constant shadows.
The warlock who brought us here departed immediately, just as I instructed him to do. I no longer need to rely on Orlan to transport me around. I have my own team of warlocks for that.
I debated long and hard about whom I should bring with me. I wanted Lucian to be here, too, but approaching this meeting with a larger-than-necessary entourage could be considered a threat.
I also debated coming alone, but Anarchy wouldn't allow it.
"Not against those beings," she said firmly. "You need us there."
"They have more to fear from me than I do from them," I pointed out.
She was quiet at that.
It's a hard truth that sets me apart, even from the ones I love.
Now, I wait at the edge of the beach for the arrival of the dragon masters and the other powerful beings they've invited to this island.
It's neutral territory. An act of pure trust for all involved.
Soon enough, a high-pitched shriek breaks the air. The dragon masters move so fast that it causes the air pressure to change and my ears to pop , but I'm prepared for it, quickly swallowing to alleviate my discomfort.
The wind billows around me as five air dragons come to an abrupt halt in the sky above the beach—an equal number to me and my four dark elves. Just as Ryuji and I discussed.
He is the first to drop to the beach.
He slows down as he approaches me, a little more wariness entering his approach the closer he gets.
He has jagged, black hair and fierce, dark-brown eyes while his skin is dusted in silver scales and his wings are so silvery bright that they reflect the afternoon sunlight.
He folds his wings away as the other dragons land.
I look for Ryuji's sister, Miku, who bonded with Riot. She lands to the far left of the group and stays well back. Her scales are pale teal while her wings are dark teal at the top, merging with ivory at the tips. Like Ryuji, her hair is inky black, but she has bright teal streaks running through it.
She scans our group and instantly spots Riot, who has taken a step forward. He stops himself, and it looks as if she's digging in her heels, too. It's clear to me that time and distance haven't broken the mate bond they formed, but they'll have to resist it for now.
I greet Ryuji formally, lowering my gaze when I bow to him in another gesture of trust. "Kaito Ryuji, son of Rin and Yuma, alpha of the Kaito Dragon Family. It's good to see you."
"Ultima Nostra," he says, returning my bow.
I wait for more, but that's all he says as he squints at me, studying my eyes and face.
" Daughter of Assholes ," I whisper, arching an eyebrow at him. "Have I changed so much?"
He nods, and his focus falls to my wrist, where I wear my crown. "I'm afraid so."
I exhale a soft, resigned breath. "I suppose that's true."
Before I can say more, the sound of children's laughter startles me.
I swing toward the strip of beach behind me, surprised when a boy and a girl exit the trees a little farther along.
They're only fifty paces away and appear completely oblivious to our presence as they head toward the wet sand nearer to the water, each of them lugging a gauzy sack that appears to contain plastic buckets and little shovels.
I spin back to Ryuji.
"Sandcastles," he says with a smile. "My daughter loves making them."
I peer back at the children. I've never seen the girl before, but I'm surprised to realize that I recognize the boy.
He's grown much taller over the year since I last saw him, although he's still wearing sunglasses that are shaped to fit the contours of his face, and it looks like… if I harness my eyesight to its fullest extent… he's using less conspicuous earbuds than the headphones he was wearing when I first met him.
I gasp. "That's Elijah."
Ryuji nods. "His mother is here, but I hope you understand that she will need to keep her distance from you now."
"Of course."
There's a lot more blood on my hands since I first met Rebella, no matter how justified I've been in spilling it.
I consider the little girl. She would be about two years older than Elijah. She has straight, black hair cut short at her shoulders, a perfect rosebud mouth, and large, angular eyes. Her skin is light brown and her irises could be cinnamon brown, but I can't be certain in the light.
"You took my advice," I say to Ryuji, unable to stop my smile.
When I was last on this island, he told me that he had a daughter, six years old at the time, whom he'd never met. He'd bonded with her mother, but she'd had to return home to the United States when she'd become pregnant.
He hadn't seen her since. I told him to go to her already and tell her how much he loved her because, dammit, he was a light magic creature, and he had the freedom to love with his whole heart.
"I took your advice," he says, giving me a small smile. "Emika and her mother are part of my life now."
"Good." I clear my throat. "That's good."
Up ahead, the children settle onto the sand, Emika handing Elijah her ‘favorite' spade to use.
Even as they play so innocently, I'm conscious of the power I sense within them.
Enough power to change the world…
My wariness only increases when another child appears at the edge of the trees.
Oh, I know this child, too.
He has raven-black hair and such crisp, green eyes that I can see them clearly across the distance. He would be about Emika's age, although he's taller. He's also as quiet as she and Elijah are. He carries himself with a quiet confidence that sends a shiver down my spine, just as it did the first time I saw him.
"That's Theo," I murmur.
"I believe you met the crimson wolves in Portland," Ryuji says, his tone careful now.
In some ways, I owe that boy my life. His mother was erring on the side of killing me, but he didn't want her to.
I look for her now, but like the other parents, she must be keeping to the shadows within the trees.
It's fair enough.
I deliberately chose to arrive out in the open. I need to give all of the powerful beings who are coming to this meeting the chance to see me. To see that I am not a monster.
Up ahead, Theo quietly approaches the other two children, his footsteps a little wobbly on the sand but no less indicative of his wolfish nature.
He stops at a distance, but Emika is quick to greet him. "Do you want to play?"
A smile breaks through Theo's serious countenance, and he gives a quick nod.
"Here," she says. "This is my second-favorite shovel. I'm sorry, but Elijah already has my favorite one."
"That's okay. Where should I dig?"
"Here," she says, pointing. "This spot is where I make the best castles."
Theo busies himself, filling a bucket while Emika tips out the one she already prepared.
"You're a dragon," he says to her.
"You're a wolf," she replies, smiling sweetly at him. "Elijah is sort-of a fury." Her brow crinkles. "Or maybe a god. His parents don't know yet."
Elijah gives a shrug as he focuses on patting the side of the mound Emika made.
"Hey, wanna see my wings?" Emika suddenly asks.
If she didn't have their attention before, she certainly has it now.
"Yes, please," Elijah says, sitting back on his heels.
After standing up, Emika shrugs her shoulders like Elijah did.
Her wings extend with a rush of power that floods the air so intensely it reaches me where I stand.
My eyes widen at the breadth of her wings.
The fierce, blood-red color of them.
They're so large that she topples backward, landing on her butt.
She's laughing hard. "They're too big for me."
Elijah breaks into a smile.
Theo has wide eyes. He shakes himself. "Wanna see my wolf?"
"Yes, please," Emika says, retracting her wings and leaning forward with Elijah, both in apparent anticipation.
A crimson wolf appears at Theo's side, an eerily powerful sight. It stands as tall as he is and its body appears insubstantial. I can see the beach behind it.
"Oh, I love him," Emika cries, reaching for the wolf's face.
Theo immediately steps back and the wolf jumps back with him, steering clear of her hand.
"Careful," Theo says. "His magic will bite you."
Emika retracts her hand. "Oh. That's sad."
Theo's shoulders start to slump, but Elijah interjects. "Wanna see my eyes?"
Emika breaks into a smile and Theo sits taller. "Yes!"
Elijah tugs at his sunglasses, removing them for a short moment.
I've never seen Elijah's eyes. He kept them covered during the whole time I was protecting him, but even across this distance, I feel the depth of his power.
For an unnerving moment, it seems as if he looks across the distance at me, his soul far older than the boy whose body it occupies.
And for another second, his focus also slips to Anarchy.
She protected him, too.
She tips her chin at him.
He returns his sunglasses to his face.
Across the distance, I hear Emika's whisper. "I love your eyes." And then to Theo, she says, "Your wolf might bite, but I love him, too."
My heart resumes beating a moment before Ryuji nudges me, forcing me to drag my attention away from the children. "It's time."
"Okay." But I pause, suddenly realizing something. " Huh ."
Ryuji arches his eyebrows at me. "What is it?"
My voice is soft. "Your daughter has red wings."
He gives me a look as if to say, ‘what of it?' before a proud smile passes his lips. "Her wings are the same as those of one of the greatest dragons in our history."
"Right," I whisper.
As I turn away from the children, I meet Anarchy's eyes.
Red wings, indeed.
I shake it off as I follow Ryuji through the trees and into a small clearing that he must have prepared in advance. It doesn't take long for the influx of power within the trees to tell me that the other powerful beings he invited here have all arrived one way or another and are now approaching my location.
I step into the center of the clearing while the dark elves fan out a few steps behind me. Ryuji and the other dragon shifters fan out behind them. Again, this is what we discussed.
We're taking every precaution to make it clear that we're only here to talk.
The beings who are meeting me are all powerful creatures of light magic, elemental magic, and old magic. They're extremely strong, but I don't expect them to come close to me or even to reveal their faces to me. In fact, I fully expect them to use magic to conceal themselves.
I need them only to hear me because my people depend on it. My people are dark creatures who never expect to experience love or support and want merely to survive.
Even if I want more for them.
I wait a moment, then glance at Ryuji, who gives me a nod. "They are all here now."
I lift my voice. "It is a mark of trust that you've brought your children with you. Please know that they're safe in my presence."
Far safer, actually, than they are without me. No dark creature would even dare to step foot on this island while I'm here. Except, of course, my dark elves.
"Even so, I sense your discomfort," I say. "So I will keep this brief. I am the Ultima Nostra. I stand above all other dark houses, clans, and packs. I make the rules by which they live, and I deliver judgment should they break my rules."
I cast my gaze around the clearing at all the shadowy faces.
"I believe you will have noticed the peace I have brought."
This is the moment when they could scoff at me. They could step forward and tell me that, yes, a greater peace may have occurred, but there are wars ahead of us.
To which I would reply: There will always be wars.
Their children will fight them. Those beautiful, innocent souls building sandcastles on the beach will face those battles.
But, by the dark saints, those wars will not happen for as long as I can stop them.
I wait for the creatures of the light to dismiss my statements, but…
They don't.
A tension I didn't realize I was feeling eases.
"I ask now that you acknowledge my purpose and respect my position," I say, knowing that what I say next will be much less palatable to them. "If there is a problem among dark creatures, I will deal with it."
I allow my teeth to sharpen and my claws to descend.
"If a dark creature steps outside the boundaries I have placed around them, I will mete out justice. As is my right and responsibility. You will stand aside. You will respect my ability to deal with my people."
Once more, I expect them to object.
Instead, I'm met with quiet.
I allow my teeth and my claws to retract. "I will take your silence as agreement." Then, I let a small smile touch my lips. "Of course, you don't have to worry. You won't be idle. My justice only extends to dark magic creatures. You will be busy enough managing your own kind."
And now I expect them to bristle.
But still, they don't.
So I finish with, "If you ever need my help, ask and I will give it."
Now, I'm met with a wash of surprise.
So that's what it takes to startle powerful beings .
Well, I'll take it.
I give Ryuji another nod. I'm done. My message was delivered. Only time will tell if they heard me.
With that, the dragon masters spread farther out around me, and the powerful beings in the trees must be dispersing because the heaviness in the air lifts.
Within minutes, a sense of peace descends again.
"I've said what I could," I murmur, flexing my fingers and rolling my shoulders to ease the tension in them.
I'm surprised when Miku speaks first. "You're welcome to stay for the night."
She glances at Riot, who hasn't taken his eyes off her, probably not even while he was supposed to be watching my back.
"Perhaps you might even enjoy a run through the jungle?" she asks.
"We would be honored to share a meal and stay until morning," I reply, thinking quickly. "But I'm a little tired for running right now. With respect, I will stay here on the beach to rest."
Anarchy, Rumble, and Strife all suddenly appear very busy, muttering about helping me rest.
"A run would be good," Riot says to Miku.
She breaks into a smile and inclines her head toward the jungle.
They set off together and within seconds, they've disappeared into the wilderness.
For a moment, my heart feels lighter.
Perhaps more can come of this visit than I hoped.
I spend the hours before nightfall wandering the beach, making sure to keep myself far from the children, who soon disappear back into the jungle—no doubt back to their parents.
Ryuji tells me that I can't go wrong if I stay near the hut where I used to train, so that's what I do.
When the dragon masters bring us dinner, they sit down to eat with us, and I find myself relaxing again.
Miku and Riot haven't returned, but that's okay with me.
When the other dragons leave, only Ryuji stays, stopping to speak with Rumble and Strife while Anarchy and I head out onto the beach.
"I forgot how salty the air is here," I say, inhaling deeply.
She gives me a smile in the moonlight. "I didn't dream we'd come back here."
I pause, my feet kicking up sand. "You once said to the keeper…" I take a deep breath. "You said that the creatures of the dark had waited a long time for someone with the power to unite them."
"Yes," she says, contemplating me.
"Have I done it?" It's a question I've been asking myself for months now, the only question that gives me purpose. "Have I united them?"
"You have," she says. Then, more quietly, she says, "But you paid a price I didn't want you to pay."
She reaches across the gap between us.
It's rare for anyone to hug me now.
It's simply too dangerous.
She dares to press her palm to my heart. "He took a part of you with him." Her eyes fill with tears. "I miss that part."
She hurries away before I can speak.
What can I say?
I know there are parts of me that are missing. Parts of me that I've tried to find but can't.
I find myself wondering, and not for the first time, if The Book of Dark Magic hadn't shown me such a terrible vision of my future, would I have fought so hard for peace?
Would I have sacrificed so much?
I have brought myself to a place where a red-winged child will no longer face a future where she has to kill me. I have stopped what the book foreshadowed, and I no longer fear that I will become heartless.
How ironic that that book… the book that lied and served only itself… could set in motion the events that were needed to give dark creatures a place in the world.
Or, perhaps, that was its purpose all along.
The different paths I could have walked—or my mother or father could have walked—are too many for me to fathom. All the pain that led to the impossible: a truce between the light and the dark.
As Anarchy heads back to the hut, Ryuji passes her on his way to me, reaching me only moments later.
"I've come to say goodnight," he says. "I trust you have everything you need for now?"
"Thank you, yes."
He pauses. "You don't need my affirmation, but you spoke well today. They heard what you said."
I grimace. "I'm worried there weren't more objections."
He looks surprised. "Why would there be? You already proved your claims. If you had come to them a year ago with promises and no proof, then yes, they would have doubted you. But you spent the last year doing exactly what you said you would. They have felt the peace you've brought."
Once more, I have been a careful knife, excising the rot in my empire.
" I have felt the peace you've brought," he says. And then he speaks more hesitantly, which makes me narrow my eyes at him because he's normally forthright. "My sister…"
I wait for him to continue. "Yes?"
He clears his throat. "She hasn't been happy. I would like to change that. And luckily, what you said today has given her… them … a chance."
"If you're asking me if I approve of Riot and Miku's bond, then the answer's yes," I say. "Whatever it takes to keep them together, I'll make it happen."
"Even if, for them to be together, he must remain here with her?" Ryuji asks.
There's an instant pang in my heart, but I force it away. "Yes. Even then. If you will also allow it."
"I will."
"Good."
I fall silent, and so does the dragon master.
After a long moment, he breaks the silence again. "I remember when we stood on nearly this exact spot."
"On my last day on this island."
"You stood here and the keeper stood there." Ryuji points to a spot farther down the beach. "There he was, a being of incredible power, simply waiting for you to return to him."
I close my eyes against the heat of tears I refuse to shed.
My response is a whisper. "He is waiting no more."
Ryuji's hand is warm on my shoulder, a comforting squeeze, before his footfalls crunch softly on the sand, taking him away.
He doesn't have to walk so loudly, but I appreciate it because it's a distraction from my feelings.
Even so, it's a long time before I can open my eyes again.
The ocean spreads out in front of me, crashing waves I once immersed myself in. Hot sand I once lay on.
Heated hands and lips I once kissed.
I shake myself.
No more.
I turn back to the hut, only to freeze.
A man stands on the beach, fewer than seven paces away from me. He's a towering form, his shoulders impossibly broad. He stands fully in the moonlight, his silhouette shrouded in an ethereal light.
His eyes are a calm gray-green while his hair is the darkest gray like…
Wolf's fur.
My heart thuds.
I can't breathe. Can't move.
His voice is both gentle and powerful as he asks, "Did you really think I could forget you, Caera?"