My body instinctively tightens as I watch the King of Frost approach, applauding us.
“Congratulations,” he says, stopping only inches away from Cerys and me. “You have beaten the odds, King of Flames. You have proven that you are worthy of my trust.”
I look into those piercing blue eyes that match the blazing fire in mine.
“Who would have thought,” I growl. “The impossible is indeed another kind of possible. The King of Ice and the King of Fire are actually going to fight side by side.”
A smile cracks Lysander’s icy façade. I have a feeling this is him showing his true face, and I can see compassion, and understanding on a deep level. He knows exactly what I’m going through with my love for Cerys.
“There is no way the forces of Hell can win against you now,” he says, “And the Council of the Arcane will never get the other realms to fight against you, not with me and my allies by your side.” He places a hand on my shoulder, and my jaw locks. I don’t know how to fucking react. In the end, this is my longtime enemy treating me like a brother in arms. “Things are clear as day to me now, Xerxes. You won’t betray us, not as long as love blooms and lives in your heart. And it’s bound to do so forever.”
Cerys
THE DOORS OPEN, AND we enter the Arena of the Worlds. It’s a huge round amphitheater surrounded by oval swirling portals of different colors. There are golden, silver and dark portals, each one emitting their own kind of energy. The dark ones make the finest hairs stand on my arms as we pass them by, but Xerxes puts a strong arm around me, making me feel not only safe but also invincible.
“Never forget,” he tells me. “You have my name, my Kingdom, and my sword. You never need to be afraid of anything again.”
My heart swells with joy, but then my spirits sink. I watch Lysander’s back as he leads the way with the retinue of generals that he’s taking along, the rest of his army marching behind us, the ground trembling under their thudding steps.
“Xerxes, about Marayke. I really need to ask you not to hurt her. She turned against her brother, and she actually saved me from him, so—”
But before Xerxes reacts, Lysander stops abruptly and turns around.
“Yes, about that,” he says. “My suggestion is that, when you return to the Fire Court after the battle, you don’t show Kareim Velduros that things are right between you again.”
“Why not?” Xerxes demands, pulling me closer into him.
“I’m sure you know why, Xerxes, if you look at the matter with a cool head. He threatened Cerys that, if she didn’t play this game exactly how he instructed, he would get all the realms to unite against you. Now that won’t bring him much advantage anymore, the two of us allied are much too powerful for anyone to dare stand against you, but Kareim found a way to undermine your power once. I’m sure he can devise ways to do it again. If you punish him, he might even have mechanisms in place that could end up in a war, and I’m pretty sure he’s got ways to hurt Cerys.”
“Kareim Velduros is much more cunning than I imagined at first,” I say. “He doesn’t have any worthwhile magic, and his position as High Mage at the Fire Court is completely undeserved, but he’s well connected, and a wickedly good plotter.”
“You’ll have to be careful about him,” Lysander says. “It’s not advisable that you burst into the Fire Palace with your sword out and demanding his head. That might start a new string of disasters.”
“So what would you have me do?” Xerxes’ features sharpen with anger. “Act like Cerys and I are still separated? Stay away from her, let him think he’s won?”
“Exactly. You’ll have to discover the entire web he’s sewn. Because believe me, Xerxes—” Lysander puts a hand on my husband’s shoulder, a gesture that warms my heart, just like it did the first time I saw it happen. “If Kareim has the power to do everything he threatened Cerys he would do, then he’s got a line to a much more powerful, secret enemy of yours. One that has a seat in the Council of Arcane, without a doubt. Without Kareim making mistakes, it will be impossible to identify him.”
The dots start to connect in my head. The highest circle of the Council consists of six people, all of them known to us.
“There is only one way of discovering the evil behind Kareim Velduros,” Lysander concludes. “And that is to play his game until you can trace his entire web. Don’t forget that it was him who approached Cerys about the deal she had to make with Samael. So most probably, it was him that contacted Samael in the first place. And he must have gotten Samael interested in completely destroying you by presenting all the force that was just waiting to unleash against you.”
“On Xerxes’ and my first quest for the Firestone,” I chime in, “one of the Grand Mage’s guards attacked me, intent on killing me. When he thought he was close to the final blow he said Kareim Velduros was sending his best.”
“An assassin,” Lysander hisses. “You see, Xerxes, he’d started working on bringing you down since before the Cemetery of Doom. Since before you angered Samael. If you take him down before you get to the real head of the snake, the Councilman that’s behind him, you might expose yourself to even greater danger. Cerys, too.”
Xerxes looks down, his eyes flaming with fury, the sword of fire appearing in his hand with an electric sound.
“Let’s drive the forces of Samael away from the Fire Realm first, and then nail this bastard.”
Lysander nods, and leads the way to a central portal on the far end of the arena. What looks like liquid fire swirls in it, emitting light, heat and the feeling specific to the Fire Realm. I press myself to Xerxes’ side, putting a hand on his chest. He looks down at me.
“We’re going home, my King.”
A smile cracks his hard warrior façade.
“Cerys Daek, I may not be able to treat you as my Queen yet, but when this is over, I promise I’ll treat you as my goddess.”
He touches my chin gently, pressing a hot kiss on my mouth. Passion adds to the adrenaline in my veins, and I feel like I can take on the world.
Lysander turns to us one last time.
“Ready?”
We turn hand in hand, facing the portal.
The King of Frost steps through, and we follow, the sword flaming in Xerxes’ hand.
TO BE CONTINUED