Page 47 of Ruin of Revenants

“If you die, I die. You must learn to defend yourself,” Archer interrupted, his tone turning softer.

Lily took it as a romantic proclamation, pressing a hand to her heart. “Sweet, but we don’t need anyone else adding to the number of revenants in Emberglade. We’ll help you, Isa. Don’t worry.”

“I can’t move another muscle,” Lily said dramatically, holding the back of her hand to her forehead as she stretched out across the training floor.

Late evening sunlight painted the room in shades of rich orange and red, and I sat cross-legged before the nearest window, soaking it all in. My body was coated in drying sweat, making me long for a bath, but my muscles ached so much I wasn’t ready to budge yet.

Owen, seated a few feet away, let his mouth twitch in a semblance of a grin as he used his water magic to summon some from the pitcher across the room and refill his glass. It swirled, serpentine-like, before splashing in a waterfall into his upheld glass, which he lifted in a mock cheer and downed in a few gulps.

“Showoff,” Lily groaned from her spot.

With another twitch of his lips, Owen summoned some more, but when three-fourths of it had poured into her glass, the stream changed direction, spilling over her face. She sat up with a spluttering gasp and a glare fired in his direction.

“Maybe next time we can train with our magic,” Owen said with mock calmness as Lily wiped her face on the front of her tunic.

Archer had been putting the practice swords and daggers back into their positions hung along the wall opposite the windows, where they gleamed in shades of fire-orange and bloodred. I looked over my shoulder in time to see him pause, the slightest bit of tension coiling through his back. “I don’t think we need to worry about that,” he said, his voice deceptively breezy. “Isoria’s magic isn’t useful in combat anyway. What she really needs is to practice defending herself like we did today.”

“But we could teach her how to protect herself against our magic,” Lily suggested.

“Maybe, but our biggest threat is from the revenants, and our magic isn’t anything like theirs,” Archer muttered.

I cast Lily an encouraging glance. “I think it would still be useful. How does your magic work? Owen’s seems obvious enough—he needs a source of water nearby—but yours…I saw you command light that made the revenants’ shadow magic disappear. Is it gifted from Solea?”

Lily smiled proudly. “No, it’s from Umbryon. The light is rare and exhausting—it’s not often I manage to use it, and usually only when one or two weaker revenants are the only ones attacking with their shadows. Otherwise, I can’t conjure enough light. My main power is in crafting…well, holes or portals, I guess. Mostly, I wield the power of stars when they implode and create a void in space. I can summon one of those voids, essentially sending my enemies…elsewhere. To Mortius’ blazing underworld, I hope.”

“That’s terrifying.”

Her smirk widened into a smile. “I’m the general’s daughter, so I suppose it’s fitting that I am. Even I don’t know everything about how star magic works, but from what I’ve studied, that’s essentially what I do.”

“It’s a rare magical ability,” Owen interjected, and I thought I caught a hint of awe in his tone.

“Useful against the revenants.” Archer stepped away from the wall, walking over to nudge Lily playfully in the side with the toe of his boot. She stuck her tongue out at him like an annoyed sibling. “But now, unfortunately, Isa and I have been summoned to dinner with my father again.”

Lily grimaced. “Tell him you’re hungover.”

“You know he doesn’t care.”

Owen’s expression was sober. “Good luck.”

“You act as if he’s going to have me killed,” Archer drawled.

“We heard what happened last night. My father’s soldiers talk, you know. You sent that phoenix shifter you hunted down to the dungeons and gave her son to be cared for by the servants.” Lily arched a brow at him.

My stomach curdled, my eyes flying to Archer’s face. His expression remained stony. So that’s where he’d been when he returned to his quarters late last night and found me in the kitchen. While I’d been trying to find a way to gain my freedom back and then soothing myself with baking, he’d been out hunting my kind.

Archer crossed his arms. “He’s just a child. It wasn’t like I was going to send him to the dungeons with her.”

My nausea was growing. I tried to sip my own glass of water and turn my face back toward the window so no one read my expression. How would I ever be able to hide my horror?

“Your father won’t see it that way,” Owen said. “He’ll see a potential phoenix shifter who needs to be tested and exterminated if he’s dangerous. And he’ll want to know why his mother isn’t dead yet.”

There was a long pause, the quiet heavy enough I could hear my heart thudding.

“I’ll take care of it,” the prince said, his tone firm.

I wanted to vomit, but I sat perfectly still, cradling my glass of water in my hands and staring out at the sun setting over the castle grounds. Palm fronds swayed gently in the breeze, a blessed relief that kissed my face through the open windows. I inhaled the scent of jasmine that wafted on the breeze and closed my eyes, trying not to imagine what Archer’s taking care of it would look like with a child involved.

As Lily and Owen took their leave, I murmured my goodbyes and stood. Once they were safely out of earshot, I turned on him. My voice broke.