AERYN'S POV

Scarce torches flickered a dim glimmer, casting ominous shadows throughout the narrow passageway. Zoran stuck to the shadows against the wall that was dominated by a gruesome mural depicting the Battle of Ashes and Ruin. He raked a hand through the dark hair between his horns as he glanced at the painting. I skirted behind him, careful to keep to the shadows and ensure my footsteps were light as I tracked after him.

The mural enraptured me with its haunting beauty as I scanned the vibrant hues of the Phoenixians. Their feathers ranged from turquoise and navy blues to bright yellows and fiery reds and oranges. Their wings were intricate masterpieces of colors blending together, and they wore the standard military garb of the Guardian Force - black, leather armor reinforced by gold breast plates that were created by melting and shaping the beaks of their fallen phoenixes into the indestructible armor.

The admirable Phoenixians were once a strong, altruistic species whose sole duty was to protect all of Traeveria from demons and the forces of evil. Their devotion to guarding our nation was admirable and selfless.

But that all changed when the demons invaded their homeland only half a decade ago, unleashing a bomb of their molten blood on the volcanic island of Azmar. The deadly substance leveled the entirety of their islands and obliterated their whole species. Every Phoenixian and their phoenix went extinct that day.

"Two-hundred fifty thousand Phoenixians gave their lives to save ours and no one talks about it."

I jumped, heart lurching to my throat at the sudden sound of Zoran's angered voice.

"This mural is hidden away in a vacant corridor of the academy even though the war happened not even fifty years ago," he continued without looking at me. He lifted his gloved hand and brushed a finger over the surge of black liquid spilling over the island. "It's like everyone has just forgotten and pretends like the Phoenixians never existed."

"It's one of the reasons we're still at war with the Ravos Kingdom," I reminded him, stepping out of the darkness. "The explosion from that bomb caused the massive tsunamis and earthquakes across Traeveria that created our Wrexial Mountains and the eternal ice age we live in. We had to flee our neighboring island, Aramore, when the remnants and fallout from the bomb destroyed our land. And now our southernmost towns; Eaton, Quincey, Mavis, and Solas are all far from the protection of our walls just to provide our empire with crops that we can't grow in our freezing climate, and now they're all deserted from the frequent demon attacks."

"I don't need a lecture - I know our world's recent history. I just don't know how we can ignore an entire cleansing of a species and keep it hidden like this."

"The wounds are still fresh. We're mourning the horrendous loss of our allies."

His hand clenched in the fingerless glove, and he dropped it to his side, turning to face me. "They were many times more powerful than Draconians, princess. The Guardian Force was built up of only Phoenixians for a reason. They were forbidden from even mating with Draconians because their offsprings' powers would be diluted by our weaker essences. You cannot tell me that you expect to join the Elemental Forces and survive in this war without an Insignia when not even one Phoenixian lived to tell the gory tale."

I threw my hands up in the air in frustration. "Give me some credit. I know how to use a dagger and I just killed half a dozen demons."

"Serene killed that many demons. You can't even kill a Ravos shifter or summoner without feeling disgusted in yourself, and you wouldn't let me kill Bastion. You're not cut out for the Force, and you know it."

"I need to defend my empire."

"No. You need to prove it to yourself and everyone else that you're suitable - that being powerless doesn't make you any less a Draconian even if your father seems to think otherwise."

If I hadn't known better, I would have thought Zoran's power was mind reading since he wanted to be perceptive and tell me how I truly felt. It infuriated me that he was correct and could see right through me.

"And before you ask, no I'm not Bastion; I can't tell your truth from the way you lie. You're just easy to read."

My face fell at the mention of Bastion's name, and I scuffed my boot against the dark obsidian ground. "I can't believe he's a demon," I admitted.

Zoran was silent for a few moments. He heaved a sigh and met my eyes, saying, "He told me to kill him."

"What?"

"That was right before the eerie whistle called all the demons back. I can assume the Ravos demons are going to use him to get to you, but I don't understand why he'd care. He's one of them."

"He warned me, Zoran," I said, "He told me the Ravos prince was plotting my assassination."

Zoran scrunched his eyebrows in thought. "That makes sense. They're probably hoping your death would result in our surrender."

"And my father is trying to marry me off to the Ravos King's heir as a bargain to get Armaeda back and end the war," I rambled. "I tried to tell him that Bastion said it's a death sentence and it makes it easier for the prince to kill me, but he just told me to kill Shade Cross before he can do it to me."

"He wants you to kill Shade? Your demon friend is right; it's a death sentence. No chance you're able to kill the ruthless demon prince."

"I appreciate your unwavering faith in my abilities."

"If the fate of our nation is in your hands – hands that don't even bare an Insignia – then we should just surrender now."

I gave him a tight-lipped frown and crossed my arms over my chest as my entire body flooded with heat. "He won't marry me if I don't get a power by graduation."

"So, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Either you get a power, and the demon prince kills you after you marry him, or your Insignia doesn't make an appearance by the time we graduate, and the war doesn't end, and we all die."

"Now you're lecturing," I pointed out. "As if I haven't already thought through all this."

Zoran shook his head and walked back over to me, pausing to drop a hand on my shoulder. "Don't let us become like our fallen Phoenixians."

He gave my shoulder a quick squeeze and headed back toward the entrance of the haunting corridor. An unsettling shiver coursed down my spine and goosebumps rose along my arms at the severity of the dire implication.

The woodsy scent of pine and spice lingered after he left, and I remained standing alone in the hallway with thoughts of Racquel's death, Misty's inevitable Curse, and Bastion's plea for death plaguing my mind.

Mustering the courage I did not feel, I checked to make sure the main hallway was empty before I traversed beneath the vaulted ceilings detailed with dragons in flight. I exited the academy to find Racquel's dragon, Rays, perched on one of the beams attached to the obsidian building. His eyes drooped in sadness, and he lowered his massive head to me. I rubbed his forehead where Racquel's Insignia had faded to a pale-yellow patch of scales. Tears stung my eyes as I removed Racquel's scale from my pocket and offered it to the dragon.

Rays nudged my hand, pressing my fingers over the scale as he gently pushed my hand back at me and puffed smoke from his nostrils.

My eyes widened. "I don't have enough essence to summon two dragons. I can barely keep Serene summoned for longer than an hour at a time, nevermind two at once."

Rays opened his mouth, a gaseous cloud forming at the back of his throat.

I threw my hands up in mock surrender, ushering, "Woah, okay! I'll hold onto your scale."

Satisfied, the dragon clamped his mouth shut and made a deep rumble in his throat.

"Just for now."

The dragon's pupils narrowed to slits.

"Until I find you a new summoner!" I amended with a promise.

Rays closed his eyes and dropped upside down on the perch, folding his wings around himself in a cocoon. I rubbed the surface of his yellow scale and beheld his essence as it turned into a whimsical squall of air and dust, flowing into the scale.

With both dragon scales in my pocket, I hurried through the snow encrusted ground, wishing I had thought to return to the training room to grab my cloak. I did not have enough energy to summon Serene, so I was forced to make the trek back home on my own. The wind howled as it struck me with its strong gusts and my teeth chattered as snow was blown into my face.

This royally sucked – and I could say that because I was a princess.

And because of my status, I needed to have a talk with the man who made me the Nyrial Princess.

I only took a break in my journey to the Nyrial Castle to stop in my small cave for the night. I did not think I could handle seeing my father after everything that just happened. I needed time to decompress and process it all before I met with the icy emperor.

I crawled inside the alcove and built a fire at the entrance of the cave, forgoing the lantern for the light of the fire. I grabbed the wool blanket and dragged it around my shoulders, huddling inside it as my body temperature gradually increased. Laying back against the bed of straw, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. The deep sleep came swiftly and allowed me to escape the gravity of my situation. 

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