Moonlight Prince (Vampire Girl #4)(53)

"Allow me," says Levi. "I shall put her head on a spike and parade it through the battlefield."

Lucian puts down the bread, wiping his mouth with fancy handkerchief. "Oh no. Ace will have that honor."

Ace recoils. "I… I…"

Niam and Asher look at him oddly for some reason, like he's not supposed to be here.

Asher. I can't bear to think about him. I look away, forcing my gaze onto Lucian. Thinking of a way to end this.

My swords are gone. Taken.

Or left behind… No. They lie in the corner of the tent. By Ace's feet. He must have carried them.

If I could get to them. If could get to Lux, my moonlight blade, then I have a chance to end this. I can still kill Lucian.

Ace fumbles with his words. "Father, I think it… it—"

"I should have the honor," says Levi, clenching his fists. "I captured her."

Lucian pauses. For the first time, he looks at his son. His face cold. "You? You? Please Levi, we all know Ace did all the hard work. Come now, stop wasting time and bring her here."

I expect Levi to explode with fury.

But he drops his head. And instead of seeing the Prince of Envy, I see a little boy. A little boy just trying to please his father.

I remember the story Levi told me. The story of how he used to forge blades, until his father thought him a liar. The story of how Levi, one day, stopped trying to be good.

Broken, beaten, Levi turns to me. He bends down, as if to grab and drag me, but then his hand reaches for his blade.

In a flash, he spins around, throwing his sword at his father.

Lucian grabs it in midair.

He laughs.

"Oh Levi. Finally, you stand up for yourself. And what a pathetic moment it is." He squeezes his hand, and Levi's sword breaks into pieces, falling to the ground.

No one else, not even Niam, seems to enjoy the display. They all look at Levi with a sorrow in their eyes. Even I. For a moment.

Then Lucian rushes forward faster than a blink, and he grabs Levi by the throat. He lifts him into the air, choking the air out of him. "You are worthless," he hisses.

Levi says nothing. But his eyes turn red. And for the first time ever, I see Levi cry.

Lucian tosses him aside like a broken tool, and Levi falls at the outskirts of the tent, clutching at his neck, grasping for breath.

His father retakes his seat, plops a grape into his mouth. "Now, let us return to—"

"You monster!" roars Levi. Trembling, he pushes himself back up. "All I ever wanted was to please you. All I ever wanted was for you to care."

"Then do something!" yells Lucian, spit flying from his mouth. "Do something of worth!"

Levi pauses, and for a moment, there is happiness in his eyes. "Oh, I will father."

Then he grabs a torch off the post.

And throws it at something outside the tent.

A catapult.

Barrels.

And for once, Lucian doesn't laugh at his son. For once, he wears a face of dread.

The torch hits the barrels.

And the hillside explodes.

***

A wave of force hits me, throwing me through the air. I don't know how far I fly, only that it is far. And when I finally land, it is with a deep thud. My chest aches. My leg feels sprained. The world spins around me. I try to calm myself, to make out what is happening.

Dust in the sky, covering the very sun. Ash on my tongue. Fire all around. Debris at my feet. It is chaos. Chaos everywhere.

I stand, despite the pain in my leg, and stumble forward. I need to find my swords. I need them to defeat Lucian. Through the dust, I can no longer tell friend from foe. All I see is people fleeing. And corpses. So many corpses.

Their bodies charred.

Like Daison.

Fear grips me. Consumes me. I have failed. Our army is broken, gone. Even if I defeat Lucian, who is there left to save?

I do not know.

I do not know who yet lives.

Dean?

I saw Levi disarm him. Did he finish the job?

What of Varis? Did he fall in battle?

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

I can no longer walk. It's too hard. Too hard to keep going. I need to rest. Yes. Rest. I find a stone on the sand. A nice place to sit. To sit and close my eyes and rest.

Yes. This feels good.

I can just dream.

Dream of another time. A time that feels so long ago. When Fen first brought me to Stonehill. He showed me his favorite part of the castle. The great tree that grows through the center of the grand hall. "I know it's not what people expect when they hear Prince of War, but—" He grinned at me. Guilelessly. Beautifully. Like we shared a secret. He gave me a ring. And I remember thinking, no matter what happens, I will always be grateful for Fenris Vane.

A voice pulls me from my stupor.

"You can't run, Princess." Niam. He walks out from the dust, his white cape trailing behind him, a silver sword in his hand.

Not just any sword. My sword. Lux. He must have picked it up somewhere after the explosion.

"Ace couldn't kill you, that was clear," he says. "But I will not make the same mistake." He stands over me, places my own sword against my throat.

How fitting.

Light will be my end.

Because Darkness has won.

I close my eyes. Falling back into the dream. It feels so real. Me and Fen and Baron together. I even hear the howl.