Circle of Shadows (Circle of Shadows, #1)(112)

“Emperor Gin Ora,” Zomuri boomed. “You have proven your dedication through the Ceremony of Two Hundred Hearts.”

On the bloodstone tower, Prince Gin fell prostrate on the ground, right in the midst of the corpses. He bowed to Zomuri, his body sticky with blood.

The god finished collecting his hearts and licked all twenty of his fingers. “I hereby anoint you Savior of Kichona, Warrior of Glory, Seeker of the Evermore. Go forth and make an empire in my name. And when I am satisfied, I shall grant you and your kingdom the paradise you deserve.”

Everything shook—the ground, the air, Sora’s resolve.

And like all gods, who do not stay among humans for long, Zomuri disappeared.

Prince Gin rose slowly to his feet. He turned to the ryuu and the captured taigas in the stone claws. “Tonight, we celebrate. And tomorrow, we set forth on our quest for the Evermore.”

His soldiers whooped and shouted.

The prince turned to the sky. “I see you up there, Spirit. You and your flying pet may be out of my reach for now, but you’ve seen a glimpse of Kichona’s future. This is the end for you. The next time we cross paths, I’ll see to it that your sister kills you.”

No. Sora leaned over, searching for her sister, and nearly toppled off Daemon. Fairy latched onto her.

“Don’t die on us,” Fairy said. “We need you. Kichona needs you.”

“It’s over,” Sora said. “Hana’s taken Empress Aki. The entire Society has been hypnotized. And the quest for the Evermore has officially begun.”

She slouched. “Kichona is lost. We’re the only ones with our wits about us, because we’re protected by Daemon’s shield.”

“The kingdom’s not lost,” Daemon said. “We didn’t fight this hard just to give up now. But first, we need to get out of here.”

If it weren’t for his decisiveness, Sora wouldn’t have been able to do it.

He soared past the clouds. He flew so high, the sky changed color, darker here where the sun had not yet reached. He turned westward, but kept flying up, up, and up still.

“You’ll fix this,” he said.

Sora shook her head and buried it into his neck. “I can’t.”

Fairy scooted up and hugged her. “Then we’ll fix this. Together.”

“The League of Rogues.” Broomstick’s hand rested on Sora’s shoulders.

She sat up slowly and remembered her mother’s entreaty—Be more. Do more.

No one said Sora had to do it alone.

Her friends were right. They couldn’t lie down and give up. Their kingdom was at stake—not just the island, but the people. People like her mother and father up on Samara Mountain. People like Empress Aki. People like the taigas who’d been taken.

But there were no more taigas left to fight.

Except for us.

“We’re going to need something bigger than ourselves,” Sora said.

“Tell us what to do, and we’re in,” Daemon said.

“Even if it’s something crazy?”

Fairy shrugged. “I’ve already impersonated the empress and died once. I’m not sure there’s anything crazier than that.”

“I might be a demigod wolf,” Daemon offered. “That’s possibly crazier.”

“What they mean is ‘yes,’” Broomstick said. “Let’s save Kichona.”

What had happened with Prince Gin today was terrifying. But what could happen if he was allowed to keep going . . .

A magical army that would drown the mainland in blood. A war that would come to Kichona’s shores.

And an empire of millions of mindless puppets, all under Prince Gin’s control.

Sora shuddered. They had to stop him. It was their duty. Their calling.

Daemon flew farther and farther away. Stars sprinkled Sora’s vision. They had flown away from day, into the night.

The darkness gave her hope.

“All right, then,” Sora said. “Let’s do this.”

“Really?” Fairy said.

Sora nodded. “Work hard.”

“Mischief harder,” they said.

They held on tightly to his fur, shadows on a constellation, and they shot higher, into midnight sky. And then Sora glared back at the earth in defiant challenge.

“You’re wrong, Dragon Prince,” she whispered. “This is definitely not the end.”