Chapter 36: Chapter 36

IRIS

The throne hall was filled with a confused babble of voices, fearful shouts, heated discussions, and desperate proposals.

Yet King Elior heard none of it.

His gaze was directed into the distance, as if he could see something that no one else could see. Tears gathered in his eyes, but he did not let them fall.

His fingers gripped the armrests as tightly as if he feared they would break into pieces.

Our amicus came to us and told us about the attack. I was glad that they were all fine.

Whoever broke the barrier knew his way around. Our soul animals were usually in the forest, but today they had decided to rest in one of the meadows because of Alatus’s size.

The young animals, however, remained in the forest. Ava must have heard them—the desperate whinnying as the intruders appeared.

She acted without a second thought. Afraid for the young animals, she obviously ran to rescue them.

Alatus was worried about me after the attack and immediately rushed to protect me. Fortunately, no amicus was injured, but they were very scared.

Ava’s amicus stepped in front of Jade, and with a single touch of her horn, she enabled Jade to read her thoughts. Jade was able to share her thoughts with us.

The cubs told their parents about Ava’s bravery—how she tried to protect them with all her might. The man was powerful, they said, his shadows eating through the light of the forest.

But Ava faced them alone, with nothing but her courage. She didn’t fight like a soldier, not like a heroine from legends.

She fought like a mother defending her children. Every blow, every step, was full of a fierce determination that made even the darkness recoil for a moment.

The little soul animals also told how she threw herself in front of the cubs, how her body bled… how she stood up again and again, even when the shadows threatened to overwhelm her.

Bael stood there, his fists clenched so tight that his knuckles stood out white. His eyes blazed with something more dangerous than rage.

He just listened, his head lowered. He hadn’t been able to say anything since that woman appeared here.

In this cloud…that we couldn’t explain. But Devas knew who she was.

The woman who appeared before us was Bana. The most powerful among the remaining demon leaders.

She was the supreme leader of the dark legions—dangerous and powerful, as he explained to us.

The unrest in the hall grew even louder as they listened to Jade.

“Silence, everyone!” Avery shouted in a thunderous voice.

The sudden hush in the hall snapped the king out of his gloomy thoughts. His gaze wandered over the crowd, then lingered on me, his eyebrows rising questioningly.

“We need to talk, Father,” Avery said in a weighted voice.

With a weary gesture, the king dissolved the feast. The guests were sent home, accompanied by an urgent warning to stay alert.

Everywhere in Antaris, the guards thickened, and patrols scoured the streets with hurried steps. Aidan and Inna took over coordination of the soldiers.

Soon they reported that the city was secure again. But the question was burning on everyone’s minds… How could the attackers break through the barriers?

The magical protective walls should have repelled any malicious intruder.

When the last guest had left, we were the only ones remaining—Ava’s family, her closest friends. The silence between us was heavy like lead.

Bael paced back and forth, stomping angrily across the room while Devas just followed him with his eyes. Aidan and Inna sat with the king and patiently awaited the king’s orders.

The mansion was additionally guarded by Elian and Alvar. Jade and Noah comforted Avery along with me.

“We have to… Ava is…” The king started talking, and we all turned to him.

“Father, how long do we have before the blood moon?” Avery asked.

The king seemed to be in a trance, and it was difficult for him to get out of his shock. Beijou knelt in front of the king and asked permission to help him, but the king did not respond.

A quick glance at Avery, who nodded before Beijou began to glow. He placed his hands on King Elior’s shoulders, and when he looked up to his eyes, it seemed as if he was returning.

His whole frame changed, like a tree straightening up after the storm. The stooped shoulders straightened, his back became bolt upright, as if an invisible hand had lifted him from his throne.

His chin lifted proudly, the previously deeply ingrained worry lines smoothed away as if they had been wiped away.

At that moment, he didn’t look like a grieving king, but like a man who had been breathed new life into. Even the air around him seemed to lighten, as if the weight had been lifted from him along with his changed posture.

His eyes, dull with grief a moment ago, now sparkled with determined clarity.

“There must be a way to save Ava,” I said quietly.

The king looked up at me and exhaled deeply. Slowly, he looked over each face, as if waking from a sleep, while Beijou stepped aside.

“The next blood moon is in five days. They won’t kill Ava until then. They need Ava for…the trade,” the king answered.

“You’re not really going to hand Iris over to the princes, are you?” Avery asked angrily.

Avery was furious, his father’s words burning inside him. His concern for Ava was immense, but the thought of losing me too was destroying him.

“There must be another way!” Devas said firmly.

“We have to make a plan and rescue Ava, as soon as possible,” Bael spoke for the first time since the demoness had appeared.

Once again, everyone started talking in a jumble, their voices mingling, piercing the air.

And while everyone was talking at once, the king and I just looked at each other. If he didn’t hand me over, that meant Antaris was going to war.

Good versus evil again. Another war.

Again, there would be deaths. Which I would be responsible for this time…

And Ava would be the first to die.

“I will go!” I shouted, and everyone fell silent.

“Iris, NO!” Avery protested at my decision.

His anxiety at my words swelled in my chest. So strong that I could barely breathe.

“I’m not asking for your permission. Ava was kidnapped because of me. They want me…so I’ll go. No one needs to get hurt…or die,” I said.

Devas let out a deep sigh. As I looked at him, he gave me another look as if I’d done something stupid.

Only this time, my words seemed to piss him off.

“If they get you… we’re all going to die!” Devas said emotionlessly.

The king bowed his head slowly, as if seeking wisdom in silence.

His lids closed for a long, meaningful moment, but when they opened again, his eyes glowed a supernatural violet, as if he carried the power of the ancestors themselves in his gaze.

“We’re going to find out how they entered Antaris,” he said, drawing everyone’s attention.

His voice echoed through the hall, every word a forged order.

“Whoever betrayed us… he will pay. Aidan, Inna, this is your duty. Track down the traitor,” he ordered.

His gaze shifted to the warriors.

“Devas. Bael. You will stand by my side when we set out for Portus Mali. Every soldier, every guard is to be ready. Should darkness dare to approach our gates once more…”

An icy silence spread before he finished with thundering certainty, “…Then we will fight them back…with fire and sword!”

Then he turned, taking a deep breath.

“Jade and Noah, you take care of the residents. Make sure every single one of them is safe. No house will be left unprotected,” he said.

The king’s words sounded as if they were chiseled in stone.

“Alvar and Elian… the armory. Prepare everything. Every sword sharpened, every bow drawn. I want Antaris ready,” he ordered.

Without hesitation, they all hurried off, carrying the orders in their hearts like a sacred vow.

The hall emptied until only Avery and the king stood between the high marble columns.

“Father… What is the plan?” Avery asked in a lowered voice as the disappearing footsteps faded outside.

The king turned slowly around.

His violet eyes mirrored an ominous resolve.

“We will give them what they ask…” he proclaimed.

“But father…” Avery began. A single icy gesture from the king cut him off.

The silence between them was heavy as my fate itself.

King Elior fixed Bael with a piercing stare.

“They want Iris… So we will give them Iris,” he said firmly.

As if on an invisible command, Bael’s mouth twisted into a cryptic smile; he had already guessed what the king was thinking.

With a casual wave of his hand, he caused the air in front of him to tremble, and suddenly a second Iris stood in his place.

~What the hell’s he up to?~