in her youth, but he wasn’t worth the effort. Secretive and strong-minded by nature, he was the exact opposite of his son, who was an open book. The only sign Cassian was angry at all was a slight tightening around the corners of his eyes, highlighting the crow’s-feet that marked all the years that now separated Avalkyra from her past, from her once-contemporaries.
“Congratulations. You have drawn us out—though I would check that triumphant tone, Rolan. I flew over quite an impressive battlefield on my way here… and with no Pyraean settlements in sight.”
Rolan’s smile evaporated. Cassian was referring to the short work Avalkyra and Veronyka had made of his soldiers. Despite Avalkyra’s pride in the destruction they’d wrought, it was hard not to be regretful. Would she and Veronyka never fly together again?
“Rest easy. We are not here for a fight.”
“Oh no?” Rolan asked, eyeing the weapons strapped across the arms and chests of Cassian’s Riders.
“No. We are here for the girl. There has been no bloodshed here yet, and there need not be.”
“Surely you’ve figured out by now that bloodshed is precisely what I want: Phoenix Riders with blood on their hands—empire blood.”
“Be careful what you wish for—it might be your blood that is spilled today. You will have a difficult time pleading your case to the council if you don’t make it out of this encounter alive.”
Avalkyra tilted her head at Cassian, studying him. Perhaps the years apart had hardened the man, made him capable of more strength than she’d have thought.
Rolan’s face was a thundercloud. “You dare to threaten me, here, after you’ve trespassed on Ferronese land? You are a foreign army, and my soldiers stand here in defense of the empire. This is my province now, and while your position was small recompense for what you did to my family, your life would be a more worthy payment.”
Tristan’s head jerked around to look at his father in surprise, and Avalkyra couldn’t help the smirk that crossed her lips. How little these younglings knew about the past and the world their parents had built—the lies and betrayals that served as its foundation.
“As I recall,” Cassian began, “your sister never complained. She and I were not a good match.”
“My sister is a fool and a simpleton,” Rolan said with disdain. “I don’t care if she prefers not to wed, living in seclusion away from the court and the nobility—it was not for her to decide. Our elders make decisions, form alliances… and it is up to the next generation to see those commitments through. Why, the empire wouldn’t be here at all if it weren’t for the Five Brides. If everyone flouted their duties and shirked their responsibilities as you did, society itself would crumble.”
Though he didn’t respond, Cassian wore a look of chagrin. Avalkyra wondered if it was for show, meant to placate Rolan and his tirade.
“But the universe has a way of rectifying such slights,” Rolan said, straightening and casting a possessive look at Veronyka. “Anyanke’s hand, as they say.”
Cassian snorted. “I don’t know about Anyanke’s hand, Rolan, but you’ve just shown yours. You covet the throne.”
“The throne is mine by rights. The girl is simply fulfilling her mother’s broken promise and giving me my long-overdue Ashfire bride.”
Tristan’s eyes practically bugged out from his head. The fool hadn’t yet figured it out, but from the look on his father’s face, it was clear that the commander had.
“When the council hears about this, they will come for you,” Cassian said with obvious distaste, “and believe me when I say, they do not punish treason lightly.”
“You would know all about that, wouldn’t you? Don’t fret—I’ll protect my wife, unlike you. And the council won’t hear about this because you’re the one who won’t be leaving here alive.”
Cassian took a step forward. He was taller than Rolan and broader of shoulder. The move was one of intimidation, and it worked. “Yes I will. Without my Riders, you have no villains to pit the empire against, no opposition for this war you so brazenly push for. You need us.”
Avalkyra stared hard at Rolan—he hadn’t foreseen this. He’d welcomed the idea of a fight with the Riders, not realizing that it was a fight he couldn’t win. He did need them, if his plans to take the capital were to come to fruition. He had to get the Riders out of here while keeping Veronyka, but Avalkyra wasn’t sure he could pull it off.
Whatever happened, she could not let Veronyka slip