You declare war. Xanthy snapped awake as sweat turned her skin cold. Her chest heaved. Her surroundings were unfamiliar and...normal. She knitted her eyebrows. Where was she?
Xanthy swung her legs off the bed, rumpling the covers. Someone had removed her boots, which were now propped against her bow and quiver by the wall to her left. She looked down to find that she still wore her blood-stained tunic and trousers. A relieved breath tore off her lips.
She cradled her head in her hands, focusing on steadying her breathing. What happened? Why was she sleeping? How long was she out? What about Canelis and her friends? Why couldn't she remember how she got out of the Imperial Palace?
You declare war. That's the last thing the Heiress whispered on Xanthy's ear before the Heiress was ripped away from her. Xanthy's fingers dug into her scalp. What war? What did the Heiress mean? Why would Xanthy declare war? She could barely stay alive now.
You declare war. The statement pulsed in her head like a persistent bell clanging. The Heiress must be playing with her head, making her think she was doing something until she actually went on and did it. No. Forget that. She had more things to worry about.
Xanthy sucked in a shaky breath, taking the room's lack of windows in. Simple furniture like a desk pushed against a corner, a wooden stool accompanying it, and a circular rug at the foot of the bed were Xanthy's only companions. Her bare feet contrasted against the floor's chestnut brown parquet. A lone door stood directly within the bed's line of sight.
June...
She shook her head. Now was not the time to worry about him. She failed. Not only was she unable to help Peltra in their distress, she brought about the Imperial Palace's fall. Was Canelis still alive?
Xanthy buried her head in her hands. It's all her fault. If she didn't suggest going to Lanteglos for help, June wouldn't end up fulfilling his prophecy. The Heiress wouldn't have almost gotten a hold of her legacy again and the Imperial Palace wouldn't have been in shambles. Worse, she's doomed Nyxis into a life of a fugitive she's now destined to live.
He didn't deserve that.
Memories raged through her mind—the High Queen getting possessed by the Heiress, the Heiress absorbing her magic, June plunging that dagger into the High Queen's chest. Xanthy squeezed her eyes shut but the images burned brighter against her lids. She gasped as tears streamed from her eyes again. Gods, she really did it. She's gone crazy.
"Xanthy? Are you awake?" Nyxis's voice was muffled by the door but it's him.
Xanthy sniffed and wiped at her eyes. Gods, not now. He couldn't see her now. She opened her mouth but closed it again. Her garbled voice would give her away.
"Xanthy? I am going in," Nyxis said. No. She couldn't have him seeing her descend into madness. Too late. The door swung open, blinding Xanthy a little because of the sunlight streaming from the windows by the foyer. Nyxis stood there with the light forming a faint halo around him. How come he was still perfect?
Xanthy ducked her head and didn't bother wiping her tears. What use would it do? "Do not look at me," she croaked and sniffled. "Shut the door."
Nyxis did the latter. Silence enveloped them as the door clicked shut. Xanthy sneaked a glance at Nyxis to find his eyes trained on her. "I told you to not look at me," she frowned. "I cry like a baby, according to you."
Nyxis sat beside her and threw his arms around her shoulders. She gave a muffled protest and tried pushing him away but he held tighter. "It is better to talk about your problems rather than bottling it all up," Nyxis whispered in her ear. "Someone told me that."
Xanthy's shoulders slumped. Nyxis was one of the people that had no respect for personal space. It's annoying and endearing at the same time. "At some point, however, she is wrong," Nyxis continued. "Because most of the time, someone hurt just needs silence and a friend to be there."
Xanthy didn't reply. All of this wasn't right but she rested her head on Nyxis's shoulder. "You do not have to be brave every time, Xanthy," Nyxis's voice was thick. Cracking, even. This was hard for him, too. "It is fine to cry, to laugh. It is okay to feel and be you. You do not have to prove yourself to anyone."
"It is expected of me," Xanthy murmured. "I am the Virtakios, after all. People kept telling me to fight for the world. Some people tell me to not let everything go to my head and that I would doom the island. Now you are telling me to just crumble down," Xanthy drew away from her friend. "Nyxis, I don't—I do not know who to believe anymore."
Nyxis's hand went to her face, wiping her tears with his thumb. She didn't pull away. She couldn't when the boy she thought to be just concerned with himself was now looking at her like she's the most important thing in the world.
"Believe yourself," Nyxis said. "That is the best thing you can do for you. What do you feel like doing now?"
"Curling up and dying," Xanthy chewed on her lip.
"I did not save you just for you to do that, Xanthy," Nyxis mocked a disappointed pout.
A laugh escaped from Xanthy's lips, no matter how shaky. Her hand went up to her mouth, muffling it. Where did that come from?
"See?" Nyxis spread his arms. "Everything is lighter when you are laughing."
Xanthy wiped her tears and blinked to clear her eyes. "You think so?" she clicked her tongue. Her eyelids were already heavy and puffy. "I know I should not be laughing at a time like this."
Nyxis's smile faded. He inclined his head at her. "A time like what?"
"What is the news from outside?" Xanthy glanced at the wall where she expected a window to be. Except there was just a plain blockade between her and the outside world.
"Oh, you would not like it," Nyxis's face darkened.
Xanthy narrowed her eyes. "Try me."
"Helinfirth is destroyed almost the same time as Lanteglos," Nyxis leaned back against the board at the foot of the bed. "The cause? My source told me that the Sovereign has made herself known."
Xanthy's chest tightened. "Helinfirth...destroyed?" she shook her head. "Why would the Sovereign do that? Elred is her loyal servant."
"That is the thing," Nyxis played with his fingers. Xanthy knitted her eyebrows. That's a new habit. "My source told me that the Sovereign was angry because the Heiress captured the Virtakios."
"So the Sovereign trampled Helinfirth because...of me?" Xanthy pursed her lips. Darkness crowded her vision once more.
"Seems like it," Nyxis shrugged. "Hey, what are you doing?"
Xanthy had her head in her hands again. Her chest was close to exploding. She couldn't breathe. "I can't," she croaked. "I just can't anymore. Everything is so messed up."
"Hey," Nyxis took her shoulder with both hands and shook her gently. "It was not your fault."
"But it is!" Xanthy yelled. She didn't even know who she was angry with. "It is like nature is punishing me just for existing! Yes, I did not destroy Helinfirth but it is because of me that they perished."
"Well, sulking is not going to solve anything," Nyxis crossed his arms. "There are more people waiting to be saved. You can start from there. Move forward," he tousled his hair. "And calm down will you? There is still more."
Xanthy took a deep breath. "What of Lanteglos?"
Nyxis pursed his lips. "Word spread around. You were gone for hours. Lanteglos is in a state of lockdown. They are tracking us as we speak," he glanced at the walls around them. "It is a miracle we stayed undetected for this long."
"The Imperial Council has seized control over the Palace," Nyxis continued when Xanthy didn't speak. "The Crown Princess will be called from Falkirta soon."
Xanthy exhaled. That's good, wasn't it? Nyxis's foot tapping against the floorboards proved otherwise. "She cannot ascend to the throne until the High Queen's murder is solved," Nyxis said. Xanthy's shoulders slumped. That meant... "There will be no High Queen until the heir tracks June down to punish him," Nyxis only confirmed Xanthy's fear.
"So we are running from the Imperial Palace, the Imperial Heir, Cardovia, and from Synketros," Xanthy summarized. Her chest tightened. It wasn't good. None of this was.
"I told you to just leave him," Nyxis rubbed his face with his hand. "It will make our lives easier."
Xanthy glared at him. "I am not leaving him," she crossed her arms and studied the floorboards. June had made his choice and Xanthy made hers. She chose to not forsake him when he needed her the most. She met Nyxis's eyes from across the bed. "I am not going to leave him."
Nyxis 's hand lingered on a fading cut glistening on his cheek. "You did not tell me he is suffering from a drawback," he said with a flat tone. "The High Queen is his mother, right?"
Xanthy's eyes widened and her lips parted. "How did you know that?"
"While you were out, I tried healing June," Nyxis cleared his throat. "I managed to heal his immediate injuries but his body would not take in magic. It was like having his soul cut off from the magic his form uses to sustain itself. It is not permanent, as for now, but it will be as time progresses,"Nyxis flicked his gaze at the door as if he could see June from there. "He is already experiencing constant pain and it will become worse."
Xanthy swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth. "So, doctor's conclusion?" Nyxis met Xanthy's eyes again. "He is suffering from a drawback and one can only get that when one has done something against the rules of magic," Nyxis smoothed the sheets that Xanthy had rumpled when she got up. "He cannot have performed any rysteme spells during that battle, so that leaves us with the killing-the-kin one. I saw the High Queen's form right beside him. Her face and her complexion...it is safe to assume that June was her son."
"You are correct," Xanthy bit her lip. If she said it aloud more, she might believe it was truly the case. "June killed his own mother."
Nyxis leaned back and rested his weight against his hands. "There you have it," he sighed. "Drawbacks are no easy feat. There is no going back. There is no cure. He will just descend into it at his own pace, but he will get there."
"Get to what?" Xanthy knitted her eyebrows. She scoffed.
Nyxis's face was a blank mask. "Death."
Xanthy clutched her head and stood up. "N-no," she began pacing. "We will heal him."
"Are you listening to me?" Nyxis waved his arms in Xanthy's direction. "There is no cure! Whether you accept it or not, he will die!"
"He can't," Xanthy stopped pacing to face Nyxis who still sat on the bed. "There are so many things I wish to say to him," she jabbed a finger to her feet. Her voice cracked. "He would not die on my watch. I will look for a cure."
"That will be suicide," Nyxis shoved his fingers into his hair. "This is a point of no return. His fate is sealed," he raised his head to look at Xanthy. "Why him? He betrayed you to the Heiress for his freedom then he messes it up by stabbing the High Queen with her own bane. Why do you care about him so much?"
"Because he is the only one who made me realize that there is more to life than destiny and prophecies," Xanthy snapped. "Never once did he tell me to act for the world's sake. He made me see that there is a choice. There is always a choice, Nyxis. Destiny or not, we choose our path. We write our own stories."
It wasn't fair that June wasn't given a choice at all. Xanthy turned away from Nyxis. "I do not want to write my story where I leave a friend behind because he is of no use to me," she hugged herself and rubbed her arms. "You tell me to believe in myself, to do what I want to do. Well, here is what I want to do. I want to save him, no matter the cost."
"Okay, fine!" Nyxis yelled. The bed creaked as he shot up from it. "I just do not want to see you get hurt."
Xanthy looked back at Nyxis. "Hurt?"
"Yes," Nyxis braced his hips with his hands. "Every time you look at him, you look sad. You would not stop wondering why he betrayed you, if he ever really loved you—"
"You speak like you know what you are talking about," Xanthy narrowed her eyes at Nyxis. Where was he getting this information?
"Because I know what is going on," Nyxis snorted and kissed his teeth. "I know he confessed his feelings to you and you accepted it. You threw me off your trail so you could be together, did you not?"
Xanthy's eyes widened before narrowing yet again. "That is not—where did you learn this?"
"Ravalee," was Nyxis's quiet answer.
Xanthy clenched her fists, feeling the Virtakios bubbling at the surface. That sneaky, vile, little witch! She blew a breath and closed her eyes. No. She wouldn't hurt Ravalee anymore. But this? This was betrayal at best. Xanthy's stomach churned. "I did not send you on your way because of that," Xanthy said as slowly as she could. "You have your own secrets to keep. You might want to act on them and not spend your time wasting away with me. That is why I told you to not meet us anymore."
Nyxis averted his eyes. Xanthy ran her hands against the desk's surface. A fine layer of dust coated her fingers. "I am not a fool," Xanthy ran her thumb against her fingertips, sprinkling the dust into the air. She raised her eyes to meet Nyxis's brilliant green gaze. "You both are my friends. Before June is what he is to me now, he is, first and foremost, my friend. You know I cannot abandon my friends when I can help it."
"All I am saying is that none of this is your fault," Nyxis folded his hands together. "This happened because everyone made their choice. I just cannot bear to see you blame yourself for things that have nothing to do with you."
Xanthy nodded. "I know," she whispered. "I know how you feel about me, Nyxis. I am touched that you care for me," she drew closer to him a matter of a few steps. "But I have a favor to ask of you. Take care of June for me."
"Where are you going?" Nyxis asked.
"I am going to look for a cure and there is nothing that could stop me," Xanthy sped for the door when her world roiled. Her head felt light and stars danced in her vision. Her legs gave way underneath her. Strong arms gripped her shoulders and she heard Nyxis grunt as he sat her back at the bed.
"You are not supposed to move much after that stunt with your cloaker!" Nyxis cursed and peered down at her.
Xanthy's eyebrows met. "What about the cloaker?"
"Before you collapsed," Nyxis exhaled as he sat on the bed beside Xanthy once more. "Something in June's tunic glowed along with Canelis's sword. Then your chest...well, it went along with the glowing things," he circled a finger along his own chest where Xanthy's cloaker approximately hung on hers.
Nyxis pushed his hair off his face. "When I got the chance to look at it, I realized it was the reason why those things glowed."
Xanthy chewed on her lip, waiting for Nyxis's explanation. "The sword was a throne," Nyxis twined his hands together and rested his elbows against this thighs. "It glowed at the same time with something from June's form, which I discovered to be the warsei. It must be a throne too. When I checked the cloaker around your neck, it is charred and cracked."
"Somehow these things were connected," Nyxis glanced at Xanthy. She liked this less and less. "When I looked at the state of your magic, it is fazed more than usual, even after almost extracting your legacy."
Xanthy rested a hand on top of the sheets. She leaned forward. "You mean my magic was tapped or something?"
"I am saying that it is wired to something else, through the cloaker," Nyxis nodded.
"Reeca," Xanthy cursed. "She modified my cloaker before she left."
"There you have it," Nyxis splayed his fingers towards Xanthy. "She probably used the Virtakios to find out the thrones' locations."
"What is she thinking?!" Xanthy fought the urge to stand up once more. She didn't want another fainting episode.
The varichria lied to her. Back in Drodham, Reeca told Xanthy that varichriais couldn't track the cloaker but apparently, Reeca could. Not only did Reeca endanger Xanthy while Xanthy was in Lanteglos, Reeca sped up both Cardovia and Synketros's quest by telling them where everything was. It's only through a miracle there wasn't war knocking at their door this instant.
"That is it," Xanthy shot up from the bed, ignoring the stabbing pain in her temples. She grabbed her boots and her weapon and strode out of the door. Nyxis's calls faded in her ears as she yanked the door open and strode outside.
The next room wasn't any prettier. All the available furniture were pushed against the farthest corner, except for a long table which was now filled with Nyxis's ingredients and a slew of contraptions she didn't care to examine. The walls were plain and layered with soot or other dark particles. Perhaps ashes? She didn't care. She headed straight to the door to her left.
"Xanthy where are you going?!" Nyxis demanded, lunging for her arm. His nails dug at her skin.
She raised her eyes to meet his gaze. "Let me go."
"I would not send you to your death," Nyxis shook his head but still didn't retract his hold on her arm.
"I will not die," Xanthy reached out and tried to pry Nyxis's fingers off her arm. The human had a surprisingly and stubbornly strong grip. "I have a job to finish."
Nyxis' tone was desperate and confused. "What are you even planning to do?"
"I am going to end this," Xanthy finally pried the last finger off her forearm and she shrugged Nyxis's hand off. "All of it."
"But—"
Xanthy turned away. She was done with everything. Cardovia, Synketros, Lanteglos. It all swirled down to the worst of events now. Xanthy was tired of it. She would end it. Right now, in this instant. All the betrayals, the lies, the secrets—she's done with everything. She has to look for answers even if it's not meant for her. The war has to be over before it even starts. Xanthy would make sure of that.
Xanthy yanked the door out of the house. A hooded woman blocked her way, sending Xanthy yelping and stepping backwards. Her bow flew out of her hands as she jumped. It clattered in a noisy trill against the floor.
"Ah, Virtakios," the hooded woman spread her arms to reveal a lamp burning with ethereal light swinging from her hand. "We meet at last."