Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
The dark elf walked over to what had to be the Twilight Throne and kicked it off the side of the dais. The tremendous clatter of wood and ting of gems filled the throne room as the chair crashed to the marble floor. Silence filled the room for a breath before the main doors at the front of the throne room burst open. A cluster of eight guards carried in a giant black throne that appeared to be made of onyx rather than wood. The Onyx Throne.
“You came prepared for today,” Rei murmured as the men mounted the stairs and put the throne where the other had sat.
With a smirk, Trin drew the crystal sword from its sheath as he sat. He placed his elbows on his knees and held the sword with both hands as he set its tip to the blood-smeared marble floor, balanced between him and the clan as if in a dare.
“This isn’t the only option, Trin,” Rei reminded him. For the first time, the elf’s voice had lost all of its mocking, becoming deadly serious as he spoke. “If you lead the fae people through the door and close it, I’ll remain here. No one is going to question your claim to the throne. To our world, I’ll be dead and gone. The human realm will be forgotten for another hundred years.”
Trin nodded once. “Some of our peoples have gone through the door already, fleeing our mother and her madness. They’re happy to stay there, turning a blind eye to the human realm and the destruction they create every day. And I am content to let them live their insignificant lives there, so long as they never attempt to leave again.” Trin paused, and the smile disappeared from his lips. “But not all of mother’s ideas were bad. Controlling a dragon was a ridiculous and useless idea. If she’d not stolen from the dragon and decided to make it her slave, that dragon would have remained out of our affairs, allowing us to take over.”
“Then return the sword to its rightful owner!” Kai shouted. Xiang glanced over to see that his tall frame was vibrating with rage.
Trin stared at him, blinked once, and answered, “No.” His gaze moved to Rei as if Kai didn’t mean a thing to him, and that was a huge mistake. Trin continued, his hands tightening on the sword. “I might have no desire to control the dragon, but I’ve grown fond of the sword. It’s a pleasant reminder of this momentous day.”
Kai sneered, “It will be a dark omen if you do not release it.”
Xiang slid a step to his left, moving in front of Kai, as the dragon started toward the throne. Right now, Trin didn’t seem to realize that Kai was the dragon in question, which was strange since Rei had taken one look at Kai and known.
Except when Kai had come to the Zhang home, he hadn’t been suppressing his magic. A little giggle bubbled up in Xiang’s throat, and he almost choked on it. Trin was in for a hell of a surprise very soon.
“But aside from the dragon, mother’s plan to kill the humans, destroy their cities, and replenish the natural world so we can take over is a good one.”
A low, soft sigh slipped from Rei’s lips, but he still drew his two short swords from their sheaths on his back as he took a step forward. “That, I can’t allow you to do. The humans need to be left alone. This is their world to do with as they see fit. You want a perfect world where nature thrives, then go home.”
Trin lunged from his throne and stomped to the edge of the dais as he glared at his brother. “Aren’t you tired of seeing the mess they’ve made? Of watching this world die? It’s time to take away what they don’t deserve to have!”
“It’s not our place! We have the fae realm, which you are choosing to abandon, just like our mother!”
The fledgling king opened his mouth, looking as if he were preparing to shout something more at Rei, but he caught himself before the words could leave his lips and he beamed at them. He even retreated a step and lowered the sword he raised at Rei. “I knew you’d feel that way. That’s why I’ve struck up a new alliance. Taken on an advisor of sorts, seeing as we can help each other.”
As he finished speaking, a black slit opened up in the air a meter away from where Trin stood on the dais and all the air left Xiang’s lungs in a rush and frost bit into his bones. He’d seen that kind of magic in the past. Not just from Winter Varik, but someone else from a darker part of his past.