Chapter 220 The coup

Chapter 220 The coup
LIRA

Sargon stared at him.

Then he laughed again.

"You are a fool," he said. "A desperate, dying fool."

"Perhaps." Cassian met his eyes. "But at least I am an honorable fool. Can you say the same?"

Sargon's laughter died.

His eyes narrowed.

"You want to fight me?" he asked. "You, with your broken body and your fading magic?"

"Yes."

"Then I will give you the death you deserve."

He drew his sword.

Cassian did not flinch.

"Be honorable for once," Cassian said. "Fight me fairly. Without any tricks this time. Without traps. Can you do that? Or do you have to rely on your men and that bloody dragon to do all the dirty work for you?" 

Sargon's smile was cruel.

"I have never been honorable," he said. "But I will make an exception. Just this once."

He lunged.

\---

The fight was brutal.

Sargon was stronger, faster, better rested. He had not spent the last few hours bleeding on a shore. He had not nearly died in a fall from a cliff. He was fresh, while Cassian was exhausted.

But Cassian had something Sargon did not, relentless hope. And he was much better in hand in hand combat. 

He dodged Sargon's blows, blocked his strikes, used every ounce of his fading strength to stay on his feet. He was bleeding again, the wound in his side seeping through his already bloodied tunic, but he did not stop.

He could not stop.

"Cassian!" I screamed. "Cassian, watch out!"

Sargon took his blade anyway and his blade slashed across Cassian's arm.

Cassian stumbled.

Sargon pressed his advantage.

"You are weak," he snarled. "Without your dragons and your power, you have always been weak. You do not deserve the throne. You do not deserve the kingdom. You do not deserve anything."

Cassian ducked under his swing.

And struck.

His fist connected with Sargon's jaw.

Sargon staggered.

Cassian did not let up.

He struck again. And again. And again. Each blow fueled by rage and the desperate need to protect what he loved. 

Sargon fell to his knees.

"Yield," Cassian said. "Yield, and I will spare your life."

Sargon laughed.

"I will never yield to you," he spat. "I would rather die."

"Then die."

Cassian picked up Sargon's sword and drove it straight through Sargon's chest.

Sargon gasped.

His eyes went wide.

Then he slumped forward.

Dead.

The battlefield fell silent.

Cassian stood over Sargon's body, his chest heaving, his sword dripping with blood.

He had won.

\---

I ran to him, almost stumbling through the bloody rocks.  The Norwyn men looked like they wanted to advance on us, but ran back when Kael headed towards us, his mouth opened and threatening to burn everything in his path. 

"Cassian!" I threw my arms around him. "Cassian, you did it. You did it!"

He swayed.

I caught him.

"Lira," he said. "Taheer. I need to find Taheer."

"Cassian, you are barely standing..." 

"Taheer."

I looked up at the sky.

Taheer wasn't there anymore. I could see no signs of him, or Veyraxis. The sky looked clear as day. 

"Cassian..." 

"Help me," he said. "Help me reach him."

I looked at Cassian, even as he spoke, his voice was weak, fading. I didn't know how to tell him Taheer was nowhere to be found. 

I turned to Kael. 

He was standing nearby, watching us with his golden eyes.

"Kael," I said. "Take us to Taheer."

Kael lowered his head.

I helped Cassian climb onto his back.

Then I climbed up behind him.

"Go," I said.

Kael launched into the sky.

———————————————

We flew back toward the palace.

Cassian was slumped against me, his body limp, his breathing shallow. He had used the last of his strength to reach Taheer. Now he had nothing left.

But we were alive.

We had won.

And that was all that mattered.

We landed in the courtyard.

Guards rushed toward us, their faces pale, their eyes wide. I heard shouts, screams, the sound of running feet.

"The King! The King has returned!"

I helped Cassian down from Kael's back.

He was barely conscious, his eyes fluttering, his body trembling.

"Cassian," I said. "Cassian, stay with me. Please."

His eyes opened.

"Lira," he said.

"I am here."

"I love you."

I wept.

"I love you too," I said. "I love you too."

\--------------------------------

The courtyard was chaos.

I stood in the center of it all, my hands still trembling, my heart still pounding, my eyes fixed on the doors through which Cassian had been carried. Guards rushed past me. Courtiers screamed orders. Somewhere in the distance, I heard the sound of running feet and shouted commands.

But I could not move. I was relieved that at least Cassian would be saved. He would be fine. They would make sure of it. 

‘Lira.’ 

The voice was familiar, but wrong. It was not Luna's voice. It was a deeper richer voice that I had never heard before in my mind. 

‘Lira. I am here.’ 

I blinked.

Kael?

‘Yes.’ 

This time, I felt the bond snap into place, a second connection, warm and steady, pulsing through my chest like a second heartbeat. I looked up at the dragon, who was standing a few feet away, his golden eyes fixed on mine.

How, I thought. How is this possible?

‘Your blood,’ he said. ‘You carry the magic of the ancient ones. You are not limited to one bond.’ 

But I am already bonded to Luna… 

‘And now you are bonded to me.’ His voice was calm and patient. ‘It is rare. But it is possible. The old bloodlines were capable of such things.’ 

I stared at him.

Then I closed my eyes.

Luna, I thought. Luna, can you hear me?

Silence.

Luna?

Nothing.

Luna, please… 

Still nothing.

She is not answering, I thought. She is still out there. I tried calling on her many times she wouldn’t come back to me. 

‘She will return,’ Kael said. ‘She is strong but still a child. She craves her mother still. But fear not, she is your bonded. She will not abandon you.’ 

How do you know?

‘Because I would not.’ 

I opened my eyes.

I did not know what to say.

So I said nothing.

\-——————

A voice cut through the chaos.

"Lira!"

I turned.

Elora was running toward me, her brown hair flying behind her, her face pale with shock. She was wearing a simple gown, her traveling cloak still wrapped around her shoulders. She must have arrived recently, perhaps hours ago, perhaps minutes.

"Elora," I breathed.

She threw her arms around me.

"You are alive," she said. "You are alive. I heard the craziest things! I heard you were going to be executed. I heard…”