Chapter 3 The Silence After

Lyrielle Drakenholt POV

I'd always thought silence meant peace.

I knew better now. The Great Hall had gone quiet, but it wasn't peaceful. It was the kind of silence that followed something so terrible that nobody knew how to exist afterward.

Blood stained the marble. Broken tables lay scattered beneath shattered chandeliers. The enchanted ceiling flickered between darkness and a starless sky.

And Jace was dead. I couldn't stop looking at him.

Amaris sat on the floor, cradling her mate's head against her chest. Her tears had stopped, but somehow that frightened me more than her screaming had. She stared at his face. Not blinking. Not moving. Just staring.

"Amaris?" Rivena whispered, kneeling beside her.

Nothing. Taya lowered herself onto Amaris's other side, her own throat still marked by the enchanted blade. "Come on, sweetheart," she murmured. "Let us help you."

Amaris didn't acknowledge her. Noctara approached slowly, tears shining in her eyes. "Oh, my darling girl."

She knelt and wrapped her arms around Amaris. For a moment, I thought Amaris might finally break. Instead, she went completely limp. Rivena and Taya exchanged devastated looks. "We need to get her somewhere quiet," Noctara whispered.

Together, the three women carefully eased Amaris away from Jace. Her fingers remained tangled in his clothing. They had to gently loosen them, one by one.

That nearly destroyed me.

"No," Amaris whispered.

It was the first word she'd spoken since he'd died. Noctara kissed her forehead. "I know, sweetheart."

But Amaris didn't fight. She didn't scream. She simply let them lift her, her eyes never leaving Jace until the three women carried her through the ruined doors. I watched them disappear. And something inside me went terribly cold.

Across the hall, Alpha Draven knelt before Theo. The boy was covered in his father's blood. His shoulders shook so violently I could see it from where I stood.

"Come here, son," Draven whispered.

Theo shook his head. "I couldn't save him."

Draven's expression crumpled. "You weren't supposed to."

"He pushed us out of the way. If I'd moved faster..."

"No."

Draven gripped his shoulders. "Look at me, Theo."

The boy finally raised his tear-streaked face.

"Your father made a choice. He chose to protect the two people he loved most in this world. That is not your burden to carry."

Theo broke. Draven pulled him into his arms and lifted him from the floor, holding him against his chest as though he were still a little boy. "I've got you," he whispered. "I've got you, son."

I turned away. I couldn't watch anymore. Because if I did, I was going to fall apart, and people still needed us.

A soft warmth brushed against my soul. "Lyri?"

Chaos. Her voice sounded smaller now. Frightened.

"I'm here."

"Did I do something bad?"

My heart cracked. "No, sweetheart."

"But everybody's crying."

I swallowed hard. "Sometimes people cry because someone they love is gone."

Chaos was quiet. Then she whispered something that made my chest ache. "I made flowers. I made stars. I made all the pretty things. Why can't I make him wake up?"

I closed my eyes. Because I didn't have an answer. "I don't know."

"I don't like this."

"Neither do I."

I felt her curling against the edges of my magic. Her connection was weakening. The thread Mom had sent through the divine barrier was unraveling.

"I have to go home," Chaos whispered. "Your mommy's calling me."

My throat tightened. "Wait."

The warmth paused. "Can you tell her something?"

"Anything!"

Tears spilled down my cheeks. "Tell Mom I love her."

Chaos hummed softly. "She knows."

"Tell her anyway."

"Okay."

I wiped my face. "Tell all our dads we love them too. Tell them we're trying. We're doing everything they taught us."

My voice broke inside my own mind. "And tell Mom... tell her I'm scared.'

Chaos grew still. "I know I'm supposed to be strong. I know everyone expects us to be like her. But I don't know how to do this without her."

For a moment, I felt something warm wrap around my heart. "She says being scared doesn't mean you're not brave."

I gasped. "You can hear her?"

"Always."

I pressed a hand over my mouth. "Then tell her I wish she was here."

Chaos's voice trembled. "She wishes that too."

I sobbed once, quietly. Then the warmth began to fade.

"Bye, Lyri. I like you."

I smiled through my tears. "I like you too, little star."

And she was gone.

~

Nyxaria Drakenholt POV

I wanted to kill someone.

Preferably several someones. The problem was that most of the bastards responsible for tonight had escaped. Which left me with six prisoners, a ruined academy, a grieving family, and enough rage to level a fucking mountain.

Wonderful. Just fucking wonderful. The prisoners knelt near the western wall, bound in enchanted restraints. Two were fae parents from the original attack. The others wore dark robes marked with unfamiliar sigils. Their faces were bruised. Their clothing torn. And one of them was smiling.

I hated that smile. I approached slowly. Lucen appeared beside me. "Nyx."

"What?"

"Whatever you're thinking, don't."

I glanced at him. "That's incredibly vague advice."

"Because I know you."

"Then you know I'm considering removing his teeth."

"Exactly."

Rykard stepped up on my other side, his green eyes fixed on the prisoners. "Interrogation will be more productive if they're conscious."

I sighed. "Fine. Nobody gets their teeth removed."

Lucen looked relieved.

"Yet," I added.

He groaned. Behind us, Lyrielle approached with Rhaen and Elion. Her eyes were red. I didn't ask. I already knew. Chaos was leaving.

I could feel her fading from my soul, the strange violet-green warmth slipping away like sunlight at dusk.

"Nyx?"

I stopped walking. "Hey, little troublemaker."

"I gotta go."

"Yeah. I figured."

"Your mommy misses you."

My throat closed. "I miss her too."

Chaos made a tiny, miserable sound. "Everybody's sad."

"Yeah, sweetheart. They are."

"I don't like death."

I looked across the hall. Jace still lay where he'd fallen, his body covered now by a clean white cloak. Lucen and Rhaen had been waiting until Amaris was taken upstairs before moving him. My chest tightened.

'Neither do I."

Chaos hesitated. "Can I tell your mommy something?"

I almost laughed. "I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Okay! You first!"

I swallowed. "Tell her we're okay.'

Chaos didn't answer. "Fine. Tell her we're alive. That's probably more accurate."

A tiny giggle. "Okay."

"Tell her we love her. All of them. And tell Dad..."

I stopped. Which dad? Vaelrix? Daxon? Ashrian? Bram? Lachlan? Every one of them had helped raise us. Every one of them had loved us.

"Tell all our fathers that we miss them."

My eyes burned. "And tell Mom something else."

"What?"

I looked at the prisoners. At the blood. At the destruction. "Tell her I'm going to protect what she built."

Chaos went quiet. "I don't know if I want the crown. I don't know if Lyri does either. But nobody gets to destroy our home."

A soft warmth brushed my cheek. "She says she's proud of you."

I froze. "What?"

"Your mommy. She's crying. But she's proud."

My knees nearly buckled. Lucen caught my elbow. "Nyx?"

I shook my head. "Tell her not to cry."

Chaos sniffled. "She says that's a stupid thing to ask a mommy."

I laughed. A real laugh. It hurt. But it felt good. "Yeah. That sounds like her."

The warmth began to dissolve. "Bye, Nyx."

"Bye, Chaos."

"Don't let the bad lady get you."

My smile vanished. "I won't."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Then, just before she disappeared, Chaos whispered one final thing. "She's still listening."

And the connection snapped. I stood there for several seconds, staring at nothing. Then I inhaled. Slowly.

Deeply. And turned toward the prisoners. "Right. Where were we?"

Lucen sighed. "Gods help us."

"Nope. Pretty sure the gods have clocked out."

I pointed toward the dungeon guards gathering near the doors.

"All six prisoners are to be transported to the lower dungeons. Separate cells. Magical restraints. No visitors, no communication, and absolutely no opportunities to escape."

One prisoner spat at my feet. "You're just another spoiled royal bitch."

I smiled sweetly. "And you're about to discover why insulting the woman deciding your accommodations is a terrible fucking idea."

Lyrielle stepped beside me. "Nyx."

"What?"

"Don't threaten the prisoners."

"I'm not threatening him. I'm explaining customer service."

Elion coughed suspiciously. Rhaen looked toward the ceiling. Lucen muttered something about needing alcohol. For one brief moment, my sister smiled. Then her expression hardened. "Take them away."

The guards moved immediately. Chains rattled. Boots scraped against marble. One of the robed attackers twisted toward us. "You think you've won?"

I met his eyes. "No."

That surprised him.

"I think you killed someone we love. I think most of your friends escaped. And I think you're going to tell us exactly who sent you."

His smile vanished. Good.

"Move," I ordered.

The guards dragged them toward the dungeon stairs.

When the prisoners were gone, the Great Hall felt impossibly empty. Healers tended the wounded.

Warriors searched the ruins for hidden enemies. The dead were being carried away beneath white coverings. And near the shattered eastern pillar, Lucen and Rhaen stood over Jace. I approached quietly. Lucen looked at me. "We're going to move him."

I nodded. "Where?"

"There's a protected chamber beneath the healing wing," Rhaen answered. "Cool, warded, and private. He can rest there until the funeral preparations are made."

Lyrielle joined us. "Can we help?"

Rhaen shook his head gently. "We've got him."

For once, my sister didn't argue. The twins knelt together. Lucen carefully slid his arms beneath Jace's shoulders while Rhaen supported his legs. They lifted him with a tenderness that made my throat ache. Not like warriors carrying a fallen soldier. Like sons carrying someone who had helped raise them.

Jace's hand slipped from beneath the cloak. Lucen stopped. Slowly, he tucked it back against Jace's chest. Then he pulled the white covering higher. "Rest easy," he whispered.

Rhaen's jaw trembled. Neither spoke again. They carried Jace through the ruined hall while everyone still standing bowed their heads. Alpha Draven stood near the doors with Theo asleep against his shoulder, utterly exhausted from grief. He watched the twins pass. Then lowered his head. I reached for Lyrielle's hand. She took it.

We stood together until Jace disappeared beyond the doors. Only then did I finally let myself cry.

Because tomorrow there would be questions.

Interrogations. Accusations. A kingdom demanding answers. A crown waiting to be claimed. And enemies gathering in the shadows. But tonight? Tonight, Aetheros had lost a good man.

A husband. A father. A friend. And somewhere beyond the veil, our mother was learning that the world she'd left behind had already begun to bleed.

I leaned my forehead against Lyrielle's. "We're going to find them," I whispered.

Her fingers tightened around mine. "Every last one."

I closed my eyes. And for the first time in my life, I understood why our mother had always looked so tired after winning a battle. Because sometimes surviving wasn't victory.

Sometimes it was simply being the one left behind to bury the people you loved.