Chapter 37

Perhaps some of us are destined to face immense challenges in our lives. The question of whether these trials make us stronger or if we’re just plain unlucky is up for discussion. But for me, I think the biggest player in all of this was destiny, not just for me, but for those I hold dear.

The cycles that had been set in motion ages ago needed to come to a close, regardless of whether we were ready for the impending conclusion. Slowly, my senses were returning as I gazed up at the Dragon who now stood guard over me. Despite the excruciating pain, I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

Navine had finally made it. This was all about to be over. Dominick had landed a few feet away. I could see his scowl as I brushed my hair back and attempted to sit up, ignoring the protests of my body.

“You’ve been lurking just outside the barrier this whole time, haven’t you?” he speculated, his tone remorseful as he kept his eyes on Navine.

“I didn’t need to. I knew Raelina would reach the stones soon enough,” Navine replied. He then crouched beside me, making sure I didn’t move too hastily. “Be careful. Your injuries might be more severe than you think.”

“You…you came…,” I stammered. There was so much I wanted to express, but I couldn’t find the words no matter how hard I tried. Everything was becoming too much as reality started to sink in.

Navine gently embraced me. “Don’t be scared anymore. I’ll handle this,” he assured me.

“What about the others? The other girls—” I began.

“There’s no need to worry. We’re already taking care of them,” Lord Jekia interjected.

I glanced behind us to see him standing about ten feet away with Emelio. Lyric was also there, along with Ginger, Umira, and Sky. The trio was huddled together, looking scared but otherwise unharmed.

Dominick glared at them. “So now you decide to interfere? Hypocrite! You’ve been absent for centuries!” he spat.

“There’s no need for them to get involved. This fight is between us, and we’ll settle it that way. Jekia and Lyric are only here to keep the innocents out of harm’s way,” Navine explained. He gently released me and planted a kiss on my forehead before giving me a comforting smile. “Stay with them while I deal with this.”

“Please be careful,” I pleaded.

“I will.”

As he spoke, I was already being gently moved backward and set down next to the others. My body was still throbbing, and I noticed that I was bleeding from small cuts on my arms and legs. It must’ve been from the glass that shattered when I was thrown through the doors.

Lord Jekia knelt before me. “Don’t move too much. You might be more hurt than you think,” he cautioned as he carefully examined my neck.

“What’s going to happen here? Is Navine going to kill him?” I asked him.

“Whatever happens is what needs to happen, and it will also decide who lives and who dies,” Emelio responded for him.

“Isn’t there another way? Maybe we could contain Lord Dominick until he regains his senses?” Sky suggested softly.

“Containment doesn’t work when someone is this far gone. Trust me, I know. He won’t back down until he’s dead,” Lyric retorted.

His words echoed his own experience battling the former ruler of the Eastern Lands, the Ogre named Jusei. I knew the story as well as anyone. Jusei was incredibly powerful but had become twisted and selfish in his role.

Even the other rulers had been ready to confront him in the end, but it was Lyric who rose to defeat him, earning him the title of ruler in those lands. Looking at Dominick, I began to see the similarities.

It had become painfully clear during my time here that Dominick’s mind and heart had sunk into a darkness so profound that there was no saving him. In other words, Navine was left with little choice. To put an end to all of this, he was likely going to have to take Dominick’s life.

Dominick was still standing a few feet away from Navine, his posture rigid and eyes locked on him. He drew a long sword from his belt, the blade shimmering in a spectrum of colors in the light.

“The time has finally come—and here I thought it never would. You certainly dodged it long enough,” he grumbled.

“Dominick, I was hoping you’d come to your senses before it came to this,” he said, drawing his ivory sword from his belt. With a swift flick of his wrist, he sent the blade slicing through the air. “Our kind is dwindling, and an alpha like you is a rare find. I didn’t want to have to eliminate you.”

“Save it!” Dominick shot back, his eyes narrowing into a glare. “I don’t need your pity. Let’s see who’s truly worthy of the crown!”

Their movements were a blur, their swords clashing in a flurry of sparks. Each strike was swift and precise, neither gaining the upper hand. They were evenly matched, neither landing a blow on the other.

Navine’s voice was laced with anger as they broke apart once more. “Why her?” he demanded. “Why target Raelina since she was a child? She had no connection to me back then!”

Dominick scoffed, charging at Navine and pushing him back. “You still don’t get it? It’s always been about you. You’re the reason they all died, and why she should’ve died that night!”

Lord Jekia continued to tend to my wounds with Sky, unfazed by the revelation. Emelio and Ginger were busy with Umira, whose ear wound had reopened. Lyric stood guard, maintaining a barrier to protect us from the fight.

“That confirms our suspicions,” Lord Jekia murmured.

“Navine suspected it too; he just didn’t want to believe it,” Lyric admitted quietly.

Navine seemed taken aback by Dominick’s accusation. His sword slipped just enough for Dominick to bypass his defense. Navine moved just in time to avoid a deep cut to his shoulder, but not without a tear in his shirt and a shallow wound.

“You ordered the attack! It had nothing to do with Lila or the lycans!” Navine gasped.

Dominick smirked. “Of course. Lila was just a convenient scapegoat. She always did have a soft spot for me.”

“Bastard!” Navine lunged at Dominick, who easily blocked his attack.

“You’re usually so composed, but you lose it when it comes to her. Is that guilt I sense? Because you ignored the warning that night?” Dominick taunted.

His words made Navine hesitate. This gave Dominick the opportunity to push him against a wall and drive his sword into his chest.

“Navine!” I cried out. The other girls gasped in shock.

Lyric moved to intervene, but Lord Jekia grabbed his arm.

“We can’t interfere,” he reminded him sternly.

“But we can’t just—” Lyric began.

“Stand down! This isn’t your fight,” Navine commanded, grimacing as he glared at Dominick.

I felt a sense of helplessness wash over me. The wound was dangerously close to his heart. Dominick was clearly toying with him, prolonging his suffering.

Dominick’s cruel smile didn’t waver as he locked eyes with Navine.

“It’s hard to accept the truth, isn’t it?” he whispered, leaning in closer. “You know what you did, and I bet you never told her. Neither did our dear ruler. The Sun Fae attack could’ve been prevented if you’d defended them that night. But you chose to wallow in self-pity and let them die. That’s why you couldn’t face that little Sun Faerie after Jekia saved her. Their blood is on your hands as much as mine!”

Had I heard this when we first met, I would’ve been devastated. The trauma of that night still haunted me, even if I never spoke of it. I often wondered if there was a chance my parents and others like me could’ve been saved.

I couldn’t understand how Lord Jekia could’ve been oblivious to the impending attack. But if what Dominick said was true, then Navine knew and did nothing to prevent it.

Navine’s gaze was defiant, but he didn’t deny the accusation.

“I know what I did, and I’ll never forgive myself for it. Jekia knows that too,” he said, his voice heavy with regret.

“But you never told her, did you?” Dominick asked. His voice was strained with pain as he yanked the sword from Navine’s body, letting him crumple to the ground. “What made you think you had a right to her?! That you were any better than me?!”

“I wasn’t,” Navine admitted, his gaze lowered as he clutched his bleeding wound. “And I know I don’t deserve her. But I couldn’t stop loving her from the moment I met her, even if that guilt consumes me.”

I felt a surge of anger as I watched and listened. But it wasn’t about what had happened.

“I don’t give a damn what you did or didn’t do!” I shouted, forcing myself to my feet. I was still shaky, and my right leg throbbed from the glass lodged in it, but I pushed the pain aside. “Nothing can change it or how I feel about you now, so get up and fight! I’ll hate you if you let him kill you!”

My words infuriated Dominick, who spun around to face us. Suddenly, a bright flash of light exploded in front of me, and I was falling back into Lord Jekia’s arms.

It took a moment to register that it was an electric bolt he’d hurled at us, and Lyric had deflected it with a tentacle that had sprung from his back.

Dominick had no time to react before he was leaping away from Navine, who had seized his sword and swung it at his legs. He managed to strike Dominick’s left leg, leaving a bloody wound as he landed a few feet away.

“This fight was supposed to be between us!” Navine gasped, switching his sword to his left hand.

“That’s more like it,” Dominick retorted, a twisted smile on his face. “Get over yourself and do it then! Prove you’re more than a worthless alpha!”

Despite their injuries, their movements were as swift as before. I hadn’t realized that Navine was just as skilled with his left hand. He parried some of Dominick’s attacks while dodging others, and Dominick was doing the same.

They seemed evenly matched. But then, Dominick faltered, his wounded leg buckling under him. He stumbled, giving Navine the chance to knock his sword away and pin him against a tree, his sword at Dominick’s throat.

But he hesitated, their eyes locked in a defiant stare.

“What are you doing?!” Dominick gasped. “If you’re going to kill me, then do it!”

“I could kill you,” Navine conceded. He slowly backed away, kicking Dominick’s sword out of reach. “But I’m tired of all the bloodshed. I’d rather see you banished to the Farther Shores and never have to deal with you again.”

***

Dominick’s rage flared as Navine began to walk away. Suddenly, he had a dagger in his hand and was lunging at him.

Time seemed to freeze as Navine reacted. The dagger was inches from his throat, but it never made contact as his sword plunged into Dominick’s chest. There was no doubt about it. The blade had pierced Dominick’s heart.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Umira, Sky, and Ginger. They looked as stunned as the rest of us, their tears silent. Had they accepted this outcome as they’d claimed? It seemed so.

Dominick’s eyes widened for a moment, then a strange, calm smile spread across his face.

“About time,” he murmured.

“Have you completely lost your mind? I was sparing your life!” Navine shouted at him.

“What life is there to spare?” Dominick replied, his voice barely a whisper. He pushed himself back, the sword sliding out of him and falling onto the grass, his blood pooling around him. “This heart has been tainted by corruption. It’s fitting that you destroyed it.”

I was taken aback when Sky suddenly rose and rushed over to him. She knelt beside him, her face a mask of grief, but her eyes were dry.

“Dominick…” she whispered.

Even as his life ebbed away, he managed to lift a hand to her, which she held tightly.

“I’ve only brought you—and them—pain, haven’t I?” His words were slow, labored. “I wish…I could’ve…met you…back then… Maybe I…”

His voice trailed off as life slipped away from him. It wasn’t hard to guess what he might’ve wanted to say. In his last moments, he’d finally acknowledged his regrets, especially for what he’d done to his concubines.

Umira’s hands were balled into fists, clutching at the grass. Her eyes were squeezed shut.

“Apologizing in death…that’s even crueler, Lord Dominick,” she murmured.

“No kidding,” Ginger chimed in.

Navine stood still, his gaze fixed on Dominick’s lifeless body. His expression was grim. He hadn’t wanted to kill him. That much was clear. If I was being honest, I hadn’t wanted this outcome either, even though it had seemed inevitable for a long time.

Lyric broke the tense silence, stepping closer to Navine.

“He would’ve never accepted banishment. We knew this was likely unavoidable,” he said softly.

“I know. But I still would’ve preferred it. I’m tired of all this bloodshed,” Navine replied.

“Maybe you’re tired, but what’s done is done. Nothing can change that,” Lord Jekia said. He helped me to my feet.

“Let’s leave this behind for now. These four girls are hurt, and so are you. We should get back and take care of them. Emelio can handle the cleanup here.”

I wanted to tell Navine what I was thinking, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Not yet. Not when I looked around at the terrible aftermath of it all.

Navine was right. There had been too much bloodshed for far too long.

This resolution was the first step toward a new future. I knew that my first step would be to clear the air between us once and for all.

Maybe we couldn’t change the past, but that didn’t mean we had to be chained to it forever. We could start our journey toward freedom by facing it head-on.