A Breath of Sunlight Read online

  “Will you not introduce me to your sweetheart?”

  Relief washed over him. “Nyana, this is Skaja. She saved me from the Pits.”

  “It’s good to meet you. Though, why do you appear angry with me?”

  Only then did he notice the glare in Skaja’s eyes and the way her nostrils flared. She gestured to the whole of Nyana. “This is what I fight against. This is why I kill men. To liberate women.”

  A startle flashed across Nyana’s features before she glanced at the tattoo on Skaja’s shoulder. “You are a valkyrie. The one Calle told me about.”

  “Yes. I want to butcher Liam for what he has done to you.”

  “You aren’t the only one,” she sighed tiredly. “I managed to shield my children from the worst of it.”

  Skaja seemed to all-too-easily understand the meaning. “By making yourself the target when his anger was directed at them,” she murmured.

  More tears leaked from Nyana’s eyes, and for a moment, he wondered if she thought of the supposed child she had lost in her womb.

  Calle squeezed her hand harder, his ache beating in sync with his soul-mate’s. “Forgive me, Nyana. I failed you.”

  “No, you didn’t.” She glanced toward her sleeping daughters with a soft expression on her face. “I got my two wonderful girls out of this marriage. I will never regret that. I would not give them up for the world, not even to redo that horrid day.”

  What more could he say? He wasn’t sure how to make this right, other than to protect her from Liam in the future. He couldn’t take her back as his sweetheart—he didn’t feel the same way as his younger self did, and she likely had moved on as well. He certainly didn’t want to appear callous to her feelings and situation, but the longer he waited, the more people who could die.

  “We need your help,” he murmured. “I know you’re tired. I know you want me to go away. But if there is anything you could offer to win this battle—information, tips, anything really—we would be in your debt.”

  Slowly, she started to rise into a sitting position, and Skaja quickly leaped up to help her. “I will give you anything you want, as long as my children are safe.” She blinked rapidly as if to ward off tears. “And as long as you promise me you will make it so Liam can never touch me or my babies again.”

  “You want me to kill him?” The very idea created a discomforting pit in his stomach.

  “I don’t care what you do. Just free us from him.”

  Calle swallowed, thinking of all the people Liam had hurt or killed, and the many more who would face death if Calle failed. He would not allow Nyana to hurt any longer. “I promise I will try.”

  The council room hushed when they entered. Nyana used a walking stick with Calle supporting one side of her and Skaja the other. All eyes followed them as they helped the queen into a comfortable chair.

  When Skaja tried to move off to the side, Calle caught her hand and instead brought her to the table in the middle of the room.

  As his sweetheart.

  As his equal.

  As his queen.

  Heat claimed her face, distracting her from the fact that men occupied the table. Calle didn’t sit, and neither did she. Her heart stuttered, and she blushed even more furiously as her gaze traveled up his long legs, slender waist, broad shoulders, and smooth skin of his neck. She had never been intimate with a man before. It was as if her wings had caught fire, but instead of burning, she’d ascended from ashes like a phoenix.

  The council member named Harold began, “Your Highness, our soldiers have taken the northern tower, but they cannot hold it for long. What do you propose?”

  Calle glanced at Skaja from the corner of his eye, but she subtly shook her head. He was the prince. This was his call.

  “Do we know how many more men we have?” he asked.

  “Ten times more, but it’s still nothing compared to how many Liam has. They are controlled by fear. This is how the heartless bastard flourishes.” Harold winced as he glanced toward Nyana. But her expression remained stoic, and she gave no indication the comment bothered her.

  “Nyana,” Calle said, and Skaja couldn’t help but notice how he addressed her familiarly. He couldn’t seem to help himself, especially when they used to be sweethearts. “What do you know about my brother? Does he have weaknesses? Holes in his defenses?”

  When her chin began to tremble with fear, Joel lowered himself beside her and touched her shoulder comfortingly. Skaja wondered for a moment if they were friends.

  “Anger is his biggest weakness in his defenses, as he often overlooks things in his fury,” Nyana answered. “But physically, anger is also his strength. There are fewer soldiers who are loyal to him than you might think. He controls others using fear and threats as his tools, or by using blood oaths. Take away their fear, and you will gain a lot of allies. Kill him, and you might win the war.”

  “But how do I do that? We have little resources and fewer men.”

  Nyana gave a regretful shrug before the entire council room burst into arguments about their next move. Skaja rested her hands against the rough wood of the table, staring down at an indent in the corner. She blocked out all other sounds as she focused, and the arguing became a low hum in the back of her mind.

  If they killed enough of Liam’s men, the remaining might drop their weapons in surrender. But she also remembered that these were Heulwen soldiers. However many they killed would also be Calle’s loss if they managed to get him on the throne. How could they accomplish their goal with as few casualties as possible?

  Calle’s contemplative murmur broke through her bubble of calm, and she recognized her own words on his tongue. “You stand a chance against another lousy fighter, but not against a valkyrie.”

  His head snapped up. He held up a hand, and a sudden hush fell over the room. “I know how we can win.” His throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed. “I will recruit valkyries to our cause.”

  Inari’s laughter startled her from where it emanated from the rafters up high. At his dangerous proposal, Skaja’s heart dropped to her toes. And by the way Calle’s expression steeled into defiance, she knew he felt it through their bond.

  “No,” she growled, her lip curled into a snarl. Her wings grew larger to match his defiance head on. “They will kill you. The moment you step foot on the island, you are a dead man.”

  But her warning went unheeded. “I’ve seen you slay a dozen men with nothing but your daggers in less than a minute while protecting me. What could a dozen valkyries do?”

  She shook her head, wincing against the pounding in her temple. “You of all people will take your city by bloodshed? You will be attacking your own army, your own people.”

  Although she had no problem with it, she knew it would hurt Calle.

  “If they are loyal to my monster of a brother, they are not my people. Besides, when they see we can win, when they see they have more to lose by fighting against us, I hope to sway their allegiance to me.”

  Inari laughed again from where she perched, one leg dangling precariously over the side of a rafter. She licked her lips, her gaze on Calle’s hair. “My sisters will skewer you to a pole alive and dance around your twitching body until you die.” A devilish grin. “I hope I get to do the skewering.”

  Several guards drew their weapons and moved forward, but Calle held them back with a raised hand. Skaja’s wings ruffled in both annoyance and gratitude toward her valkyrie friend. Annoyance for setting her eyes on Calle, and gratitude for speaking the truth of the danger.

  “My hair is off limits, Inari,” he said.

  Skaja stepped closer to him and glared at her friend. “You forget I have claimed him under my own protection. He cannot be harmed.”

  Inari swung her leg back and forth, back and forth. “But he will be in spite of the valkyrie code.” She licked her lips again. “Bringing a man to the island...you will be severely punished, and he will die.”

  A murmur of arguing filled the room. Some people were in favor of the risk, but instead of sending Calle, they wanted to send someone else. Other people adamantly argued against the idea of sending their prince to his death. She tried to hide her horror when her father volunteered to go. A woman would have a better chance at recruiting valkyries, but even then, no one had enough authority to sanction such an attack except Nyana. The fae queen was not only injured, but she was too sweet and lacked the necessary spine. More than likely, the valkyries would take her in as their own and not allow her to leave.

  Her heart, still at her toes, now dropped all the way to the pits of hell at the burning passion raging through Calle’s blood. She felt every surge of defiance, every heated argument waiting on the tip of his tongue, every pounding beat of his heart that echoed in rhythm with hers.

  “No.” She glared at him.

  He glared back. “Yes. It’s the only way.”

  “It’s one way. Not the only way.”

  Inari cleared her throat, and when everyone turned their attention to her, she shimmied down the wall and dropped deftly to her feet. The room at large took a collective step backward. Both Avonia and Typheal positioned themselves between her and Calle.

  As if she didn’t notice the sudden hostility in the room, Inari said, “King Liam is furious with the valkyries for the attack on the Pits, and even more furious about freeing the prince. His troops continue to attack the island.” She looked Skaja in the eye, and her long ears drooped with sadness. “Catarina was killed in your absence.”

  Shock coursed through her, followed by a heaviness in her chest. The girl had only been fifteen, not even a fully fledged valkyrie yet.

  Continuing, her friend said, “Paula is livid at King Liam. Wants him dead.” She gestured between Skaja and Calle. “If you play your card
s right, she might agree to help you. But only to avenge Catarina, is my guess.”

  Murmurs filled the room, followed by hope. “Then I will go by myself.” Skaja’s wings spread the slightest bit, ready for immediate flight.

  “She’s also afraid of Liam,” Inari said, now leaning casually against the wall. “Never wanted to get on his bad side in the first place. She wouldn’t attack without the assurance of our sisters’ safety.”

  Our...

  Not anymore. She wanted to stay with Calle.

  Calle said, “What you mean is, she won’t aid us unless the royal family vows to leave the valkyries alone. I need to go. There’s no other choice.”

  She clenched her fists on top of the table and hung her head. He was right. Paula would never trust Skaja’s word. But if the promise came directly from Calle’s mouth...

  She turned her head slightly to find him watching her, concern in his amber eyes. “You really think you can do this?” she asked softly, and the entire room fell into a quiet as deep as the Crowbeak watering hole as they waited for his answer.

  “Making allies is what I know how to do best. Stop me or aid me, Skaja, the choice is yours alone. But I cannot do this without you.”

  He leveled her with an intense stare, an unspoken plea in his eyes.

  True, if he could befriend a valkyrie such as herself, he could befriend anyone. But a few dozen valkyries? It was unheard of.

  “You don’t understand the risks.” She held her hands to her heart when her chest ached at the thought of losing him.

  “Yes, I do. You forget I was in the Pits when the valkyries attacked. It was a brutal massacre. I prefer not to get skewered if possible.”

  After gazing back at him for several long moments, she finally relented. He would not be swayed. He’d find a way to do this with or without her, and he’d be safer with her.

  “Then pack up. We’ll leave immediately.”

  The council decided to only send the two of them with Inari, as they didn’t want to risk the valkyries feeling threatened by sending a small army to their doorstep. The idea of sending their prince into the heart of danger unnerved everyone in the room, but they agreed it was the best, and only, choice.

  The meeting ended, and in the hallway, Skaja grabbed Calle’s hand and pulled him behind the privacy of a pillar. She smashed her lips against his, attempting to speak without words, to portray how much he meant to her. He kissed her back with equal fervor. A small moan escaped her throat as his fingers trailed up her back and intimately stroked her wings. As difficult as it was, she broke the kiss and pushed him away enough to gaze into his eyes.

  “Promise you’ll be careful,” she breathed, the kiss acting as a final goodbye in the instance that something might go wrong.

  “I promise,” he said quietly, placing a soft kiss on her hand. “Quite frankly, I’m more afraid to fly with Inari than I am about confronting an entire island of valkyries.”

  “She’ll behave.” I hope.

  “Let’s pray she doesn’t push me to my death before we even arrive.”

  Calle clutched onto the griffin for dear life. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the tough fur. Wind tugged and clawed and whipped through his hair. Tears streamed from his eyes as he attempted to keep them open against the bright afternoon light and relentless wind.

  Houses, fields, and forests passed by beneath them. Far beneath them. They were little specks against a brown and green canvas, with an occasional splash of blue.

  Two arms wrapped around his waist, followed by a long sniff into his hair. He shuddered and attempted to elbow Inari away, but his fear of slipping off the winged beast currently outweighed anything the frightening valkyrie could do to him. His attempt was feeble at best.

  “I can’t wait to skewer you!” Inari shouted over the wind, followed by a cackle. His skin crawled with discomfort. Skaja was friends with this madwoman? She needed better friends.

  He risked a glance over his shoulder, only to find Skaja flying a little further behind. Her beautiful golden-white wings stretched out on either side of her, and the mere sight of her stole his breath away. Light rippled across her feathers like sparkling diamonds. The gold in her hair glittered like strands of sunlight.

  And she didn’t glance in his direction.

  Instead, her head swiveled back and forth as if scanning the ground and skies for threats. Her wings glided strongly across the sky. Between his magic and Cian’s herbs, her healed wings never faltered.

  “Eyes ahead, lover boy,” Inari said as she nudged his cheek so he gazed forward. The ground beneath them transitioned into ocean, and in the distance, he spotted an island.

  “That’s it?” he asked in awe. Bright green stared back at him from the island. Deep blue water crashed into white spray as if warning away any daring intruders.

  “Is that admiration I detect?” Inari snorted before she placed a hand on top of his head and shoved him down into a crouching position. “We have lookouts who no doubt already know we’re headed toward the island. Keep out of sight unless you want to be pierced by an arrow before we even touch the ground.”

  Despite the fear pounding through his blood, he couldn’t help but smirk. “Careful. It almost sounds like you care.”

  She shoved his face into the griffin’s fur and then stroked his hair with her fingers. “About you? No. But I care about my friend. I don’t want to see her punished.” She ground his face into the creature’s spine as if to make her point. “Don’t you even think about messing up your part.”

  He grimaced and massaged his forehead, though he continued to crouch. “What kind of punishment?”

  Her shadow just in front of him revealed her shrug. “Paula is soft on Skaja, but she’ll be really angry in spite of it. Saving a man’s life is usually rewarded with the punishment of getting one’s tongue cut out, and then banishment. But Skaja has done far more than that.”

  Dread rained down on him and drenched him in sticky trepidation. But instead of raindrops hitting his skin, he imagined it was blood. Skaja’s blood.

  “No one told me that,” he whispered, eyes wide, but the valkyrie still heard him.

  “Love does nasty things to a person, including giving their lives for the other. Skaja knows what awaits her. She’s fully prepared to die for you. Hell only knows why.”

  “We have to turn back.” He reached for the griffin’s reins, but Inari smashed her elbow between his shoulder blades. Pain shot across his back. Black shadows seeped into the corners of his eyes. He felt himself slipping but managed to grasp onto a tuft of fur. His head spun, and to keep himself from slipping further, he rested his forehead on the creature’s spine.

  “We can’t turn back now,” she growled. “They know we’re coming.”

  Squeezing his eyes shut against the pain still rippling across his back, he said, “Aren’t you worried? Won’t you be punished too?”

  He turned his head slightly to watch as she steeled her expression, eyes toward the island. “Like I said—love does nasty things to a person.”

  Skaja flew beside them, eyebrows furrowed with concern as if she’d felt the fear in their bond. “How are you faring? Inari, are you playing nice?”

  The valkyrie tightened her arms around his waist and laid her head on his back. He attempted to push her away, but squeezed his eyes shut when nausea churned in his gut. She certainly knew how to hit hard.

  “Nice enough,” she answered. When he cracked his eyes open, he noticed Inari’s big, toothy grin. “I see why you like him. He smells nice.”

  “Stop smelling me.” He elbowed her in the shoulder, which jostled the reins in her hands. The griffin jerked sideways, nearly throwing him right off its back. It screeched before glaring back at them.

  Once Inari regained control, he gave Skaja a pleading look. “Leave me to go by myself. I can’t allow you to get hurt.”

  Skaja bravely continued to fly by his side. “You won’t even land before they shoot you through the heart. Not without my help.”

  “Please,” he rasped, but only received a glare in return.

  “No.”

  “Quiet,” Inari growled, once again pushing his head down as they neared the island. “Remember when you didn’t talk at all in the Pits? Let’s go back to that, shall we?”