[SS]: I want to say on record that the only part of the Gale situation that bothered me was how she treated him. Tameka’s wise in that she’s been very understanding of Xelan’s romantic experience. It’s really best practice when involved with someone millions of years older than you.

Xelan, Nox, and I spent the next two Earth-years working together as a triumvirate of young, auspicious planetary leaders. Umbra and Amolot no longer pestered us. Although she occasionally referred to me as “contaminant,” even Umbra corrected her now.

Circumstances improved and advanced for Cinder. We established our allied forces, organized new trade with galaxy pirates, and strategized the best methods for turning all those planets we ruined into allies against Enki.

Xelan seemed to forgive Nox for slaughtering half the drones in the Monarch 3 hive after he thought they killed his little brother.

Even though I never sought his forgiveness, I felt as if the younger Prince glossed over my involvement as a side effect of my station as Nox’s guard. But I want to make it clear. Although we invaded and the Tritans were clearly up to evil shit, I would destroy every hive on the planet if I thought they killed Xelan. Or Nox. Or anyone I swore to protect.

That includes like five people currently residing in this house. And yourself, of course, King Rayne.

We put aside our differences from Monarch 3 to fortify the Icari together. Not to mention, with all the technological upgrades, we had more fun.

[SS]: I want to remind you, Rayne, what those differences were. When they believed the Mon3 drones killed Xelan, Nox and Korac slaughtered a good many of them. Only to find that Xelan was fine and wanted to help save the queen from annihilation. Nox tried to convince him it would take too much—a nacre—to save her. Xelan was so adamant that he was willing to sacrifice his own. Even when I read it, my heart broke as I paid witness to the inevitable. The differences between the two brothers were multiplying.

Back to the fun before we return to the ruin.

By the time I was twenty-one, Nox was twenty-two, and Xelan was seventeen—mind you, I was more like one and a half million—responsibility and promise weighed on us. So fun grew more scarce and, therefore, precious.

“All right, gentlemen. Are you ready?” Xelan asked through our earpieces.

I heard Nox snort with laughter at “gentlemen” from across the Ignis Desert.

The lava radiated enough heat to melt me where I waited on a ledge. Fortunately, nacres—and whatever I was—came with increased resilience and provided self-regulating temperature control. Eying the drop with my skate, I assured, “I have never been more ready in my life.”

Braced at the mouth of a separate river, Nox’s grin was in his voice. “It is an excellent day for it.”

A lightning storm formed in the smoke as the caldera sparked with activity. Bright blue branches split and exploded in a deafening roar.

Truly beautiful.

Strapped to the skate, poised on the ledge, I recalled the rescue plan. Because I possessed no wings, if anything went wrong, one brother would abandon their skate and save me. Hopefully, on time.

“Remember the signal, Korac?”

“Why, Prince Xelan.” Even though he couldn’t see, I flattened a hand to my chest dramatically. “I was unaware you cared so much. You flatter me.”

Nox chuckled into the line.

But sincere, noble, self-sacrificing Xelan dead panned, “Of course, I care for you! I have no idea where else I could find another Icarus so willing to tolerate me as a friend. Long hours in the lab. Always demanding volunteers for experimentation. Terribly inconsiderate—”

“Xelan.” I had to stop him. And he did stop at the sound of his name from my mouth without his formal title. I almost cringed, myself. “I tolerate you because you exhilarate me. Our friendship is mutual. Now shall we stop boring your brother and burn our hair in a lake of fire?”

Nox chuffed into the mic, not discouraging or encouraging us either way.

Xelan’s beaming grin transposed into his voice. “Later. I will hold you to it. Ready?”

Nox shouted so loud we heard him over the thunder. “Set!”

“Go!” I shouted on the way off the ledge, and into a really bad, terrible, awesome idea. The glass skate met the fluid of the lake with no friction and danced along the surface. With a flourish, I spun in a circle while narrowly avoiding a slosh of magma.

Around me, the Princes hollered and cheered. Through me, my blood thrilled and fibrillated my heart. Above us, the lightning split Li’s bloated redness into blossoms for the electric blue branches.

Excellent day, indeed.

We each took a separate river, which should spill into a lake near the middle of the course. Flaming stalagmites and rolling boulders kept the ride challenging. The heat tried to dissuade me, but I was wearing the latest jumpsuit developed in Xelan’s lab. None of us felt the steam.

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Smelled it? Absolutely. Volcanic gas stinks.

As I crouched to gain some speed, Xelan’s voice came over the earpiece. “You two ready for Lake Doom?”

I could hear Nox roll his eyes before he groaned, “Please call it something else.”

“What do you think Korac?”

I gave a hearty laugh. “I would rather not be in the middle. Thank you, kindly, your highnesses.”

No truer words spoken since.

What else should we call the lake? It was full of lava and recent volcanic activity opened a strike-slip fault in the center. So one half of the lake’s surface slid to the right and the other half to the left. The results were breathtaking.

I glided toward them at break-neck speeds. Nox already circled the drain by the time I arrived. Xelan right after me. We were close enough to communicate without the earpieces.

“No three Icari on Cinder are more insane than us.” My future King had a way with words. “Now what?”

Xelan grinned. “Not crazy. Adventurous and alive.”

I bowed at the neck, cautious not to tip the skate.

“From here, we go down. It opens into the lagoon. I tested it with everything I could, but I know it is a frightening notion. Do you two trust me?”

Nox and I looked at each other. The answer was simple. It was always there, but was it best for Xelan to know that?

“We trust you.” My future King answered for us with a smile for his younger brother. “Down we go.”

“Remember the signal, Korac?”

“Of course, my Prince.” I’d started calling him that recently. Ever since he toppled the Tritans for his people. He earned it, but I think it generated more than the intended effect. I wasn’t sure yet how I felt about it. But sometimes… Sometimes I detected the faint smell of bound books and something sweet around him.

Not now, though. At the moment, I only smelled charred rock and methane. Pulling myself from those extremely distracting thoughts, I circled the destination.

Fluorescent lava drained through the freshly opened fault in an impossible vortex. The awesomeness of it glitched out my ability to comprehend it. This isn’t what normal people stared at, and certainly not something they considered riding down.

I smirked.

My best friends laughed.

We were ready.

Nox took the lead, and I followed, with Xelan behind me. The current—there’s no way to describe that fury. It took us through a vertical tunnel of spinning magma. The heat pressed and tested the limitations of our suits. I had faith in them. The skids, however…

My feet felt loose.

I glanced at the other two to see if they were having the same problem. And when I realized they were fine, I knew I was in trouble.

Wasting no time on feeling ridiculous, I shouted, “Banana!” Such a stupid word.

“I got you!” Xelan flew across the spiraling currents. It meant he flew through the core of this funnel, removing his skate from a surface.

Good thing. My feet slipped right out of the weakened straps. “Thank you, your highness.”

“You will make it up to me.” He winked.

Xelan fucking winked at me in the middle of a rescue.

“Is everything all right?” Nox’s voice, unable to pierce the roar of falling lava, came through the earpiece. He watched from across the lava spout.

With some work, Xelan managed to align the skate at a ninety-degree angle once more onto the surface. A little breathless, he answered, “All good. I need to reinforce the straps for next time.”

Yes. Already planning for next time.

I shook my head, incredulously, knowing I’d be there.

No longer a baby, Xelan held me with powerful arms covered by the jumpsuit. He was centered and steady on the skate. His black wings expertly avoided the molten rock as we streamed toward the bottom of the plunge. The cylinder narrowed into a cone, and Nox crossed the stream to join us at the descending center.

My future King warned, “That looks excitingly dangerous.”

We grinned at each other like adrenaline junkies.

Nox crouched. Xelan tucked me closer against him before doing the same. I am smaller than both of them. More of a swimmer’s build. The youngest Prince was/is built like your favorite personal trainer who never skipped leg day. And the oldest… well… I’ve never been attracted to him so keep that in mind when I say the best I could compare Nox to was a Demi-god in your people’s Greek mythology.

It was easier for Nox to hold me than Xelan, but I wasn’t about to volunteer that information as we glided to the culmination of our fun.

Everything was perfect. The descent. The ease onto the surface. Especially the smooth transition into the lagoon.

Xelan smiled enthusiastically at me in his arms. “Brakes.”

I shook my head to hide my returning grin. He was infectious, even then. It’s really quite annoying.

Nox opened his mouth, probably to congratulate our mostly successful run, when thunder cracked above us. The lightning drew closer here at the void before the caldera.

Xelan watched it with some apprehension. “It may not be safe here.”

I caught Nox glance from me to Xelan where we embraced. Unembarrassed, I didn’t straighten or push us apart.

Xelan did.

He cleared his throat before offering, “Perhaps you should take him the rest of the way home.”

I… that hurt. I didn’t know why at the time. I never wished so badly for my own wings so that I could fly away and hide this undeserved shame. Yet at heart, I was a practical soldier. Xelan would tire on the flight home. Nox wouldn’t.

I thought of nothing else the entire six hours back to Umbra’s Spire. I barely registered that Savis mentioned dinner guests and for us to go clean the stench of cooked rock from us.

Through the motions, I went. Stripping. Bathing. Dressing in under clothes.

Was there something wrong with me? Why not take me home? Why dump me on Nox?

I was so indebted to this negative spiral that I almost ran into a figure standing right in the middle of my bedchambers. Solid. Firm. And wet.

Powerful arms gripped my shoulders and that irritatingly warm voice asked, “Are you all right? I called your name, but you were unresponsive.”

I lifted my gaze to midnight eyes filled with genuine concern. Distantly, I heard myself ask, “Are you in my room?”

The half-dressed man with a boyish smile held up a comb. “I thought you would like it if I brushed your hair for you.” Those beautiful eyes glittered at me with hope.

My hair was so long then—down to my ass. For special events, I employed two servants to dress it for me. Savis used to insist on doing it, but by this point, her delicate condition prevented it. I very much felt the absence of her comfort. Of someone I loved brushing my hair.

Feeling returned to my numbed heart. Grateful tears almost pricked my eyes. I returned to myself as I answered, “Yes. Yes, I would.”

I said little, happy to listen to him discuss the modifications to the skate. I watched him in my mirror as he flushed with excitement throughout his manic designs. I almost pouted internally when he finished and set the comb down.

I turned to him, expecting… what? I didn’t know. But not what I got.

Xelan awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and looked around, as if needing an excuse to stay. Unfortunately, we were late for dinner, and we had guests to entertain. “If you want, I can come back and help you brush for bed?”

I smirked at him. “Yes, of course, my Prince.”

After Xelan left with an elated grin, I dressed to impress him for the evening, but if I knew what was coming, I would have dressed for battle.