Korac hardly celebrated his wings. He walked everywhere still, as if he couldn't acknowledge their existence. As if he were in mourning.

He walked from Egypt to my throne room in Cinder. I kept myself from shaking my head. This entire situation fell out of hand so badly and ruined so much happiness. I ruined so much happiness.

"Your majesty, just now I come from a visit with T.A.O." He looked away and wet his lips, agitated.

I tilted my head and regarded him with patience. He disappeared with the violet-eyed Progeny more and more, recently. Good company was good company, hybrid or no. But I wondered if the soldier in him pressed an advantage with her.

"What is it, General?"

His soft leather boots interested him greatly. "Devis created a device to vacate the Icari from Earth. The Pretiosum Cruor. It will return every one of us to Cinder and lock the Conduit. Celindria programmed it to respond only to her. The Progeny are very perturbed. They do not agree with her methods." He looked up then with concern buried behind pale eyes. "T.A.O. abstains from this division. I request his majesty grant her asylum from Celindria and her armies."

Rayne, we care so much for so many. We care the best we can. But we are broken people.

"Does she know you shared this information with me? Is she willing to provide more information? Essentially, to remain in Celindria's confidence and--"

"Sire, my apologies. We are out of time. T.A.O. and Devis fear for their lives. Andrius has already disappeared. We cannot stop her."

I slammed my fist on my throne and waited for the hard tissue repair system to fix my broken carpals. I cost myself twelve hours. "I need you to do something you will find most unpleasant."

Korac returned six hours later with an entire garrison of Icari and one prisoner.

"This will be the last time I set foot on your planet until I die, brother." Disdain dripped from Xelan's words. His very being shook with it.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Leave us. Korac, guard the doors. No visitors and no intrusions."

The General peered at his lost lover for a long time. I tried to shrink into my throne for the illusion of their privacy. Imagine the size of me shrinking into anything.

Xelan glared at him, his eyes wild with anger. In one look, he assured Korac the damage was irreparable.

Crestfallen, the General squared his shoulders and left the room with his chin high. The close of the door resounded behind him with a grave finality.

He cut the silence, "You address me from your throne, do you now?"

I stepped off of it. "I would ask you how the Progeny fare, but I know. You managed them poorly."

Xelan looked away to seethe at a wall.

"I want to hear from you the extent of your involvement."

He turned that midnight fury onto me. "With what?"

I ticked the allegations off on my fingers. "Planning a human rebellion. Endangering our people. Forcing us back to Cinder." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Did I miss anything?" I wanted him to volunteer the Pretiosum Cruor. To tell me the truth himself.

Xelan was speechless. But complicity sagged his shoulders and lowered his gaze. He was caught and ashamed.

It was true. My brother turned traitor and planned to help that siren evict our people from our salvation. From our reward for all the loss and all the pain. We deserved to be here. How could he...

I towered over the younger Icarus, who looked so much like me. "Betrayed first by the woman I love and now by my baby brother. Do you have any idea--"

"Celindria was right."

I stilled.

"You are no better than our father--"

I don't want to describe to you in detail how I reacted. Some part of me wishes to spare you the anguish of it altogether. But this isn't that kind of story. And I am no longer that kind of Icarus.

I punched my fist into Xelan's chest and gripped his nacre.

We both crossed lines from which we could never return. I loved him. He was my brother. He betrayed me. After I spent so much of our childhood shielding him from our father--becoming a Weapon to spare him that monster's sins. Mother's sins. To compare me to that?

Shaking my head, I groaned, "No... No."

Xelan gaped, hurt and shocked. Blood trickled from his lips. Gushed from his chest. Our shared blood.

Madness waited for me here. Asked me to join it. Better. Safer. The abyss beckoned.

My brother's abilities surpassed my expectations. He kicked me across the room and escaped the fortress with his nacre in my fist. I kept it with the intention of returning it.

I later learned of Merit's sacrifice. I mourned her loss and the circumstance. But I refused to tolerate anymore whimsical notions of equality and fairness between our peoples. Humans were ungrateful animals. The Progeny were abominations as mother foretold.

The end was coming to our time on Earth. But only temporarily. The future looked so burned. But waiting beyond those trials was you.