I stood atop the palace balcony, my heart pounding against my ribs like a battle drum in the quiet night. The air was heavy with the scent of blooming moonflowers, and the city stretched beneath me in a tapestry of shadow and silver moonlight. An eerie calm lay over it, a stark juxtaposition to the storm inside me. There she was, my Sihaya, standing in front of an army, one that she could turn against me in an instant.

The palace glowed harsh and ethereal against the velvety backdrop of the night. Its golden glow cast long, ghostly shadows onto the silent streets below, reaching out to touch her, as if the light itself couldn’t stand to be parted from her. This was our world, our empire, one my family had meticulously built over centuries, now on the verge of transformation brought by a woman born of fire and thunder.

And all I wanted was to help her raze it to the ground.

I’d watched as she ripped open the massive gates that guarded the city with an indomitable magic that sent a tremor through the stone beneath me. Even from my perch high above, I’d felt her raw, unrefined power pulsating through the air.

At the heart of that sandstorm stood Kael, the celestial tiara upon her brow casting her in an otherworldly light. She was a lighthouse in the sea of darkness, a fiery comet against the endless sky as if Ydonja herself had returned. Her hair danced around her like a silver tempest, the strands gleaming in the pale moonlight.

I had always known her spirit was untamed, a fire that would not be extinguished. I believed I could control her, restrain her—as I’d let myself be. But standing there, watching her from my fortress of stone and power, I realized my foolishness. The shiver of anticipation that ran down my spine wasn’t from the frosty night air. It was the realization that I had tried to chain a tempest. Kael was a force in herself, not to be controlled, but to be reckoned with.

The wind shifted, carrying with it the sweet, heady scent of the desert flowers, and something else. Something wild and intoxicating.

My eyes never left her. She stood in command, silencing the rebels with her mere presence. The once-poised threat lowered their weapons under her gaze. She wasn’t a slave. She was a queen, a warrior, a storm given form.

And she had declared herself mine. A small, satisfied smirk played on my lips. The world wasn’t ready for her.

But I was.

The rebels crowded around the gate, their faces alight with confusion and hope as Kael told them of our ‘alliance.’ For a moment, I allowed myself to be swept up in that contagious energy, imagining a new world where Kael and I could live freely together without an empire between us. Our own forge attached to a cozy home, filled with toys I’d crafted for our children…

You’re a fool. A damn fool for even considering this.

Part of me was infuriated at her audacity, her blatant disregard for all the warnings I’d given her. Yet another part of me, a piece I had long left buried deep within, thrummed with excitement. She acknowledged the odds, recognized the strength of the empire, and still fought. This was madness. The urge to steal her away and run as far and as fast as I could before my mother discovered her plans was almost overwhelming. But I couldn’t do that. Kael would never want a man who fled from a righteous fight.

I stared at the vanira sigil on the gate, my mother’s House. Nyana Carxidor, now empress. The woman who gave me life, yet held it with a grip as cold and unyielding as earthborn iron. The mother who had no qualms about sacrificing her son for the sake of her reign. I’d suffered under her hands for years, and if I didn’t do something now, she’d do worse. I wouldn’t be her only victim. The entire empire would descend even further into depravity. Kael glanced up at me, a questioning smile on her lips as she tilted her head in question, asking me wordlessly to join her. She looked young and unsure, not the confident warrior she showed to the rebels. I imagined her as she’d been as a child coming to Adraedor, my fingers tightening on the balustrades as I thought of everything that had befallen her…

It was time to bring it down. I would tear down the empire they had meticulously built, brick by bloody brick.

It wouldn’t be easy. I was well aware of the cost, the carnage that lay ahead. But as I looked at Kael, her smile as she turned and rallied her people, I was certain it was worth it. I would become the man she believed I could be, even if it meant turning my back on everything I knew.

“Theron!” Raenisa’s voice cut through the air like a dagger, her breathless panic clear in every syllable. She and Herrath burst onto the balcony, their expressions a mix of hurt and anger. “Kael betrayed us.”

“She tore down the gate and let the rebels in,” he said, his brows drawn into a straight line. “Miri is terrified.”

“Our soldiers are forming ranks, though the insurgents aren’t attacking. They don’t know what to do.”

I glanced at the chaos unfolding below; men and women in desert clothing streaming into the palace grounds, but my resolve remained unshaken. I turned back to them, studying their faces. Somehow, I thought Herrath would be easier to win over. Raenisa was more likely to stab me and point out how foolish I was being.

“Kael didn’t betray us,” I said, my voice firm. “Tell the soldiers to stand down.”

Raenisa stared at me, her eyes wide in disbelief. “You can’t be serious, Theron.”

I took a deep breath, meeting the gaze of my second-in-command. Raenisa had always had my back, our friendship was one of the few things I’d been able to count on in my life, but this could be a bridge too far. How could I frame this in a way they’d support? They might not understand my need to free the Remnants, but avarice? Ambition? That they understood. “I’m going to overthrow my mother and take the throne for myself. The rebels are my allies.”

“WHAT?”

Before they could continue, the patter of running footsteps echoed through the hallways. Zerek appeared in the doorway, his scarlet hair glinting under the moonlight, his mouth pressed in a grim line.

“What the fuck is going on?” He said by way of greeting, his hand tight around the wrist of his captive—Roza. She wore her usual defiant expression and men’s clothing, the corners of her mouth turned up into a challenging smirk. “The gates are down and the rebels are coming.”

The Sirin Remnant chuckled, shaking her head as if Zerek had said something amusing. “I told you Haemir would come for Kael.”

“She’s the one who let them in,” Herrath stated, and Roza’s eyes widened before she tore free from Zerek’s grip and ran to the balcony. She whooped when she saw the open gates, a smile spreading across her face and making the iridescent scales on her cheeks shimmer. “Cetena’s tail, she did it.”

Zerek’s mouth went slack for a moment as he stared at her before stalking to her side once more, as if afraid she’d attempt to jump from the height to reach her people.

Raenisa hadn’t looked away from me the entire time, shock still written over her features.

“I understand if you don’t want to be involved with this,” I told her, my voice softer now. “But I have to do this. For Kael. For all of us.”

She shook her head slowly; her gaze never leaving mine as she stepped closer, so close that the molten flecks in her eyes seemed to move.

“No.” In a growl barely more than a whisper, she continued, “You can’t do this for Kael. If you want us to stand beside you—for me to follow you in this fight, then it has to be because you want to be emperor. To help our people. Not just keep her.”

“I don’t want to be emperor—” Her eyes narrowed, and I held my hand up to stop her argument before continuing. “I will be king of Athain. Nothing more.”

“Wait. What are you talking about?” Zerek whipped around, his golden eyes wide. “What in Atar’s flaming balls did I miss? There’s a fucking army at the gates and we’re up here chatting?”

I studied each of their faces, a hollow pit forming in my stomach. It was one thing to risk my life, but asking others to do it when there wasn’t an order coming from above was harder than I expected. “I’m going to overthrow Nyana and dismantle the empire.”

Silence hit the room like a crashing wave, their shock tangible in the surrounding air. Then chaos erupted, a whirlwind of voices filled the space, each one of them struggling with their disbelief and reservations as they shouted over each other.

“Are you insane?”

“The Niothe will slaughter us.”

“What about the rebels?”

Zerek paced back and forth, raking a hand through his hair. “This isn’t some common uprising, Theron,” he spat out, his voice fraught with tension. “This is… this is treason. The punishment is…”

“Death,” I finished for him. “I know. And I understand if you won’t join me.”

Herrath, normally the most composed, had been silent until now. His fingers twisted as he messed with the fabric of his shirt. “And if we fail?”

I met his gaze, unflinching. “Then we die together.”

I turned from them, their eyes burning holes into my back as I looked over the city to the desert beyond. I walked over to the balcony once more. With each step, a weight lifted from my shoulders. The uncertainty, the doubts, the fear—it was all dissolving into a calm resolve. The path ahead was dangerous and filled with the unknown, but I knew it was the right one.

“We let our arrogance destroy everything. Not just the gods and the other races, but ourselves.” I turned to face my Harvestmen, the people I trusted the most in the world. “We killed all the Sálfar and stopped building things. We’ve grown complacent in our own superiority, believing that because Atar gave us this power to shape Maeoris as we wished, it meant it was ours to take. But it isn’t ours to keep.” I took a breath, meeting each of their stares. “I want to restore our people to where we belong—to be protectors of this land, not its rulers or exploiters. To remember what it is like to create something worthwhile with our hands and minds instead of taking advantage of others’ hard work for our gain. To never forget that while we have been blessed with immense power, that comes with responsibilities—responsibilities we have failed to upkeep far too many times in the past… But I will not make those same mistakes again.”

“Theron… What you’re asking? It’s impossible.” Lines that hadn’t been there before seemed to carve Zerek’s face. “How can we stand against the Niothe? Trevyr is already on his way. It’s a death sentence.”

Herrath frowned, tilting his head to the side as he thought it over, smoothing his clothes back into place as his nerves faded and his analytical mind took over. “It may not be…”

Raenisa folded her arms over her chest. “Most of the Niothe are overseas trying to root out the Zerkir Remnant strongholds,” she began, and a smile spread across my face. She scowled at me. “I didn’t finish, idiot. Even if we could defeat the companies on their way to fight us now, the rebels can’t be trusted.” She ran a hand through her red and black hair. “Once we’re out of Adraedor and they’re at our backs, they’ll betray us. We’ll be alone and surrounded.” Her eyes were stark. “We can’t win a war with allies we can’t trust.”

“They won’t,” I said, certainty filling my voice. Between Kael and Haemir, I knew they’d lead them to the end. But that wasn’t something my friends would believe. “And we’ll gather more allies. The Taelyrs will join us, won’t they?” After Varzorn’s father had killed his brother, the heir to the throne, and Pitre Taelyr’s husband, the Taelyrs held a blood debt against them. “The Rorels will stand by us. Most likely House Cairis too. And that’s if we can’t win over the Sarro-Amyntas alliance.”

She stared at me for a long moment. “You’re serious about this?”

I nodded, my expression unwavering. “I am.”

Herrath stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Then I stand with you, Theron. Whatever it takes.”

Raenisa let out a sigh, but I could see the flicker of anticipation in her eyes. “Alright, I’m in. But we need to move fast.”

Zerek dipped his chin, his gaze never leaving mine. “I don’t know if we’ll survive this. But I trust you. And I’ll fight by your side to the end.”

I smiled at them, grateful for their loyalty. “Thank you, all of you.”

Roza watched us, her sea-colored eyes darting between us before landing on Zerek. She frowned, as if unsure how she felt about his declaration.

“What now?” Raenisa said in her usual brusque manner. “Are we all going to go hold hands and sing around a fire?”

“You do have a wonderful singing voice…” Herrath put in and she rolled her eyes at him.

“Oh fuck off,” she laughed and shoved him good-naturedly. It was the first time I’d ever seen her treat him like he was one of us.

“So what do we do, Theron?”

I smiled, hope—a fragile thing fluttering in my chest.

“Now we go meet our new allies.”