Dawnbreaker

“Rowe is not the only one to disappoint me, from what I understand,” she slowly drawled. “Defender of our people.” Aurora pushed to her feet and took a couple steps toward where Nyx remained kneeling. “You were sent to secure our beloved sister and protect her from the nightwalkers, and yet I hear that she has spent her entire time here on earth as a prisoner of the Fire Starter.”

“I tried to find her, but I could not,” the dark-haired naturi said. “The Fire Starter must have found a way to keep her cloaked from me. I couldn’t find her as you wished,” she admitted, then reached across and took Cy

I saw Cy

“You failed,” Aurora snarled. “Your job as defender of our people is to protect us, especially the royal family. First, Cy

“I did the best I could. I don’t know how she managed to get to earth. I searched everywhere for Cy

“And so you shall,” Aurora said with a broad smile. “You failed to protect the young princess, so your punishment is death.”

“Aurora!” Cy

“You can’t do this! I haven’t failed you,” Nyx argued, her right hand hovering near the hilt of her sword as if she was preparing to be attacked at any second. This naturi was a born fighter, and she was not about to go quietly into the night like her older sister wished.

Mira! What is going on? Danaus suddenly demanded from behind me.

Aurora is cleaning house, I replied. I don’t think she trusts those around her, and now that she plans to start a new reign of power here on earth, she wants to be surrounded by only those that she can trust.

Turning my thoughts to Jabari, I repeated my guess at the situation, and asked, Won’t this leave her vulnerable?

Possibly, he patiently replied. Only if she doesn’t have replacements already picked out. I’ve seen this done once before. A new Liege of the nightwalkers takes over and destroys the existing Coven, replacing it with members only he can trust as a way of solidifying his power. Aurora has two younger sisters who can claim the throne, and she no longer wishes to worry about the line of succession.

To my surprise, Cy

Nyx twisted around to look at Cy

“Aurora’s most trusted weaver Harrow said that she knew I wanted to go to earth and stop the war that Aurora pla

Aurora said nothing as she returned to her seat on the wall, her guards closing in around her. Cy

“Nyx couldn’t find me because I didn’t want to be found,” she sneered. “I had no idea which naturi sided with you and would brand me as a traitor, which would try to kill me on sight. Your trustworthy consort Rowe? My own beloved sister Nyx? What wouldn’t they do for you? So I hid.” Cy

“Bravo,” I murmured with a shake of my head. Cy

“Silence!” Aurora shouted in a shaky voice. I wasn’t sure if she was talking to me or her own sister. Her lovely face was flushed and her hands were balled into fists in her lap. “You are a traitor to the crown.”

“I’m not a traitor because I want something other than the endless war with the humans and the nightwalkers that you have pla

“You ca

“You’re wrong,” Cy

“You co

“Yes, I will,” Cy

“Nyx, if you want to save Cy

Twenty-Nine

For the first time, Aurora met my gaze. In that moment, I saw all the hatred that she had harbored for me and my race boiled down into a single look. In the blink of an eye, I knew that she blamed me for the naturi’s entrapment, their failure to escape for five long centuries, and now the loss of her sisters and her consort. I was the root cause of all her problems—the Fire Starter.

But the expression lasted for less than a second before her face was wiped clean of all emotion. It didn’t matter. I had seen it, and it brought a broad grin to my face. I wanted her to hate me. I wanted her to hate me with the same mindless virulence that I hated her kind.

“She’s the new protector of the earth? The Fire Starter? A nightwalker?” Aurora demanded, waving her hand toward me. “That’s impossible. Nightwalkers have no tie to the earth.”

“And yet she can control fire,” Cy

“That is all she can control!” Aurora snapped, her temper flaring briefly before she tamed it. Watching her, I was begi

“I know she can do more,” Cy

What is she talking about, Mira? demanded Jabari mentally in a too sweet voice that had me cringing inwardly. A part of me didn’t want to survive what was coming simply so I wouldn’t have to answer the questions swirling around the Ancient’s brain.