17.

The girl stood frozen, staring at the enormous beast. It had been years since she last saw the majestic Sicutis. The animal seemed to have grown in size—but perhaps that was just because she was no longer used to him. She had convinced herself that when the time came to see him again, he wouldn’t be as imposing as the memory from her childhood had made him seem. But she had been sadly mistaken.

Virindia rushed forward, placing himself protectively in front of Aurora.

“You behave like beasts—will you not introduce such a lovely creature to the great Sicutis?” growled the lion in his deep voice. “Or have you lost all manners since the death of the kind Quinihil?”

“What brings you so far from your lands?” Virindia asked as he took Aurora’s hand, stepping back almost imperceptibly.

“All lands are mine. Do you think you can simply claim my territory, build your shameful little nest and take it as your own?” the elder roared, offended.

“Even the nests of Periculum belong to you, great Sicutis?” Virindia asked with daring boldness.

“I see the years have made you insolent. And the girl—has she lost her tongue too, or just her manners?” he asked wearily.

“My name is Aurora Borealis, Your Magnificence Sicutis,” she replied, still hiding behind Virindia and offering a slight bow.

“Am I truly speaking to Her Highness, the daughter of destiny?” the beast laughed. The girl only trembled behind Virindia.

“My quarrel is not with you, child—and I hope to earn your father’s favor one day. But your lover here has debts to pay.”

“I’m not an adult yet,” Virindia objected, stepping further back—until he heard footsteps that belonged to neither of the three, and he realized they were surrounded.

“Seems like you are to me. Consider yourself ready,” Sicutis replied coldly.

Virindia looked around and saw, in the shadows, glowing eyes framed by dripping fangs—Sicutis’s pack was watching, waiting.

“When?” he murmured, stepping forward and ignoring every survival instinct he had. “I intend to give you a fight worthy of your pack.”

“Now that’s the boy I remember meeting,” the beast laughed, sounding like a cough. “Midnight. Tonight. I’m more than eager. You know where…”

Without waiting for an answer, Sicutis and his followers disappeared into the trees, and after a few minutes of silence, the two young people dared to breathe and move again.

“What debt?! What did you do?!” Aurora asked, panicked.

“Many years ago, he challenged me to a duel. I was just a child and of course he would’ve won, so he spared my life and said we’d fight again once I was grown. That’s how I got this,” Virindia said, showing her the scars that still stretched across his back. Aurora couldn’t bring herself to touch the marks, now much finer than they had been when he was a child.

“Why does he want to kill you?” Aurora couldn’t stop staring at the scars, imagining the pain.

“I don’t know. I think I was just part of some stupid power struggle between Quinihil and Sicutis,” he replied.