Niyx Samantha Kroese (i am malala young readers edition .TXT) 📖

with me. The rest of you follow Kiril. Ruel promised us the return of our forest home. Take the dragons and evacuate to the forest.” Niyx sighed as he turned back toward the entrance to the caves. Ice flew over to settle on Niyx’s shoulder. Kiril leaned up to kiss Niyx’s cheek, then she slipped past him to gather up their people and lead them the other way.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Onyx fell in step next to Niyx. He was in way over his head. He should have stayed in Aderaan with Ruel. Hopefully Ruel was safe enough. It was not like the entire city wanted his adoptive brother dead now. And what had happened to Callistra? He fidgeted with the hilts of the daggers at his belt. He chided himself. He was probably walking to his death and all he could think about was that woman? Ruel made sense, but he found himself confused at the thoughts of Callistra and shoved them out of his head.

Onyx forced his focus back to the present. Sephyrn casually strolled ahead of them without a care in the world, his cheetah pacing at his side. Niyx walked beside Onyx, a grim look on his face. On Niyx’s other side, Demi strode with confidence, but there was concern in his reptilian eyes.

How had Onyx gotten into this situation? Here he was walking with his twin, his father, Niyx’s strange new lover, on the way to meet their grandfather who wanted them dead. Suddenly Aderaan looked so much less complicated. He sighed and glanced at Niyx. How did his twin always look so collected and calm? But Onyx could sense that he was not, and asked, “Niyx, are you okay?”

Niyx glanced at him then frowned. When he spoke, it was low so only Onyx would hear him, “When the path is opened, I want you to return to Aderaan. Flee through the forest, Onyx. You must go and protect Ruel in case we fall.”

“I’m here to help you, Niyx,” Onyx growled, though what he really wanted was to agree with his twin’s plan. He wanted to retreat to Aderaan right now. “You and Demi are vulnerable to our grandsire’s magic. Light does not hurt me as much.”

“What do you plan to do, then? Sink into the shadows and bury a dagger into our grandsire’s neck while we have him distracted?” Niyx rolled his eyes. “He will not fall that easily.”

Onyx frowned and grabbed Niyx’s arm, pulling him to a stop, looking his twin in the eyes. “We are twins. We are bound together. I do not abandon my loved ones. I will stand with you until the end.”

“What about Ruel?” Niyx furrowed his brow.

Onyx cringed, but shook his head. “My time as Ruel’s guardian has ended. He has Floof, Rebekah, and the dragon magic.”

“What dragon magic?” Demi interrupted rudely, as he scowled at them.

Niyx gave Onyx a frustrated look and crossed his arms. Onyx sighed, and glared at Demi for interrupting their private moment. “Ruel’s family made a pact with some dead dragon. It was a skeleton when Ruel accidentally summoned it.”

Demi seemed to cower away into himself. Onyx could have sworn the dragon’s white scaled skin lost some of its iridescence. “Is that so?” Then he shook himself and turned Niyx back toward the entrance where the ice was slowly melting away. “Niyx, perhaps you should focus on the current issue,” he said, then as an aside to Onyx, “We’ll speak about that later.”

Sephyrn walked up to the edge of the ice and pulled something from a pack at his belt. It looked like a fine string which he then dragged across the entire hall from wall to wall. He smirked at Niyx as he backed up, and said, “Drop the ice, Niyx. Let them come in.”

“Are you mad? He will destroy us. He has an entire army!” Niyx exclaimed.

“He won’t harm you. Trust me,” Sephyrn shrugged, as he leaned against the wall and pulled out a dagger to sharpen it while his cheetah merely yawned and crouched at his feet.

Onyx was about to protest, but recognized that, for some reason, Niyx trusted their sire explicitly. Onyx faded back into the shadows as Niyx reached out his hand and the ice barrier lowered into the floor. Demi slipped behind Niyx as Niyx rested his massive broadsword against the floor and scowled at the advancing army.

The enormous knight at the head of the army was covered in heavy white plate armor accented with gold and brilliant ice blue that matched the eyes that peered out from the shadows of the helmet. The rest of their grandsire’s face was obscured by the decorative helm in the shape of a unicorn’s head, and across his breastplate a rampant unicorn trampled a dragon. The same symbol decorated the massive metal shield held in his left arm and covering most of his body from attack. His right hand held a gleaming silver sword that glowed with so much light magic it was painful to behold.

As soon as Eryk crossed the thin line that Sephyrn had set on the floor, it triggered a trap. The rest of the army let out startled noises as they were slingshot backwards into the forest. Eryk whirled just in time to watch a heavy web block the path behind him. His blue eyes narrowed as he saw Sephyrn standing in the shadows near the doorway. “What is the meaning of this, Sephyrn?”

Sephyrn pushed off the wall and circled his father like a hunting wolf would circle its prey. “It is rude of you to try to kill your grandsons without even meeting them, is it not?”

Eryk’s daze darted from Sephyrn to Niyx and Onyx in confusion. He lowered his weapon slightly, though his eyes remained cold and unamused. “The Night Creatures are your offspring? You would defile our line that way?”

Niyx hissed at that, interrupting the banter before Sephyrn could taunt Eryk further. “We are not monsters. You are a blinded zealot. Sephyrn says