Thronegarden by Andrew Dickerson (top rated books of all time .txt) 📕

was forced to retreat, awarding the ground level to the invaders while defending the steps that led higher up.

“Thank you for your support,” Delridden welcomed the reinforcements.

“If you are looking for Luyna she has barricaded herself in the royal apartments,” Pilgrim explained.

“Have you seen Damselfly?” the Matriarch asked.

“She is alive?” Pilgrim questioned.

“Yes, we brought her back with us from the Evergarden,” Delridden revealed.

The castle residents cheered at this news. Luyna had kept them in the dark about her reasons for increasing security around the castle, and now they had even greater reason to keep fighting.

“It will not be easy and many of you may get hurt,” Delridden warned.

“We are with you,” Pilgrim pledged, and the others behind him swiftly agreed.

“Then follow me.” Delridden renewed their charge up the castle tower.

Luyna could not block out the sound of battle being waged below them. She sat icily in her chair and snapped at anyone who spoke above a whisper. Rat was perched on his heels, trying to get Coral and Celeste to notice him, while Blakast remained in a dark corner mumbling nonsense to himself. Damselfly and Buttons were straining to hear what was happening beneath their feet, though it was impossible to really know how the fighting was going from so far away.

“Let us go,” Damselfly demanded.

“Be quiet, child, or I will turn you into a frog,” Luyna intimidated.

One look from the sorceress was enough to still the princess’s tongue; despite her bravery, only a fool would test Luyna’s threats in her current mood. To everyone’s surprise, the door to their room suddenly opened. Damselfly briefly hoped it would be her friends coming to rescue her, though these expectations were dashed as she recognised Orion, swathed in his usual red cape, step into the room.

“Brother, you are just in time to celebrate our victory,” Luyna heralded.

“What is going on?” Orion questioned, seeing Damselfly and Buttons.

“It is all under control,” Luyna pronounced.

“How did they return from the Evergarden?” Orion queried.

“I will explain everything, just not now,” Luyna promised.

Damselfly knew this was her only chance to speak up. Despite her long-standing distrust of Orion, it was clear that he had been unaware of all Luyna’s plots.

“Blakast blasted a hole in the Evergarden, using the stolen artefact from his trial,” the princess revealed.

“Shut up,” Luyna hissed.

Orion glimpsed the usurper curled up in a corner and turned back to Damselfly for further enlightenment.

“He stole the artefact just as he stole the timepiece, for her,” Damselfly pointed accusingly at Luyna.

Orion looked unconvinced until he looked in his sister’s yellow eyes and glimpsed the truth.

“It was you,” Orion reeled.

“I did it for us,” Luyna pleaded.

The Children of the Moon looked at each other from across the room, their dual crescent birth marks revealing how much they were a part of one another.

“The king and queen, that was you?” Orion realised.

“She would be dead already if you had not interfered,” Luyna raged.

Orion stepped forward placing his hands on Luyna’s shoulders. The siblings seemed to only see each other, and Damselfly wondered if she could reach the door while they were distracted.

“I do not blame you, it is our curse,” Orion voiced.

Damselfly remembered the fairy tale about The Children of the Moon and these lines particularly held a new perspective for her.

Your children will be born with the moon’s mark,

So you know my words are true,

One will be fair the other dark,

One will be a gift the other will be the death of you.

“I have spent my whole life trying to protect you,” Orion stated. “And to protect others from you.”

A single tear rolled down Luyna’s cheek, the first Damselfly had ever seen the sorceress shed.

“I will not let you hurt the child.” Orion let go of Luyna who slumped without her brother’s support.

Turning his back, Orion walked over to where Damselfly and Buttons were being kept prisoner and stood protectively before them.

“I’m sorry for believing the worst of you,” Damselfly apologised as Orion stood bravely between them and his sister.

“We need the girl,” Luyna argued. “She is the last Thrane. We cannot rule Fable while a single heir remains.”

“We are not here to reign but to serve,” Orion answered.

“These regents are not superior to us. We wield magic and have power they could only dream of,” Luyna spat.

“You sound like the Fairy King,” Orion argued.

“I am better than the Fairy King!” Luyna screamed.

In her emotional state the sorceress pulled the timepiece from her robes, and every eye in the room was drawn to Death’s greatest weapon.

“The Fairy King was terrified of death; I control death,” Luyna demanded.

“You have gone too far,” Orion warned. “I cannot let you lose any more of your humanity, or you will be lost to yourself.”

“Stand aside,” Luyna ordered.

“No.” Orion raised his chin and stood his ground.

“Move aside,” Luyna screamed.

“If you want to kill the girl you will have to kill me first.” Orion delivered his ultimatum.

Luyna was growing unhinged; her hair had fallen across her face, which was red with anger and tears. Damselfly thought for a moment that they were safe. Luyna could not bring herself to harm her twin brother, and Orion was refusing to back down. Everyone had taken their eyes off Blakast.

Hearing his mistress’s distress, he sought to remove the cause of it. Sneaking up behind Orion, the usurper plunged a dagger into the magician’s back, right up to the hilt. Luyna and Damselfly screamed as the blade sank deeper.

“No.”

Orion fell to his knees, the life already draining from his eyes. Luyna knelt before her brother, trying to save his life with magic.

“What have you done?” Luyna cursed Blakast who retreated back to his corner, like a scolded dog, unable to