City of Fire

Chapter Forty-Five

"Ilona"

The City of Fire...

That's what they were calling it now...

Ilona looked out over the burned city and swallowed. She'd come to a day after passing out at the coliseum. Erin was beside her, holding her hand while the rest of her Guardians watched over her.

Her Guardians...

She looked down at her bare forearm and smiled ever so slightly at the mark that was there. It resembled her mother's and her mother's mother's, and so on.

Her mother...

Now that was a thought. She'd refused to think about her, about learning that Ella was her sister, about any of it. She'd learned that Anne had been attacked and Din's Heart taken from her. Ella and Scorch had been informed of the plan and so knew to divide their forces to ransack the castle. The people of the village had managed to flee to safety and the city was surprisingly empty without them here. The surviving soldiers were already organizing and rebuilding some of the buildings, but the stone was permanently marked by the lava that had rolled through at the cost of not having the gates closed to contain it. Fire still smoldered across the city, forever casting it in fiery light.

Her body was still sore, covered in bruises and cuts but she was whole. She heard the door behind her and knew it would be Anne. She'd been one of the few servants who had stayed behind and Ilona looked at her. She winced when she saw the cut along her temple. She'd been signaled out and nearly killed when she'd tried to escape the castle with the treasure Ilona had given her. The guilt was still in her eyes but Ilona didn't blame her.

No...

She blamed herself...

"It is time," Anne whispered and Ilona nodded. Turning she walked as best as she could to the door. Her thigh still ached where the Hollow had grabbed her, nearly dragging her to her doom. The halls were empty and filled with debris. The once grand tapestries were torn and burnt, the stones forever bearing the mark of the attack. Ilona closed her mind to it, forcing herself to just keep walking.

They reached the room and Ilona strode in. The Fire Council members stood there, their golden robes looking worn, but still grand. They stood atop a small podium, a red carpet leading to them. Few of the Highborns had stayed within the city, but the ones that had, lined the walls with the soldiers, their faces solemn as they looked at her. Ilona strode up the red carpet, ignoring the dark stain that she knew was blood. She'd chosen her armor over a dress and moved freely in it. Tidus and Erin stood to her right, Zane and Adrian on her left. They too, were dressed in their battle armor and even bore their weapons. They certainly looked imposing, despite the bruises and cuts.

She stood in the middle, her face calm and her heart like stone. The lords gazed at her for a long moment while behind them a large window that rose from the ground to the tall ceiling showed her the vast destruction of the city. The thought made her stomach twist once more but she clamped down on it, raising her chin into the air.

"Ilona Moon," their voices began, "daughter of Finyara," they paused for a long moment. "We now accept you as our Dominus, as our lawful Queen that shall govern over the kingdom of Eden." The words echoed inside the hall and suddenly Ilona wanted to scream. She wanted to shout at them how stupid they were, how all this made her sick, made her want to pound their faces in, but then someone touched her shoulder. She knew it was Tidus by the soft warmth that seeped into her and she bit her lip, hard. She bowed her head, not feeling the pain that lanced up her back. She said nothing else and the lords continued.

"You have proved to us that you now are the leader that we desire, that Eden so desperately needs." Lord Raphael stepped towards hers, "Accept this amulet as a testament to our undying loyalty for saving our city." He offered her a simple golden orb, flames carved into it and she raised her palms.

"I accept this, and your undying loyalty." She didn't hide the seething anger that was in her voice and Lord Raphael's eyes narrowed but she didn't care. He placed the amulet in her hands and stepped back.

"Hail our Dominus, our Queen for evermore!" He shouted and Lord Michael and Lord Jasik joined in. A moment later the crowd burst with the chant, stomping their feet and swaying their bodies slightly. Ilona closed her eyes, feeling a sudden weight come down across her shoulders. When she opened them, above her in the highest pane in the window sat a raven.

Their eyes locked...

A voice whispered inside her head.

You flew fast, Ilona, very fast. May you always fly swiftly with a brisk wind to carry you home.

And with that...

He was gone...

Ilona stared at the city, her eyes still unable to process everything that had happened. The sun had started to set, casting the city in an unearthly glow. It felt as if the fires had been relit and she stiffened, clamping her jaw. Then a cool breeze kissed her neck and she felt him. He stood beside her, his hands clasped lightly behind his back. She glanced up at him, noting the tattoo that now peeked out from underneath the collar of his black shirt. They didn't say anything for a long moment but she found that they didn't have to.

This silence was all she needed...

"Zaleos," she whispered the name and Zane looked down at her, "that was your name once, wasn't it?" She turned her eyes up to his and he nodded.

"Yes, that was my name once." He murmured and she tilted her head, gazing up at him.

"Why didn't you go with her?" Her voice was quiet and he looked at her for a long moment before his eyes travelled to the red horizon.

"I realized something," his eyes fixed on something in the distance only he could see.

"Realized what?" She turned slightly towards him but he kept his eyes on the horizon.

"I realized what I wanted when you said my name." He turned his head to look down at her, "Whatever falls from your lips," he reached up and lightly touched the strands of her hair, "That shall be my name." His fingers ghosted down to her arm, sliding past her elbow to lightly clasp her fingers in his hand. "Wherever you go, I shall go. Even if it takes me to a place far darker than I ever want to go, I shall not leave you." He bowed his head and kissed her fingers, "Never." He whispered and she shivered, gooseflesh erupting along her skin. He straightened and gazed down at her, his silver eyes shimmering with something Ilona couldn't place. He dipped his head in a bow and turned, striding away from her.

She watched him go, her eyes never leaving his back until he was gone. She turned back to the city, watching how the sun seemed to bathe everything in red. Reaching up she touched her stone and it warmed against her flesh. So many thoughts bounced around inside her head, but she held onto the fact that she'd be going home soon. The thought made her think of the raven, then again of so many different things. She sighed and emptied her head, gazing out over the city. The sun crept lower, tipping towards the horizon, bathing everything in a fiery light.

Ilona smiled slightly to herself...

This was indeed...

The City of Fire...

roR