The wolf barked urgently, then cut off with a pained yelp as an arrow struck it through the leg. It collapsed onto its side and rolled.

“Meredith!” Amron brought his hands together, palms out, fingers touching. His gaze was focused on the fallen wolf. 

Something dashed by Luca, He jerked up, falling back onto his knees, and watched a group of lions stream past. Two, four, six– where had they come from?

“Illusions?” he asked. Amron nodded without taking his gaze from the lions. “What can I do?”

“Let me focus.”

Right, Amron had said his little sun illusions would stay until he lost focus. The lions were probably the same, so Luca would need to figure out something to do without Amron telling him.

The lions advanced, two of them standing over Meredith. The Lightguards slowed to a stop as the rest of the lions continued closer. Luca could only just make them out– Bella, with empty hands raised to command the earth. Tris, nocking another arrow to his bow alongside another archer, a spring demon. The captain raised a hand, and as the archers released, she swept her hand out. Sending a breeze to guide their arrows, Luca guessed. The last two guards, Lucille and a blue-winged sprite, started towards Meredith, drawing their swords.

He looked up. The harpy couple was circling, each with a chick held in their arms. They must not know what to do either. Where were Val and Kylli? He turned in a circle and saw the black wolf, Mellony, circling her flock. There was a figure on her back that had to be Val, hunched over and gripping her fur. Kylli must be in front of him.

“Finish the wolf off, then get the boys.” The captain’s voice cut through the air, carrying to Luca like she wanted him to hear. “Try to take Luca alive for trial. We can worry about the rest later.”

Luca fought to process the words. Take him alive. Back to Solaris. To Flavius. To the Emperor. To Aurora’s killers.

Get the boys. Take Luca alive.

There was a dreadful implication there.

But I don’t know how to fight. 

Fear sliced deep into his bones. He couldn’t help. He couldn’t do anything. He was useless here.

Amron cried out.

The fear snapped away. An arrow was buried in the ground at Amron’s feet. Luca stared at it for too long a moment before he realized that it hadn’t actually hit Amron.

“I’ll be back!” he shouted, and began to run.

He wouldn’t reach Meredith before the guards did, so as they approached, he flung out his hand and summoned a circle of flames around the wolf, forcing the guards to stop.

“Luca,” Lucille said warningly. “You’re making a mistake. Drop the flames and we won’t have a problem.”

Luca walked through the flames to reach Meredith. He’d changed shape, turned back into his human form, except he still had the ears and tail, and he was sitting up to examine his leg. “Are you okay?”

Meredith glanced up with his ears pinned to his head. “Other than the arrow jammed through my calf? Perfectly fine.”

“Right, stupid question, sorry.” Luca glanced around at the crackling flames. “I need to go. Do you want me to drop the flames?”

“Don’t bother. Can’t run anyway.”

Luca nodded and stepped through the fire. It tingled on his skin, a warm, familiar feeling. His fire.

He thought of Aurora and the flames coated his body. He hadn’t been able to protect her.

He’d protect these people. Amron and Meredith and Kylli and her father and the harpies and Mellony.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something flash toward him. Reflexively, he threw a hand up. The arrow caught fire and crumbled.

“Tell my brother,” Luca said to the Lightguards, “that I will never come home.”

He watched understanding dawn on the captain’s face. Then anger. “You lied to us! You said you weren’t Luca Fiorecato!”

Flames flared from Luca’s clenched fists. “Luca Fiorecato died the same day his sister did. You can tell Flavius he’s alone now.” He growled through his teeth. “Tell him I will hate him forever.”

One of the guards gasped in shock, pointing.

“It’s the illusionist,” the captain grumbled.

“The illusionist is out cold,” Bella pointed out.

Luca didn’t dare look back to see what they were talking about.

The captain seemed to be weighing her options. Finally, she gestured to Luca. “Grab him and we’ll go.”

Luca stepped back into the circle of flames.

The captain cursed. When Luca poked his head out again, they were leaving.

He looked back. Several dragons stood not far behind him, with a few more overhead. Amron lay unconscious where he’d been standing.

“What…?”

The dragons vanished and Amron appeared in their place, looking a bit dazed. “Okay, that was way harder than I thought it would be. Are they gone?”

“That was you? But… how?”

Amron spun a finger in the air. “Figured none of them would be fireproof, and they were all paying so much attention to you I didn’t think they’d notice the archers didn’t actually hit me.” He grinned at Luca. “We make a good team.”

Flames sparked on the tips of Luca’s ears as heat rose to his cheeks. “I guess we do.”

“When you’re done flirting,” came Meredith’s voice, “would one of you mind helping me up? Arrow. In leg.”

Luca blinked, snapped his mouth shut, and dropped the flames as he spun around. “Sorry, sorry, sorry.” He reached down, then paused, staring at the arrow still stuck through Meredith’s leg. “Uh… do you want me to take it out?”

“Do that and I’ll die of blood loss. Just burn it shorter and we’ll take care of it later.”

Luca dropped to his knees and tried not to let his hands shake as he guided a flame to burn each end of the arrow. The arrowhead dropped to the ground with a soft sound, while the fletching smoldered and smelled awful. 

“Maybe don’t burn the feathers,” Meredith suggested.

“Thanks.”

“So you’re that demon noble people have been talking about.”

The tiny flame flared higher momentarily. What did Luca say to that? He was, but he wasn’t.

“Had my suspicions,” Meredith continued. “A missing nobleman named Luca, no warrant out for his kidnappers, and then a cuffed demon named Luca shows up looking for the Darkness? Two and two makes four.”

“What?”

“Word travels fast when there’s money involved. Remember that.” Meredith cut off with a hiss of pain. “That’s plenty short enough.”

Luca looked down. Nearly all the arrow was burned away, except for the part that was actually in Meredith’s leg. The flame winked out. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” Meredith put a hand on his shoulder and started to pull himself up. “You helped us today, Luca. If you still want to join the Darkness, I’d say that’s a pretty significant first step.”

Luca stood carefully, helping Meredith to his feet at the same time. “I do want that. But… not as Luca.”

“Really now?” 

He shook his head firmly. Luca Fiorecato was dead. He wanted no trace of a connection to Flavius in his new life.

“What are you going to call yourself then?” Amron asked, appearing on Meredith’s other side.

“I… don’t know. Should I?”

Both other men stared at him for a moment, then Meredith smiled and offered, “I have a suggestion, if you’d like. You don’t need to keep it, but maybe as a placeholder?”

“What is it?”

“Ciaran.” Meredith reached over and ruffled his dark hair. 

“Ciaran…” He reached up to rub the back of his head. “I like it.”

Meredith nodded. “Ciaran it is, for now. How do you feel about boats, Ciaran?”

“I’ve never been on one. Why?”

“We’re going home,” Amron said.