24
Adara
When I went to bed later that night, my thoughts were consumed by the day’s events. I expected to be up all night replaying my conversations with Lady Axlya and Einar in my head. But the dream lily Einar had given me, which I placed on my bedside table, had lulled me to sleep the moment I hit the pillow, its spun-sugar scent tugging my mind into a hazy dreamscape filled with rainbow sunbeams and cotton candy clouds and kaleidoscopic butterflies. I drifted from dream to pleasant dream for the rest of the night, as weightless as a snowflake, and when I woke, I felt more well-rested than I had in a week. In fact, I was so cheerful when I arrived at the breakfast table the next morning, I almost didn’t mind that I wasn’t allowed to eat.
“You're in good spirits this morning,” Cascada remarked as she buttered her toast. Half the water court had turned up for breakfast—Lady Axlya and her consorts, Cascada, Prentis, several of Axlya’s advisors, and a male sitting next to Cascada I didn’t know. “Quite a change from your display last night in the Hall of Mirrors.”
“It’s impossible not to be in a good mood now that Lady Axlya’s given me permission to prepare for the ritual.” I smiled at Axlya, pretending not to notice Cascada’s not-so-subtle jab. “I’m excited to find out what my animal form is, and unlock my full powers so I can best serve the realm.”
“Indeed,” Axyla said, sounding somewhat amused. “And I’m excited for you to marry my nephew so you can best serve the realm.”
A scowl threatened to wipe the smile from my face at Lady Axlya’s not-so-subtle urging, and I had to hide it behind a sip of water—the only thing I could consume for the next ten days. I glanced over the rim of my glass at Einar, expecting him to be glaring daggers at either Axlya or Prentis. But he appeared to be unbothered, his intention focused on the arduous task of polishing off the kippers on his plate.
If I didn’t know him so well, I would think he didn’t care. But somehow, either because of the bite or because we’d spent so much time together, I’d become more attuned to his movements. I noticed the slight wrinkle that had formed between his brows, the way he’d gripped his fork a little tighter than normal, and the subtle tightening of his jaw.
My decision about whether I was going to marry Prentis was very much still hanging in the air like an axe above him, and he was bracing himself, waiting for it to fall.
Prentis cleared his throat, trying to break the tension that had thickened the air. “Now that Adara has officially begun the fasting period, I thought perhaps a trip to the water temple would be in order,” he said.
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Kalis asked. “The other clan heads will be arriving to meet Adara, likely tomorrow. It would be very unfortunate if she were absent.”
“There is no reason Adara wouldn’t make it back in time,” Prentis said. “It’s only a half-day journey. And besides, Adara needs to pay tribute to the temple and receive the priestess’s blessing before the ritual can take place. She might as well do it now, before things get too busy here at court. Today may be our only opportunity to get away.”
“Very well,” Lady Axlya said. “I agree, Adara should visit the temple. Take Cascada with you too—the three of you can make a day of it.”
“You mean the four of us,” I said. When they stared blankly at me, I clarified. “Einar is coming, too.”
Einar raised an eyebrow at me, and the others stared at me as if I’d lost my mind. “You do realize the Water Temple is under the sea, right?” Cascada said, speaking to me like she thought I was daft. “Your dragon protector will be useless down there. What’s the point of even bringing him?”
“Useless?” Einar set his fork down, giving the conversation his full attention. “I may not be able to use my fire magic underwater, but I assure you the rest of my abilities are functional on land and sea.” He flashed a fanged smile at her.
“Oh, really?” Cascada sneered. “Didn’t both of my cousins have to rescue you from a kraken the other day?”
Einar folded his corded arms over his chest. “That was only because I was bound by those infuriating magical shackles,” he protested. “You wouldn’t have been able to fight back in my position, either.”
“I would have never ended up in your position,” Cascada said sweetly.
“Oh stop it, you two,” Prentis snapped. “I’ll have to fashion you a magical breathing apparatus, since I doubt you’ll be able to hold your breath for that long, but there’s no reason you can’t come, Einar. Whether the priestess will allow you into the temple is another matter, but if Adara wants you by her side, then so be it.”
“Thank you.” Einar inclined his head. “That would be much appreciated.”
I blinked, looking between the two of them. Were these the same males that had come to blows over me just the other day?
“I’m going to need a breathing apparatus too,” I reminded Prentis. “I can hold my breath for quite a while longer than Einar, but still not long enough for a half-day trip under the ocean.”
“Oh. Right.” Prentis shook his head, looking a little befuddled. “You don’t think you’ll be able to use your gills again?”
“No. I already tried in the bath.” I gave him a half-shrug, then glanced sidelong at Lady Axlya. “All the more reason for me to complete that ritual as soon as possible, am I right?”
Axlya huffed and made a shooing motion with her hand. “Be off with you before I change my mind.”
She didn’t have to tell us twice.
* * *
“You didn’t have to do that, you know.”
I followed the sound of Einar’s voice as I stepped out into the hallway from my bedroom, and found him leaning against the wall just a few feet to the left. He wore the same skintight, silver-scaled armor the water fae soldiers used, which was designed to be worn both on land and underwater. The armor was a bit too tight—water fae had leaner physiques than dragons, better suited for swimming—so it fit him like a glove, and I had to do my best not to let my gaze travel too far south.