But would the water fae truly accept me? After all, I could only use one aspect of water magic, which would make me a lesser fae in their eyes. I wondered if maybe with practice, I could tap into other forms of water magic. After all, I clearly favored my water fae heritage, at least in terms of looks. Surely that meant my water magic had the potential to be just as powerful as my fire magic?
These thoughts chased themselves around in my mind as we traveled, passing small villages here and there, until finally we found ourselves in one of the strangest cities I’d seen yet. Rather than streets, it was sectioned into a series of concentric circular canals surrounding a lake, with houses built on the strips of land in between. A floating palace rose from the center of the city, its pearly walls stained golden-red by the dying sun. Water poured from the mouths of stone fish placed on the corners of the hipped roofs, flowering vines twined around its slender spires, and as we passed through the canals and into the inner lake, I gawked at the massive piranhas swimming lazily through the water. I’d only seen illustrations of them in textbooks, but I recognized the shape of their fins, and I knew razor-sharp teeth hid behind those jutting lower lips.
The sight of them reminded me of the koi Lady Mossi had weaponized against me, and I shivered, leaning away from the edge of the boat.
“A greater water fae, afraid of piranha?” the captain raised an eyebrow at me. “Never seen that before.”
I pressed my lips together, but said nothing. Even though my powers had been unlocked by taking off my protective “amulet”, I still didn’t exhibit the full range of abilities a greater water fae should have. I wasn’t sure why that was—if I just needed practice, or if there was some other secret of my birth that was preventing me from being able to fully command the water. But I hoped I could figure that out during my time here in Lochanlee.
“Thank the Radiants,” Einar muttered as we clambered out of the boats. The soldiers were forced to assist him since he didn’t have the use of his hands, but the moment his feet were on dry land, he shrugged their grips off. As I stared at the sunset backlighting the palace, I realized then that it had been close to twenty-four hours since the last time either of us had gotten any sleep. While the water had briefly invigorated me earlier, exhaustion and dizziness began to drag at my mind once more.
But this was no time to let my guard down. We were about to meet Lord Prentis, and I needed to be on my toes.
The soldiers herded us up the wide steps to the palace. Einar was finally allowed to walk next to me, and I brushed my shoulder against his in support, trying my best to be subtle about it. He visibly relaxed at the contact, and a tightness I hadn’t realized was in my chest loosened in response.
I still didn’t understand how someone who infuriated me so often could also be such a profound source of comfort and peace, but I wasn’t about to question it now.
The soldiers guarding the entrance stared curiously as we passed, their blue-eyed gazes lingering on Einar in particular. He kept his golden eyes downcast, but I knew it was only a matter of time until someone figured out what he was. My stomach clenched with dread—what would Prentis do once he found out Einar was a dragon? Would they try to kill him? My fists clenched—I couldn’t allow that to happen. Einar and I were in this together, for better or for worse. I would defend him, even if that meant making enemies out of the very people I was supposed to be asking for help.
“Wait here,” the captain said as he led us into a receiving hall. “I’ll inform Lord Prentis of your arrival.”
He left us there, along with six soldiers, and though I tried to take a moment to familiarize myself in these new, lavish surroundings, I found my mind drifting. From what little I remembered of House Usciete’s nobility, Lord Prentis was Lady Axlya’s nephew… did that make him my cousin? I wondered if telling him I was Princess Olette’s daughter would ingratiate myself with him, or if he would see me as a threat. My brief encounter with Lady Mossi had taught me that Greater Fae considered their family ties paramount to all other concerns… but did that apply to all the houses, or just hers?
Footsteps ringing against the tile floors pulled me from my thoughts, and I looked up to see the captain returning with a Greater Fae in his wake. Dressed in a periwinkle-blue tunic and matching trousers embroidered with silver thread, he was tall and handsome, with long, peacock-blue hair that fell in waves around his broad shoulders, and a regal-yet-friendly face. I expected him to greet us with suspicion, but his crystal blue eyes twinkled as he approached us, and to my surprise, his mouth widened into a welcoming smile.
“Cousin Adara!” He sailed over to me, and to my shock, took my shackled hand in his and pressed a kiss to it. “I’m Lord Prentis. Welcome to Thurston. It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”
I opened my mouth, not entirely sure how to respond to Prentis’s audacity. Was he really going to pretend his soldiers hadn’t just dragged me into the hall in chains? But the room chose that moment to swim, coalescing into a swirling kaleidoscope of colors. I sank to the ground, shouts echoing in my ears, and before I lost consciousness, my only thought was that after all the trials I’d faced, after killing the Shadows-damned king, I was brought low by the simple act of a male brushing his lips against my knuckles.
5
Lord Prentis
Prentis swooped in as Adara crumpled to the floor with all the aplomb of a discarded garment. He caught her before her head hit the ground, flinching a little as her coal-hot skin brushed against his forearm. A few feet away, her dragon companion struggled against the guards, but Prentis ignored him, brushing his hand against Adara’s forehead and taking in her flushed complexion with a scowl.
“She’s burning up,” Prentis said, leveling a glare at the captain of the squad that had retrieved her. “Did you know she was ill when you captured her?”
“Yes,” the captain admitted, looking more than a little uncomfortable. “But it didn’t seem to be life-threatening, and you told us to bring anyone we found post-haste.”
“Imbecile.” Prentis wanted to roll his eyes, but that wasn’t becoming of a man of his station. “She is of no use to me if she is dead! Fetch the healers at once.”
The captain paled, then spun on his heel and strode from the room, two of his soldiers peeling away from the group to follow him. Sighing, Prentis untied Adara’s wrists, which the captain had left bound, then carried her to a nearby settee. Gently, he set her down, then turned to face Einar, who had finally stopped struggling.
“Calm yourself, dragon. Adara will come to no harm while she is in my care.”
Einar’s eyes narrowed. “You know what I am.”
Prentis scoffed. “Of course I know. I’ve been killing your kind for decades. And I was at Daryan and Olette’s wedding, so I recognize you. You’re Einar, the late dragon prince’s closest confidante, and the former general of the dragon army.”
“You, with your lily-white hands?” Einar sneered, his gold eyes flashing. “If I was at full strength, I don’t think you’d be speaking so flippantly about killing dragons, you slimy water snake.”
Prentis casually closed the distance between him and Einar, strolling up to the bound dragon as though he were a mildly interesting statue he was admiring on a garden stroll.
“Funny that you would call me a snake, when you’re the one with scales and fangs, dragon.”
The two males stared at each other for a long moment, stone-faced. Prentis could sense that Einar was severely exhausted, yet he still radiated the kind of feral energy a male only exhibits when his loved ones were in danger.
What sort of relationship did this dragon have with his cousin? Were they lovers, as Olette and Daryan had been? His jaw clenched at the thought—he remembered all too well how that had ended, and though he didn’t know Adara, he did not wish Olette’s fate upon any of his kin. If there was any connection between the two, he would have to do his best to break it.