Fae derived their strength from the land around them. Whether they were fire fae like the Chancellor and her daughter, air fae like Nikhail, earth fae like Atlas, or water fae like Ryker and River, their power came from the world. Their magic was a gift from the gods, and it grew stronger the more time they spent in the elements.
Once, when his kind lived on the other side of the Obsidian Coast, their power had been even more potent. Back then, before natural disasters destroyed their home, the fae had lived in royal courts.
Those were gone, but their magic remained.
Ryker stood outside the destroyed auditorium at Jade Academy, and his gaze was trained on the sky.
Not much had changed in the four days since he’d first arrived. The land was still scorched, the school was still destroyed, and they were still searching for clues. The academy had been cordoned off. Students had been sent home, temporarily replaced by soldiers, investigators, andRepresentatives. Some milled about aimlessly, many chatted in small groups, while a few barked orders into phones.
Everyone was tense.
It was like those rebel bastards had planted the bomb and disappeared into thin air. If they were still in the Southern Region—and right now, that seemed unlikely—they weren’t anywhere near Sandhaven.
Chancellor Rose had even sent the Core. A tight-knit group of soldiers who worked solely for Ignatia Rose, the Core consisted of two Death Elves, an Earth Elf, a fire fae, and a witch.
The soldiers worked in the shadows and were known for their cruelty, abrasive attitudes, and overall sense of unpleasantness. They didn’t have ranks because they didn’t believe in them. They were a group of equals whose entire mission in life was to do the Chancellor’s bidding.
And they did.
The Core got shit done.
When they arrived on the scene yesterday, Ryker had thought the investigation might finally get somewhere. Alas, they still hadn’t uncovered anything new.
Even Myrrah had run into roadblocks with her coven as they sought to learn more about the charred stone.
Dead ends surrounded them, and it was fucking exhausting.
Ryker was at the end of his rope. He was tired of the desert heat, tired of not getting enough sleep, and tired of not being with Brynleigh. The only highlight from the past four days was their almost constant communication. He’d never valued his phone as much as he did right now. Every moment when he wasn’t in a meeting or working, he was texting his wife.
It was almost like old times.
Almost.
They still hadn’t talked about what happened on their wedding night, but each conversation was easier than the last.
A flash of dark brown hair appeared in the corner of Ryker’s eye, and he turned as Felicity approached him.
“Captain.” She dipped her chin in greeting. “Are you waiting for the Carinoc Division?”
He crossed his arms and glanced skywards. Still nothing but the impending storm. “I am.”
“Hopefully, they were able to find something.” Felicity hugged her clipboard to her chest and frowned.
Or this might all be a failure.
Ryker heard the undercurrent in the First Lieutenant’s words even though she didn’t say them out loud.
No one wanted to fail, especially now that Chancellor Rose had gotten involved.
Failure on a regular day in the Republic of Balance meant embarrassment or, potentially, a mark against your record. That was bad enough. But failure when the Chancellor was closely monitoring the situation? This was the type of thing that could irrevocably ruin careers.
Ryker needed his job not to be affected by this. It was the one thing that had kept him stable in the years after the Incident, and now, it was the reason he was able to keep Brynleigh out of prison.
They needed to find something about the rebels—anything to show that these days in the desert had been worth it.
Grunting, Ryker trained his eyes on the sky. Grey clouds swirled in the distance, darkening the horizon and promising sweet relief from the punishing heat in a few hours.
Extending his fae senses, Ryker listened to the wind. He might not have been a vampire, but his hearing was far better than that of a human.