Page 20 of Heart of Night
The male tilts his head, studying my unruly state, the ripped and dirty leather pants, my bare chest and wind-torn hair. “You are about to leave Askarean soil.” It’s an observation and a warning. “You left the Seeing Forest a while ago.”
“I haven’t forgotten my bargain with Recienne.” Whether he believes it or not.
Astorian waves away my reassurance, gesturing at our surroundings. “Yet, here you are, ready to risk everything for a human.” I’m not sure I imagine the approval in his tone, but his eyes light up with a challenge I’m more than willing to meet if it means speeding this up and continuing on my quest. The tug in my shoulder has become nearly unbearable, and if I don’t follow it, I fear Ephegos will have damaged Ayna beyond repair by the time I find her. I can’t let that happen, no matter how many fairies stand in my way.
“If Recienne has a problem with my leaving, he can come after me himself.” The bite in my voice gets Astorian’s attention, and he studies me—really studies me—those vigilant eyes wandering my feather-less arms, my shoulders, until they land on my eyes.
“So, it’s true.” He gestures at where the last time I saw him feathers were sprouting. “The curse is broken.”
I don’t need to ask how he knows about the curse. Of course, Princess Cliophera told her king and his general about the weakness of their enemies. But I don’t see them as enemies anymore. Cliophera helped save Ayna. I’ll be forever in her debt.
A simple nod is all I give him. “Lower your weapons.” I glance left and right at my cousin and Silas, who both give me incredulous looks. “Our quarrel is no longer with the fairies of Askarea—at least not with the high fae.” Meeting Astorian’s eyes takes more courage than I expected, but when I do, a wealth of understanding is brimming there. He knows. He knows what happened at the palace in the Seeing Forest. Knows that the breaking of the curse means the Crows no longer require brides—all our bargains are moot.
“There is no more need for brides, and whoever of my people are remaining in the Seeing Forest won’t harm anyone.” It’s a promise I can easily give since these few Crows are all loyal to me. The traitors have all gone with the Flames and Ephegos to wherever cowards run off to. And they’ve taken my Ayna. I exhale a controlled breath to prevent my fury from clouding my judgement. It’s a futile effort.
Astorian gives me a nod of appreciation, his powerful arms folding over his chest. I’ve seen him fight with those arms and have no desire to be on the receiving end of that menace. And that’s just his physical prowess. I’ve also seen him use his unique magic—melting stone. Besides the Fairy King, he’s one of the most dangerous creatures in Askarea.
“Recienne is happy to see you leave his lands. Don’t come back. I’ll relay the same message to the Crows remaining in the Seeing Forest.” He turns on his heels, ready to march away, but before he takes a step, Royad raises his voice.
“Have you heard all of what happened in the Seeing Forest?”
Astorian spins around to face my cousin, murder in his auburn eyes. With two long strides, he’s in front of Royad, one of his countless blades in his hand and pointed at Royad’s throat.
“I don’t care what happened between you feathery lot and the ones who can’t keep their fire under control. All I care about is that my mate hasn’t come back since she returned to the Seeing Forest to help your human bride.” He throws me a sideways glance, cataloguing the way I’ve raised my hand to direct my magic at him if he moves the knife at Royad’s throat even a fraction. Beside me, Silas has drawn his sword once more, ready to take on the fairy general who shakes his head an inch.
“Where is she?” The earth shudders beneath me.
Silas swipes at him with his sword, but a string of liquid rock rips from the ground, slinging around the blade and ripping it from the Crow’s grasp.
By Shaelak?—
The fairy princess is missing. She either never made it out of the explosion or she ended up in the Flames’ claws. I can’t tell which option is more terrifying—not because I care excessively about the female who helped save Ayna but because the male before me does. His mate—Cliophera is his mate. And we all know what that means.
He won’t rest until he finds her. He won’t spare anyone standing in his way. If the fairies of Askarea are anything as relentless when it comes to their mates as my kind, it doesn’t matter that he’s facing three powerful Crows. He will eviscerate us with strength fueled by his need for vengeance.
“I don’t know.” The truth isn’t what Astorian wants to hear, but he recognizes it as such anyway. At least, he doesn’t suspect us for holding his mate captive. “If you got your information from the right sources, you’ll know that your mate isn’t the only one who’s gone missing. My wife is gone as well. Taken by the traitors working with the Flames.”
There is no logical reason to give him this additional information other than the anguish, the terror, the panic I recognize in his eyes as they snap to mine. We might have been enemies for longer than either of us can remember, but when it comes to this sort of loss, he and I are the same. We both won’t rest until we get back the females who were taken from us.
As this small moment of recognition passes between us, Astorian lowers his blade from Royad’s throat. Heaving a deep breath, my cousin staggers back, leaving Silas the only one at my side, trapped by the solidified rock Astorian wove around his sword. It melts away, setting the older male free as well. Astorian releases my wrist and vanishes into thin air the way his kind like to do before popping up a few paces away, blade sheathed and conflict written on his features.
What a convenient and utterly annoying skill.
“I know what you gave up to save your queen, Myron. And so do Cliophera and Recienne, or they wouldn’t have agreed to aid you.” He turns his head to scan the bushes and trees at the seam of the forest, unbothered by the three deadly Crows he just attacked, and grinds his teeth as if fighting a whole flood of words he isn’t supposed to speak but needs to get out anyway.
It’s enough to trigger the sort of compassion in me kings are supposed to show, even if Astorian isn’t part of my people. Not even an ally. And most definitely not a friend.
“I’m sorry.” The words slip out so fast I can’t even think them through, what they might entail if the fairy male interprets them as an apology for my involvement in the disappearance of his mate.
His gaze snaps back to mine, and the rage brimming there is more than I can handle.
Bracing myself against the onslaught of his anger, I reach into my magic and draw it to my fingertips, the vast power buzzing and sizzling as it aches to break free. I haven’t used the full extent of my abilities since I woke from the dead, so there is no way of telling what I’m actually capable of. I’m not sure if now is a good moment to find out either.
Royad and Silas don’t seem to have any such reservations as their magic flickers through the air, weaving together in a shield protecting the three of us from one wildly upset fairy male. A shield. I haven’t thought of creating one of those since I died. It didn’t stop me from being stabbed last time. It didn’t stop Ayna from getting hurt.
The guilt washing over me has nothing to do with my apology toward Astorian and everything with the part I’ve played in Ayna’s sacrifice.
“Don’t be.” Astorian’s words surprise me more than another attack would have as he folds his arms over his chest in a clear gesture that the time for weapons and fighting is over—for now. “My mate is as stubborn as she’s brilliant. No measure of warning could have stopped her from returning to the Seeing Forest to help save the human in your claws. From you, preferably, not for you,” he adds with a grim expression on his features. There is no mistaking the despise, the centuries of enmity and hatred between our peoples. Clio, however, had taken on the harrowing presence of the Crows to help a human. That’s more than any of my people could have said for themselves. My people preferred to let people die.