Page 93 of Renegade Kings
“It may lessen my connection with the land, but honestly, travelling away from the court should do that, anyway. I won’t be able to tap into the court magic when I’m not here. But he can’t do anything that will hurt me. The only way to use it for himself would be to take the throne, and he’d have to kill me first to do that.”
Dean didn’t look convinced and as soon as he voiced his concerns, I regretted the way our conversation was heading. “And you never thought that he’d be able to control the creatures of Nymeria, or that he had a magic that could enslave and control the people, taking away their free-will. You thought it was impossible for a human to become fae, and yet we can all feel that there’s a power inside Damon now that shouldn’t be there.”
I hadn’t realised the guys had felt it too, but that was beside the point right now. Dean was right. Arik had shown us time and time again that he was capable of far more than we knew to be possible. Was leaving the Court vulnerable a mistake? I could stay behind and protect the throne alone, but our forces stood no chance with the plan we’d formed if I wasn’t there to do my part.
My gaze moved in the direction we’d travelled from. To where the palace sat hidden between the towering trees. And when it did, I came face-to-face with the dryad standing at the treeline, everyone around me oblivious to their presence. Even more surprising was Fizzle’s presence at their side. Or maybe it shouldn’t have been. He was working so hard to make sure we stayed on the right path, even if it meant he lost us all in the process. Of course, that would have included contacting the creature in the forest he’d apparently been expecting.
The dryad nodded at me, and I bowed my head in deference. I’d had time to think since our last meeting and I’d realised they deserved far more of my respect than I’d given them. This was a creature of Nymeria that had been here since the creation. The fae had once believed them to be gods. They deserved more than just our fear.
I didn’t know what I’d expected, but it wasn’t for the dryad to turn around and walk away. Fizzle opened his wings and flew to where the last of our people were loading into the boats.
“What was that?” Dean asked quietly.
“The dryad.”
My eyes stayed fixed on the treeline in confusion and then I glimpsed movement. Something moving in the shadows, more than one something. But as quickly as it was there, it was gone.
Something else was watching from the forest. Something that had been with Fizzle and the dryad, but stayed out of sight.
They’ll start gathering.
That was what Fizzle had said that night.
But what would this mean for us?
A wave of power swept across the land, and I felt it like a sudden tug at my chest that had me staggering forward. Dean’s hand quickly gripped my shoulders as he tugged me behind him, tensing, ready for a fight.
“What the fuck was that?” he growled between his teeth.
“The court,” I whispered, stroking one hand down his arm in what I hoped was reassurance as I stepped around him and walked up the beach.
It was only Fizzle suddenly landing in front of me that had me stopping in my tracks and not forging straight ahead into the trees like I’d intended.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“I know you felt that too, Fizzle.” I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the forest and the direction of the palace where I’d felt that power collecting.
Something was happening out there, and somehow I knew what it was.
“There’s nothing for you back there right now,” Fizzle said as Dean reached for my hand as if he was intending to be the anchor that kept me on the beach.
I glanced at him in question, and he gave me a wry smile in response. Damn protective alpha.
“What did the dryad have to say to you?” I asked, instead turning back to Fizzle.
He had the audacity to roll his eyes at me, and I knew I wouldn’t get the response I wanted. “The Court will be protected until you can return. Nymeria has reclaimed the land.”
I nodded, not needing anything else. If we started talking about this too loudly, it would freak out the few people who were still on the beach, and it wouldn’t take long for the rumours to spread. They’d only just realised that Nymeria wasn’t the enemy here and we needed it to stay that way. If Fizzle was right, and I was a child of Nymeria, whatever that meant, it would only mean they’d turn against me, too. And while I’d let them make that choice for themselves once the dust had settled, I needed to put Arik in the ground before they did.
Call me selfish, but I wanted that bastard dead, and I couldn’t fight a war on every front. I needed the cooperation of the people to achieve our mutually beneficial goal. If they didn’t want me sitting on a throne at the end of it all, I didn’t really care. I’d never strived to be a ruler in this place. A leader? That I could deal with. I’d stand at the head of an army and fight for them. But sitting on a throne and holding power over these people? Something about that had never really sat right with me.
“We should get ready to take the last boat,” I said instead, turning back down the beach.
“That’s it?” Dean asked incredulously. “You don’t want to know what he means?”
I gripped his hand harder and tugged on it so Dean stumbled into step beside me as I walked across the sand.
“I don’t need to know anything else. You were worried about Arik having an advantage by taking the court, and now he can’t. Nymeria will protect the court. The dryad will protect our land. We can’t fight them all, Dean. We have to trust they’re on our side.”