Page 70 of Court of Winter
Prince Norivun nodded, and in the same breath, a cloak of magic fell over me. This time I felt it, unlike when he’d cloaked me on the flight into Solisarium or last night when he’d hidden my hair again. Both times I’d been too distracted to sense it.
His illusion was subtle, like a light cloth settling over my skin, before it disappeared. Nothing like the heavy magic that Vorl’s illusions created.
But before I could ready myself for what was to come, the prince’s arms were around me, and we were shooting into the sky.
I swallowed a squeal, and my eyes closed automatically as a rush of wind blew over my skin. We climbed fast, and the prince’s tight hold had my belly quickening. Reflexively, I gripped his neck with both arms.
He chuckled. “Are you still worried I’ll drop you?”
I forced my limbs to loosen as I opened my eyes to peer up at him. “Well, I don’t know. You did threaten me with that last time.”
His chuckle deepened, and since he didn’t tease me further, I pried my attention away from his square jaw and that cleft between his chin.
Around us, the castle grounds sprawled in a complex array of connected buildings, open courtyards, jutting turrets, and soaring towers.
The prince flew us right past the highest tower, passing only feet from its balcony.
I caught sight of a figure sitting in a chair, just the briefest flash of a female with long black hair, wings hanging limply, and a green gown.
“Was that your mother?” I asked, my heart beating harder. I’d never met another Solis with hair like mine.
For a moment, he didn’t respond as his giant wings flapped, but then he said quietly, “It was. That’s her tower.”
“But her hair isn’t hidden.”
“That’s because the wards around her tower only allow a few of us within viewing range. When she’s alone, she doesn’t like to hide who she is.”
I wondered if I’d imagined the pained ache in his voice or the way the queen’s wings had hung so limply.
“Is she unwell?” As soon as the question left my mouth, I wondered why I’d asked it. It was nothing to me if his mother wasn’t of good health.
His hold on me tightened. “She lives in peace.”
“That’s a rather...strange response.”
He didn’t reply as we crested the castle’s walls and pierced the outer ward. The ward’s magic prickled my skin before it released us, and then the sprawling capital lay all around. Wind whipped through my hair since the prince obviously hadn’t used his air affinity to suppress it.
Movement behind us caught my attention, and a smile spread across my face when I saw the prince’s four guards racing to catch up with us.
“Are your guards following us?” My grin grew, not because I was looking forward to seeing Nish, but I welcomed Haxil’s company, and since Sandus was to be my new guard, I figured I better get to know him.
“They are.”
“You need their protection while I’m—” I couldn’t bring myself to saycreating orem.
“No, not for your training, but for the business I need to attend to. There’s unrest in Harrivee right now. I may need their assistance in Barvilum.”
It only took his guards moments to reach us, and then they were right beside us. Black wings flexed as they glided, and their wings brushed tips on occasion they flew so closely, but nobody seemed to mind. Instead, the four guards flanked the prince’s side as though they were the God Seemus’s warrior hounds guarding his back.
“Ilara Seary, daughter of Mervalee Territory.” Haxil dipped his head as his round cheeks lifted while his voice carried to me on the wind. “Nice to see you again.”
I returned his smile. “It’s lovely to see you too, Haxil Hubberline, guard to the crown prince and son of Isalee Territory.”
The guard’s smile turned wolfish, and a low growl rumbled in the prince’s chest. Nish gave me a side-eye, then a barely suppressed sneer, while Ryder and Sandus both nodded hello.
“And where are we off to today, Nori?” Sandus asked as his large wings flapped.
The prince pointed south. “Back to Barvilum in Harrivee Territory. The Lochen fae have stolen more goods from their wharf, and there’s a field I want Ilara to see.”