Page 69 of Wings of Snow
“Okay,” I said hesitantly, then nodded more assuredly when I remembered how I’d done something similar during the second Trial test in the Bay of Nim. I’d used my air affinity to breathe underwater while also propelling me through the waves. It could be done. With Norivun’s guards, it would be more difficult, but we could do it.
Norivun’s eyes widened when he assessed my wings, his manic energy dimming slightly as he looked at them with wonder. “They’re back.”
I nodded, and then concentrated on calling my wings back into my body to see if I could make them disappear.
Surprisingly, it was no different than the other movements. In a blink, my wings were gone.
“Incredible,” he whispered. “You’re quite fast.”
I batted my eyelashes. “So I’ve been told.”
Nish snorted a laugh.
“Back to the matter at hand,” Ryder crossed his arms. “Tell us exactly what you saw.”
Norivun explained what his scrying had allowed him to see about Vemil Brasea. “Drachu’s there. I’m sure of it. He’s in one of the palace’s rooms.”
“Are you confident we can get to him?” Haxil asked.
Prince Norivun slipped his yellow crystals into his pocket. “It’s hard to say. I have no idea if he’s guarded or in a weakened state. Who knows why he pulled on Ilara’s powers like he did. We won’t know until we get there.”
My magic simmered at just the mention of what Drachu had done. He might have helped me by calling upon God Zorifel to restore my powers, but that favor had come at a cost. A cost I’d never agreed to.
“When should we go?” I asked. “Are we strong enough to confront him now?”
More of the manic energy around Norivun faded, and his worry strummed toward me on our bond. “That question is most relevant for you. You’re the one who was depleted only a few hours ago. I’ve had enough time since ripping through my illusion at the Cliffs of Sarum to recover adequately.”
“I’m fine.” When he raised his eyebrows, I scowled. “I am. Don’t baby me. I can handle myself.”
His lips curved with pride.
Ryder cocked an eyebrow at the prince. “How likely are you to be able to pinpoint his location again if we don’t go after him right at this moment?”
Norivun’s lips thinned as he drummed his fingers on his thigh. “I don’t know. Every time you use an object to scry, it becomes less effective. Most likely, I would have to return to Vockalin to retrieve something else that Drachu owns.”
“Which could potentially alert him to what we’re doing.” I shook my head. “I’ve had enough rest and food to be able to do this. We go now, and we put an end to his control on me.”
Norivun grinned. “Spoken like a true queen.”
CHAPTER 20 - ILARA
We had to find a map of the oceans before we could mistphase to Vemil Brasea. We knew the Lochen capital was in the Adriastic Sea, the ocean just to the east of the Nolus continent that separated it from the Silten continent, but we didn’t know its exact location. If we were to mistphase there, we had to know precisely where we were going, lest we end up in some nether region of the ocean.
“What do you remember of Vemil Brasea in your Lochen studies?” Norivun asked Haxil as we strode from the inn back onto the capital’s streets.
Haxil ran a hand along his cheek as we headed toward a map shop that the Crystal Inn employee had recommended to us. “It’s large, probably the same size as Solisarium, but since it’s in the ocean, it’s not warded. The Lochen are the commanders of the seas, always have been, and that arrogance has made them feel vastly superior to any other fae in our realm, especially when it comes to the water.”
Norivun’s lips parted in a malicious smile. “No wards. Excellent.”
“Do you have any idea at all where Drachu is in his palace?” I asked as the door to the map shop appeared ahead.
Norivun’s wings ruffled, his talons looking like onyx claws in the sunlight. More than a few Nolus fae on the street gave us a wide berth when we strode past them. “No, unfortunately I don’t, and as for where exactly or for how long he’ll be there, I’m unsure.”
We didn’t waste any time securing a map once we reached the shop, even though the shopkeeper—a Nolus female with cobalt-blue hair—squealed in fright when we burst through the door.
I couldn’t fault her response. Norivun and his four guards, with their massive wings, menacing expressions, and huge builds would have scared the daylights out of any Solis fairy, let alone an unsuspecting Nolus who’d probably never seen our kind in her entire life.
I hurried to smother her fears, and after her blubbering responses, she finally calmed down enough to show us what we needed.