Page 63 of Crowns of Ice
Pride surged through me at the magnificent display that my mate portrayed. Her parents gazed up at her in equal awe, her brother and sister looking speechless.
I knew they’d seen glimpses of the female that Ilara was to become, that they’d always known on some level the inner strength their daughter and sister carried, but in this moment, the power of her magic and resilience of her character were shining for the entire realm to see.
More fists raised in the air as shouts of victory began.
“To the new king and queen!” a female yelled, her eyes upon me and my mate.
“To the new king and queen!” another joined in.
“King Norivun and Queen Ilara! King Norivun and Queen Ilara!”
Ilara smiled up at me while the villagers’ energy soared around us. Her warrior affinity hummed, the strength and feel of it practically bursting from her skin as her angel wings shined.
A burning intensity began to consume me at what the future held. More and more were standing against my father. More and more were willing to fight, and the female at my side—the mate that the gods had blessed me with—was ready to lead them into battle.
CHAPTER 19 - ILARA
Norivun and I collected his guards to help us mistphase all of the fae. Even with the prince and I transporting four to five fae at a time while his guards mistphased one after another until their magic grew too low, it was painstakingly slow, especially since I did most of the relocating.
Norivun needed to conserve his magic to weave his illusion around the small village and reseal the wards once more, so most of the work fell to me.
Moving my family and then leaving them was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. Even though I’d never been more proud of them for wanting to help, fear also bled into my heart. They were no longer protected by Norivun’s refuge, but we needed as many fae as possible spreading the word about my mate’s true character and the king’s evil heart.
We’d secured a room for them at a busy inn within Coolisbar. Nobody knew them there, yet once myfamily started speaking throughout the city and then moved on to the surrounding villages, their identities would be revealed, and their locations whispered among those forever loyal to the king.
“Stay safe.” I hugged each of them closely, my limbs trembling when I let them go.
Tormesh created a fireball in his hand and lobbed it into the air. “We may not have as much magic as you, but that doesn’t mean we can’t hold our own. Don’t worry about us. We’ll stay safe.”
“We’ll meet up in two weeks’ time?” I asked.
“Indeed, little Lara.” My father pulled me into another fierce hug. “We shall see you soon.”
“Remember, if the king’s guards come, do everything in your power to fight them.” I gripped my mother’s hands so tightly my knuckles turned white. “If Norivun or I hear that you’ve been taken, we’ll do everything in our power to save you.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. It was so thick I could no longer speak. Tears threatened to fill my eyes, so I blinked rapidly.
“Oh, Lara.” Cailis wrapped me in a hug, and then my parents did the same. Tormesh hugged me last, folding me between his massive arms as he gave me a big squeeze.
“We’ll keep our wits about us,” Cailis whispered.
I gave a firm nod and with our farewells complete, I waved one last time before mistphasing back to the Cliffs of Sarum to gather the remaining fae.
By the time Norivun,his guards, and I finished, I was so tired and so depleted that I could barely stand.
I’d mistphased dozens of times, transporting more fae at once than I ever had before. It took all of my training and everything Matron Olsander had taught me of mistphasing magic to achieve such a feat.
Still, I’d never pushed my mistphasing magic like this before, and I was at my limit when we finally relocated the last fae.
When Norivun and I returned to the inn, our bodies reformed slowly, so slowly that a moment of fear rang through me. The moment we were solid, both of us collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily.
Just as the mattress bounced beneath me, my magic ran completely dry. I groaned.Everythingin my body ached.
“Ock, do you need a healer?” Nish was beside me before I could blink, his expression feral.
I somehow managed to wave a hand, but I was too tired to speak.
Norivun’s and my eyes closed simultaneously, and our magic was so drained that the bond between us was barely palpable.