Page 23 of Calling of the Crown

“Remember, this will be similar to what you’ve done before,” Dallas started.

Jesiah stood directly beside me and stared out at the water. “Concentrate. Focus on the water until you feel the electric connection form, and when you do, call out to the water. Let your intentions be known. Then release the water to go forth and alert Water Fae.”

I nodded and took a deep breath. The crystal-clear turquoise waters glittered in the bright sun like hundreds of twinkling stars riding the waves. I breathed in and out to the push and pull of the tide, and within seconds, that familiar buzz started up in my chest before spreading throughout my limbs.

Smiling softly, I held onto the connection and whispered, “Help me. Help me reach all Water Fae. Tell them their Princess has returned to Ambrolia, so they can, too.”

The soft crash of the ocean suddenly thundered as water burst up from the sea in a towering wave. Instead of fearing the skyscraper of a geyser, I watched it in wonder as it began to separate into thousands of small orbs, just like the ones that had led me to Dallas. The orbs danced in the air above the waves, glowing from within, and they bounced once before disappearing in a silent pop.

My brow pinched in confusion. “What happened? Where’d the orbs go?”

“You did it!” Dallas squealed and threw her arms around me.

I glanced at Rune, whose amazed eyes were locked on me.

Jesiah smiled brightly. “Excellent work. The water should be headed to every Water Fae out there, letting them know to return home. Expect lots of new arrivals in the coming week.”

“I’ll have the groundskeepers begin their walk-throughs to make sure every house is stocked with necessities and ready for Fae to move back in,” Dallas said.

“While you do that,” Jesiah began as he turned to smile at me, “we are going to return to the palace to begin your studies.”

His eyes glittered in the way only a teacher’s could, and seeing such intense excitement made my stomach sink with dread.

Warily, I asked, “I’m about to hate you, aren’t I?”

He snickered. “Probably.”

Chapter Twelve

“WE’VE GOT A LOT TO catch you up on,” Jesiah stated.

He sat me down at an expansive table in the middle of the palace library, which made my university library look like a broom closet. All I could see for miles were shelves stocked with books, all the way up to the glass dome ceiling.

Please tell me I don’t have to read all of these.

I glanced at Rune, who stood beside me in his Fae form with an amused smirk, and I sent him a silent plea for help. He only grinned wider and turned to watch Jesiah reappear with his arms loaded with books. Rune bit his lip to fight off a laugh, and his fox ears twitched in delight. I glared at him. The jerk was enjoying this torture.

Jesiah placed the books in front of me with a loud thud, and he beamed with pride as he placed a hand on top of the behemoth stack. “I know you have a photographic memory, so this should be a breeze for you. Light reading material.”

“Right,” I mumbled, plucking a book from the top entitled Royal Policies Volume 1. I fanned through the pages, noting the itty-bitty font. “Light reading.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to distract you from your studies,” Rune started, a smirk still plastered on his lips. “So I’ll just take my leave now and—”

“Hold it right there, Fox Boy,” Jesiah quipped. He moved around the table and forced Rune into the chair next to mine, pulling a tome out from the dusty stack. “While you know the ins and outs of this world, you still have to learn the duties and policies that come with being a ruler. So here’s your reading assignment, too.”

Rune’s face fell as he stared down at the book, and my head fell back in a cackle. He glared at me, and I pointed an accusing finger at him. “Payback’s a bitch.”

Rune sighed and flipped open the cover to the first page. He scanned the first few lines before his eyes glazed over with boredom, and he dropped his head into his clawed hands. “I already want to stab my eyes out with a spoon.”

“Now, now,” Jesiah started, patting Rune’s back teasingly. “Don’t do that. How would you read volumes two and three without your eyes?”

Rune glanced suggestively at me. “Maybe if I had something to motivate me …”

My cheeks burned, which served to bring a teasing smile back to Rune’s lips.

Jesiah rolled his eyes. “Will I need to separate you two?”

Rune smirked and gave me a once-over as he pulled his book onto his lap. “We’ll see.”

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