Page 25 of Calling of the Crown

Jesiah nodded. “Alesta refused to risk anything like that happening again, so Sand Crab Fae lifted the entire Kingdom from the seafloor to form the new land mass that is Morardia as we know it. Doing so saved lives and let Water Fae who couldn’t breathe beneath the water come home. But it also produced more problems. We were meant to exist in the water day in and day out. Not doing that made our powers grow even weaker. And then, of course, issues arose shortly after with Land Fae.”

“I remember those days,” Rune said. He looked out the window toward the distant mainland of the Land Fae territory. “King Zair, Elias’s father, had already been growing frustrated with Water Fae traveling to our lands because as Land and Water Fae bred, it also meant fewer Land Fae were born. Then when Morardia appeared above water, he took it as a threat against Land Fae. He thought it was only a matter of time before Water Fae tried to move to our territory and take it over. Some already had, creating small communities within ours.”

“Thus began the war,” Jesiah commented quietly.

Silence gathered like a heavy snow piling over us. The three of us didn’t speak any more, instead returning to the tasks before us. Rune slumped over his book, Jesiah browsed nearby shelves for more tomes to add to the pile, and I opened my own copy of Royal Policies Volume 1.

I didn’t make it past the first sentence before my mind returned to all I’d just learned. I wondered what things had been like back when all Water Fae knew how to tap into their full potential. I envisioned life under the waves and what that must’ve been like.

The Kingdom from long ago sounded far different than the one we lived in now, and part of me briefly wondered if I could really return it to the way it once was.

Chapter Thirteen

“Your boyfriend is a nightmare,” I grumbled, falling onto the cozy cushion of the couch. I leaned my head on Akira’s shoulder, careful to avoid his wings tucked behind him, and downed my wine.

Akira laughed and wrapped his arm around me. “Is he bombarding you with work?”

“I think he’s trying to bury me alive in it.”

“I heard you managed to get over halfway through volume one of Royal Policies,” Dallas said from where she sat cross-legged on the floor in her silk tank top and pajama shorts.

After a long, tiring first day of intense meetings, even more intense revelations, and far more intense studying, I was exhausted. I’d barely managed to get through dinner without my head falling into my plate of food. My friends had apparently picked up on this, so now a few of them sat around my personal sitting room with me. We lounged in our socks and pajamas, sipping on wine, and eating a cheese, cracker, and fruit platter that Fitan had graciously sent up.

“I hate that book,” I whined with a heavy sigh. “Do this, do that. Be this, be that. Never do this unless that occurs, but if that occurs, this needs to be done. It’s all gibberish, and even though I could regurgitate every word for you, I don’t want to waste my remaining brain power on that. What I do want to talk about,” I started conspiratorially, sitting up and turning to Akira with a greedy smile, “is you. I want to hear all about what it’s like having Jesiah back.”

“I still can’t get over the fact that the Akira we’ve heard all about was you this whole time,” Imani said with a disbelieving grin and shake of her head. “Like what are the odds.”

Akira’s pale cheeks pinkened, and he grabbed a throw pillow to hide his face. “Kore wa hazukashii.”

I had no idea what the Japanese words meant, but from how bright he flushed, I assumed the Raven was embarrassed. I snatched the pillow and placed it in my lap. Grabbing Akira’s hands, I beamed at him. “You finally found him. Was he here in Morardia the whole time?”

He took a deep breath and nodded. “He was. It’s crazy. I had flown over Morardia dozens of times, thinking he might be here, but I never bothered landing because it looked so abandoned.”

“Well, you’ve reunited now,” I hummed. “What’s it like?”

He gave a breathless laugh and tilted his head back to smile at the ceiling. “There are no words. Truly. No words would suffice to describe how unbelievably happy I am.”

My heart warmed, and I matched Akira’s contagious expression. We all did.

“What about you and Rune?” Mingxia asked brightly. “You two seem so in love. I can’t wait to see your Joining Ceremony. The last one was Queen Alesta and King Khal’s, which was forever ago. For many of us, this will be our first time witnessing one.”

I hoped my smile didn’t slip, because I didn’t want to ruin the lighthearted mood we had going. The Joining Ceremony was something I hadn’t thought about since first hearing of it, because I didn’t know if it was even going to happen. If I told Mingxia that, her sparkling eyes would dim with disappointment, and I really didn’t want that.

“What’s a Joining Ceremony?” Marlow asked. His glossy salamander eyes darted between all the Water Fae for answers.

Carlos glanced warily in Mingxia’s direction. “It sounds like a viewing party of Rune and Bria doing the dirty.”

“Get your mind out of the gutter,” Avana laughed as she swung a pillow at Carlos’s head.

“For real, Carlos,” Rune said. We all turned to look at the doorway where Rune leaned his shoulder against the doorframe in full Fox Fae form. Smirking, Rune continued, “You think I’d let people watch? She’s for my eyes only.”

“Party pooper,” Dallas pouted then threw a teasing wink at me.

“I was sent up with word from a few lonely, unnamed gentlemen who are dying to see their significant others now,” Rune said, giving a pointed look at Akira, Dallas, and Carlos.

“Oh, and you expect us to believe you’re not also looking to get your own lover all to yourself?” Avana asked with an all-knowing smirk.

Rune flashed a cheeky grin and held his clawed hands up in surrender. “Guilty.”

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