Page 60 of Calling of the Crown

“I’m going to try to send you back,” Alesta said as she grabbed me and pulled me into her arms.

I held her tightly and buried my face in the crook of her neck. “If you can send me back, why can’t I come here again?”

“Because I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it again. I’m not even sure if it will work now. I told you, Dewdrop, I’ve grown weak. My powers aren’t what they once were. What if this time drains me completely? We can’t risk you getting lost here. Not when Fae need you.” She pulled back to grip my shoulders, and her blue eyes bore into mine. “Not when Rune needs you.”

The name sent a sharp jolt soaring up my spine, and with it came a flood of memories.

Golden eyes staring into mine with more love than I’d ever felt before.

Lips curled in a warm smile.

Strong hands holding me, touching me, worshiping me.

“Rune,” I gasped as fear quickly cleared my mind of any fog the water had placed over it. I had just disappeared right in front of him, and I couldn’t imagine what must be going through his head. I had to get back to him.

Alesta smiled when she saw the realization hit me. “There’s that connection to the surface you needed.” She quickly hugged me one last time and whispered, “I love you, Bria. With all my heart. Be brave and know that I’ll fight to return.”

The places where her body touched mine began to warm and tingle with a trace of magic. My vision blurred before going dark. I felt weightless, suddenly drifting before it felt like I was soaring. I was flying up and up and up until—

I gasped, and my eyes flew open. It took me a moment to get my bearings, but when I did, I realized I was lying on my back in the middle of the training room. I was right back where I’d been, only the room was dark, still, and quiet. Two torches were lit at the entrance, barely illuminating the empty room.

“Where did everyone go?” I mumbled to myself.

My hand tingled where it laid by my side, and I slowly lifted it. My heart stuttered when I saw my hand made of water, and as I stared at it, the water slowly colored and changed until my peachy, fleshy, boney hand was back. I wiggled my fingers and moved my wrist to confirm that my hand was truly fine, and I was relieved to see the extremity functioned as it should.

I glanced down at the rest of me to see if any other body parts were currently made of water, and I realized I was very naked. I immediately sat up in alarm, and my hair spilled over my shoulders. My eyes widened, because my hair was far less blonde now. The blue extended from my ends to about halfway up my cheek now, making three-fourths of my hair azure.

I dropped the strands I’d been examining and looked around the room for clothes or something to wear. Thankfully, I found some old trousers and a rather large tunic in the changing room. Their musty scent told me they’d been there for some time, but I pulled them on anyway. It was better than wandering around the palace naked.

I crept through the halls and climbed the stairs until I reached the main floor. When I was met with a silent hallway in a place that was usually bustling with activity, my anxiety grew. Maybe something had gone wrong when my mother sent me back, and I wasn’t actually in the palace. I could be stuck somewhere in between our worlds all alone.

Heart pounding, I summoned water from the closest source to me. It took a moment to reach me from wherever it came from, but once it hovered above my hand, I quickly asked, “Where is everyone?”

The water bounced at my question before moving away from me and down the hall. Relief tried to seep into my limbs, but I refused to let myself feel reassured until I actually found everyone.

I jogged behind the water, holding my loose trousers up by the waistband as I ran. We reached the corridor that housed the different meeting rooms, and suddenly, I heard voices from beyond one of the closed doors. Heart leaping, I raced for it and threw it open.

Every set of eyes locked on me when I stepped inside, and the very air in the room seemed to leave. My entire chosen family was gathered inside. Well, everyone except Rune.

And each stared at me as if they’d just seen a ghost.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, stepping farther into the room. “Where’s Rune?”

“Bria!”

My name was fired at me from every direction in dozens of different voices.

Dallas’s cry struck me hardest, though. Her voice cracked on my name, and she ran over to me and threw her arms around my neck. She squeezed me as if we’d just been reunited after years apart.

I held her back, but I cocked a confused brow at Jesiah. “What’s going on? Why is everyone here in this meeting room? And where is Rune?”

Dallas pulled back and gripped me firmly by the shoulders. Tears ran down her red, puffy cheeks, and having her this close, I could clearly see the dark circles beneath her eyes. “Where have you been?”

“I—” I stopped.

Seeing Dallas so torn up over my being gone for a few hours was odd. She was extremely distraught, and when I scanned the sea of faces again—some who still stared at me in utter shock, and others who fought tears as they fidgeted like they wanted to rush me like Dallas had—I realized that something wasn’t right.

“I’m confused,” I stated.

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