Page 11 of Calling of the Crown

Jesiah’s dark eyes traced the ends of my hair for a few silent moments. He took a hearty sip of his coffee and began, “Blue hair is an old trait for Water Fae that you don’t see anymore. Or at least, we didn’t until …” He waved a suggestive hand at me. “The last Water Fae to have that feature was—”

“My mom,” I finished. I picked at an egg that had somehow found its way onto my plate, along with dozens of other items. Glancing over at Rune’s plate, I realized his was loaded much like my own, and I assumed he was the culprit behind my full dish. Clearing my throat, I looked back up at Jesiah. “It was my mother.”

Jesiah nodded. “Queen Alesta. She wasn’t born with blue hair, either. Hers started out blonde, but over time, it turned blue like yours is doing now.”

“Why is that?”

“Because she could do something that no other Water Fae had been able to do in centuries. She was the last of our kind who could actually tap into and connect with water the way we are meant to. In a way that I’m not sure how to even describe since no one has been able to do it in so long.”

Stunned at the revelation, I asked, “Why haven’t other Water Fae had this ability?”

“Because,” a new voice boomed. “We are broken.”

Chapter Six

WE TURNED TO THE ENTRANCE where a tall man stood with his shoulders back and his hands behind him. His dark hair was slicked back, matching the pristine condition of the silver armor he wore. Even from this distance, I could see the harsh planes of his pale face, the stubble lining his square jaw, and the void in his gray eyes.

“General Blackwood,” Dallas said, sitting up a hair straighter. “We weren’t expecting you yet.”

“Clearly.” His sharp eyes snapped over to Dallas.

Tension seeped into every corner of the room, becoming almost tangible. I didn’t know who this man was, but he was obviously important. Wanting to make a good impression, I swallowed past the lump in my throat and gestured at an open seat by Ardley. “Would you like to sit? There’s plenty of food if you’re hungry.”

He bowed. “Thank you, Your Highness. A hot tea would suffice for now.” He nodded at one of the wait staff, who quickly swept out of the room to gather General Blackwood’s order.

The general strode into the room, and I wasn’t sure what to make of the situation when he chose the chair opposite mine at the other end of the table. I could’ve just been on edge, but it almost felt like a challenge. Especially since his dark eyes never left mine as he sank into the seat.

This table looked like it could seat fourty or so people comfortably. I’d offered the chair by Ardley so that the general could be close to the group, yet he chose the farthest chair away. That distance stretched like a vast ocean. I almost sensed that Blackwood wanted to separate himself from the rest of us. Like we were guests in his home.

“It’s been quite some time, Your Highness,” Blackwood started. He reached for the steaming cup of tea that a server had just placed in front of him. “I haven’t seen you since you were a baby.”

Trying to recover from the odd feeling swimming in my gut, I smiled politely. “That is a long time. Far too long for me to recognize you, obviously. What was your name again?”

“Forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m General Angus Blackwood, second in command in the Water Fae army and a member of the Council of Doctrina.”

“He’s my go-to general,” Imani explained, tipping her bald head in his direction. Imani was the head of the army, and she was also part of my personal security team. “He’s an extremely skilled and strategic leader, but he could also learn to not be so serious. I’m sure you’ll notice he’s all business all the time.”

Angus cracked a smile, one that didn’t quite seem to reach his eyes. “I’m working on it.”

I finished off a strawberry and said, “Well, I’m glad to see you were able to join us for breakfast. I’m eager to meet everyone and start learning all there is to know.”

“Speaking of that,” Angus started. “Have you already sent the call out for Water Fae?”

I paused, unsure of what exactly that meant, but before I could respond, Dallas answered for me. “She hasn’t. We haven’t explained all of that to her yet.”

Angus’s brow furrowed. “I see. What have you explained to her?”

A muscle in Dallas’s jaw ticked, and I noticed Rance reach over beneath the table to squeeze her thigh. “She’s only known who she is for a week, sir. There hasn’t been a lot of time to explain all the ins and outs. That training picks up today.”

“The first thing we have planned, General Blackwood,” Jesiah started, “Is the call of the Water Fae.” Jesiah turned to me and explained, “We need to let Water Fae know that you’ve returned and that they can come back to Morardia. That’s step one of restoring the Kingdom.”

I nodded. “Sounds like as good a place to start as any. How do we call them back?”

“You,” Angus said as he stared me down, “will call them back by essentially sending out an alert via water.”

“Water Fae are connected by water,” Dallas explained as she turned to me. “Do you remember when you and I trained, and that first night, I made you find me?”

“I remember.”

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