Page 36 of Calling of the Crown

Finally, Angus nodded. “Then I guess you two better start practicing.”

A DEAFENING BOOM FOLLOWED BY a blast of steam and smoke filled the air between Rune and me, sending both of us hurtling backward. I landed hard on my back for the fourth time now, and this time, I stayed there, breathing heavily and wiping sweat and soot from my forehead.

“Damn it!” Rune growled. He waved the fading plume of black smoke away. “Why the fuck isn’t it working?”

“Fire and water don’t work well together,” Angus shot from the side of the room.

Rune’s fuming gaze snapped in Angus’s direction as he gave me his clawed hands to help me to my feet. Much to my dismay, because that meant we had to try again.

We’d been working relentlessly the past three days on everything—our studies, greeting as many arriving Water Fae as we could, preparing for the nearing gathering, and most of all, the Two Hearts Dance, with which we were currently struggling.

The spacious underground unit that Water Fae used for training military personnel and guards had become our primary hang out spot for the past few days. Rune, Jesiah, Angus, and I spent most of our time here with a few others popping in every so often to see how we’d progressed. The answer to which was always the same.

We hadn’t.

The first day, Jesiah and Angus focused on teaching us the steps and movements of the seven-minute dance. It reminded me of the type of dances they did in Jane Austen movies, only it was just Rune and me doing it instead of a large party. It involved slow, measured moments around your partner, almost constant eye contact, and precise mirroring of each other.

Our timing still wasn’t the best. One of us kept moving just a hair faster than the other, and there were times when we didn’t line up properly. Our eye contact also needed more work since we kept looking elsewhere to avoid stumbling over each other’s feet—or we’d forget to maintain eye contact all together.

That wasn’t even the worst of the chaos that ensued. The last minute and a half was supposed to be a big finale. It was meant to show our elements, our powers, being pushed together and spiraling around one another in their own dance. Obviously, this had always been performed by two Water Fae, so that had never been an issue. But because Rune’s power was fire, not water, every time we tried to have the two meet, they exploded in our faces as a smoky, steamy mess.

“You have to control your powers better,” Jesiah reprimanded from where he’d been watching next to Angus. “Both of you are letting your element get too out of control, which is letting them collide. You aren’t actually supposed to let the two touch. They are meant to twirl around each other, just like you do in the dance. Two separate yet equally powerful elements, working together.”

“We’re trying,” I said breathlessly.

“Try harder,” Angus snapped and ran a hand through his dark hair. “You are in control, not the element. Rune, you’re letting your fire waver and flicker. Bria, you’re not guiding the water against its natural push and pull. Both of you need to focus and control your power better if you want this dance to be a success.”

“Of course we want it to be a success,” I argued. “But we’ve been practicing this section for hours now, and I think the endless practice is making it worse.”

“Perhaps it’s proof that your union is simply doomed.”

Rune’s lips curled in a snarl, and his balled fists erupted in flames. With Rune already irritated at the shit show happening in practice, I didn’t need Angus adding fuel to the fire with his negativity. I grabbed Rune’s arm to keep him from launching himself at the General.

“I think Bria is right,” Jesiah conceded as he ran a hand over the side of his face. He looked just about at his wits’ end, too, though I wasn’t sure if it stemmed from being tired of seeing Rune and me fail or from having to listen to Angus’s constant nitpicking. “I think we should take a break. Constant practice is just going to burn you two out. You’ve been studying and training hard the past few days. Take the rest of the day to relax and do something fun. We’ll start again in the morning.”

I nearly fell flat on my back again. Jesiah was actually giving us a day off? Maybe I’d inhaled too much smoke from all the explosions, because I was not expecting that. Jesiah’s favorite word was “study.” I was surprised he knew the word “break.” I wasn’t going to stick around to argue and have him change his mind. This was my chance to finally have a day that felt normal.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” I said excitedly, pulling Rune to the door. I waved over my shoulder and called, “Thanks, Jesiah!”

“I can’t stand that prick,” Rune grumbled from behind me as we headed up the staircase to the main palace floor. “Fire isn’t something you can just control like that. A single gust of air can make it move. It’s a flame. It’s a—”

“Hey. Fox Boy,” I said loudly.

Rune’s annoyed eyes found mine.

I curled my hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “We have the rest of the day off, remember? No more talk about the dance or training or any of that. Let’s do something fun!”

Rune took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The muscles in his shoulders flexed, and his jaw worked as he fought to rein in his anger. Finally, when he reopened his eyes, the tension lining them was mostly gone. “You’re right. What would you like to do?”

There were so many possibilities with the freedom of the day given to us. Still, one thing that I’d been dying to do since arriving in Ambrolia immediately called my name.

“I want to go swimming. You know, in the ocean. I really want to explore what’s out there.”

“Did someone say, ‘swimming?’”

I turned at the sudden sound of Dallas’s voice to find her and Rance heading in our direction from down the hall.

Rance smirked and asked, “Is Jesiah making you practice how to swim now?”

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