Page 79 of Calling of the Crown

A rock burst from the soil and found Elias’s other open hand. As soon as it landed in his grip, pieces of the rock shattered and fell away until the stone resembled a teapot. He glanced around the tent as though searching for something before meeting my gaze again. “I seem to have no water for the tea. Do you care to provide that?”

The way he waited on my reply with a too-wide smile told me everything I needed to know. He was testing me. Whether looking to see how I produced the water or whether I could do it at all, I didn’t know. Regardless of what he was trying to find out, he sought something. It made a fine layer of sweat break out on the back of my neck.

“Of course,” I answered with my own smile.

The lake was a good twenty feet from where we now sat, which nearly gave me pause. The water was a distance away, and I’d never called on water that far before. The day I saved the trees on the burning island had been the greatest distance I’d called water to me, and that had just been maybe twelve feet, at the most. I couldn’t falter now, though, not when the Land Fae King watched me expectantly.

I breathed in, letting my nerves clear just enough so I could reach out to that tether that was always there, connecting me to my ability. My palms tingled and itched, and my chest tightened as seconds ticked by. Suddenly, a stream of crystal-clear water floated through the flaps of the tent. I wanted to leap for joy, because I’d actually managed to call the water successfully, but I kept my face blank. I flicked my finger toward the waiting teapot, and it followed my command without issue.

He looked down into the pot. “Thank you.” He plucked three flowers from the vine in his hand, added them to the pot, then carried it over to the fire where more rock rose from the earth to form a sort of grill over the flames. “We’ll let that steep for a few moments.”

I shifted in my seat, unable to keep still. The ease of conversation made me edgy, because I was eager to jump into the real reason for meeting. Fae had waited long enough for a resolution. I didn’t want to tiptoe around this anymore.

Clearing my throat, I said, “King Elias—”

“Please,” Elias interrupted with a charming grin. “Call me Elias. Let us drop the formalities.”

Slowly, I nodded. “Okay. Elias. I sought to speak with you regarding an urgent matter.”

“Ahh, yes.” He plucked the pot back from the grate and approached the table with an air of serenity. He created two cups much in the same way as the teapot and poured the sweet, golden brew into them before offering me one. “I’ve heard rumors that you seek something between our Kingdoms. Is that correct?”

I placed my hands around the warm stone drinkware and focused on that pleasant feeling in an effort to calm my nerves. “Yes. I seek to bring peace between our peoples. This war has hurt so many, stolen so much. I believe that, together, good King, you and I could rebuild our Kingdoms and help provide a safe and thriving world again.”

Elias watched me over the rim of his cup as he sipped on the steaming brew. When he placed it back on the tabletop, he quirked a brow. “Rebuild?”

“Yes! There’s so much we could do together. We could create entire communities where all Fae are welcome. I could personally create a bridge leading to Morardia, which Land Fae could use to come there. We could start a system where we provide each other with different services or goods that only certain Fae can make or do. The potential commerce opportunities that would become available are plenty in and of itself. In addition to this—”

“Trading goods? Booming business?” Elias chuckled. “Land Fae have what we need. So why would I want to rebuild with the very people who sought to destroy my Kingdom? Why would I rebuild when we’ve nearly finished wiping you out?”

My heart and breath seemed to still inside me. Slowly, I said, “Y-You can’t really mean to continue this war when we could end it.”

“Not only do I mean it, I fully intend to see it come to fruition. I will not deny my people what they want, what we all want. Blood. Vengeance. You hid all this time with your people, evading our pursuit, but now you’re back, and you’ve brought our targets with you. I thank you for that.”

Trying to understand, I stammered, “Y-You would lead thousands to die in a war that could be prevented?”

Elias gave me a bitter grin. “Thousands have already laid down their lives for this fight, one your people started. We’re prepared to finish it, despite the costs. Now, I’m not an unfeeling man. I know very well what a final battle like this means for you as a Queen and your people as a Kingdom, which is why I wanted to meet today. I have an offer.”

Hope dared to emerge among the dread coating my insides. “An offer?”

Elias held up three long fingers. “Three months. We meet again, here in the Valley of Wisps, with our armies for battle. The war stops on this day when one of us claims victory.”

That sliver of hope quickly extinguished. Replacing it was a rising anger and frustration. I narrowed my eyes on the Land Fae King. “And what signifies victory? When both sides have been slaughtered?”

Elias sipped his tea once more. “It will be when the leader has fallen. Victory will come when either you or I have been slain by the other. If I should perish, Land Fae will be leaderless, which means you can rally them and do as you plan—rebuild the two Kingdoms in the name of reconciliation. If I live and you die, fear not. Your people will soon join you.”

“And you think I’d agree to something like that? To a war where more innocent Fae will die?”

“There is no such thing as innocent or guilty in war,” Elias deadpanned. “There is simply life and death, those who succeed and those who fail. You can agree to this offer—time to prepare yourself and your Kingdom for battle—or you can refuse. War is still coming to your door. I was simply giving you a fair chance, because I believe there is a right and wrong way to go about things. I prefer this way as opposed to a blindsided attack from us. Don’t you?”

Disbelieving what I was hearing and not truly digesting the reality of this meeting, I slowly shook my head as though trying to clear the haze of a dream. “There has to be another way. We can discuss possible—”

“There is none,” Elias barked, and there was no missing the hard finality of his tone. “This is my only offer, the only solution I will agree to. Three months. Prepare and rejoice, good Queen. The war you sought to end is truly almost over.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

THE RIDE BACK TO MORARDIA was silent, save for the hooves of our steeds slapping the earth. Rune had been somewhere far away in his own head after speaking with his mom, and even though he hadn’t said what the two spoke about, I could guess that it wasn’t anything good. I, myself, had chosen not to speak after departing Elias’s tent. Instead, I’d told my entourage that we’d speak once back at the palace. I was sure the wait was driving them all mad, but it was all I could manage considering I still didn’t fully comprehend what happened.

I knew what Elias said. I knew what he’d offered, and I knew what exchanges we’d made. Yet it felt like I was watching it through someone else’s eyes from across the room. I felt detached from the encounter, as though I hadn’t truly experienced it.

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