Page 71 of Crowned By the Fae King

Step by Step

Vad and Dani were waiting for us by the time we made it out to the launch. Both of them had dressed warmly for the cold of the mountain air. Cass hadn't bothered, and I had on a lovely black wool coat more for propriety than anything else. I could feel the cold, but it didn't make me shiver or get chilled. Cass kept me warm.

There was probably some poetry or symbolism in there. I didn't have time to think about it, though. Almost as soon as we got to the cliffside, Vad scooped up Dani and leapt out into the air, and Cass followed after with me.

I yelped in surprise, my arms going around his neck—and then started laughing with glee at the raw power of flight. Cass' warm chuckle rolled through me as the cold wind tore at my hair. In the dark, his wings glimmered like the ocean at night. Nothing else gave a hint that he was in the sky. Black clothes, dark hair, brown skin… "You must have been a terror in the night during the war," I murmured into his ear, watching his wings as we soared down for Taeskana.

He laughed again, low and easy. "I was, but Ayre didn't generally deploy me to the front lines," Cass said, without any arrogance. "I was much more valuable in reconnaissance. My squads could fly long-distances nonstop with my assistance, and on the ground I could easily handle small deployments on my own. We never left anyone alive who could tell the Stag Army my capabilities." He shifted his grip on me, holding me closer to his chest. "I enjoyed the physicality of battle, but not the killing. If there were a safe way for me to duel, I suspect I would relish it, but…"

"The healing?"

Cass nodded, his eyes on the lights of the city below us as we dove down. The wind rushed past us in a wild song. "I don't usually fight with a sword. Battle-trained healers typically use wooden staves, and direct their power along the organic material to kill instead of heal." He sighed through his nose, a sound I only heard over the wind because my face was so close to his. "It's fast and lethal, and the dead stay dead. I have no desire to kill someone on instinct for sport."

"You wouldn't kill me," I offered.

His ear tilted towards me, and a smile warmed his face. "Oh? Are you a fighter, your majesty?"

"Nope!" I said brightly, getting another laugh from him. "But I could be," I added in a more serious tone. "Why not? A girl needs hobbies."

"If you'd like a tutor, I would be pleased to find you one," he said. An eerie, ululating sound filtered through the air, wild and alien. "That's Vad." Cass gave me a little squeeze. "Hold on. We're going to dive."

It was all the warning I got before Cass folded his wings, and we plummeted from the sky.

By the roar of the wind, we hit at least sixty miles an hour before Cass threw out his wings again, flipping us into a vertical position as he backwinged to slow our speed. I whooped and started laughing hysterically, Cass' confidence and delight transferring to me. He landed cleanly, with almost no force, his feet touching down on the bare section of roof that had been cleaned for our arrival.

Vaduin landed on the other side of the rooftop with no less grace, him and Dani wind-tossed and rosy-cheeked.

I wiggled to get Cass to put me down. He obliged, crossing his arms over his chest as I skipped across the roof towards the table set for us.

The Dove's Roost was gorgeous. Tall carved-stone pillars with flame flickering inside them heated the space, with little spheres of lambence strung overhead like fairy-lights. The tables were all wooden and solid, and the seats were more like comfy couches than anything else. There was even a section of lounging-pillows around a firepit, and what looked like a stage for live musicians.

I dropped into one of the comfortable chairs next to a backless chaise and picked up the menu—a handwritten list in silver ink on midnight-blue paper, with a pair of doves on a branch drawn as the header. "Good pick, Vad," I said when he came over, running my finger down the menu to keep my spot as I read.

He grinned and sprawled down across from me, tugging Dani down into his lap. "You haven't even tried the food yet. It is good, though."

Cass took the seat next to me, taking care with his wings. "Given that you're a carnivore, I don't trust your taste in food at all."

"Aww, don't be that way," Vad said, mock-pouting. He draped his arms over Dani's shoulders as she read her own menu. "I can't help being a horrible monster."

"You love being a horrible monster, hissy-kissy," Dani said, her eyes dancing.

"I do," he said, not at all troubled. "Try the rabbit dumplings. They're incredible."

A server came up a few minutes after we'd landed, bringing us hot tea and taking our first round of orders. To my surprise, they had a selection of mortal-side drinks (mostly alcohols), and on a whim, I ordered a fancy bottle of Napa wine for the table. When I'd lived in California, I'd never had the money to buy fancy wine. I hadn't even really had the money to buy alcohol at all, though we did get something to share every once in a while.

It was… good? I didn't know much about wine, but it tasted smooth and dark, and by the way Vad's eyebrows shot up and the speed with which he refilled his glass, I knew he liked it, too. The rabbit dumplings were good, too, even to a non-carnivore's palate, and none of the food was nearly as weird as the stuff I kept getting fed at formal events.

One bottle of wine for a group of four was enough to warm the conversation, but not enough to make the flight back difficult. I suspected, based on the fact that I got pleasantly buzzed but not flushed and hot, or even tipsy, that there wasn't an amount of alcohol that would trouble Cass—or me. His magic was better than an Irishman's liver.

Dani and Vad bantered their way through dinner, and Cass relaxed enough to have his arm slung behind me on the couch, though we weren't touching. The three of them kept up a cheerful chatter, folding me into their trio with surprising ease. It felt like I'd always known them—that my life had always been meant to have these three people in it, and that they'd been waiting for me, too. When Vaduin ordered a second bottle of wine for the table, I didn't protest, the troubles melting off my shoulders. Who cared how late we stayed? I couldn't think of anywhere better to be.

We stayed until at least one in the morning, which I suspected was long past when the Dove's Roost usually closed for the night, but given the quantity of gold Cass left on the table, I also suspected nobody would be unhappy with the bargain. The flight up took longer than the flight down, but I didn't mind. I laid my head against Cass' shoulder and watched the lights of the palace grow closer. With him flying and me sleepy from wine and good food, everything felt timeless. There was only the sky and the steady beat of my soulmate's heart and wings.

I got why Vaduin called flying together intimate. We were all alone in the world. I had Cass, and Cass had me.

Vad and Dani said their goodbyes on the roof, wrapping me in affectionate hugs. Vaduin even kissed me on the cheek in the sort of casual physical affection I'd never experienced before. Cass' farewells were more reserved; a gentle bump of his wing against Vad's and a "don't forget to practice, mageling" for Dani.

He and I moseyed downstairs instead of making a doorway to our bedroom, Cass leading me through the palace. It was nice to see more of the Clement Palace. It was a lovely building, full of inlaid floors, paintings, and statuary. Everything about it felt old and stately. Mercy was ancient – far older than any human civilization – but none of it was still in the Stone Age. Time moved, even for the fae.

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