Page 109 of Taken By the Fae King

“That may be why she arrived in the first place, but things seemed to be going in another direction when I saw them walking through the garden of the pal—”

Edmynd elbows Raiden, cutting him off, and I laugh.

“He”—I gesture to Raiden—“should not be teasing you, Edmynd. You should have seen how he fell all over himself around Kyven’s sister, Emryll.”

Edmynd’s jaw drops and he turns to Raiden. “Is that so?”

Kyven clenches his jaw. “It is.”

“Nothing happened between us,” Raiden says quickly. “I swear. We simply talked and—”

“Nothing has happenedyet, you mean.” Narrowing his eyes, Kyven crosses his arms. “My sister is young and—”

“Oh, Kyven.” I grin, looping my arm through his. “Emryll is not a child.”

He gives me a look as if he cannot believe I am not taking his side in this. I lean in and whisper. “I’m sorry, my love, but I, for one, believe they would make a lovely couple.”

He sighs heavily. “I suppose if she had to pick a human male, your brother is a decent choice,” he says in a voice so low I’m sure no one else can hear him.

Smiling, I press a quick kiss to his cheek and then turn my attention back to Edmynd. “What of Varys? Does he have any reservations about you and his sister?”

Edmynd’s cheeks flush dark red. “Well, I—” He clears his throat. “Things did not… I mean, we never had a chance to explore—”

“They are still awkward around each other,” Raiden finishes for him, rolling his eyes. “But it’s easy to see they’re both in lo—”

“If you could give us a report on what your warriors have seen along the Wall,” Edmynd cuts him off. “I’ve received rather disturbing reports from my own warriors as well.”

“Come see for yourself,” Kyven says, leading him and Raiden out onto the balcony.

Their jaws drop as they stare out at the Wall and the hundreds of Wraith gather just on the other side. “What is seven hells are they waiting there for?” Edmynd shakes his head. “My warriors sent ravens from our Outpost stating they noticed the Wraith migrating this way. And now, we know where they were going. But why are they here?”

“I had a vision about this,” I speak up and they both snap their heads toward me. “In my dreams, I saw the Wall crumble and the Wraith came pouring through like a devastating flood.”

Raiden and Edmynd exchange a worried glance. “How do we stop it? Did you see anything in your dream that might help us?”

“I believe I know what to do,” I tell them, explaining about the amplifier that belonged to Queen Ilyra.

When I’m finished, Raiden frowns. “Is it safe to use such a thing?”

“I believe so,” I start, but Kyven interjects.

“It killed Queen Ilyra.”

Edmynd turns to me, concern easily read in his features. “If it killed a Fae, who is naturally born with magic, why on earth would you believe it is safe for you to use?”

I cross my arms over my chest. “When have my visions ever been wrong?”

Raiden looks at Kyven. “Please, tell me this amplifier is lost to history.”

“It’s here,” I tell him. “In the Fortress.”

“Locked away safely?” Raiden presses, and Kyven nods.

“Good,” Edmynd says. “I have brought an entire regiment with us. Between Florin’s forces and those of Anlora, we should be well-equipped to deal with any problems should the Wraith try to somehow bring down a section of the Wall.”

“That’s just it,” I tell him. “They should not be able to. And yet, I saw it in my dreams.”

“And what of the Orcs?” Edmynd asks. “Where are they?”

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