Page 12 of The Forbidden Fae King

I call on my fire magic, bunching my hands into a fist, then slowly uncurl my fingers.

The air warms around us and I hold a small sphere of fire dancing in my palm. The two acts of fire magic are not related, the second purely for show, to impress king and prince alike. Another reason for both men to choose me as Finan’s wife and future queen.

The wind still whips around, shaking the tops of the pine trees below the bridge and sending leaves spinning at our feet, but it no longer reaches us. Our hair and clothes remain motionless.

King Willard’s eyes turn wide as he looks around himself, then they land on me. “You?”

“A small act of air and fire magic to make us more comfortable.” I shrug, hiding the strain.

My awareness is pulled in multiple directions. I monitor the movement of the dome, constantly checking the edges, so the king doesn’t walk straight into the wall. I adjust the fire magic, fighting against any flares of it, so the air doesn’t suddenly become suffocatingly hot.

My senses tingle as Caitlin’s magic discretely weaves into mine, taking some of the strain.

Our destination is the series of immense glasshouses positioned by the bridge. Their combined footprint is the size of a small village, and each one is as spacious as a cathedral, made purely of great panels of glass and metal. Rows of fruit trees are perfectly visible within, the panels enchanted to repel dirt to ensure the maximum penetration of light.

There is no way we could replicate such engineering to replace them. The metal beams were imported from the Winter Court smiths of the Otherworld. The glass panels were enchanted with immense magic to make it near impossible to break them. These glasshouses were built by the fae.

Appleshield once had a different name, and it was ruled by a fae overlord, before our family liberated it. The orchards and the outerwall are guarded day and night, to protect against fruit thieves, or enemies who would sabotage us. Within these greenhouses are the last hopes of Strathia.

My father leads us to our top performing orchard and the guards at the doors hurry to drag them open for us. The strain of using so much magic pulls on me, like treading water for far too long. I drop the weaves as soon as we enter and let out a long breath as deep relief fills me.

The broad glass doors in metal frames are pushed shut behind us and the change in atmosphere is immediately obvious. The air is hot and heavy with moisture, making it far more difficult to suck in compared to the crisp day outside.

Finan lets out a long, low whistle at the sight before us. It brings a smile of pride to my face.

Neat rows of trees spread out before us. All are heavy with an impossible amount of fruit, especially in late winter. Vibrant red apples glow with brilliance, black plums sparkle like gems and cherries like rubies. The fruits have an aura of light surrounding them and the colors are so bright they are unnatural.

Large, fuzzy bees fill the air with buzzing, their forms glowing with white light and the stripes of their back a stunning indigo. Their breed were perfected in these orchards for hundreds of years, alongside the fruit.

“Right, Edmund. Do your best to impress me,” the king says, bolstering himself up as he looks around.

“He has already impressed me,” Prince Finan murmurs into my ear, wrapping an arm around my waist. I savor the press of his body against my side.

“We induce artificial seasons in these glasshouses. Spring, summer, an artificial cold snap to convince the trees they have gone through winter, then spring again.” My father’s voice carries as we walk down the rows.

“We control all aspects of the environment. Additional heat and sunlight are created as needed and maintained by our fire wielders.”He holds out a hand and a jet of fire whooshes from it, congealing into an orb, then raising up above the treeline, to join many others.

The king and princes gawk like peasants at all those orbs and Caitlin shoots me a smirk.

“Deep beneath our feet, there is an underground stream that flows straight from the Otherworld, through cracks in the boundaries. It is imbued with magic, and our water wielders draw it to the surface.” Father turns his palm to the ground, fingers splayed, then jerks his arm upwards. A jet of brilliant blue water shoots from the ground, glowing intensely. “This water is life itself. It is the main source of magic to our produce.”

“Well. That - that is more than I was expecting, but where are your laborers?” The king’s tone is accusatory. “Surely you do not tend these orchards yourself!”

“Follow.” My father takes off again.

The path between trees becomes narrow, and we move in single file, avoiding snagging branches. Finan places his hands on my hips from behind and I toss an inviting smile back at him.

“I am not sure what I want to ravish more, this fruit or this body,” he whispers into my ear, nipping the side of my neck.

“Not with so many people around,” I chide, but I don’t move his hands.

“Hhhmmmm,” he murmurs, and I rest my cheek against his for a moment before pulling away.

“Those of us behind you would prefer to not witness a spectacle.” Caitlin half growls.

“My dear lady, I didn’t mean to upset your delicate sensibilities.” Finan mock bows to her, grinning wide enough that his cheeks dimple.

Caitlin pushes past both of us. Finan shrugs to me.

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