Page 146 of The Forbidden Fae King

I pull the thong over my head and pass it to him, the pendant still sending shocks of static into my fingers and its surface utterly frozen.

Cyprien inspects it as though it were any other inanimate object, and not one that sparks and freezes. “I don’t feel anything. Are you sure?—”

“Then how do you explain this?” I hold up my palm, where there is a purple and blue imprint of the jagged moonstone burnt into it, and slowly healing.

His lips compress into a thin line. “I cannot, but we have other more immediate matters to deal with right now. Those of life and death.”

Cyprien turns to walk back out that door but I grab him by the shoulders. “She is calling to me, Cyprien. Pleading for me to come find her. Keira is in trouble. I need to go to her.”

He throws my arms off in disgust. “Keira made her choice Aldrin! She chose to return to the human realm, where youcannotfollow her. Not only will you lose all credibility with our people if you cross over, hers will kill you on sight. Have you forgotten what happened the last time you stepped into their realm? You have to respect her parting wishes, as much as you want her to call you from the Otherworld.”

He stalks out the door with rage billowing off him.

“What about Lorrella’s prophecy?” I toss at him and he pauses. “Keira is meant to return the magic to both realms at my side.”

Cyprien turns around very slowly. “The exact wording could mean many things. Did you tell her about the prophecy?” I nod and try tospeak, but he cuts me off. “The full truth of the prophecy? About what happened when it was told to the humans?”

My entire face falls. “How could I tell her that? There never seemed a right time or way. It was so hard to gain her trust, I was terrified of losing it in a blink. Then she was leaving, and it didn’t seem to matter anymore.”

Cyprien gives me a withering stare for a long moment. “Come, Aldrin. We have matters of life and death to see to right now.”

I glance down to my palm and the mark has vanished from my skin. Maybe I have lost my mind.

Surely I didn’t imagine it.

I march into the main hall of the fortress with Cyprien at my side. The room teams with my followers and they turn deadly silent, waiting for my command.

I skim across each of my people, falling on Drake first. He has dark stubble across his usually clean-shaven cheeks, obscuring much of the silvery tattoo of the tree of life. There is deep bruising under his eyes from lack of sleep, contrasting against the red tones of his skin. We are lucky to have him still with us and that the Living Waters saved his life.

Beside him, Klara blinks heavily as she struggles to stay awake. My gaze roves to Lilly, the oldest amongst us, but the only hint of her fatigue are her bloodshot eyes. Silvan has multiple rings beneath his slitted gaze, and I know pain from a lost lover also haunts him.

We are becoming more worn down by the day and cannot go on like this for much longer. Fighting the entire night and using much of the day to repair damage done to the fortress and replenish the magic of the ward stones.

There has been precious little time for sleep.

We are barely surviving.

I clap my hands. “Everyone to your stations. You all know your places by now.”

“What exactly are we doing here, Aldrin?” Drake steps forward.

“Buying time.” I grunt.

“Time for what?” He spreads his arms out. “Help isn’t coming, that much is clear.”

“Time for me to gods damn think!” I growl at him.

Drake doesn’t even flinch. He turns and walks out the door grumbling under his breath, and the rest of the soldiers follow close behind him. I wonder for how much longer they will continue to follow me. When they will finally have enough of being loyal to a dead man walking.

Cyprien grits his teeth but says nothing as he brushes past me.

A storm breaks overhead as I step outside. The twin moons are blotted out by thick, black clouds and thunder echoes across the sky as they collide with one another. Streams of water run in rivulets down the wards above my head.

It gives the illusion of standing inside a bubble within a crashing waterfall. A heavy mist settles upon us, penetrating the pores of the wards.

The leathers of my armor are soaked through and trickles of frozen water run down my back by the time I climb the external stairs of the highest watchtower, to the stone plinth of pure aquamarine gracing the platform at its apex.

Cyprien and Lilly already brace their hands against it. The static energy in the air raises the hairs along my skin as they funnel their raw magic into the plinth. The wards ripple with each pulse, bands of light running from the stone into them as they strengthen.

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