Page 529 of Flirting with Darkness

“I have a message from King Aigle, the Great Ruler of the Sky Kingdom. It’s for Amira, the Queen of Lorsan,” the bird announced.

I stepped out from behind Kyllen’s back.

“I’m the Queen of Lorsan. What does yourgreatking have to say?”

Kyllen touched my arm, whispering quickly, “Listen carefully. The owls don’t stop and don’t repeat what they bring.”

I nodded.

“The highly esteemed Queen of Lorsan is hereby being summoned to the Peak of Kings on the edge of Olathana Ocean,” the bird spoke slowly. Its voice sounded formal. “The Summit of Rulers of Nerifir will take place on the thirtieth day of the green season at high noon.”

The moment the last word fell off its beak, the owl unfurled its great wings again. With the flapping that sent gusts of wind into the room, it took off up in the air. With the message delivered, the cloud owl’s job here was done.

I quickly repeated in my mind every word of the message delivered, committing it to memory.

Kyllen rubbed his chin in thought. “The king of the skies wants to revive the Summit tradition.”

The tradition of the rulers of Nerifir to get together hadn’t really died completely, but the meetings had been sporadic. There had been times when the Summit happened regularly every decade. But long breaks between the meetings had also been common.

It had been centuries since the last Summit. There hadn’t been any during the reign of King Zeldren, my predecessor. He had preferred to fight other kings and queens, not to sit in meetings with them.

“Well, I am known for my diplomacy, which wasn’t King Zeldren’s forte,” I thought out loud. “I guess, King Aigel decided to give it another shot at communication with Lorsan.”

He waited long enough. It’d been two decades since King Zeldren’s death. But time moved slowly in Nerifir. With their five-hundred-year lifespan, the fae could afford not to hurry. Even after twenty years since becoming Kyllen’s bonded mate, I still had to remind myself that I, too, had centuries to live now.

“Will you go?” he asked.

“Do I really have a choice? The invitation is an honor I couldn’t possibly decline.”

King Aigel couldn’tforceme to appear at the Summit. But it would be a great insult to decline. Besides, I was too intrigued to pass on the chance to meet the illusive King of the Sky Kingdom. Sky fae rarely descended to our lands, choosing to remain up among the clouds. I’d never met one in person yet.

Kyllen winced. “I have a bad feeling about it. I don’t trust sky fae. Little is known about them. They rarely come down and if they do, it often means trouble. Why don’t I go instead of you?”

As King Consort, Kyllen could possibly take my place. It’d be easier to do had the invitation been for the Crown of Lorsan or the Kingdom of Lorsan. However, since it was personally addressed to me, sending Kyllen in my stead didn’t feel right. Not to mention that if it was dangerous formeto go, I had no desire to exposehimto the danger, either.

“King Aigel invited me personally. If we accept the invitation, it should bemewho goes to the Summit. However…” I took his arm and leaned into his side. “It doesn’t mean I couldn’t bring along anyone I liked. Someone like my beloved husband, for example.”

Kyllen kissed the top of my head, hissentieshugging my neck and shoulders. “I’d never let you go alone, anyway.”

“Great. Let’s make a nice road trip out of it.”

He squinted at the sky outside of the window. “I wonder what he wants.”

I followed his gaze, a tendril of worry slithering into my chest. “Me, too.”

2

AMIRA

“It’s an odd invitation, Mother.” Our son Radax ran a hand through hissenties, just like his father often did. “Why would the sky king summon you? Other than a few minor trade agreements, we have no dealings with them.”

Radax wasn’t even twenty yet, which was a young age for both fae and humans alike. But he’d been raised as the prince he was born to be. Kyllen and I never shielded him from the kingdom’s affairs.

Kyllen, our children, and I were sitting on one of the large patios between the branches of the main royal tree of the palace. The green season had started with the brand-new leaves on the branches. Their glossy sides were shiny and smooth like newly minted coins. From a distance, it gave the entire palace a refreshed look, as if it’d been recently repainted.

“Does the king want more agreements, maybe?” Lily, our daughter suggested. She was only ten, but the court life was the only life she knew. And children learned fast.

Aila, our youngest, had just turned four. She sat on the rug in the middle of the patio. Dragging a purple turnip by its long leaf, she made Yenric chase it.

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