Page 11 of Mountains of Mist and Magic

“I'm looking for more than 'and they lived happily ever after,'“ she continued.

He sighed, and Renya wished she would have delayed the subject until they got back on land. Or perhaps to the lodge. But no, there was no use putting it off any longer.

“We'll need to question your mother in more detail—”

“Please don't call her that,” Renya begged, scrunching up her nose and wrinkling her brow.

“—and perhaps bring her to the Sun Realm, or summon your father to the lodge.”

Renya nodded, knowing that her father's presence would not only give her a feeling of safety, but that they might get further with Cressida if they had his assistance. He seemed to know her better than anyone, and she had been quite close-lipped with information. Renya had been down to the sublevels a few times to try and coax information out of her, but she was as slippery as an oil spill and always seemed to have a request. Time for exercise, freedom to roam around the lodge, access to the Sun Realm's library—all of which were answered with a firm 'no' from Renya.

“Without her providing any more clues, I'm at a loss of what to do.” Renya put her head in her hands, the stress of the situation overwhelming her the farther and farther away they sailed from their island oasis. It had been like shelter in a storm, and it was too easy to pretend that there wasn't a horrible dark cloud overhead when they were covered and protected in the trees.

“Don't worry, Little Fawn. We have your father poring over the Sun Realm libraries, and Almory and Tumwalt are still working on cracking the bit of the prophecy pages that we have. Plus, Selenia and Sion promised they'd work their way through our library at the lodge.”

Renya almost snorted but stopped herself. She had a feeling that Selenia and Sion had been doing much more than research. She'd caught them a few times in the middle of some pretty intense kissing sessions, and she knew the kind of lust that came with a mating bond. She didn't know how the pair could resist, other than perhaps it was easier since Sion wasn't affected by their bond yet. But she didn't want Grayden to question her about the couple's relationship. It was their business, and while Grayden meant well, he could be overbearing at times where his little sister was concerned.

“I think we need to meet with Kalora again, too. She knew so much about the origins of fae, and I do think that there might be something to be learned from the legends.”

Grayden stroked his chin thoughtfully. “That's a good idea. Perhaps we can call some kind of summit meeting and pool our common knowledge about the fading and when exactly it started.”

“I think that's a great way forward. As soon as we get back, we should start the planning.”

Grayden winked, and then pulled her close and whispered in her ear. “Almost as soon as we get back.”

Chapter Eight

Julietta was nearly beside herself. She spent the entire evening in her room, torn between chasing down Triston and sealing their bond, or crying into her pillow over the rotten turn of events Fate had afforded her. How could she be mated to a man who seemed to have absolutely no feeling? He was so measured, so stern and moderated that Julietta hardly believed he was real. He acted as if he were some kind of statue, barely alive. Even his reaction to their mating bond was hardly expressive.

It wasn't fair. The only good thing about her powers was that they had opened up the potential for a fated mating, but now she was fated to the coldest, most unfeeling man she'd ever encountered.

A knock at her door interrupted her self-pity.

“Come in,” she said, her voice hoarse and scratchy.

Her mother strode into her room, wearing a green satin dressing gown over her pale nightgown.

“I was worried when you and Triston didn't come to see me. I figured you would want my blessing for your marriage.” She looked at Julietta, then surprise crossed her face. “But something tells me that isn't what we're going to discuss tonight.” Kalora sat down on the bed, and Julietta hung her head in her hands, watching as a tear dripped from her cheek and landed on the rug underfoot.

“What happened, my child?”

Julietta sniffed, and then wiped her nose on the sleeve of her own nightgown. Normally she would display better manners in front of her mother and queen, but at this point, she didn't care.

“I can't be mated to him. He's...cold and incapable of emotion. I've never seen him smile or laugh...there's something inherently wrong with him. Not to mention, he doesn't want to be fated to me either.” There was a slight pang in her heart when she mentioned the last part. Julietta could tell that she was the last person he wanted to be mated to. The horror on his face seemed to match her own.

Her mother's expression morphed into one of sadness, and then silent understanding. “Do you know how Triston and Esmeralda's parents died?”

Julietta jerked her head up. “No, I never really thought about it.”

Kalora motioned to the spot next to her on the bed, and Julietta joined her. Kalora smoothed back the untidy curls that had tangled along Julietta's face.

“I only tell you so that perhaps you can come to understand your mate a little better.”

“He's not my mate,” Julietta responded. Kalora just looked at her and gave her a sad smile.

“When Triston was a young boy, he accompanied his father and mother on a journey to the mountains on the far side of the sea.”

Julietta's eyebrows arched. She'd never heard of such a place. “What? There are no mountains on the other side of the sea.”

---