Page 76 of Chaos and Destiny
I plunged my hands in and grabbed on for dear life as she stood from the ground and sprinted toward the distant horizon. The beast pounded the ground until she leaped into the air and her wings flapped, deafening me.
There were few things I got to do for the first time anymore. When you lived as long as I did, you forgot what that feeling was like. I had traveled through wind with Greeve, but I had not flown. I caressed the billowing clouds that surrounded me like an endless sea, the moisture kissing my skin like fresh morning rain in the Marsh Court. The view of my kingdom from this far up was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen as the desert sands melted into the ocean, and the scattered farms and villages were no more than a pinprick nestled within deep red sands, rich as flames.
“Hooh, hoooooooooooh,” I called, throwing my head back and laughing as adrenaline coursed through me. And then I felt her. All around me, holding me, sharing my breath as we soared. My Efi was there, and for that moment, all was right with the world.
Let go, she whispered in my heart.Trust Asha and let go, my tiger.
And so, I did.
I thrust my hands out beside me as if they were wings, and Asha called into the night as she soared. We were one. The three of us. Efi, Asha, and I were one single soul as we surged through the sky. I’d never felt so alive.
We made it back to the castle faster than I ever knew possible. It was dark, but the busy streets were still full of fae. Asha landed on the roof. A dilapidated old shed sat to one corner, still standing though it had not been touched in fifty years. I pried open the rusted doors to the shelter Efi had demanded be built for Asha when she moved to the castle. The smell of old hay and stale dust filled my nose.
“I promise to have this cleaned for you tomorrow. Will it work for tonight? Would you prefer to fly home and return with Umari in the morning?”
She stalked inside, pawed at the ground, huffed as she plopped down, and curled around herself, resting her chin on her chest and closing her amber eyes. Without another word from me, she was asleep.
That was my answer, then. I took the steps two at a time and hurried back to my rooms. I ripped off my leathers and changed into my black steel-plated robes once more. Just as I was about to open the door, I remembered the messenger’s note in my pocket. I reached back into the robes and pulled out the sealed letter. I slid my finger across the seam and cracked the red wax, watching the particles fall to the tiled floor. I took a deep breath, afraid to find more horrid news from the rebels.
King,
Urgent! Meet me tonight at the usual spot.
~M
Thankful I had made it back in time, I threw my hood up and stalked out the door to meet Murtad alone. The sad part was, at this point, I trusted the rebels more than my own people.
Chapter 24
ARA
“He was a pretty male,” the water wraith said below the surface as she pulled me deeper.
I scratched at her fingers holding on to me and threw my naked body as hard as I could to escape. My lungs burned and I couldn’t see a thing.
“I think I’ll enjoy him again later. Once my sisters and I are done with you.”
Nails scratched the mental shield I had continued to build, creating an eerie feeling in my mind. I would not relent though. I would keep my thoughts to myself because there was no better way to torture a wraith. I wondered how long until I drowned, and then it wouldn’t matter anyway. I didn’t think she would let me die so easily, though. Water wraiths were intensely sexual beings that prayed on the emotions of others.
A second pair of hands grabbed me, and I knew they could only belong to Fen. We couldn’t have gotten deep enough for her matriarchal colony to prey on me. And, at that moment, I wasn’t proud. I needed him, and he was there. The wraith jerked from side to side, and then her grip loosened as Fen pulled me to the surface.
As soon as we were on solid ground, I flung my arms around him. “Thank you!”
“Ara,” he said awkwardly, his body going rigid beneath me.
I took a step back and scoffed. “What? The chain is gone and suddenly my ‘thank you’ isn’t good enough?”
“I’d definitely say it’s good,” Kai called from the tree line.
My entire life flashed before my eyes as I realized I was still naked and clinging to Fen like some kind of eager, desperate whore.
He pushed me behind him and turned to the others. “Find something else to do.” His tone was deep, deadly, and fucking scary. His anger became its own entity, as if it were a thick fog he meant to conceal me with.
“Gods-damn it,” I whispered, feeling like a total fool.
Kai whistled a tune and walked back into the forest. Wren giggled and followed behind him. I didn’t watch the others go. My face flushed. Actually, probably my whole body flushed as I looked sideways to my clothes.
“Don’t turn around,” I commanded.
