Page 36 of Fate and Flame
“Much.”
“Now that we are out of the castle, I should tell you what I know of the king and his plans.”
“Not yet, Nadra. I want to be in a safe place when we talk. If it changes the trajectory of this world, I don’t want to be overheard by a single sprite.”
She looked around the frozen trees and nodded. It was sadly the truth. Though sprites were still lesser fae, they would trade that knowledge for coin, and I wanted to be extra careful. They hadn’t ratted out the rebels yet, but I had a feeling Rook was paying the little beasts a hearty sum.
“What will we do, Temir? After we warn the rebels. Will we go somewhere else? Will we stay and fight?”
“What do you want to do?”
“I want to find my friend. The one I was telling you about. Then I don’t care what we do. As long as we are together.”
“I think it’s time for us to go south. Join the rebels in the Marsh Court and see what use they would have for us. Maybe she would agree to come. I need my serum to work its way through the rebellion now more than ever. We have to sort out the good from the bad.”
She took a long, measured breath and closed her eyes. “I wish it could be easier for us.”
“I would take difficult with you over life without you. I’m afraid, it will always be hard for us. What will you say to your mother about me?”
She shifted and looked up to me. “What do you mean?”
“You may have forgotten, but she won’t. I’m still a lesser fae and you are still a high fae.”
“Believe me, she won’t care. I told you she and Rook have history. She only wants me to marry and be happy.”
“I’d marry you right now, Nadra. Right in the middle of this damn forest. After what we’ve just gone through together, even if you weren’t my mate, I’d still marry you.”
I kicked my heels into the beast, and we jolted onward as her body nestled into my own. Drawing on my warmth as we stormed through the night.
Chapter Nine
Ara
Ipeeled my aching body out of bed before sunrise. I had done nothing the past several days but train and sneak away with Fen as often as we could. He had become nearly inundated with work and I found the lists helped pass the time.
I promised Wren we could shop, though Friar had filled my closet with more clothes than I could ever wear. I dressed, choosing something Fen would like, and stepped out onto the balcony, watching the ocean waves. The slight wind warmed my face as I leaned against the barrier and breathed in the comfortable peace that had become my life.
I’d nearly forgotten about my dreaded fate until I saw the king crossing the sand below me, headed toward the water. He must have felt me watching him because he turned and smiled. Though I could barely make him out in the early morning light, he gestured for me to join him, and I nodded while holding up a finger. I quietly padded out of the room, leaving Fen to rest. I dashed through the castle until I stepped outside and my bare feet dug into the sand. Still, I hustled along. I didn’t want the king to have to wait for me.
“Hello, dear,” he said as I walked up.
“Are you okay?”
“Oh, yes. I’m fine. I thought you might like to join me.”
He began walking again and I followed. “Where are we going?”
“Efi’s Isle.”
Fen told me his father spent a large amount of time on the island that held his mother’s funeral pyre. I only had Fen for such a small amount of time and already I couldn’t imagine not having that brooding fae in my life. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how the king felt every day living with only half of his soul. Living without the only female he would ever truly love.
We stepped into a shallow wooden boat, and though I tried to row, he insisted. I waited and watched as we glided across the still waters of the bay until the small isle grew close and the boat scraped against the sandy bottom of the shore. I jumped out alongside the king, dragging the boat onto the beach. I walked behind him up the grassy hilltop until he sat and gestured for me to do the same. We watched in comfortable silence as the sky began to glow and transform with the immaculate, fiery sunrise over the ocean.
“Fenlas has never been here.” He smiled unhappily.
“Really? Why not?” I looked over my shoulder at the lavish castle in the distance with golden domes and aged white walls, turned red with years of exposure to the deep red sands. I could see his balcony far away from the others.
“I thought maybe you could tell me.” He paused and reached for my hand. “I know you’ve also lost your parents.”
