Page 3 of The Curse of a Kingdom
Ari nodded, and the tremor of dread in her stomach grew. The shapes from the night before were part of whatever he was from. When he shared about his past, he’d mentioned where he’d tracked his origins before he had stopped searching further.
She got up from the ground and dusted off her nightgown. “He found his kin in the Copper Kingdom. I have to go there. What does that mean for us?”
The Beekeeper nodded.“Magic bound the three of us long ago. I shall go with you and stay in the forests near the city. We should be able to maintain the balance in nature from there.”
Balance in nature, words Ari liked to throw at her, even though she had a hard time grasping whatever he meant. It had been almost a year since she’d discovered she had a larger fate than being a potion maker in Willowbrook.
Not long ago, she’d thought she would always stay in that non-magical town. But once they’d returned after the Crown’s attack, she couldn't take it for longer than a couple of months. They’d stayed there long enough to pack a few things and make their way back to this village. She wanted to raise Cameron in a life that embraced their newly accepted nature, and she also needed to be closer to Ari.
Nava wished she hadn’t been coddled her whole life, so maybe leaving this island toward the unknown wouldn’t add to the dread already piled over her. There was no other way, however. She had to get to Arkimedes as fast as possible; their soulmate bond demanded them to be close.
How long would it take her body to deteriorate now that he was continents away? How long did they truly have?
Weeks, months? She didn’t even want to consider being away from him for longer than a few days. Nava wished she could ask someone about how her bond might affect her by being away from her soulmate, even though they were both still alive—at least she hoped that was still that case. Her heart constricted at the way her thoughts twisted, and after a forced intake of breath, she took her mind away from that line of thinking.
There was one person who knew more about soulmates than she did—Violet. However, the sorceress was away for a month to do research in the enormous libraries of the Pearl Islands.
Cameron had begged Nava to let him go with Violet and Gavin, fascinated to learn more, and the largest magical library in the world had made her little brother tremble with excitement. She could use his hug to bring back her strength.
“We don’t have long,” Ari said, and Nava met his eyes, her stomach dropping.“Your bond is fully formed now. We will deteriorate fast.”
“You are full of good news, Aristaeus.”
The bark that made his brows dipped. “The Zorren will come for us in our weakened state and make sure they finish what they started months ago when we first met.”
Great. The pit of dread in her stomach grew. She’d found Ari nearly dead almost a year ago. The Zorren, creatures of a shadow dimension that sought destruction in the world, had attacked him. The only information Aristaeus had given her was that they fed on life.
They were the mortal enemies of the Beekeepers.Hermortal enemies, even though she’d never seen one before. “So what then? We transfer there? How long would it take me to master this?”
“We have been working for a couple of months.You tell me.”
She tightened her lips. “Cut the sass.”
As if to prove his point or to annoy her further, Ari disintegrated in front of her. His looming body faded to shapes of bees, dust, and pollen. He flew away from her and headed to the forest, leaving her standing on her land.
Whatever peace of mind Ari had given her was gone, throwing her back into despair. She walked to her home, ready to get on with her tasks at hand. First, get dressed. Second, get her weapons. And third, find Roman.
The Commander knew about the Copper Kingdom. She remembered that detail being mentioned before and was hopeful he would aid her. Nava couldn’t march there and bring Ari along with no actual knowledge of what to expect.
Had she honed her power and transfer, maybe they would already be there. She took a breath to lighten her heavy heart, to not be annoyed at herself and her failings. She’d been doing magic for less than a year. Arkimedes always told her she was her own worst critic.
Nava lifted her hand, chasing the cool brass handle of the back door. The aroma of leather, lavender, and cedar hit her in a wall that reminded her of home, but also of the clear hole staring at her with a sense of growing doom. She’d be of no use to Arkimedes if she crumpled now.
Like the dining chair that lay on the floor, turned on its side, the leg twisted and broken. The sound of it falling had been the only alert she’d gotten that something had been wrong the night before.
Nava walked to it, grasping the cotton fabric of her nightgown as she went over the splintered wood. She kneeled down and studied it longer than time itself. A few drops of dried blood stained the floor, and a breath caught in her throat as anger exploded inside her stomach, spreading like wildfire through her veins.
Nava wasn’t the scared woman who’d run from her town a year ago. She was powerful and determined, all in one.
She would find him, whatever it took. And they would pay.
CHAPTERTWO
NAVA
Midmorning sun passed through the tall foliage of the forest, hitting the cobbled roads of the center of town. The buildings that jutted out of the trees were spaced closer; their shapes loomed over her and increased the sensation of claustrophobia that squeezed her lungs.
She ran down past her favorite restaurant, and curious looks from passersby trailed her steps. The streets hummed with life, the warm humid air of summer embracing them all.
