Page 85 of The Curse of a Kingdom
Had this been the one next to the queen’s panel in the door and had been replaced at some point? If that was true, why? His father had always been okay with letting the kingdom believe she had taken him away, but what if people questioned why that had happened?
It made him wonder if the king had ever tried to get rid of him when he’d been a child, which might be the reason why his mother had run away with him in tow. Had his father killed his mother in retribution?
Orion itched to be out of there, or to stay and check every single one of those books and find answers. His search would have to wait, however; he couldn’t rest until Nava was out of this castle and safe.
“The forest fires woke me this morning, Orion. It has been your job to catch the culpritsbeforethey get out of hand. They are already getting closer to our city.”
“The fires are not caused by humans like the guards are telling you.”
“Then by what?”
Orion hesitated before releasing a breath. “The Zorren. I saw one the other day—”
“The demons are crossing to these lands?” The king stood from his seat and paced around the area toward the bookcase. “No one else has reported this to me before.”
“It’s the truth.”
“I need proof. The high fae are convinced the humans that call themselves the Fallen Crows are behind this mess and are demanding retribution. If the demons are the ones wreaking havoc in our land, killing our forests and poisoning our soil, I need some of the guards to back your word—or for you to bring me proof.”
“They become ash when killed. How am I supposed to bring you anything but ash?” Orion pointed out, shaking his head.
“Their nails are made of iron, deadly for our kind—yet you are half-human, so picking one up shouldn’t be a problem. Cut one of their hands, and bring me the nails.”
Orion stood from his chair and bowed to the king. Last time he’d seen a Zorren close enough to see said nails had been with Nava and the other Beekeeper, Ari. That day, it had been just one, but lately there were many more, if the fires were anything to go by.
“I will leave to get them for you then.” He walked around the living area, scanning the shelves and the display case where the keys were supposed to be.
“Take as many guards as you think you will need,” the king said. “I can feel the kingdom becoming stronger ever since you arrived. Our magic feeds the castle, and the spells that connect this structure to the city, to the lands beyond, work out the rest.”
It was the same words the king had said to him the first time he’d been in this castle, learning he was the stolen heir. At the time, he’d half believed them. However, when he returned four months ago, the land had been dry. The castle walls cracked under the demands of a hungry kingdom. A high power that demanded things he didn’t claim to understand. The citizens, animals—everyone had been struggling.
Not because of the lack of magical-born children, like in the Iron Kingdom, but because of the lack of children in general. The land and the citizens had become barren. A curse placed on this kingdom eons ago, eased by the power of the king. Lifted by the queen’s tree.
Orion paused by the door. He had seen the city regain life, though he wasn’t sure if it was due to him returning or just the change of the seasons. “I don’t feel different.”
“Our power eases the way the magic flows. It allows other magical creatures to help us. The queen’s tree is the missing puzzle. A kingdom is barren without its queen.”
Oh, the tree was already alive—his father was not going to like the how, but the process was in motion. Orion considered telling the king about the tree and that Nava was his soulmate. It would stop whatever plot his father might be brewing to hurt her.
However, he held himself back; even though he believed his father wanted him to stay, he wasn’t quite sure what had happened to his mother. And now with that wooden panel, the rock of dread in his stomach just grew heavier.
What if his father sent Nava away, kept her alive but hidden, and then erased his memories of her? Orion wasn’t willing to give her up to whatever fate that was. Sure, he had not wanted a soulmate, but he wasn’t going to give her up.
“It’s our job to find the queen. It might be time for you to start courting women in the kingdom.”
His skin went cold. “I’m not interested.”
“Orion. Our kingdom depends on our bloodline to be alive to keep our land strong. The spells that make it run are linked to us. I have told you this. We need your children.”
There was one woman in Orion’s life he would tie himself to, and he had already chosen her, in his past life and in this one. He opened his mouth to say the truth, but his father continued.
“A fae woman, of course.”
“Why does it have to be a fae? The queen was human.”
“She was my . . . biggest regret.” His voice sounded sorrowful. Orion wasn’t sure what the mistake was. “It would make our fae blood too diluted for the spells to keep working. You are half-fae and already struggle to keep the voices at bay. A quarter fae . . . They wouldn’t be strong enough to hold them back from taking over.”
While he had told Nava they should go to the king and get married the night of the solstice, Orion wasn’t sure Nava wanted the life of living in this castle as a queen, which was the life he wanted.
