Page 54 of To Sway a Prince
I traced my fingers over the area, then used just my fingers to direct my energy and undo the central knot. The thread unspun, revealing a series of runes that were already fading.
"Hmmm." I leaned in close, hand pressed to Zephyrus's side. These runes were familiar, but I didn't fully recognize them. They spelled out something specific. I recognized "take," "protect," and "stay." One of the runes was a marking for time.
Clover zipped over, her blue light illuminating the markings even more. "Oh! Hidden writing! I love puzzles!"
"Can you read this for me, please?" I asked, trying to steady my voice. Already I guessed what it said, but I wanted confirmation.
She hovered close to Zephyrus's scales, her tiny hands tracing the patterns. "It's an old runic spell that the Sentinels and Wardens use. Maybe a few of the north islanders in the west. Very specific. Very powerful." She canted her head, her curly ash blonde hair sliding to the side. "The Sentinel ordered the dragon to take you away. To protect you at all costs and not look back."
Ivy and Cricket joined us, their lights casting dancing shadows across Zephyrus's blue scales.
"One day's journey minimum," Cricket added, her red glow pulsing with excitement. "No specific place named. Just... away. Safe."
My stomach dropped as my head spun. Something was happening with the Chasm. At the Tower. And he was going to die.
"Well, there is some good news though!" Ivy spun in circles around my hand and then my neck. "The pendant is such a gift. So beautiful! I haven't seen one in ages, but 'Natoumai ahme vahre' that's what Sentinels say to their beloveds!"
Cricket nodded vigorously. "It's difficult to translate directly because they shorten so many of the words and then combine them to make new ones. Very similar to the north rune faein many respects. But essentially, that phrase means: The one whose soul was carved from the same star as mine, the one I will love through life, through death, and all that lies beyond."
"A mate-bond declaration and a vow of love," Clover whispered. "One of the most sacred bonds."
I staggered under the weight of those words. My gut twisted. "Gnat. What if someone just said that, and they were a Sentinel…what would that mean?"
The three fairies looked between one another, their wings fluttering swiftly back and forth. Cricket just laughed, but it was more a nervous sound. "Well, if said alone, 'nat' means 'my beloved' more or less."
My heart twisted as my knees at last gave way. Collapsing on the ground, I dragged in a ragged sob. He had been telling me the whole time. He'd known from the beginning.
Zephyrus pressed his snout to the back of my head and grunted softly.
I couldn't breathe around the ache in my chest and the tightening of my throat. I hated him. I loved him. That rune-magicked bastard! It all made sense now. Thread rot, how could he send me away like that?!
"Astraia, love, what's wrong?" Ivy hummed beside my ear.
"He's going to face something terrible," I whispered, my voice shaking so hard I don't know how they understood me. My fingers dug into the dirt. "Something he doesn't expect to survive. He sent me away to protect me, and he isn't going to make it."
Zephyrus grunted again and looked back in the direction of the tower. Yes. I agreed.
"We have to go back." My whole body shook. "Right now! How much time do we have?" Dragging my hand through my hair, I drew in ragged breaths. "It can't be much. He only demanded Zephyrus fly a day. So—end of day today? Tonight?I've got to get back now! But we won't get back there before dawn even if Zephyrus goes at full speed!"
Cricket zipped around my head, leaving a trail of crimson sparkles. "Why not just pulseport back?"
I shook my head, struggling to regulate my breaths. "I can't pulseport with Zephyrus. He's too large, and I'm not strong enough to carry us both that distance. I couldn't even get myself that far without sapping my magic, and that might not be enough with just me."
The three fairies exchanged glances, then burst into tinkling laughter that sounded like wind chimes in a storm.
"Silly cousin!" Ivy grabbed my pinky finger with both her tiny hands. "You don't need to do it alone!"
Clover seized another finger. "Come! Hurry!" Cricket had already darted ahead, her soft red glow guiding the way.
They pulled me deeper into the forest, Zephyrus following behind and snapping through branches and crushing roots. The trees grew denser, their ancient trunks twisted with age. We stopped beneath a massive ash tree, its bark furrowed and gnarled. At its base lay a perfect circle of ivory mushrooms, glowing in the shadows.
"One of our circles," Cricket announced with a flourish. "Step inside!"
I hesitated. "What about Zephyrus? He won't fit."
Ivy flitted over to Zephyrus, sprinkling dust over his snout. "Of course he will!"
Before my eyes, Zephyrus shrank, his massive form compressing until he was no larger than a house cat. He let out an indignant squawk, wings flapping furiously.
