Page 90 of Heir Of Sun And Moon
“Bahira,” Daje rumbles again, his fingers stretching even farther to me.
“Deal,” I say firmly, keeping my gaze pinned on his but speaking my answer to the looming shifter king behind me. “Three months.”
Chapter Forty-Six: Rhea
Wewakeupjustbefore the sun has risen the next morning to begin the final leg of our journey to his home, although I suppose it is my home now too. He offers to braid my hair again, which I quickly accept, and then we go to find Bella in the gardens. Immie has indeed given us an incredible amount of food as well as refilled our waterskins. I look back at the small town one last time as we walk away, now quiet as the people who celebrated late into the night sleep peacefully.
Our journey through the woods is mostly uneventful, with the exception of running into a small pack of black bears. My heart beats wildly at seeing them up close, but Flynn insists that we keep our distance despite my protests. We continue following the winding Vida River, staying just inside the treeline. Bella has grown comfortable walking far ahead of us, just the sway of her fluffy white tail visible between the trees from where we follow behind her.
Flynn and I walk hand in hand, keeping our pace brisk. For the first time in perhaps forever, but certainly since we had left the tower, I don’t feel bogged down by the swirling thoughts in my head.
I am anxious but also so excited to explore Flynn’s home. To see where he has grown up and meet his family and friends. My past has been a series of sorrows and torments, but now with my twenty-second birthday behind me, it feels like my life is finally beginning. We lay down in a small clearing of trees that night, Flynn offering to stay awake so Bella can cuddle up next to me. My hand runs down her side, my heart swelling with love and gratitude for my oldest friend. For the fact that we have been able to stay together through everything that has happened, that we both get to trulylivenow.
“The moon may have the stars, but I’ll always have you,” I whisper against her head before falling asleep.
“We’re nearly at the border,” Flynn says as we climb a small hill the next day, stepping over exposed roots and under winding tree branches.
Trees still blanket the area heavily, though the limbs are more twisting and dense than they were closer to the Mortal Kingdom. It’s like each trunk is stretching out to the neighboring tree so that they can interlock and form a barrier. I’m grateful for how dense it is, as it gives us shade from the summer sun, but I’m reminded yet again that, even though I did exercises in the tower, I certainly am not fit enough to spend days on end traversing through the woods. We crest the hill after a few more steps, my legs crying out for me to take a break as breath huffs in and out of my chest.
“There.” Flynn points, but I don’t need his guidance to make out what must be the border. I stare with wide eyes and parted lips at the shimmering, iridescentwallthat starts on the ground and rises as far as the eye can see into the sky. Speckles of sunlight breaking through the gaps in the canopy of trees cast an illustrious shimmer on the Spell, reflecting every single color of the rainbow. My hand goes to my chest as my magic immediately starts coiling and writhing within me, moving like it is trying to reach out towards the Spell.
“Oh my gods,” I state in shock as he leads us closer to it. Bella walks ahead, trotting happily to the barrier, butIhave to swallow down my nerves as I squeeze Flynn’s hand. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to walk through it?”
I know what happens to those from other kingdoms who pass through the Spell—they lose their magic in whatever capacity they possess it. And those from the Mortal Kingdom lose their youth. Flynn had explained to me on our walk here that the Spell recognizes those with mage magic and allows them to pass through without any repercussions. It had been a shock to learn that, and I am still feeling uneasy about the risk of crossing the border .
“I’ve lived in the Mortal Kingdom my entire life, what if I go through and it makes me old on the other side?” I whisper, somehow afraid that the Spell is going to hear me and enact that very scenario.
“From what we understand, the magic reacts to how you present, so to speak,” he explains, as we descend the hill. “You haverawmagic, which means that you are notmortal. Plus, you are now the age when mage magic hits its peak strength. Because of that, the Spell should recognize you as mage. At least,” he teases, looking down at me with a smirk, “that has always been the case in the past.”
“Very reassuring,” I mumble as his chuckle suffuses the otherwise-quiet woods. “Well, you’re the one who will be stuck with an old lady if that happens, so you better have meant what you said about taking whatever I can give you.”
He brings our joined hands to his lips, softly kissing the back of mine. “That won’t happen—even if it did, you’d still be mine. But the Spell kills whoever crosses through it within a few days.”
I squeak out a noise of shocked surprise while he leans in to kiss my forehead. “You’re joking right?”
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t let you cross if I didn’t think you would be safe.” I start to question him again, but Flynn suddenly halts my steps, his head moving slowly from side to side. “Where is Bella?” he asks as a chill scrapes down my spine.
“Maybe she already walked through the barrier?” I answer, stepping closer to him as my eyes search intently for her. The wall of the Spell is thin though, easily translucent enough to see through to the other side, though the image is slightly distorted. It’s what I imagine looking through a bubble would be like.
The forest is frozen, not even a rustling of leaves on the branches as it watches us. I feel the heavy gaze of something orsomeonebearing down on my skin. My magic—already at attention because of our proximity to the Spell—moves down my arms and into my palms, a glimmering white emitting from them. I begin to question why it always does this, but then I’m distracted when I see Flynn’s magic glowing in his palm as well—the darkest purple, nearly black, illuminates his entire hand. It’s as beautiful as it is deadly looking, and I can’t believe I didn’t ask him to show me what it looked like before now.
“Call your magic back, or we kill the fox,” a stentorian voice splinters through the air. A flash of gold steps out from behind a tree followed by another and another until we are completely surrounded in a crescent shape, only the barrier of the Spell behind us not lined with guards. A tenuous hush claims the air, interrupted only by the harsh pounding of my heart in my ears. Two men step forward, each of them holding the end of a rope in their hands. My eyes follow the ropes down as Bella is dragged between them, her neck straining against the tightening cords. The two ropes wrap around her neck in a noose-like fashion, and the sight of it makes my heart drop into my stomach.
“Bella,” I whimper, moving to take a step towards her. The guards yank the ropes hard, causing Bella to whine—the noise piercing my heart like a spear. All around us, guards draw their swords, the scrape of metal being unsheathed an ominous ballad to our demise.
“Call your magic backnow,” the guard on the right of Bella snarls out. “Or so help me, I will have her killed.” His blonde hair falls just above his eyes, giving him more of a boyish appearance, but there is no mistaking the pure hatred that seeps from him. He jerks his head to the right, and another guard in full armor steps up with an arrow drawn taut on his bow. It’s pointing directly at Bella.
“Flynn,” I whisper as panic seizes me. A tingling sensation starts at my scalp and works its way down to my toes.
“It’s going to be okay,” he replies, though the way it comes out from between his gritted teeth tells me that he doesn’t quite believe that. “Take a deep breath, and call your magic back inside of you.”
I do as he says because what choice do I have? I can’t lose Bella. As our magic fades from our hands—my chest tightening in response—each guard around us steps forward, boxing us in even further.
“Here is what’s going to happen,” the blonde guard says, his jaw clenching as he speaks. His knuckles turn white from how tightly he grips onto the rope, and bile crawls up my throat as Bella struggles to find purchase with her paws. “You,” he says, looking directly at me, “are going to come with us. If you do so peacefully, your fox will return home with you as approved by His Majesty.” Flynn steps closer to me, though there is no way he can protect me from every single guard.He doesn’t even have a sword.
“You,” he says as he points to Flynn, “will be allowed to live so long as you go through the Spell.” Flynngrowlsin response, the sound vibrating on my back from where it’s pushed up against his chest. “You already have two guards’ deaths on your hands, Princess. Do you want to add your fox and yourfriendto that tally as well?”
Two?My hands clench at my sides as my chest rises and falls quickly. The other guard holding Bella yanks on his rope, causing her to yelp loudly. “Please, stop!” I cry, moving to step towards her again, but I’m halted when Flynn wraps an arm around me. “I have to go! They are going to kill her,” I shriek while my fingers dig into his forearm. “Flynn, let me go!”
