Tower of Tempest: A Steamy Fantasy Romance (Stolen Crowns Book 3)

Chapter 7

We finally made it to the bottom. Prince Lochlan dropped off the rope that dangled over the ground. I glanced down to see him land in a crouch, then come to a stand, looking up at me expectantly.

He stretched out his arms. “I’ve been known to catch many a fainting woman. I’d like to think this won’t be that different.”

I rolled my eyes. I wanted to refuse him and that stupid smug grin. But the drop was far, and I didn’t know how to make a landing like he had. I’d likely break my neck or a leg, and then I’d truly be in trouble.

I swallowed. “Fine. Just don’t drop me.”

The teasing vanished from his voice. “I wouldn’t dare.”

I dropped my satchel first, gold and other supplies inside, then let go of the rope and tumbled through the air. My stomach shot up to my throat.

True to his word, the prince caught me, cradling me gently to his chest, our faces inches apart. For a second, I stared at him, lost in those sapphire-blue eyes. Then a throat cleared, and I scrambled out of his arms.

“Thank you,” I said quickly, picking up my satchel and slinging it over my shoulder.

He shot me another of his heart-melting grins. “No problem.”

I rolled my eyes again. He was clearly used to women falling at his feet. I hated to disappoint—actually I didn’t—but I would not be one of those women.

My entire body ached after that long climb down, legs and arms shaking, sweat plastering wisps of my hair to my forehead. The prince seemed to fare much better. His cheeks were flushed and sweat dotted his brow, but he was built like a thick tree and looked like he could spend all day climbing up and down the rope with a smile on his face and probably while trying to flirt with the thing. Gran had told me about the playboy prince, like she had all the royals. I knew of his reputation as the most famous bachelor in all of Arathia.

Thoughts of him fled as my boots sank into the mud. I wanted to fall to my knees and kiss the damp dirt. I hadn’t been sure I’d ever step foot outside that tower again.

“I still can’t believe she’s real,” a voice said, and my head snapped up. I’d almost forgotten there were others here.

A man and woman stood before me. The man ran a hand over his smooth-shaven chin, his skin like the sepia brown of the wood Gran and I used to build so much of the furniture in our tower. His teeth gleamed white against his brown skin, and he was vibrating, excitement oozing from him.

“I’m Leoni,” the woman said, stepping up to me and sticking out her hand. “This idiot who won’t stop staring is Driscoll.” She jabbed a thumb at the man.

“I’m making eye contact,” Driscoll said. “It shows I’m trustworthy and not hiding anything.” There was an edge to his voice.

“It also makes you look like a sociopath,” Leoni shot back.

I glanced at Prince Lochlan, who raised his brows as if to say “I told you so.” He wasn’t wrong. It seemed like they bickered quite a lot. I didn’t know why, but it actually put me more at ease.

They were certainly quite the pair. The top of Leoni’s head only came up to Driscoll’s chest, her skin golden, freckles dotting her cheeks and nose. A blue tunic stretched over her curvy hips and brown trousers over her thick short legs.

I swiped some wisps of hair from my eyes. “I’m Poppy. It’s nice to meet you all.”

“Poppy,” the prince murmured like I’d given him a gift.

“So I know why he’s here,” I said brusquely. “Why are you two here?”

“Oh, you know.” Driscoll waved a hand in the air. “Looking for the next great adventure, risking our lives to save others, laughing in the face of danger?—”

Leoni stepped in front of him and nodded her head toward Prince Lochlan. “He needed our help, so we came.”

Lochlan scratched his head. “I wouldn’t say I needed your help.”

“I was the captain of the guard for Princess Gabrielle.” A sadness tinged Leoni’s words. “But she doesn’t need me anymore, and I wanted to find someone who does. So I thought I’d come along, maybe prove that I can be useful to someone other than Princess Gabrielle.”

Driscoll flicked Leoni’s ear. “That was a way better answer than mine.”

A laugh escaped me, and I realized I liked them, despite all my misgivings. I didn’t trust them, but I did believe their answers were true. The prince was here because of his dream, and they were here to support him. It was an odd trio, but maybe they could help me find my gran after all.

“Do you know who kidnapped your gran?” The prince stepped forward. “Any idea where they took her?”

I still felt the whoosh of the shadow over my head from that night in the forest, and skitters ran up my arms. “It was a shadow.”

Driscoll gasped while Leoni’s face lost all color.

The prince frowned. “A shadow. Are you sure?”

I made a face. “You can have nightly dreams about me, but a shadow is farfetched?”

His head bobbed from side to side. “Fair point,” he murmured as if talking to himself. “But what would he want with your gran?”

He. The prince said he like it was certain who took her.

Prince Lochlan crossed his arms across his broad chest. “Well, the good news is, we have experience being kidnapped by shadows. The bad news is it’s not pleasant. And if your gran is in the shadow court...” He shivered, and I wondered what, exactly, his experience with the shadow court was.

As much as she loved her childhood home, Gran had always warned me the shadow court was a dangerous place now, an island that had fallen into ruin after the Shadow War, when the shadow court had declared war on the other courts. That war had led to the decimation of Shiraeth, the star court, which was no longer in existence, all the star elementals dead. It had enraged the other courts so much that they’d brought their full powers down on Sorrengard, destroying the shadow court and banishing any shadow elementals left to their island. Gran had managed to escape and had made me promise I’d never go to Sorrengard under any circumstances. Now I might have to break that promise.

I shrugged helplessly. “So where do we start?”

The sun broke through the clouds above, a delicious warmth spreading over me, the buttery glow cascading across the meadow.

Leoni stepped forward. “It would make sense to go to the shadow court,” she said to the prince. His jaw locked. “We need to get your shadow back, and...”

He made a strangled sound, glaring at her.

Her words trailed off as I stared at the prince, a realization hitting me: he didn’t have his shadow. Unlike me, Leoni, and Driscoll, his didn’t stretch across the ground now that the sun shone over us. I cocked my head, staring at those broad shoulders, that curly hair, the strong jaw.

Blood and skies. I backed away toward the wildflowers.

“It was you.” I pointed a trembling finger at him.

His eyes shifted back and forth. “It was me who... what?”

“Your shadow. You—you were the one who took my gran.”

It all clicked together. That’s why he dreamt of me on that night, why he saw me. He was remembering what his shadow did. I hadn’t known such a thing was possible.

I stumbled back into the tall wildflowers. They rasped against my skin and wings.

His eyes widened. “Oh. Oh no—This isn’t what you think.”

“I think you’re already keeping things from me,” I said. “I think you’re a liar and that you’ve come for me now to finish the job, to take me like your shadow took my gran.”

“No, Poppy—” Leoni started, but Prince Lochlan shot her a look.

I shook my head. I knew it was too good to be true. They weren’t helping me out of the kindness of their hearts. Of course they weren’t. They just wanted something from me.

I’d been such a fool. I dug my foot into the ground and kicked up a swath of dust at the strangers, then spun on my heel and fled.

Callsfor my name echoed behind me, but I didn’t stop.

Wildflowers brushed against my face, some snagging on my wings and making me wince, something catching onto my satchel that thumped against my side. I ignored it all as I pumped my arms and legs, running as fast as I could toward the forest.

The prince might have the advantage of size and speed, but I knew this forest better than him, knew how to disappear into it.

“Poppy!” Prince Lochlan yelled from behind me, his voice closer than it had been just seconds ago. “Please wait!”

No, thank you. He reminded me of those snake charmers Gran had told me about who lived in the fire court. They’d sing and lull snakes into doing their bidding. Exactly like he was trying to do with me.

I wouldn’t let his pretty words and prettier smile distract me.

The forest rose ahead, and I darted through the pine trees and veered toward a thicket of vines that I could disappear through and into the darkness. They’d take the main pathway that led through the forest. They had to unless they wanted to get completely lost. That meant I had an advantage because I knew every nook and cranny of these woods. They wouldn’t be able to follow, as long as I left no trace behind. Using the path would be quicker, but my way ensured I’d stay hidden.

My wings folded behind my back, but thorns still snagged at them, ripping feathers that floated to the ground. I winced and quickly picked up the feathers, stuffing them in my satchel.

I kept running, adrenaline strengthening my resolve. My heart felt like it might pound right out of my chest, and my sides clenched and cramped, but still I ran.

Slowly, the calls in the distance melted away. Silence surrounded me as the forest grew darker, the trees looming tall, eyes peeking out from in between the pine-needled trees. My lungs burned as I gasped for breaths.

I finally slowed to a walk, bending over and planting my hands on my knees, when I realized I hadn’t heard the voices in a long, long time.

By now, my feet were numb, and I felt like I could sink down and sleep for an eternity. But I had to keep going. To get out of this forest and... and then I’d figure out where to go.

It took another half hour, but I’d almost reached the edge of the forest. A cobblestone road lay ahead through the trees, winding around the isle.

I stopped, glancing back behind me, but there was no one in sight. They were probably lost and wouldn’t make it here for quite some time.

It would just take a few steps and I’d be on the road, the farthest I’d ever been from my home. Gran had told me about this very road. She’d traveled it countless times. I’d even drawn a picture of it from her descriptions. It was just a road. Nothing remarkable, but when I stepped onto it, everything would change. I’d be going against everything Gran had told me.

“You don’t go beyond the forest, girl. There are dangers out there you don’t understand.”

I wished I did, and though I understood why Gran hadn’t told me the details, I couldn’t help but be frustrated by all her secrecy. Now she was gone, and I had no idea what the dangers were. No idea why it was dangerous for me to go beyond the forest. All I knew was that I had to.

I swallowed. Taking this step was the only direction I could go. The only way to find Gran. This was silly. I’d keep my hood up, stay hidden, unnoticed, and I’d stay safe. Gran had taught me enough to know how to survive out here. She’d shown me maps, how to read them, lectured me on how the territories of the sky court were structured. How people lived and survived. I could do this.

My foot lifted and moved forward over the tree line, and then my next foot followed as sun shone down onto my face, the cover of trees now behind me.

My breath hitched in my throat as I took a few more tentative steps out onto the road. Gran had described this view so many times, but not even in my wildest imagination could I have dreamed this up.

The sky court sat sprawled out across three mountain peaks, each one connected by long bridges that gleamed golden under the sun. The peaks dropped off into sharp cliffs while the main towns dotted the jagged rocks and deep green highlands. Puffy clouds surrounded the mountaintops, making it look like Valoris sat atop them. Sky elementals flew through the air in the distance, their wings all different colors: white, black, brown. Elementals who looked like me.

Bitterness coated my throat. Except they could fly.

Gran had told me each peak represented a different territory. Our peak was Winged. The next was Feathered. And the final peak, the one with the royal castle, was Winded. Gran had told me Winged was the smallest of the three, and it was also the farthest from Winded. With her distrust of the royals, it made sense why she chose this place for us.

I ventured out farther onto the stone-paved road as a few sky elementals soared over me. Some of them glanced down, giving me curious looks. My face flushed, and I wished I had a different cloak, one that would cover my wings. I wouldn’t be able to hide like I’d thought, not when I had wings but wasn’t flying like everyone else. That would be first on my to-do list. I’d taken all Gran’s gold, so I’d have enough to get myself a new cloak.

Cold wind gusted past me, feeling good against my sweat-soaked face, though I noticed everyone who flew wore thick pants and fur-lined jackets, some even wearing protective goggles and gloves.

My linen dress wouldn’t keep me warm like it had in my tower. I’d need clothes better suited for this journey. I glanced up and down the road, biting the inside of my cheek, thinking through my options.

The prince and his comrades had mentioned going to the shadow court. My gaze settled on the farthest isle in the distance. The only way down and to the docks was through Winded. I would have to travel to the royal territory. The thought soured my stomach. It would take weeks to journey on foot. Maybe my best course of action right now would be to visit the village on Winged. The one Gran often traveled to for trade and supplies. They’d surely have what I needed, and a small village would be safest while I prepared for my journey. I’d pay for passage on a ship to the shadow court. From there, I’d find my gran.

Having a plan gave me the confidence to move forward. I needed rest, but I couldn’t afford to sit here and wait for the prince to find me. I began walking, glancing down over the edge of the road, the view dizzying. Water raged against the cliffs far below, ramming into them with a vengeance, seawater spraying and showering back down. I’d never been afraid of heights, but it was astounding how high up we were. Gran had told me Valoris was the least visited of all the courts because of how difficult it was to travel here. Still, the sky court made accommodations like building roads and bridges to encourage trade with other courts—and to help sky elementals like me, who couldn’t fly.

Actually, I wasn’t sure there was anyone like me. Some sky elementals sustained injuries or contracted illnesses that impaired them, but I wasn’t sure there was anyone out there who didn’t know how to use their magic.

Maybe now was the time to learn.

I shaded my eyes against the sun. One thing at a time. First, I needed to make it to the nearest village. Far in the distance, the road forked. One way led toward the golden bridge and on to the next territory. The other led off in a different direction, winding around the forest and toward the only village on our little isle.

I sighed, steeling myself for this journey. I could do this.

The sun glared bright in the sky, and I could feel its blistering rays on my face, despite my hood. The forest had always been dark, but out here, despite the chill, the sun beamed, bright and searing. I’d only taken a few steps when the clop of horses made me go still, and it took me a moment to register the sound—a moment too long. I moved to scramble off the road and hide behind the moss-covered rocks, but before I could, something yanked me back by my hood, and I landed with a crack against the stone.

Pain seared through the back of my head.

“Well, what do we have here?” a voice said.

I blinked, vision hazy as a face leered over me. A man smiled down at me, his gaze sinister, a dangerous smile on his lips. He stroked his stubbled jaw, his face thin, his eyes cold and hard.

I scrambled to my feet, and that’s when I realized I was surrounded.