Chapter 9
Amber liquid sloshed over the sides of my tankard of ale and onto the silver table where I sat with Driscoll and Leoni.
We’d searched everywhere for Poppy, but she’d managed to evade us, and now she was gone. We’d walked through the forest back toward the village in Winged that lay a few hours north of Poppy’s tower.
The sky court was easily three times the size of Apolis. My home was scattered among a rocky hillside that overlooked the sea, a place where everyone knew each other—and each other’s business. Which meant as soon as I stepped foot in the water court, word would spread about this mission. Technically I did what I’d set out to do: I found her. I freed her. Well, she freed herself, and knocked me unconscious in the process. That hadn’t been part of the plan, and Leoni was still stewing over the fact that I’d gotten hurt.
“I’m okay, Leoni,” I said as she stared at the cut on my forehead. “It’s just a small cut.”
“I should’ve been there to defend you,” she shot back, that gold-red bun bobbing on her head in the way it did whenever she tilted her chin up. “It’s my job to keep you safe.”
Driscoll flicked her arm. “You know that Prince Lochlan is like a tree and you’re like a little weed, right? I’m pretty sure he doesn’t need you to defend him.”
She pushed his finger away. “It’s my job.”
I couldn’t handle the arguing, especially not now. “Well, you did your job. I’m safe and sound. The mission was a success.”
So why did I feel like such a failure? My mood soured, and I took another deep drink of the ale.
“Should we cut him off?” Driscoll asked Leoni like I wasn’t sitting across from him.
“I’ve had half a tankard,” I said, leaning back in the chair, then wincing at the narrow back. Everything in Valoris was made to accommodate its winged citizens.
Even the tables in this tavern were carefully placed with a wide berth so citizens’ wings wouldn’t brush against each other, which I’d been told was an intimate act. You didn’t touch a sky elemental’s wings unless invited to do so.
Leoni reached across the table and placed a hand over mine. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out with Poppy. I know you thought your dreams meant something, but maybe”—she bit her lip—“it’s time to get your shadow back, and then we can get back to Apolis in time for the conclave.”
The conclave. My brother’s first order of business as the new king of Apolis was going to be bringing all the leaders of the courts together for the first time in over sixty years. It was time, especially since dark dealings were stirring in Arathia, ones I’d come face-to-face with in the last year.
“Your shadow is our priority,” Leoni continued.
Her gaze dipped to my neck, where those blue lines crept down, now almost to my chest. If the lines reached my heart before I either got my shadow back or returned to the place where my shadow was taken, I would die. It was that simple. I’d truly thought Poppy would be my answer. It had felt so right, everything about this. Right up until she’d revealed my shadow had kidnapped her gran.
What in the fuck was that about? I had a lot of questions about why she thought it was my shadow who’d done it, but it made sense, given my dreams. Maybe people and their shadows were more connected than we’d thought.
A few patrons walked by, their wings carefully folded behind them. Their shoes clacked on the black-and-white checkered floor, and a huge lantern filled with flickering candles emanated a warm glow over the place. I liked the dim lighting. It was easier to stay incognito, especially since I was a rather recognizable figure. Normally I’d welcome the attention. The fawning. The swooning. But tonight I wasn’t in the mood.
Spirits below, what was wrong with me? If I asked the question out loud, Leoni and Driscoll would no doubt have a whole list of answers at the ready.
Driscoll drummed his fingers on the table. “Why do you think your shadow took her gran?”
I’d been wondering the same thing. “I don’t know. I have no control over my shadow.”
No, the one who had control over it was the same elemental who’d taken it, ripped it from me. I couldn’t imagine what they wanted with Poppy’s gran. I also couldn’t imagine why her gran raised her in that tower, isolated her from everyone. I had so many questions about this mysterious woman, and now I’d never get any answers.
“Hey, cheer up.” Driscoll pounded his fist on the table. “You did what you set out to do. You saved her. Now we can work on getting your shadow back before you die a slow, terrible death.”
“Driscoll,” Leoni hissed. She turned a sympathetic gaze on me. “He might have no tact, but he’s right, Prince Lochlan. We can’t risk your life any longer. You found her. You helped her escape. Now we have to find your shadow.”
Leoni and her damn duty.
My mind churned over the possibilities. “She said my shadow took her gran. What if my shadow is still with her gran? What if finding her gran is the key to finding my shadow?”
Driscoll and Leoni glanced at each other, having some silent conversation.
“Is it because she didn’t like you?” Driscoll asked.
I reared back at that. “What?”
He gestured out the big windows lining the tavern, which gave view to pink skies and cloud-covered mountain peaks rising in the distance. “You’re used to females throwing themselves at you. And quite a few males, as well.” He winked.
That mollified me a bit. “What’s your point, Driscoll?”
“It kind of seemed like she hated your guts.”
Leoni kicked me in the shin, and I winced. “Ow,” I gritted out.
Her cheeks flushed. “I’m so sorry, Prince Lochlan. That was meant for him.” She jabbed a thumb at Driscoll. “I think what Driscoll is trying to say is that you’re used to everyone adoring you. Females and males alike. Old and young. You’re the most famous bachelor on the continent of Arathia. The constant attention probably gets a bit stale. Understandably,” she said quickly. “This Poppy didn’t even know who you were when she first saw you, and once she found out your identity, she didn’t care.”
Leoni’s words brought back the image of Poppy, those wide green eyes, that scowl that lined her face, how she’d been ready to slice me open, even if her stance was all wrong, her aim off. She hadn’t been impressed by me at all. They were right. That wasn’t something I was used to—especially not from the female population. But that wasn’t it. That wasn’t why I wanted to help her. It was something else. Something I didn’t want to explore further.
“No.” I took another drink. “You’re way off. Both of you.”
Leoni eyed me nervously like she was afraid to speak her mind. She certainly had no problem speaking her mind with my sister. I supposed even though Gabrielle was a princess, she was also Leoni’s best friend. They had a far different relationship than I had with the former captain of the guard.
I waved my hand in the air. “You can speak plainly.”
“Why do you care so much, then?” She placed her elbows on the table. “Why does she matter to you?”
It was hard to give an answer when I didn’t have one myself. I’d spent months dreaming of her face, hearing her voice. She had infiltrated me, seeped into my blood, my bones, in a way nothing ever had.
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly, massaging my temples.
“I have an idea,” Driscoll said. “Let’s get you roaring drunk, then you can have your pick of any woman. Literally just point to one. She’ll probably faint from excitement. Have the night of your life with this lovely woman of your choosing. Then tell me about it, sparing no details, of course. And tomorrow let’s go back to Apolis and make a plan to get your shadow back.”
“You’re a pig,” Leoni muttered. “He’s clearly not in the mood for that.”
I was always in the mood for that. But not with any of these women. I took another huge gulp of my drink.
“I’m speaking his language,” Driscoll shot back.
He wasn’t wrong. I should’ve been jumping at the opportunity. Especially after the last year that I had. Kidnapped. Trapped with Mal in Sorrengard, my shadow taken, sure I was never going to leave that godforsaken island. Then Gabby came and rescued us, but by that point, I’d already started having the dreams about Poppy. Started having them while on the island. Shortly after we returned home, I left to find her. And now here I was.
A few females who sat at the bar on round stools glanced at me over their shoulders, whispering, smiling in my direction. Great. I’d been spotted. Maybe Driscoll was right. I needed to get back to being the playboy prince. Get back to my carefree, easy life.
But every time I looked at the giggling women, tried to summon that charming smile I’d used countless times over the years, Poppy’s terrified face flashed before me, her freckles stark against her bloodless skin, a haunted look in her green eyes, her mouth opened in a scream.
I stood abruptly, knocking back my chair and drawing the attention of those around me. “I need some fresh air.” I nodded toward the open doors, wide enough for a sky person to spread their wings and walk right through. “I’ll be back.”
Neither Driscoll nor Leoni protested as I strode out the door and into the cool evening air.
“It’s him.I told you so,” a woman said from behind me.
“Why is the playboy prince in our little village?” another woman said.
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms across my chest, taking in the city with its stone streets, narrow and winding through the grassy mountainside. Restaurants, taverns, clothing shops—you name it. The village had it all. All of the buildings came with wide windows that no doubt gave sweeping views of the sky court.
The wind whistled, the air chilly so high up. Sky elementals flew past me while others ambled along the streets, wings tucked tight. Everyone wore thick pants and fur-lined vests over their long-sleeved tunics.
The women’s conversation pulled me back to the present. “I heard now that he’s back from the shadow court, his mother wants him to find a wife and settle down.”
They both squealed at that, and I snorted. I never knew how these rumors spread. My mother and father had always relied on me to bridge the gap between them and my siblings, whom they frequently butted heads with. That had always been my value to them. They didn’t need me to get married or produce heirs—they had Gabby and Mal for that, as long as I could keep them all civil, happy. That was my role in this family, and I played it well. Because of that, my parents let me be the playboy prince, let me have my fun. I assumed they both thought I’d settle down eventually, but I had no interest in that. No interest in pursuing relationships that would only come with trouble. My big sister and little brother were perfect examples of that: Gabby gave up her right to the crown and was now a pirate, sailing the ocean and doing spirits knew what. Mal wasn’t much better. Despite being the youngest, the crown passed to him—everyone knowing he was far better suited for the role than I was. His coronation would be happening soon, but like Gabrielle, my mother did not approve of whom he wanted to marry, someone she didn’t believe fit for the role.
My siblings would probably both tell me fighting for love was worth it, but it wouldn’t be worth it for me. Life was short, too short to spend it in strife with others. I thought about how my father had died trying to save me and Mal from the shadow court, died without us even being able to say goodbye. Died before he and Gabby could mend their differences. Even if she hadn’t said it out loud, I knew his death weighed on my sister in a way it didn’t on me and Mal.
The women continued giggling from behind me.
I turned to face them. They both froze.
“Hi ladies.” I nodded.
“He spoke,” one of them whispered, flipping her long black hair over her shoulders. “He just spoke to us.”
“Prince Lochlan,” another one said, her hair red and short, her wings dotted with gold spots.
They both bowed. They were pretty. Very pretty. But, spirits help me, I wasn’t interested. Maybe with my shadow gone, so was my desire to... But I knew that wasn’t true. When I’d tried to kiss Poppy, the desire had been there. Strong, animalistic.
A few more sky females stopped, gawking at me in front of the restaurant. It was official. Now everyone would know Prince Lochlan of the water court was here, in Winged. The famous playboy prince. Here to party, drink, and fuck my way through the sky court. If only that were the case.
Soon I was surrounded by sky females, all of them chattering away so that I couldn’t parse what a single one was saying.
“Ladies, please,” I said, raising my hands.
“Oh don’t go.” One of them stroked my arm. “We’d love to buy you a drink.”
The chatter picked up again as another one grabbed my other arm. “I have my entire night free,” she whispered in my ear.
Blood and water.
The chatter fell away, a flash of long brown hair and pale skin filling my vision. I blinked a few times. I could’ve sworn I just saw Poppy’s face through the gaggle of them.
This woman. She plagued my mind. I wanted to forget about her, to move on with my life.
Wait a minute ... I squinted, realizing I wasn’t imagining her. She wasn’t in my mind. She was here. In the flesh. Standing just beyond me by a statue.
A few more joined the crowd, and I arched my neck, trying to get a glimpse of her, but she’d vanished.
Maybe I was losing it. Maybe Driscoll was right, and I needed to take one of these women back to the inn and be the playboy prince everyone expected me to be. To forget Poppy once and for all.