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

Chapter 51

I’d died. I’d stood before the tall golden gates of Galaysia, the other side an ocean, calm and cerulean, that spread out past a white-sand shore. It had looked beautiful, but something held me back, stopping me from opening that gate and passing through. Her voice. Her voice tethered me to another world, kept me there until she’d used her lightning to make my heart beat again.

Now it thrummed in my chest, for her and her alone. It would never beat for anyone else.

After that harrowing ordeal with Poppy’s gran and the shadows, we’d given her gran the burial she deserved, one worthy of the shadow court, then trekked back to the tower, where we’d likely be safest for the night.

Poppy had gathered different herbs and veggies that were left in the garden. Then Driscoll used his magic to get everyone except Poppy to the top, and we each took turns bathing in the tub on the second level of the tower. The icy water shocked my skin, and I scrubbed my hair and body as fast as I could while the smell of something tangy and salty wafted through the air. I jumped out of the little tub and grabbed one of the towels that was hanging, scrubbing it over my skin until I was dry. We’d all packed extra clothes in our satchels, and I tugged on a pair of clean trousers and a tunic, shivering and ready to warm myself by the crackling fire in the hearth.

I emerged, marching down the steps that wound around the side of the stone tower, and I marveled that Poppy and her gran had actually built this. Driscoll sat in the rocking chair, while Leoni and Poppy sat in the two chairs on either side of the small table.

Poppy’s eyes met mine, and she gave me a tentative smile that made all the cold flee from my body. I could live off that smile alone. Drink it in and soak in it. Let it sustain me for all my days.

“After you two are done mooning over each other, could you finally fill us in on what’s going on?” Driscoll asked.

“Just one thing I need to do first,” I said as I marched down the stairs and straight up to Poppy. I lifted her chin and planted a kiss on her mouth, tasting her and reveling in the feel of those soft lips against mine.

Driscoll cleared his throat. “This really seems unnecessary.”

“He’s right,” Leoni said. “We have a lot of questions about what happened in that damn forest.”

Poppy responded, kissing me back before gently pushing me away and giving me a look.

“What?” I asked. “I died. Literally died, and you brought me back to life with a kiss.”

“No I didn’t,” Poppy said, exasperated. “My magic jump-started your heart again, helped it to start beating.”

I shrugged a shoulder. “I like the kiss story better. There’s a kind of whimsy to it, don’t you think?”

Driscoll looked over at Leoni. “Are we even here? Or are we just ghosts who can’t be seen or heard?”

I rolled my eyes and sat on the edge of a mattress that lay on the floor. “I hear you, Driscoll.” I took a heavy breath.

Poppy stood, gathering wooden bowls and spoons from a shelf and ladling steaming soup into each one. She passed out the bowls to each of us, and I inhaled the earthy scent.

“So?” Driscoll slurped from his spoon. “What happened? What did you find out from Poppy’s gran? How did she die?”

Poppy winced. I didn’t want her to have to relive any of this, but we needed to tell the others.

“Get comfy,” I said, setting my bowl of soup aside. “It’s a long story.”

Leoni and Driscollsat with their mouths open. Driscoll closed his several times, attempting to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. This might’ve been the first time I’d ever seen him speechless.

Leoni blinked like she was trying to process everything I’d said but couldn’t.

“I know this must be a shock,” Poppy offered, shooting me a concerned glance.

“Spirit Shadow,” Driscoll murmured, dark brows pinching together. “Spirit Shadow is here. Or there. In the shadow court, that is. He’s alive. I mean, he’s always been alive, but we thought he and the other spirits were, you know, down in Galaysia, hanging out, or hiding somewhere and staying hands off with us elementals, but you’re telling me, they’ve all been trapped this entire time? Trapped by who? And why?”

I crossed my arms. “Those are good questions. I wish we could answer a single one of them.”

Driscoll set his empty bowl on the floor and sank his head into his hands. “Oh, this is bad. This is so, so bad. I helped a bunch of prisoners escape from his island.” His head shot up, eyes wild. “Do you think he knows what I did? Do you think he’s going to smite me from this earth as soon as he’s free?”

I sighed. “No one is doing any smiting, Driscoll. And, you know, you’re not the only one who helped prisoners escape. There were a lot of us working together. I think you’re okay.”

Driscoll threw out his arms. “Well, I did the main thing. You know, with my magic and parting the trees, allowing all of you to escape.” He gasped. “I did it again today. Messed with his shadows. Oh, I bet I’m enemy number one on his list.”

Poppy chewed on a strand of hair. She stopped and said, “I don’t think he’s going to send more shadows after us. Gran said once she was... dead that he would leave me be.”

Leoni traced a finger across a crack in the wood tabletop. “And that begs the question: where are the remaining weapons? Your gran said he has three of them. That leaves Spirit Fire’s hammer, Spirit Sky’s bolt, Spirit Star’s scythe, and Spirit Frost’s axe.”

We all looked at Poppy, who bit her lip. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I think my gran might have known something. She was about to tell me when the shadows came. Something about the bolt, I think.” She shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. We could really use Emory’s help right about now.”

A gust of wind rattled the shutters.

Poppy rose and walked to the window, closing them. She grabbed a shawl from a hook on the wall and draped it over her shoulders.

“What could your gran know about Spirit Sky’s bolt?” Leoni asked.

Poppy slowly turned, eyes widening. “We know this tower was built by Spirit Sky, so what if the bolt is hidden here?” She gestured around the room.

“Well, you’ve lived here your whole life.” Driscoll’s eyes shifted back and forth. “So have you seen any bolts lying around?”

“What if it’s buried in the tower?” She gestured to the stone floor.

“You want us to take this thing apart, piece by piece?” I asked.

Poppy sighed. “I don’t know. I feel like the answer is right there in front of us, but I just can’t see it.”

“Maybe we need to get some sleep,” Leoni said.

I stood, stretching out my arms. “I agree. Tomorrow we have a long journey to get to Apolis before the start of the conclave. We have to arrive on time and deliver this information.”

Poppy’s eyes snapped to mine. I knew the thought of facing her father again scared her, but this was something we had to do. She had to do.

“I’ll sleep on the floor,” I volunteered.

Poppy shot me a glare. “You will absolutely not. You almost died today. You’re sleeping on the mattress.”

I shot her a wicked grin. “Only if you sleep next to me.”

Driscoll groaned. “Are things going to get weird tonight?”

Poppy’s face turned scarlet, and Leoni smirked.

“We’ll sleep by the fire,” Leoni said, “and you two can push the mattresses up against each other and sleep together, but that better be it. I already had to sit on the cushion in the carriage where your naked asses were.”

“So everyone knows about that?” I asked.

“I heard you two arguing,” Leoni said, “then I heard moaning.” The words came out all breathy and weird. Driscoll and I shot each other confused looks while Poppy’s skin resembled the shade of an eggplant.

Leoni shifted in her seat, cheeks slightly flushed, breaths uneven.

Driscoll’s head snapped to her. “Oh my spirits. Are you... turned on right now?”

Leoni shot him an annoyed glance. “What?”

“That’s your fantasy? Fighting!” He shrugged. “Then fucking.”

Leoni’s cheeks turned redder than Poppy’s.

“I did it!” Driscoll pumped a fist in the air.

Poppy and I shared an amused look.

Driscoll leaned forward. “So that’s your kink, huh? Big strong man pushes you up against a tree, sword pressed against you.” He waggled his eyebrows. “But that’s not the only hard weapon pressed against you.”

Poppy choked.

Leoni huffed and shrugged a shoulder. “Doesn’t have to be a man.”

Triumph shined bright in Driscoll’s eyes. “I knew I’d figure it out.”

“Congratulations, Driscoll. You have a talent for finding what turns people on,” I said drily, and Poppy laughed.

After all the heartache she’d been through, it felt good to hear that sound again.

“You all are just jealous.” Driscoll stretched his hands behind his head.

He’d saved our lives twice using his earth magic, but the man acted like this was his greatest accomplishment.

“Well, you two don’t have anything to worry about tonight.” I rolled my eyes. “Like Poppy said, I almost died today. I don’t think I can do much more than sleep.”