Chapter 9
Loche
Loche sipped from his fourth or fifth cup—he honestly wasn’t sure which one it was—as his eyes sliced across the room, lingering by Kerym and Pellie now sitting on the couch, the latter’s face still tinted pink, then moving to brush across Ardow, then Venko and Amalise at the table, his best friend hovering right behind Amalise’s chair, and finally landing on Raine and Frelina, who appeared to be on as good terms as he was with Iviry, based on Lessia’s sister’s crossed arms and defiant expression as she leaned back in a chair with a cup of her own.
How strange that this group of people was the one he felt most at home with right now, when everything in his life felt as if it was spinning out of control.
But perhaps it made sense… No one in this cold cabin had set out on this path—they’d all been thrown into it without a choice, and all were dealing with the aftermath.
Ripping his gaze to the window, where rain still smattered like it had done the past week, Loche emptied the glass, but the stinging liquor did little to soothe the roiling emotions within him.
Married. His aftermath was that he was getting married. He’d never even really considered it, might have only touched on the idea when he and Lessia—
Loche pushed the thought away.
There was no him and Lessia anymore, and he was fine with that.
He really was. Every nerve and muscle and bone within him had accepted it.
He’d always cherish whatever had been between them, the companionship and love and acceptance, but it was so clear they weren’t meant to be.
Even if Merrick hadn’t come along, with his tall frame and grumblings and possessiveness, Loche knew there would have been no future for him and the girl with the golden eyes.
His duty was to his people, to the oath he’d sworn, and to the land he loved.
Hers was to whatever path she’d now set off on. He didn’t doubt they’d need to part ways soon. He could feel it somehow—that she was meant for something bigger, maybe even bigger than Havlands, while he…
Loche sighed deeply.
Marriage was a small price to pay to keep his people safe.
And Iviry…
She was the most beautiful woman Loche had ever seen, and she commanded respect from humans and Fae alike, and… they wanted the same thing: a peaceful Havlands where everyone was welcome. It could have been much worse.
His mind snapped back to the temporary council that had formed after Iviry stormed out of the building.
Three Fae and three humans had come forth: Iviry had apparently already made preparations for the representatives from her side before she left, while Venko and two women from Ellow, one a captain whom Loche knew very well and another a merchant whom the people loved, had been pushed forward by the crowd.
They’d demanded a plan for the wedding and the subsequent battle.
Loche had hesitated at first, wondering whether it was wise to make any decisions without Iviry present, but Dedrick, the tall blond Fae who’d suggested the wedding, had jumped in and declared that Iviry had given him authority to decide on the date and place.
Her only criterion was that it needed to be fast, so the affair didn’t pose any risk to their people.
After that, the decisions had been made quickly.
Loche and Iviry were to be married within two weeks, at sea on the border between Ellow and Vastala, to symbolize the joint union and the equality with which they entered it.
They’d both bring their entire fleets and armies to the occasion, using it as an opportunity to train together before the anticipated attack by the Oakgards’ Fae.
Dedrick wanted them to head out as soon as tomorrow, get everything in place as quickly as possible, but Loche had pushed back. His promise to Lessia regarding the prisoners weighed heavier than the urgency for a perfect wedding.
While Dedrick had grumbled, Venko had thankfully taken Loche’s side, declaring that the Oakgards’ Fae they had imprisoned might have insights that would be helpful as they prepared.
So in the end, they’d decided that they’d leave in two days, and that Loche and Iviry should take the lead on his ship, presenting a united front for the vessels that would follow on the entire journey there, and then, of course, for every day for the rest of his life.
Loche’s eyes flicked to the sooty ceiling, some of the guilt that had knitted a hard knot in his gut easing.
Iviry would live so much longer than him, so for her, at least, this could be but a blip in her almost eternal life—something she could look back on and laugh about, remembering the time she was required to wed a powerless half-breed to save their world.
A wince wove across his face as his mind snapped to his mother.
He’d have to deal—
Loche jerked when the door slammed open, and so did everyone else as a bolt of lightning lit up the three people in the doorframe. Raine sprang upright while Kerym showed his teeth, his arm flinging out to cover the witch sisters beside him.
It took a second to take in the scene, but then Loche was also on his feet.
The twisted masks of the people before him weren’t his men’s bird masks or any other type of guise.
Pain. It was pain that morphed Lessia’s and Merrick’s faces as they clung to Iviry, who looked as if she would pass out too.
The three of them were so drenched it seemed as if they’d taken a dip in the sea.
As Loche reached them, his feet moving of their own accord, Iviry shifted Lessia into his arms. He spun around, heading for the couch to set her down, but not before catching the curious look Iviry shot him as he adjusted Lessia, who leaned her forehead against his shoulder.
Merrick snapped something sharp when Raine tried to lift him, and while the latter backed away, his hands in the air, Merrick only followed Loche, offering him a curt “Thanks” when he set Lessia on the couch Kerym and the sisters had gotten up from, and he dropped down beside her.
“I felt a surge of magic,” Iviry explained as she walked into the house, with Kerym closing the door behind her.
“I’ve never felt anything so strong, so I had to go looking for it, and I’m glad I did.
They were half dead in a cave by the sea, and while that angry sea wyvern threatened to eat me, I knew I had to get them out. ”
Iviry’s teeth started chattering so hard her words came out clipped, and Loche’s eyes flew across the room until they landed on a blanket lying across the arm of the chair Frelina sat on.
When the younger half-Fae caught his gaze, she quickly pulled at it, and Loche nodded to her as he unfolded it and swept it across Iviry’s shoulders.
The swift movement had Iviry’s scent rush toward him, and for a moment, everything went quiet.
Loche couldn’t even blink as the smell of ship wood, of crisp sails and summer wind barreled into him, and it wasn’t until Iviry touched his hand that he could snap out of it.
“I’m sorry,” Iviry mumbled when his wide-open eyes landed on hers. “It’ll get easier.”
Loche didn’t dare breathe through his nose. He was about to ask why she’d apologized, but before he could, Iviry stepped away from him with a whispered “We don’t need to pretend amongst friends. Save it for the ship” and turned her back on him to check on Lessia and Merrick.
“What were you two doing?” Iviry demanded. “And why were you doing it on a damn cliff?”
It was Lessia’s weak voice that traveled through the room after she’d given Merrick a glance. “We spoke to the souls. Auphore and Ydren and the wyverns helped us, so we needed to be close to them.”
Loche’s eyes were still on Iviry when she tapped her foot on the floor and asked, “But how did you get hurt?”
The room thickened with unease, and in the end, it was Frelina who broke the silence, returning from the kitchen with two steaming cups of tea that she pressed into Merrick’s and Lessia’s hands.
“It’s killing them. The power is killing them, and they need to know how to stop it.” Frelina settled beside her sister, pulling up her knees to her chest as she leaned against her.
“Did you figure it out?” Frelina whispered when Lessia smiled at her.
The question was so silent, but everyone still heard it—and heard the fear in Frelina’s voice as her eyes traveled across the two drenched people who deserved so much fucking better than having to deal with another life-threatening blow.
Loche automatically took a step toward Iviry—another person who deserved so much more than what the world was offering her—but she smoothly danced away, moving to sit on the armrest of Merrick’s side of the couch.
“Kind of.” Lessia smiled at the room, although the shakiness of it betrayed her tiredness. “We need to go to Vastala and find someone who ‘clings to life,’ according to Merrick’s parents. Apparently some of the books from the old world might have answers.”
“Parents?” Raine gaped as he sat down in his chair again. “Merrick’s parents are dead.”
“They are,” Merrick responded, pulling Lessia against his chest when she started shivering like Iviry had.
“By the gods’ hands, apparently. But they’re here.
They’re in my magic. And it seems that all of this is happening in response to the gods becoming too strong. We’re nature’s way of fighting back.”
“But we need a balance,” Lessia added. “If not… we’ll die.”
“Why can’t you just not use the powers?” Amalise asked as she pushed at Zaddock’s hand, which held her shoulder. “If you don’t use it, there is no risk, right?”
“That’s not how magic works,” Pellie said as she let Kerym drag her to his side beside the table Amalise sat at. “It’s still there. Their powers still exist. And if they do so unchecked…”
“We will come with you,” Soria said, her voice soft. “Maybe there is something we don’t remember that these books can help rouse.”
“Thank you,” Lessia offered as her gaze flicked to Kerym. With another fast look at Merrick, she continued. “Kerym… Thissian is here. He… looked great. We didn’t have time to speak to him before… but he was smiling.”
Kerym’s mouth hiked up on one side. “I fucking knew it.” His eyes focused on one of the dark corners, as if Thissian would somehow show himself there.
“I could feel you, brother. I knew you hadn’t moved on.
” He turned back to Lessia. “I’ll also come with you.
If there is a chance I can speak to him…
” Kerym’s voice trailed off, and the look on his face made a small lump force its way into Loche’s throat as well.
“Well…” Loche cleared his throat. “You should probably leave soon, then, maybe even tomorrow, so you can make it back in time. We… Iviry and I are getting married in two weeks, and after that, we expect war to befall us.”
Loche would have laughed at Lessia’s and Merrick’s gaping mouths if he hadn’t caught how Iviry’s face fell before she managed to slap the fakest smile he’d ever seen onto it.
“You…” Lessia frowned at him, then moved to do the same to Iviry. “You’re getting married? In… two weeks?”
“Now, don’t go regretting your choice, Lessia,” Zaddock said, his smile teasing, although it quickly fell from his face when Amalise made a furious sound and slipped off the chair, moving to stand with crossed arms by the door.
Loche also shot his friend a warning look, and Zaddock’s mouth twisted to the side. His gaze filled with shame as it focused on the stoic Iviry, who refused to meet anyone’s eyes.
“I…” Lessia stared at Loche, that wrinkle between her brows deepening not because she was jealous but because… she was concerned.
It was as clear as the liquor in the glass that Loche rushed down when Merrick broke in.
“Congratulations,” the Death Whisperer offered, his voice carrying a note of something Loche didn’t fully understand. “It might be hasty, but… this is a good thing.”
The Fae warrior sounded about as certain as Loche felt, but Loche made himself nod. “It is a good thing. It’ll finally bring the people of Ellow and Vastala together, make us strong as we face the Oakgards’.”
“And you get to marry your mate,” Kerym said as he once again stared into that corner he’d focused on when Lessia told him about his brother.
Then his gaze settled on Pellie, whose cheeks turned bright crimson under the intensity of his look.
“Life is too short even when you’re immortal. You’re doing the right thing.”
Loche did everything he could to catch Iviry’s eyes, but her blues stared straight out the dark window, not a single feeling playing in the beautiful cerulean swirls.
Was it the right thing?
It was for his people. It was for Ellow.
And for himself? There was something in him that drew him to Iviry, and not just whatever the mating bond was. He respected her. He found her beautiful. He…
Her eyes snapped to his, and he was about to ask to speak to her alone when concern blazed bright within her gaze. She gestured out the window and declared, “Our guards are coming, and they look worried.”