Chapter 23
ARIEL
M y heartbeat drummed a frantic rhythm in my ears with every passing second as I stared through the doorway at a faded memory.
A ghost.
“ It can’t be, ” I whispered as I stumbled backward, propelled by the truth standing right in front of me. Because there was no mistaking it. From his hair to his strong features, from his height and breadth to the span of his massive black wings, the male before me was my father.
“ Ariel .” He walked in and quickly closed the door behind him, leaving us only a pace apart. “My darling girl…”
My hand drifted to his face, almost scared to touch him for fear I’d realize it was all an illusion—a cruel trick played by an even crueler god. But when my fingers brushed his cold, stony skin, I knew. I threw myself into his arms and sobbed like the little girl he’d never gotten to raise. “Baba…it’s you. It’s really you!”
“It’s really me,” he said as he pressed his lips to my cheek. “I’m here.”
“Your father was the tracker that found us,” Hemming said from behind me. “He is the one who told us about Vesstan.”
“I just—I don’t even know what to say. How is this even possible? How are you still alive? Mama never—” I cut my words short, wondering if my father even knew what had happened the night my mother died. If he knew that she was gone.
“There is so much I need to tell you, Ariel,” he said softly, pulling away. “I hardly know where to begin.”
“There is no time for that now, I’m afraid,” Shayfer said as he placed his hand on my back. “You must go now, or you risk incurring the wrath of Vesstan.”
My father stiffened at those words. “Yes. Go now. And hear me when I say this, Ariel: do not trifle with him. Do whatever you must to return to your room this evening, and wait for me there. I will come to you when the castle is quiet and tell you all that needs to be said.”
“But I just got you back,” I said, sniffling back my tears. He cupped my face in his hand and stroked my cheek. The warmth in his dark eyes was everything I’d always longed to see.
“Later, my girl. I will find you later. Now you must fix your face and go.”
I hugged him one more time, reluctant to let him go. But knowing I’d anger a god if I didn’t—one who’d threatened the lives of people I cared for—I pulled away and rushed to the door, wiping my face along the way. “I’ll await your visit, Baba.” Glancing over my shoulder, I met the others’ stares. “And I’m so glad you’re all alive.”
I slipped off my shoes so I could sprint back to the glass dining room on silent feet.
Sweat beaded on my brow as I slid to a stop far enough away from the door to not be heard. I patted it dry with the sleeve of my dress and shoved my feet back into the pointed slippers. With a cleansing breath, I smoothed my dress and walked back in to find Vesstan staring at the doorway expectantly.
“Just in time,” he said as he rose to meet me.
I lifted my skirts and hastened over to him. “They’re settled for now, so we shouldn’t have any further distractions.” Stopping in front of him, I gathered his hands in mine. “I cannot thank you enough for sending your tracker to find them. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. And now I feel like I could eat everything on this table!”
“Guilt is such a heavy burden,” he said, holding my hands in his as I attempted to slip away. “You must learn to let go of things that can cause such undue strife.”
“Those are wise words, and I wish they were enough to cleanse it away. But you, more than most, must surely understand the enormity of being responsible for others. That is what drove my quest; a feeling of responsibility to my homeland. And now, knowing that the Oracle is real, I might be able to free the people of Anemosia from our curse—and myself from that sense of obligation.”
He eyed me strangely for a moment, then pushed a stray curl from my face. “They don’t deserve you, Ariel,” he said, his voice wistful and distant.
I shied away from him, nervous about the implications of his words. “But do I deserve all this?” I asked, pointing to the table. “That is the real question, and I hope the answer is yes, because I fear the sounds my stomach may make soon would have you casting me out of this grand room in an instant.” My laughter accompanied me as I slipped away from him to retake my seat.
To my surprise, he let his amusement show. “You find humor in the strangest things,” he said as he sat next to me.
“Perhaps that’s because I’m a strange thing myself.” He watched as I reached out to take a slice of meat from a nearby platter. I forced a smile in his direction. “Since we’re on the topic of strange things, I still cannot believe the Oracle is real. It seemed like a myth, but now that you have confirmed its existence, doubt couldn’t possibly remain. Will you tell me more about it? I must admit, I might burst from my curiosity if it’s not sated.”
“I do like my women sated,” he said before sliding a plump purple berry into his mouth. “But the Oracle is such a dull subject, really. I’d much rather learn about you.”
“I’m afraid you might find that topic duller still.” I took a bite of the roast and chewed it slowly as he watched.
“And yet I insist on discussing it.”
I swallowed hard, the lump of meat scraping down my throat like a barb. “All right, then.” He leaned back in his chair and tented his fingers against his lips. I faked a playful laugh. “Do you wish to be here all evening?”
“I wish to know it all.” The finality in his tone left no room for protestation.
My mind raced to concoct a story that would appease his demand and not expose myself further. Three bites later, I could see from his tightened expression that I was out of time. “Well, let’s see. I was orphaned as a young girl due to the plague and famine that wiped out many in Anemosia. I grew up in a tiny village along the coast in one of the houses cut into the rocks that line the shore, doing my best to survive. Beyond that, there isn’t much to tell.”
“Why is it that you are the first of your kind to attempt to break the curse on Anemosia?”
“I’m definitely not the first, but the others who tried all failed,” I said, feigning confidence in that statement. “I was merely the first to surmise that the Oracle might have the answer to our predicament.”
“And those you traveled with, how were they nominated for the task?”
“Eldrien, my Minyade companion, is the son of a dead council member and acts as the leader of Anemosia. He is a skilled sailor, and he is desperate to save the people under his care.” I hesitated for a moment, trying to decide how best to explain why Eldrien and I had two fae accompanying us.
“And the Neraides?” The way he said that final word sent a chill of warning through my body.
“Exiles from the Midlands,” I said, thinking that was the most logical and believable explanation. “One once held a high position with a fae lord, and the other served as a bodyguard for another. Eldrien thought they could be useful to us—as well as dispensable, should it come to that.”
“So, one day, you realized that this Oracle might be the answer, then convinced this Eldrien to go on a wild excursion to find it?”
I let my true feelings about the strife that had befallen the Minyades show in my expression, and he leaned forward, seemingly mesmerized by my sorrow. “I couldn’t sit idly and watch our people fade away any longer. I had to try.”
“All of this just because you feel for your people?”
I nodded. “You must think me crazy.”
“I think you’re an exquisite enigma,” he replied as he stared at me intently, “and too good for the Minyades.”
I shied away from his gaze, maintaining the submissive persona I’d cultivated. “I don’t deserve such flattery from someone of your station.”
“You’ll have that and more.” He took my hand in his and pressed it to his lips, those sharp eyes of his boring into mine as he did. I held his gaze as he rose from his seat. “I must say, Ariel,” he said as he helped me to my feet, “I rather enjoy this little dance we’re doing—this innocent flirtation.” He leaned in to kiss my cheek, and I forced my body not to recoil as his lips brushed my ear. “I will allow it to continue for as long as it pleases me. And when it ceases to…” His hand wrapped around my upper arm and he pulled me tight against his body; the state of his arousal was apparent as it dug into my side. “I will have what I desire.” As quickly as he’d grabbed me, he let me go, regaining his regal composure as though he hadn’t just shed it like a molting snake. “For now, I think you should take your leave and get some rest. I have plans for us tomorrow.”
Fear gripped my chest and shook me to my core. “Tomorrow, then,” I managed to reply with a small curtsy before turning to walk away. I could feel his eyes on me as I left, as well as the ghost of his arousal against my side. I fought not to dig my hand into it to eclipse the sensation with pain.
Once in the hall, I continued toward my room at an unhurried pace, uncertain if he was still watching me. I didn’t pause outside my door, or even glance in the direction of the room where the others were staying. Once I turned the knob to enter, I dared a look back down the hall to find Vesstan eyeing me from the entrance to the glass room.I smiled and gave a little wave before stepping inside and locking the door. Back pressed against it, I exhaled hard as my heart attempted to flee my chest. My father’s warning ran in circles through my mind. I was most definitely playing with fire.
One that could actually burn me.
With that thought in mind, I steeled my resolve and pushed off the door to cross the moonlit room. A shadow moved in the darkness just before a hand clamped across my mouth and a deep voice rumbled “don’t make a sound” in my ear.