Chapter 30 #2
He’s gone to great lengths to keep his identity a secret. Why would he blow it now? Besides the fact that those warriors look ready to slay someone at a moment’s notice. I don’t care to think about why I feel so protective of him.
“Trust me.” He looks at the hand on his arm and back to my eyes, and almost tangible heat simmers between us.
I drop my hand instantly, as if I were burned. His eyes linger on mine for a moment longer, then he offers a finger for Rupi to perch on and lifts her to my shoulder, where she happily hops off, before he steps forward.
Blazing impulsive, Vera. I shove my hands in my pockets so I don’t make that mistake again.
Ikar steps forward and Darvy and Rhosse step to either side of him, swords drawn. I send lucent their way, not waiting for a fight to start.
“I’m High King,” Ikar says, his voice clear and confident.
The tension is tight, and I find myself sweating. This cave may be large, but to battle within these walls? It suddenly seems far too small.
“Your mark,” the warrior demands.
My jaw drops at their audacity, but if Ikar is surprised, he masks it well.
I notice nothing other than a muscle in his jaw flex as he drops his pack on the ground behind him, takes time to remove his outer armor, hands the pieces to Darvy, then pulls off his shirt in one fluid movement.
I wasn’t prepared for this, and I fight for my life while breath refuses to fill my lungs.
Let Tatania’s rules burn. I need him in my life.
Endri emits a high-pitched gasp of surprise behind me. The mountain warriors bow their heads and speak something in another language, and Ikar inclines his head.
I find my mouth as dry as the sands of the Obsidian Desert as my eyes lock on the scrolling designs of his mark that should still trigger anger, disgust, even fear…
but if I were to describe how I feel right now, it most certainly wouldn’t be with words like those.
I try not to be entranced by the muscles moving in his back as he puts his shirt back on, but I fail miserably.
The warriors part, lining up with their backs against the walls as they wait for us to pass.
Ikar turns to grab the pack he set behind him and meets my eyes…
and maybe it’s just me feeling guilty about drooling over a man I should hate, but I see knowing in his eyes and the slightest hint of a cocky smile on his lips before he turns forward once more, takes his armor from Darvy, and leads the way out of the cave, no hesitation in his confident stride. He knows what he does to me.
There are no shadows beneath the rays of sunshine to cool the fiery heat in my cheeks, so I lift my chin with all the dignity I can muster and pass by the guards after the stone wall slides away.
Ikar may have taken his armor from Darvy, but he doesn’t take the time to don it, opting for his loose-fitting shirt alone instead.
I wish he’d put his armor back on, though; he’s too trusting of these foreign people.
But maybe that’s the message he intends to send—I don’t know the way these diplomatic things work.
I keep a steady stream of lucent flowing through my body, just in case it’s needed. Endri flies past so quickly that Rupi’s fluff blows in her wake as she passes near my shoulder in a blur, not stopping until she reaches the open space beyond the cave as if afraid she’d get left out again.
I can’t blame her, and I hurry to catch up.
She immediately approaches Ikar with a dramatic bow, then she meets his eyes with a quirked smile. “I thought you were lying when you told me you were trying to restore lucent just to escape my trap… Now that I know you’re the king, I hope you’re successful. Thank you for gaining entrance for me.”
Ikar nods, but before he can say anything, she’s speeding away toward one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen in my life—a forest alive with lucent.
I’m ready to skip into the treeline and spin in circles at the scene before us.
It teems with sunlight—no gloam to be seen.
Towering trees with huge trunks and thick, healthy bark reach into the sky.
Soft grasses grow from rolling hills and bend in a whispery breeze, and flowers of every color and variety dot their expanse.
A blue sky with wispy white clouds above us reveals the three suns, and I savor the feeling of warmth on my face.
A river runs through, its water sparkling and clear, almost rainbowish in its reflection.
My jaw drops in awe. The Lucent River… as it’s supposed to look… but how?
We walk through a tall grassy area that leads down from the cave and into the giant trees, and I pick up my pace to catch up with Ikar.
Specks of gold float in the warm air, and a soothing feeling washes over me that makes me want to drop my pack and nestle into the soft grass, dip my toes in the river, and nap beneath these towering trees.
Rupi is just as ecstatic as I, fluttering from branch to branch, trilling a song I’ve never heard but that exudes perfect joy, keeping pace with us from above.
“How is this place here?” I ask Ikar quietly.
“The Queen of the Nymphs, Odella. There’s a reason this small portion of the forest remains alive with lucent, and it’s because nymphs are directly connected to the earth and their magic is powerful.
If a nymph’s tree dies, the nymph will die.
A river nymph, or naiad, will die if their river dries up,” he says.
“So if Odella had succumbed to the gloam as we feared…”
“This would all be dead too,” I whisper.
I’ve grown so used to a world filled with darkness that I didn’t realize how it might have been before.
Another nymph appears from behind a large tree trunk in front of us.
I try not to stare, but I’ve never seen anyone with light-pink hair, green skin, and leaf ears.
Even with the differences, she radiates pure beauty.
She wears a pink flower as a dress—upside down with its petals forming a bell skirt that reveals her bare feet beneath, with a lone petal as a bodice.
A choker of twined vines encircles her neck to match the twined crown on her head.
Her appearance is so fragile and delicate that I’m afraid to breathe too hard, worried my breath might cause the petals of her dress to blow away.
She curtsies to Ikar. “Your Majesty, allow me to lead you to Queen Odella.”
Ikar nods and we follow along, but I can’t stop staring at the little forest nymph and the way her hair flows down her back, brushing the ground behind her, waving back and forth gently as she skips ahead of us. She leads us on a winding path deeper into the forest.
“It seems we’re not alone,” Rhosse says so low I nearly miss it.
I immediately look closer at our surroundings, and my eyes widen when I notice a tiny face that at first glance appears to be a leaf…
Another could be mistaken as the boulder it trembles behind, and another miniature one rides on the back of a small red bird, who circles us once before racing for the treetops again.
We follow a meandering path that weaves in and out of thick forest, at times traveling right alongside the rushing Lucent River that I can hardly keep my eyes from.
The path eventually splits, one side going to the right, deeper into the forest, and the other is a bridge, of sorts, made of intricately woven vines and stretching across the rushing, sparkling depths of the Lucent River.
I press my lips together. Bridges and I don’t always get along, and I don’t swim well enough to risk falling into the Lucent River.
Ikar tests the vine bridge first, and when it holds beneath one of his boots, he looks back at Rhosse with a shrug and continues forward. Rhosse goes next. I watch how the vines give a little beneath their boots warily, but it holds.
Darvy gestures with one hand for me to go next. “Lead the way.”
I wrinkle my nose. He gives me a gentle nudge to get my boots moving.
“I’m going,” I grumble.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Darvy asks from behind me, sounding overly cheerful about the situation.
“Quite,” I mutter.
“I enjoy the unimpeded view we get without a handrail.”
“Aren’t you scared of anything?” I ask with a growl as the vines bounce with the movement of so many who are heavier than I.
I envy the nymph who continues to skip ahead without fear.
“Of course I have fears.”
“So nice to hear you’re normal.”
“—Just not very many of them.”
I roll my eyes. “Tell me one. Help me feel better.”
“Let me think for a moment,” he says so seriously I almost laugh. But I don’t because I’m still angry with him.
“An animal?” I ask, trying to help.
“No…”
“Dying?”
“Not really.”
“Water?”
“No.”
“Spiders?”
“Nah.”
“Deathstalkers?”
“Everyone is afraid of those.”
I can’t help but laugh this time.
“Women?” It was only supposed to be a joke, but his hesitation piques my interest.
“One woman.”
I look back with so much surprise that I almost topple off the edge. Darvy grabs my forearm and sets me back on the path while I exclaim over his admission.
“You’re afraid of a woman? Why?”
He smiles somewhat tightly. “I think I’ve given enough of an answer for now.”
He’s right—I should be glad he admitted as much as he did, but I can’t resist digging a little deeper. “Just one more question.”
“Ask it, and I’ll decide if I answer.”
I step carefully along the vine bridge, trying to focus on keeping my balance while also sating my curiosity. “Family member or love interest?”
He doesn’t respond for a few moments. “Fine. Past love interest.”
I look back to see his expression guarded, and I know I won’t be learning anything else today.
I send him a commiserating half-smile over my shoulder.
He might not know it, but I sort of understand.
My heart is in the midst of breaking—only held together with the temporary glue of being in Ikar’s presence.
I’m pulled from my thoughts when we finally leave the bridge and are led along another shorter path and up a set of beautiful smooth rock steps.
When we reach the top, my eyes widen at the small clearing that spreads before us.
In the center is a smooth wood throne covered in flowers and vines, where a woman so ethereally beautiful sits that I reach up and gingerly touch my dirty hair, feeling extra grungy.
Somehow being covered in dried spider blood and layers of dirt didn’t matter so much until now.
I tuck a few stray strands behind my ear as if it’ll make a difference.
Her skin is green, like the nymph who led us here…
I nearly envy it. Her hair falls in dark green waves around her, making her light blue eyes that sparkle like the Lucent River even more pronounced.
Flowers adorn her hair throughout its long length, and intricately woven vines make up her dress where more bloom.
I watch as a small flower slowly unfurls within her hair and try to keep my mouth from hanging open.
Another blooms along the length of her vine-woven dress.
She appears to be a literal, growing part of the forest.
She rises from her throne and curtsies deeply to Ikar. I step back even further, aware that I’m nowhere near royalty and feeling like a complete outsider. I bump into Darvy behind me, who steadies me with a gentle hand.
“It’s been one hundred twenty-five years since a king visited last,” Queen Odella says in a voice as light and beautiful as the whisper of leaves rustling in the wind.
Ikar nods. “My apologies. There are many things I attempt to make right.”
She smiles slowly. “Come.”