Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
When we finally reach the other end of the forest, I’m exhausted, dirty, and sweaty.
Partly because it was incredibly humid inside the woods and there was no proper path to follow.
But mainly because Draven spent a good portion of the hike secretly summoning his storm magic and using it to blow wind right into me so that I had to struggle to push forward.
It took me longer than I want to admit to realize that.
Once I did, I used my own magic to increase the spark of exhaustion in his own chest until he was panting with exertion.
Only then did we agree to a silent truce.
I glance over at Draven as we trudge the final distance to the end of the forest. His black hair is damp and messy, and mud splatters part of his imposing armor. The sight of it brings a smug smirk to my lips and makes me feel a bit better about the fact that I probably look equally ruffled.
Drawing in a deep breath, I drag a hand through my hair to remove a few stray strands that are stuck to my forehead and cheeks. Part of me can’t help but think that Orion had a point. This forest was unnecessarily unpleasant.
I turn towards him and Isera as they catch up to me and Draven where we have stopped a short distance from the tree line.
My eyebrows shoot up when I take in their appearances.
I’ve been so focused on getting through the forest without Draven pushing me into a pile of mud that I have barely been paying attention to our other two companions.
But now that I do, I can barely believe what I’m seeing.
Both Isera and Orion somehow look completely unaffected. Apart from the unavoidable mud on their shoes, there isn’t a single speck of dirt on their clothes. No drops of sweat line their temples, and I swear to Mabona, neither of them has so much as one strand of hair out of place.
I gape at them. “How the hell are you two so clean and pristine?”
“I don’t sweat,” Isera and Orion reply in unison.
Surprise flits across both of their faces as they exchange a glance. They quickly break eye contact and turn back to me, but the moment Orion can’t see Isera’s face, I swear amusement tugs at her lips for a second. I stare at them in stunned disbelief.
“I have ice magic,” Isera explains.
Orion shrugs. “I’m royalty.”
I frown at him. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Royalty doesn’t sweat.” He flicks a nonchalant hand. “Sweating is for peasants.”
“Just get a move on,” Draven mutters. “We’re here.”
After shaking my head at our far too unruffled companions, I hurry after Draven as he strides the final distance to the tree line.
Air leaves my lungs in a whoosh when I reach the edge of the forest. My jaw drops, and for a second, my eyes can’t comprehend what it is that I’m looking at.
We’re standing at the edge of a cliff. The steep side cuts straight down in a sheer drop, and we’re so high up that I can’t even see the ground. Instead, the side of the cliff disappears down into clouds below us. But that is not the most astonishing part.
Massive islands, which look like upside-down mountains, are floating in the air before us. The piercing tip is pointing straight down, and each island appears stationary, but they’re not attached to anything. They just float there among the clouds, completely free in the air.
The mostly flat surface of each floating island is covered in grass and trees. Sticking up amid the vibrant vegetation are elegant buildings in bright colors. Orange dragons soar through the sky between two of the islands farthest from us.
Dragging in an unsteady breath, I stare at the gorgeous view before me. I thought the Unseelie Court, with its massive waterfalls and glittering canals, was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. But this… This might be the most astonishing thing I’ve seen yet.
A sharp twinge of longing and regret hits me like a blade to the chest. The world is so big. It’s absolutely bursting with incredible things and breathtaking places. And I have seen none of it.
I pull at my collar as the sudden tightness in my chest makes it difficult to breathe.
I’ve missed so much. I’ve been denied so much.
I want to see it all. I want to experience this world in all its glory and get drunk on new sights and sensations. I want it all. I want fucking everything!
That tightness in my chest intensifies, strangling my throat and squeezing my heart hard, as my gaze is once more drawn back to Draven. I want to experience this beautiful place with him. The real him. Not this unnatural version that looks at me with such hatred.
My eyes burn and my chest aches. I want him back.
“Ryat,” Isera begins. “Earlier, you said Tanaka hates you. Why?”
Her timely interruption snaps me out of my spiraling thoughts, and I manage to force the black waves of rage and despair back enough to suck in a deep breath.
Dropping my hand from my collar, I shake out my arm and take another steadying breath.
With effort, I return my focus to the task at hand.
Convincing Rin Tanaka and her Orange Dragon Clan to help us take down the Iceheart Dynasty.
Draven holds Isera’s gaze for another few seconds before he turns to look out at the floating islands again. “Because I burned this place to the ground a hundred and forty years ago.”
“You did what?”
Next to her, Orion chuckles. “Of course you did.”
There is no trace of emotion on Draven’s face as he watches the beautiful scenery before him. Only that customary expression of confidence and power remains on his features. As if he feels nothing. But I know that that’s not true. He feels a lot of things. He’s just better than most at hiding it.
“When Rin became clan leader, she launched a rebellion against Bane and Jessina,” Draven explains, his eyes still on Rin’s homeland. “I broke that rebellion and forced her clan back underneath their heel.”
I suppress a groan. This is not going to be easy.
“Great,” Isera says, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “So then how do we get her to side with us now?”
“If I just walk up to her, she’s more likely to punch me in the face than to speak with me.”
I shrug. “Well, you do have a very punchable face.”
He cuts me a look from the corner of his eye. “You seemed to like my face just fine last night.”
Heat sears my cheeks at the reminder of that humiliating experience.
“So what’s the plan then?” Isera asks, mercifully pushing the conversation back on track.
Draven blows out a sigh and lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “Still working on it.”
“What?” Orion demands. Raising his arm, he stabs his hand in the direction of the muddy forest we just traversed. “You made us trudge through all of that, and you don’t even have a plan?”
“Why do I always have to be the one with the plan?” Draven snaps, anger flashing across his face so suddenly that I jerk back in shock. “God forbid someone else actually used their head for once.” He cuts Orion a sharp glare. “You’re supposed to be the master of schemes. Pull your fucking weight.”
Orion, entirely unfazed by Draven’s sudden anger, just arches an arrogant eyebrow. “Need I remind you that I was practically blackmailed into this?”
“Yeah,” Draven replies, his voice taking on a mocking edge as he no doubt thinks about how the Unseelie King blackmailed us back in his court earlier. He flashes Orion a vicious smile. “Sucks, doesn’t it?”
Orion snaps something back at him, but I can barely focus on what, because I can’t get that exasperated look on Draven’s face out of my head. Because he’s right. He has been forced to take on way too much for far too long.
“We can think about how to convince Rin later,” I say, interrupting their argument. “First, we need to figure out how to get from here to the floating islands without being seen.”
All three of them turn to me. Draven looks caught between being grateful that someone else is forcing our attention back to the problem at hand and angry that I spoke simply because his default mode now is to hate everything I say. Thankfully, his more practical side wins this time.
“I can do a half-shift and fly across that way,” he says. “They’ll only be watching for dragons, so a small target like that will go unnoticed.”
“Good.” I nod. “Then you can fly us over as well.”
The hatred returns to his eyes in a flash.
Drawing his eyebrows down, he growls, “I’m not carrying you.”
I keep my chin raised as I hold his gaze. “You either fly us over or do this all on your own. Your choice.”
That unnatural hatred burns in his eyes, trying to override his common sense. He flexes his hand and clenches his jaw for a few seconds. Then he at last grinds out, “Fine.”
A yelp slips from my lips as he grabs me without warning.
A small cloud of black smoke explodes around us as he shifts into his half-shift form at the same time as he lifts me into his arms. His massive black wings flare out, making the cloud of smoke drift away into the forest behind us before evaporating.
“Wait here,” he tells Isera and Orion.
Without waiting for a reply, he simply launches into the air.
My stomach flips at the sudden start, and I wrap my arms around his neck.
His angry gaze immediately snaps to me. “Don’t touch me.”
“I have to hold on, otherwise I’m going to fall,” I retort.
“Remove your arms from my neck, Selena. Or I swear to God, I will drop you on purpose.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Fucking try me.”
I hold his stare. He stares right back. Winds tug at my hair and clothes as he flies us closer to the nearest floating island up ahead. Then he begins lowering his arms, as if he actually is going to let me go. My heart jerks.
With a low snarl, I quickly remove my arms from around his neck.
“You just don’t want to be reminded of that night when you flew me through the star-dusted night sky above Frostfell,” I bait. “Right after you saved my life and right before you told me that I was your mate.”
A sharp tug yanks at my chest.
Draven gasps in what sounds like shock.