Chapter Fourteen
VIOLET
Joon lurches into motion, leaping into the saddle, then reaches down and unceremoniously drags me onto the horse behind him.
I gasp as the road we took here dissipates in a glittering, whisp of smoke. Another unfurls in its place, turning in a different direction. Like the first, it blends in, as if it has always been a part of the natural landscape.
“Hold on to me,” he says.
That’s all the warning I get. The horse bounds forward at a speed that nearly sends me tumbling off. I fling my arms around his waist and hold tight.
The wind whips through my hair and sends my cloak billowing out behind us. The only thing keeping me from freezing is the warmth coming from Joon as his body shields me from the worst of it. But even that’s not enough to keep the numbness out of my fingers as we continue to race through the forest.
“What did you mean by ‘time is short’?” I ask.
“Like you, my time in this world is limited.” He pauses. His chest expands with a deep breath. “Unless I break the curse.”
His honesty takes me by surprise. I tighten my arms around his waist, pressing the side of my cheek to his back. “Joon….”
We break out of the trees onto a sprawling expanse of land with mountains bordering the east and south. To the north lies the giant ice wall, which stretches from horizon to horizon.
Joon pulls the horse to a stop. Towns and cities are spread out across the valley. I can even see Firnhallow from here.
He searches the sprawling landscape, reorienting, homing in on a single, massive tree, standing alone at the top of a hill about a mile ahead.
Curling roots become a wide trunk that twists upward into long branches that reach skyward.
Newly grown leaves bask in the sun to soak up every bit of warmth they can get.
Even from here, I can tell it’s no ordinary tree.
“What is that?”
“That is the Guardian Tree. The fae used to come here to send wishes and prayers to the Guardians of past kings and queens,” he says. Then quietly, he adds, “Not all were like the dragon you know and hate.”
The fae road we are on shifts, changing direction toward the tree. Then we are off again, this time at an easy canter.
I contemplate that information for a long moment. The only dragon I know—besides Imugi, who is actually a demon in the form of one—is the Winter Dragon.
People say the prince summoned it to curse all of Arum. But if the Winter Dragon is a guardian, and all the past rulers had them, then perhaps something went wrong, and Joon never intended to attack the people.
The path ends about a hundred yards from the base of the tree. The prince dismounts gracefully and makes his way forward with a singular focus. I slide off the horse and hurry after him.
He stops halfway there, his dark eyes searching for something. When I catch up, he continues to face straight ahead. “The curse limits my powers. The frost bloom is the only thing that allows me to harness the Winter Dragon, giving me a little more time to find the items I need before it kills me.”
My gaze snaps to his profile. The words of the frost bloom’s entry rush back. It is said to have the ability to hold the effects of a curse at bay.
Demon shit.
I really made a mess of things. How much more time would he have if there were someone stronger in my place?
He doesn’t clarify whether he means the dragon or the curse will kill him.
But that hardly matters. He just told me something very important about the monstrous dragon that has terrorized Arum for the last fourteen years.
Either he needs control of the dragon to send it out to attack, or to keep it from escaping and causing harm.
But which one is it? More importantly, what brought about the curse?
I want to ask, but now isn’t the right time. Not that I think he would tell me if I did.
Prince Joon continues forward. His long strides force me to jog to keep pace. I nearly collide with his back when he comes to a sudden stop.
He glances from side to side, a frown furrowing his brow, completely lost in thought.
To give him space, I meander toward the tree, stepping over roots as I go.
The trunk is massive up close, more than I first realized. I lift my face to the canopy above. Pale blue sky peeks out from between young leaves shivering in the gentle breeze.
I circle the tree, letting my fingers run over the rough bark. My entire bedroom back home could fit inside, with space to spare.
On the opposite side, my finger slides over something blunt protruding from the bark.
The oddity of it is enough to stop me in my tracks.
I lean in to examine the anomaly. A small hole the size of my little finger is pierced through the wood, which is not abnormal in itself.
It’s the bark surrounding it, splintered and bent outward.
Bracing against the trunk, I peer into the opening and see through to the other side. A thin coating of ice on the inside. Almost as if whatever made it came from within.
Something punctured it with enough force to enter one side and out the other. I can’t think of anything so small that would have the power to pass through an object this size, as easily as a nail through leather.
Joon steps into my line of sight, still searching as he walks closer. Each step he takes is hurried, as if he can’t quite hold back the anxiety that drives him.
Continuing the rest of the way around, I find the prince peering through the cavity.
“Demon shit.” He pounds his fist against the trunk and straightens. Devastation and frustration cross his face. “It’s gone.”
“If you tell me what you’re looking for, I might be able to help,” I offer.
The prince’s gaze darts to me. “Do you possess a magic ability that I am unaware of that lets you find anything you want?”
“Well, no. Obviously not,” I say, unable to help the pout that forms at his harsh words. “But—”
“Then I doubt telling you would do any good.”
“It’s in my best interest to help you.”
“And it is in my best interest to tell you what you need to know, when I feel you need to know.” Prince Joon’s mood is a storm in his eyes.
Every time I think we make the slightest bit of progress, he throws up a wall and shuts me out.
He inhales deeply and closes his eyes. When he opens them again, magic flares as a golden-red ring around his irises, making the vibrant blue glow. The color is almost spellbinding in its beauty.
The prince scans the tree. Then the rest of the landscape, turning in a slow circle. A sheen of sweat forms on his forehead with the effort of using his power in unseen ways.
With a muttered curse, he releases his magic. “The trail has gone cold,” he says, leveling me with a scowl. “I almost had it. If you were not slowing—”
My jaw drops, but I recover quickly. I don’t wait for him to finish. “Do not blame this on me.”
“If I were on my own, I—” he starts.
“Still might have failed,” I finish for him.
I step closer, tilting my head back at an uncomfortable angle to keep my gaze locked on his.
The only thing giving away the strain of using his magic is the paleness of his face.
“I am here to help you find… whatever it is you’re searching for.
Whether that is to physically help or simply as a vessel, but why not let me do what I can? ”
The prince is the first to look away.
“Then it is not your fault,” he says in not-an-apology… which seems to be the best I can expect. He pivots on his heel and heads back to the waiting horse. “Come. We must return to the palace before our absence is noticed.”
With a sigh, I shake my head and follow. I suppose there are limits to the number of apologies a prince can be expected to give in a single day.
“Wake up.”
I force my eyes open to find a broad figure bathed in shadow looming over me. Fear spikes through my veins. I struggle to sit up. Hands on either side of my hips pin down the blanket, trapping me. The figure leans forward, bringing his face within inches of mine.
A scrap of moonlight that leaks in through a gap between the curtain and the wall, lining the edges of his face. The scream building in my chest dies out as I finally make out the intruder’s features.
“Joon,” I hiss, swatting at him. Not that he seems to notice.
He is close, and it’s still dark out, with only the moon’s light casting the world in silver.
“What are you doing in my bedroom?” Prickling heat rises up my neck.
The prince arches a dark brow as if he can sense the direction my thoughts have wandered.
“I thought you wanted this.”
My breath catches in my throat.
“Get dressed.” The prince reclines on the bed at my side. “We leave in half an hour.”
“What time is it?” I slide out from under the covers.
“Three hours before dawn.” Joon stretches his legs out, crossing them at the ankle, and folding his arms behind his head. “There are clothes for you in the bathing room. Let me know when you’re ready,” he says with closed eyes.
Still sleep-addled, I glance back at him over my shoulder before shuffling into the adjacent room.
The top is a pale blue, paired with riding pants of the same shade, accompanied by a deep, glacial blue jacket and a knee-length, flared skirt in the same dark color for the outer layers.
I dress quickly and return to the main room.
The lantern hanging in the center of the ceiling is lit.
The prince stands at the window with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing out to the private garden behind my personal quarters.
Lanterns hang from lines above the paths, with more along the water’s edge.
I take in his clothing and realize the riding outfit he brought for me matches his.
A folded pile of material, the color of the pale sky with snow-white fur peeking out along one edge, is set out atop the long dresser under the window in front of him.
After a moment, he turns to face me. “I sense another.”