Chapter 41 #2
The dragon lets out a low rumble. Then she stands, moves a few strides away from us, spreads her great wings, and lifts off, rising silently into the night. She disappears toward the dark silhouette of the nearby mountains, and in moments she is gone.
Then Orion turns to me. He is taller than I remember. Thicker through the shoulders. His green eyes catch what little light there is and throw it back, bright and sharp. He looks at me, and I look at him, and for a stretched, awkward moment, neither of us speaks.
I have met him before. A couple of times when we were princes and once soon after we were crowned.
We are not friends. The shadowfae have never had a close relationship with any of the other kingdoms. The beastfae are not really my enemies, but that’s all I can say of them.
We’ve left them in peace, and they have let us be too.
“Thank you,” I tell him. The words feel inadequate. I extend my hand, and he takes it. His grip is firm and brief. “You saved our lives.”
“I tried to come for you during the battle with Snow,” he says, his voice low. “But I couldn’t get to you. There was too much happening. It wasn’t safe.” He lets my hand go.
“This is Isla. She…she is my friend.” It feels inadequate as well, but I need Orion to know that Isla is no threat. That she is with me.
Orion turns to her and gives a small nod. “I’m Orion.”
“It is good to meet you. Thank you for coming for us.” Her voice is steady despite the exhaustion written in every line of her body.
“Let’s get inside,” Orion says, gesturing toward the cabin.
“Keep your voices low. My wife and son are asleep. Damon and his wife are sleeping too. I felt you use your magic.” He turns to me.
“I called Delphine and went straight to where you used it. Good thing I did. It’s how I found you the first time as well. ”
“It is a good thing you did,” Isla says.
I make a noise of agreement.
We follow him across the grass. The air here smells different from the deadlands. It smells of earth and growing things. Like a world that hasn’t given up quite yet.
We are halfway to the cabin when the front door opens.
A figure steps out into the dark. He is tall, and broad through the chest and shoulders, so I’m guessing male. His hair is pale against the darkness.
He stops on the porch, his gaze moving from Orion to me to Isla and back. His expression is guarded.
“Sebastian,” he says.
“Damon,” I push out.
Again, not my enemy. But not my friend either.
It has to change.
I walk toward him and extend a hand. The handshake is brief and formal. Two once-kings who know each other by reputation and little else.
“This is Isla,” I tell him. “She is with me.” I give an inward wince because it’s worse than calling her my friend.
Damon inclines his head. “Welcome to the Nezcara Valley.”
Isla nods. “Thank you. It is good to meet you.”
“Come inside,” Damon says. “Please be quiet because Maya will have our hides if we wake the baby.”
We step through the door into the cabin.
The interior is warm, a fire burns low in the stone hearth, casting amber light across rough-hewn wooden walls and simple, sturdy furniture.
It’s not grand. Not a king’s dwelling by any measure.
But there is something about the way the light falls and the way the warmth wraps around us that makes it feel more like a home than any court I’ve set foot in.
Damon moves to a sideboard and returns with a pitcher of water and several copper mugs. He pours without asking and sets the cups before us.
“There’s food if you’re hungry,” he says.
I look over at Isla.
“Water would be most welcome,” she says. “I’ll eat in the morning. Right now, I need rest. At this point, I’m dead on my feet.” She gives him the ghost of a smile.
“Water is enough,” I say. “Thank you.”
Isla wraps both hands around her cup and drinks deeply. I do the same. I drink until the cup is empty, and Damon refills it.
Orion leans against the far wall, watching us with an unreadable expression. Then he pushes off and crosses to a door on the far side of the main room.
“There’s a bedroom here,” he says, pushing the door open a crack. Soft darkness beyond. He turns back to us and speaks under his breath. “You both need rest. We all do. Whatever needs to be discussed, it can wait until morning.”
He pauses, glancing between us. “There’s also a room out in the barn if you’d prefer more privacy. It’s comfortable enough, and warm.”
I look at Isla. “We’ll take the barn?” I both say and ask, checking with her by lifting my brows.
Isla’s brow creases, and she looks away from me, staring straight ahead at nothing in particular, her jaw set.
“In that case,” her voice is quiet and even, “I’ll take the bedroom inside.” She turns to Orion. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay a few nights. After that, I would appreciate it if you could give me a ride to the edge of the shifterfae territory.”
It’s clear as day that Isla is still angry with me. I should have expected this. I didn’t.
I stare at her. So she’s still planning on leaving…on going to them.
I open my mouth to speak, but Orion is faster.
“The shifterfae? I’m not so sure…” He’s frowning heavily. “Can we discuss it in the morning?” he asks gently. “It’s late. Everyone is exhausted. Decisions like that are better made with rest behind them.”
Isla lifts her chin. “If you can’t help, then I’ll leave in the morning.” She glances at me; her jaw is set. “But yes, we can talk after we’ve slept. I appreciate the bed for the night.”
Orion and Damon exchange a glance.
Then Damon dips his head and moves toward the back of the cabin. “Good night,” he says.
“Night,” Isla tells him.
Orion looks at each of us in turn and heads to his own bedroom, closing the door softly behind him.
Isla turns toward the door.
I catch her hand. “Wait…please,” I whisper.
She stops, but doesn’t turn to face me.
“Are you angry with me?” I ask.
She pulls in a breath.
“What is going on, Isla?”
“I’m tired.” Her voice is flat. “We’ll talk in the morning.”
“Why are you still planning on leaving? On going to the shifterfae?” The questions leave me before I can think better of them. I step closer. “Surely things have changed between us? They have for me,” I say in a pleading voice. “I’m sorry if—”
She turns then. Her eyes find mine and narrow.
“Not for me, they haven’t.”
“Isla, please,” I whisper.
She pulls her hand free. “You called me a liar. You may have forgotten all about it, but I haven’t.”
“I made a mistake; one I wish to the goddess I could take back.”
“You can’t. Some things cannot be unsaid.”
She walks into the bedroom Orion pointed out and closes the door.
I stand alone in the low firelight, staring at the dark wood of that closed door. I should have expected that. I deserved it and more.
I run a hand through my hair and turn to the barn, my heart thumping in my chest. I don’t know how to fix this. One thing is for sure: I have to find a way. I will find a way.