Chapter 8 Audryn
AUDRYN
Just as I had started getting used to the cooler temperatures of Kuroden, the morning air dropped even lower. I’d read that the conditions north were harsher, but with it being the end of summer, I hadn’t expected it to change so drastically.
“To the castle?” I threw my borrowed flying jacket around me and zipped it up.
“Sky is taking you for a flight first. There's a meeting, and it would be better if you weren’t there.” Amalee’s voice was flat, giving away nothing.
“She’s not going with your girlfriend alone,” Fisher interjected.
“My brother made it perfectly clear that Audryn doesn’t belong to you or your prince while you’re here.” Amalee scowled. “If she would like to go with Sky, that is what she will do.”
The two were locked in a staring match that I was pretty certain Amalee would win.
“It’s fine.” I threw out a hand. “If he wants to come with me, he can.”
“Fine.” She conceded just as Sky walked through the door.
Sky hesitated before leaning over and kissing Amalee’s still-angry face. “Uh oh, what did I just walk in on?”
Grave cleared his throat at the top of the stairs. “Yes, I’d like to know as well.”
My mouth hung open, and I blew out a breath as the king adjusted the cuff of his shirt.
He was handsome during our formal dinner in Rivale, but in the morning light, he was downright devastating.
With pressed black pants and a matching shirt, he elegantly descended the stairs.
A black coat with a silver inner lining hung over his arm while a silver twisted crown, adorned with obsidian and diamonds, dangled from his thumb and forefinger.
“Excuse us,” Grave announced as he stepped forward and maintained his focus on me. Amalee and a giggling Sky exited through the front door, leaving Fisher behind.
“I’ll meet you outside,” I prompted the guard, who hesitated, but thankfully complied with my request.
Grave fumbled with the crown before losing his grasp and letting it bounce against the flatly woven rug. I grappled to catch the large jewel-covered metal piece, but only managed to knock my head straight into the king’s when we bent down simultaneously.
I quickened myself to stand and rubbed at the top of my head as he did the same with the retrieved item in his free hand.
Carefully, he set the crown on a nearby table and returned to stand close to me.
His long hair was drawn back into a still-wet bun while beads of moisture decorated his forehead.
He placed both hands into his pockets. “It’s the last day of summer, and there’s a celebration tonight.” The scent of bergamot and warm sandalwood filled my nose. “If you’re not too tired this evening, I’d be honored for you to come as my guest. It wouldn’t be a date, but a—”
“Yes,” I interrupted, feeling the warmth of his presence taking root deep within me. Even with his imposing size, I didn’t mind him towering over me. “But I don’t know what I’d wear. Fisher didn’t bring my formal gown.” I didn’t need to point out that anything Amalee owned would be too small.
“There’s something put aside for you in your room.” His mouth twitched. “Wear that, or whatever you’d like. Go without clothes for all I care, though my kindness may wane with too many lingering eyes.”
I couldn’t form a sentence and stood fidgeting with my hands.
He grabbed the crown and paused at the door. “I will look forward to tonight with every breath I have today, Audryn.” The door clicked closed behind him as I stood stunned and frozen by his words.
My head was in a fog, but with little other option, I joined Sky and my guard on a flight high above the cliffs.
She’d tried to talk to me about Grave and our conversation, but I couldn’t get much out other than that he’d invited me as his guest that evening.
She theatrically gasped, grabbed her chest, and mocked surprise.
Blackness leaked into the navy blue water below, as if the stone had turned to liquid, and was leaching out.
The deeper water on the coast was always dark, but I’d never seen the shoreline appear black.
My interest piqued, and I wanted nothing more than to get closer for a better look.
Perhaps Dysis had wanted the same because the instant the thought crossed my mind, she descended.
Furious waves beat against the rocky cliffs, misting me with salty water. Rainbow hues shimmered across the water’s surface. I ran a finger over the droplets on my arm and rubbed the moisture between my thumb and forefinger. A slick film lingered behind.
Dysis ascended and took a position between Sky’s wyvern and the one Fisher was riding with an escort. Sky motioned to the left, and my creature instinctively followed the turn.
We moved along the tops of the mountains toward the valley where the town sat nestled. Ant-like trails of fae walked along the rocky terrain. I’d assumed everyone resided in the main area of the land and hadn’t considered others lived within the mountains.
We landed in the empty gravel area on the castle grounds, and Dysis flattened herself down, allowing me to easily dismount.
A loud trilling noise above caught my attention as Zalzre flew in wide circles in the sky.
My stomach filled with butterflies as I watched the enormous creature waiting for his friends.
“Go on.” I patted my borrowed wyvern, and only a moment later she was up in the air. Ralti and Fisher’s wyvern bolted to follow.
“What was that shit you pulled out there on the coast?” Fisher stomped in my direction. “You were reckless, selfish, and stupid. You’re going to get yourself killed, and it would serve you right if—”
Before Fisher could finish his sentence, he was off his feet and in Dysis’s maw.
His arms beat furiously against the creature's face as they flew at a fast rate in a steep incline. He grasped for the sword at his side, and my stomach dropped. The guard wouldn’t hesitate to kill her even if it meant his own demise.
Screams left my throat before I even realized, and they must’ve caused a stir because the back doors of the castle flew open.
Grave, with a silver cloak at his back, and a crown on his head, exited first. Amalee trailed in a sleek silver gown adorned with black crystal beading around the bodice.
There was no mistaking the two were royals, both by birth and for their loyalty to the people of their kingdom.
A woman wearing all purple lingered at the doorway with a golden crown on her head. Athela cried out as she pushed past the unfamiliar woman and tripped on her way down the stairs. With tears in her eyes, she looked at the scene playing out in the air.
An ear-piercing screech let loose, followed by a crimson flame darting across the horizon. It was a stream of fire from the mouth of a large wyvern, nearly twice the size of Dysis. And it was headed straight for her.
“Call her off, Audryn,” Grave said as he stood at my side. The back of his hand brushed against mine, drawing my eyes from the sky.
“What? How?” I looked up just as another burst of flame erupted toward my beast. I went to shout at Dysis, who’d started twirling through the air. Zalzre was screeching nearby while my guard limply dangled from Dysis’s mouth.
“You need to tell her to stop.” Grave stepped in front of me with wide eyes. He tilted his head back as the wyverns screamed past. “She is no match for my mother’s mount—call her down. She’s going to get Zalzre, and herself killed.”
Zalzre shrieked toward the flame-wielding wyvern chasing his friend. His positioning appeared more strategic than cautious, though he kept a distance between them. Whatever was being communicated between the beasts was as chaotic as a rough sea.
“Tell her you need her to return to you.” Grave turned, trailing the wyverns’ path.
“She’s your beast!” I shot back at him. “Tell her yourself!”
He ran a heavy hand across his brow and shook his head. “I’m not her rider anymore—she cut me off earlier this week.” Grave cupped my cheek, bringing my view to his. “You need to tell her to put him down. Not with words, but with your mind.”
I scanned his face expecting to see the solemn facade crack, but it held firm.
He was being serious, and I didn’t even know how to proceed.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and imagined the still-flying creature in my mind.
Grave hadn’t offered instructions, but I did my best to obey his request.
There was nothing else in the world I wanted more than for Dysis to return to me with Fisher safely in her maw.
It wasn’t just a thought in my mind, but a feeling I felt with my entire being; so similar to using my magic to conjure fruits and vegetables in my garden at home.
I silently begged for the wyvern to come back to me and opened my eyes skyward, hoping she had somehow heard.
Dysis’s corkscrew maneuvering halted, and she leveled out.
Her large green eyes reflected against the sun’s rays as she looked down at me.
My heart nearly leapt from my chest as the larger wyvern sent another red flame from its mouth toward her.
Not only would Fisher die, but so would the wyvern.
She flicked her head instantly and dove deep toward the land, barely dodging the heat from the fire.
“Tell Vek to let it be!” Grave yelled in his mother’s direction, but her eyes remained up. “She’s learned her lesson! Tell your beast to stop!”
The two wyverns dropped and soared in a deadly dance, all while Fisher hung lifeless. Stream after fiery stream emitted from Vek as Dysis evaded each attack. Zalzre had taken to the hunt and was at the tail of Vek, but his opponent remained out of reach.
Dysis was more agile and faster than the Vek, but her maneuvers started to slow. She was growing tired. Not only could I see her fatigue happening in real time, but deep down I somehow felt her energy sputtering.
“Mother!” The king turned and ran toward where she sat back on her feet. “Dysis dies, and your guard dies with her!” His words were enough to knock her out of the dream-like state.
My eyes lifted just as the enormous beast diverted toward the hills and away from my wyvern.
I silently breathed my gratitude to the land for keeping both the guard and creature safe.
If I returned to Rivale without Fisher, I might as well walk myself into the prison to be held for trial.
Not assisting a guard in a time of need was grounds for execution.
Feet running, I moved to meet Dysis just as she set down a still-unconscious Fisher. His face was pale except for his pink, wind-whipped cheeks. I pulled back and waited for his chest to rise, panic ringing in my ears. A shallow breath finally lifted the guard’s chest; I exhaled in relief.
“Let me get to him.” Micah moved in next to me wearing formal clothes. “I need you to scoot back. If you’re touching him, it may interfere.”
Backing up and standing, I bumped into Grave’s brawny chest. Exhausted and feeling more worn out than I should’ve, I turned and leaned into him as tears threatened to spill onto my cheeks.
Dysis let out a small trilling noise as Grave wrapped his arms around me and stroked my hair.
Heavy palm pressing in, he silently gave me the permission I needed to bury myself further.
I couldn’t be sure what had caused the emotions to hit as hard as they had.
Even though Fisher was a guard, he’d become someone close to me, and I wanted him to live.
He’d been someone I could depend on at Sutton Castle when I was surrounded by women who only wanted to hurt and sabotage me.
And though he hadn’t protected me against Ryder, I knew he would have, if the man who’d hurt me hadn’t been the prince.
My relationship with Ryder had made me question my judgment of people, but Fisher restored what little faith I had in my ability to discern between good and evil.
“Would you like to go home?” Grave’s voice wavered as he spoke. “If you would like to leave, I’ll make arrangements. I can take you myself, but I can’t do so until tomorrow. Or I will send Micah and Sky to take you this afternoon.”
I hesitated, still unsure of what I even wanted. The thought of returning to Ryder prematurely soured my stomach. Only a week had passed, and nearly all romantic feelings I had for him had dissipated.
“Your actual home.” Grave continued as if he’d read my thoughts. “You can live with your father for the next three weeks, and Ryder will be none the wiser.”
Though the offer was enticing, I couldn’t walk away from a land filled with people that I might be able to help. And I wasn’t quite ready to leave the comforts Kuroden had provided either. Perhaps the biggest reason to stay was that I wasn’t yet ready to leave the man holding me safely in his arms.
“Hey.” The king pulled back and tipped up my chin. “Whatever it is you want, I’ll make it happen. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
A moment passed between us as the rest of the world fell away. The amber hue in his eyes dove into me as the black center circles dipped down to my mouth. So many thoughts passed between us without a single one needing to be said.
“He’s okay,” Micah called out. “Someone get him a cup of water.”
“Water!” Athela demanded as she stood and retreated toward the castle. “Get him inside!”
“I’m fine.” I stepped back and ran my hands down my pants. “There’s no reason for me to return just yet, especially when I’ve been such a failure.” I forced a laugh. “Besides, just wait until you get to see me fail week after week, it’s quite something.”
“The offer stands,” the king said, not quite sounding like he’d wanted to give it. “You will always have a choice here.”