Chapter 41
FORTY-ONE
Rylan
“Do you have to marry soon?”
The question throws me completely by surprise. I blink and glance over at her sitting on a rock a few feet away from me on the river bank.
“What?”
She had been quiet on the morning’s ride. After three nights of camping in the woods, I’d spoiled her with a comfortable sleep in an actual bed at an inn last night. The evening had been spent in the dining hall, talking and drinking with the raucous locals, as well as me having to do my share of shooing off males visiting our table looking to try their luck with her. I’d tried to let her deal with the men as much as possible, but when one had refused to leave, his hand grasping her wrist as he insisted on her joining him at the bar for a drink, I’d helpfully shown him to the inn’s door… with the help of a carefully pl aced fireball. She’d gone up to our room after that incident and straight to sleep, with a frown on her face.
So far this morning, she’s engaged in little more than the barest of conversation, mostly only to agree when I asked if she wanted to stop for a few minutes to let our horses drink while we stretch our legs.
She throws a stone into the water, watching it sink before she speaks again, her tone casual, but I can sense the strain underneath. “I mean, you’re the crown prince. Surely, it’s expected that you marry soon? And you’re thirty seasons. Shouldn’t there be plans in place? Not to mention you need to provide an heir.”
I shift uncomfortably in my saddle. “Why are you asking me this?”
“Just curious,” she says flatly. “I’m sure there’s someone your father has in mind, right? Someone appropriate. Someone suited to you. Maybe one of the women at the ball the night of the first trial.”
Her words make me want to shake her. “No, there’s no one,” I reply, trying to keep my tone even. I wonder if now would be a good time to mention my deal with my father.
She pauses, and I sense something building, something she’s hesitant to ask. “What about past… relationships? Lovers? One-off flings?”
I clench the reins a little tighter, realising this isn’t just a casual question. “I’ve had relations, yes. Relationships… no,” I say slowly, choosing my words carefully. “Nothing serious.”
It’s not a lie, but I can feel the discomfort rising between us. For some reason, she doesn’t believe me. I can tell from the way her jaw tightens.
“Because they weren’t future queen material?”
I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. “Eirabella, what are you asking exactly? ”
“Just making conversation,” she shrugs nonchalantly. But there’s nothing casual about her words. “What about Julietta?”
The name drops like an anchor between us, and I stiffen, not wanting to have this conversation right now. I try to deflect, turning the question back on her. “What about her?”
She doesn’t take the bait. “You’re not answering my question,” she says pointedly, her eyes flashing as she finally looks at me.
“I don’t want to talk about Julietta,” I say, my voice lower than I intended. “She… it is complicated.”
“Complicated how?” she presses, her tone sharp. “Does she fall into the fling or relations category? Because based on the way she acts, sometimes it seems like you’re very much in a relationship.”
“Eira, it’s not what you think—”
Before I can finish, a rustle in the trees behind us sends every sense in my body into high alert. I don’t have time to respond, only to act. Figures emerge from the shadows—eight, no, maybe more—armed and moving like they know exactly what they’re doing.
“Eira, get back!” I shout, drawing my sword. The air around us ignites with fire, the familiar surge of heat rushing through my veins, creating a barrier between us and the enemy. I step in front of her, but she’s already moving. “When you get a chance… run!” I hiss to her.
“I’m not hiding!” she snaps, and before I can stop her, she’s right beside me, staff raised, ready to fight.
The first attacker, to our left, lunges through the fire directly toward her, and in a fluid motion, Eira twirls her staff in a precise circle. As if controlled by an invisible hand, the man’s blade is deflected, and she takes advantage of his confusion to strike with her staff, knocking him completely off balance and to the forest floor. Swinging her staff against the side of his head, she knocks him unconscious, and then springs back into her defensive stance beside me. One of his men quickly drags him out of the fire barrier and to safety. I don’t have time to admire Eirabella’s skill as another man charges at me from the side, and I block his attack with my sword, sparks flying as metal meets metal. I twist, summoning a blast of fire that engulfs him, sending him stumbling back, screaming in agony.
But more keep coming.
I parry another strike that appears as if from nowhere, thrusting forward and catching the man in the shoulder. He falls, but two more take his place. One swings for my legs as another lunges at me with a dagger, and I barely manage to shove the first one back, while thrusting my sword into the other, taking a slash across my arm in the chaos. The pain flares, but I push it aside. I can’t afford to be distracted. Not now.
Eira is holding her own, her staff a blur as she deflects blow after blow, using her water magic to throw attackers off balance. I see the determination in her eyes, but I also see the strain. She’s nowhere near burnout yet, but there are a lot of them.
“I’m going to create a diversion, and you run,” I shout over my shoulder, trying to force her back. My fear for her safety is like a tight fist around my chest, squeezing until I can barely breathe. It’s a primal kind of terror, raw and suffocating, the kind that gnaws at the edges of my control and makes every second she refuses to move feel like a lifetime. I can feel my pulse pounding in my throat, my thoughts clouded by the panic of losing her, of watching her get hurt because she won’t leave.
“No!” she yells, her voice sharp with defiance. “I’m not leaving you, Rylan! When are you going to realise that? That I have every right to protect you as you do me. How do you think I’m meant to live with myself if something happens to you? ”
Her words hit me hard, but I don’t have time to argue. A flash of steel catches my eye, and I whirl around just in time to block a deadly strike aimed at her. The man’s sword glances off mine, but he recovers quickly, thrusting forward with lethal precision. I push Eira out of the way, taking the blow across my ribs. The pain is immediate, searing, but I grit my teeth and summon a torrent of water, slamming the attacker back into the trees.
“Rylan!” Eira’s voice is filled with panic as she sees the blood running down my side.
“I’m fine!” I shout, even though the pain is nearly blinding.
The fight intensifies. One of the men manages to grab Eira while she fights off two other assailants, pulling her back by the arm. I rush toward her, my sword raised, but more of them close in, cutting me off. I blast two of them with fire, the flames roaring as they scream in pain. Two more take their place.
The sounds of clashing steel and the thuds of feet on the forest floor pulse through the air as Eira and I fight back-to-back. My breath is ragged, my side burning from where I took the hit. And I’ll take a thousand more if it keeps her safe. They will not touch her. Not while I can still stand.
More attackers close in, surrounding us in a tightening circle. Three of them break off, their eyes locked on me, weapons raised.
“Rylan!” Eira’s voice rings out from behind me, and before I can react, I hear the roar of water. A massive wave surges from her, as she pulls the river up and over our heads, ready to crash over the men in front of me like a tidal force. They stop in their movements, necks cricked upward watching at the force they’re unable to stop.
I stagger back, watching in awe as Eira stands with her arms raised, her entire focus locked on the wave she’s manoeuvring. Her power is immense. Terrifying in its fury, beautiful in her control.
And in that moment, I see her for all that she is.
She is force.
She is nature.
She is limitless.
Her face frozen in steely focus, she swings her arms down in one movement and, as if she had heard my own thoughts, screams, “I am limitless!”
The wave hangs in the air for a split second, and then crashes down on the attackers, a tsunami scattering them like leaves, as they wash away into the forest, the sound of their shouts gurgling in the whitewash.
The power she wields is breathtaking, but I see the concentration it’s taking—the strain it’s putting on her.
“Eirabella! Let go, you need to let go!” I shout, urging her not to drain herself.
I’m busy focusing on her, making sure she doesn’t drain herself when I see him, out of the corner of my eye.
“Eira!” I shout, but she’s too focused on controlling the wave. The man lunges at her from behind, his blade gleaming in the dappled light of the forest, and before she can turn, he slashes his sword down the length of her back.
The sound of her cry rips through the chaos, and I feel my world tilt. She stumbles, her control faltering, and the wave dissipates. Blood blooms down her body as another cry is ripped from her lips.
Three men close in on her, knocking the staff from her hands. She’s trapped. And injured.
She falls, and everything inside me goes cold.
I don’t remember what happens next. All I know is the rage. It burns hotter than the fire in my veins, blinding me, driving me forward. I’m on them in an instant, my sword cutting through the air with lethal precision. Flames explode from my blade, consuming everything in their path. I don’t stop. I can’t stop. Not until they’re all dead.
In blinding arcs and slashing strikes, I take each and every life I come across. Fire blazes throughout the forest floor, drying the entire wave she crashed there in mere seconds, turning every last soul to nothing but silent screams.
By the time the last man falls, I’m standing in a field of char and cinder, blood soaking the earth beneath me. All except one.
The final attacker stumbles backward, his eyes wide with terror as I approach. He tries to retreat, but I’m faster. Grabbing him by the throat, I slam him against a tree, my sword pressed against his neck.
“You’re the last one,” I growl, my voice trembling with barely contained rage. “Go back to your leader. Tell him that all your men are dead. And every person you send after this will die. I’m letting you live so you can deliver the message.”
The man chokes out a laugh, blood trickling from his lips. “Our leader’s not afraid of you,” he spits, his voice dripping with disdain. “I think you’ve got more to be afraid of than us. Maybe you should check your people. Someone’s got loose lips.”
Before I can process his words, he twists free of my grip, stumbling away into the forest. I let him go, my mind too focused on what’s behind me—on her.
“Eira…” I rush to her side, dropping to my knees in the blood-soaked dirt. She’s on the ground, bleeding from a deep wound down her back. Her eyes are half-closed, her breath shallow.
“Stay with me,” I whisper, panic creeping into my voice. She tries to speak, but the effort is too much. Her hand falls limply against the ground, blood pooling beneath her.
Frantic, I press my hands to the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but it’s too much. She’s slipping away, and I can’t lose her. Not like this. Not now. I just found her.
My heart pounds in my chest, fear gripping me like a vice. I’ve never felt so helpless. I’ve fought battles, led armies, faced down death itself, but this—this is different. I can’t fix this with a sword or fire.
“I can’t lose you,” I murmur, my voice cracking. I should have told her this when she asked about my past relationships, should’ve told her there was never anyone nor will there be anyone who means what she does to me. I should’ve pulled her to me and never let her go and whispered these words, until there was no doubt left in her mind. “I don’t know who I am without you!”
I look around, my mind racing for a solution. There’s only one person I trust with her life, one place I can take her. I’m just not ready for her to go there. Not ready for her to know. Not ready to risk it.
But none of that matters now.
Making the decision, I pull her into my arms, cradling her against my chest as I summon my magic. What I’m about to do is something I’ve never revealed to anyone—it’s a secret, a power gifted only to Keepers after passing their trial.
But none of it matters if I can’t save her.
For her, I’ll break every rule, every oath, every vow.
The air around us shimmers and warps as the magic takes hold. The power surges through me, pulling us from the forest and sending us towards the only place I can think of.
I just pray it’s not too late.