CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR #2
Hastily, I removed myself from Corvin’s bed so that I wouldn’t be caught straddling him.
An infirmary healer promptly rounding the corner, heralded as much by her footsteps as by the smell of medicinal herbs that followed in her wake.
“Prince Corvin!” the woman shrieked, evidently surprised to find him sitting up in bed, wide awake.
“You’re finally up and about again! You had your father and I worried sick. ”
“Nice to see you, Kali,” Corvin greeted, apparently recognizing his nurse. “About my father, is he doing alright? He doesn’t normally sleep in the infirmary.”
The woman fussed over Corvin, laying a hand against his forehead, before responding.
“Yes, he’s doing fine, sleeping comfortably at the moment.
I believe he asked to be moved here from his bedchamber to be closer to you while you recovered.
He’s been in good spirits this week; he even managed to stay awake for several hours this afternoon.
I wouldn’t be surprised if you get another opportunity to speak with him tonight.
We’ll have to see. It’s just so hard to predict anymore.
” She cleared her throat, absentmindedly fluffing one of Corvin’s pillows. “And how are you both feeling?”
“I’m feeling drained, but in good health,” I replied.
“I’m feeling fine, really. Thanks for looking after me,” Corvin answered.
Kali regarded him with a sharp gaze. “Alright, Your Highness, I’ll be back soon for a thorough checkup regardless. In the meantime, someone should tell Kygraw and the rest of your council you’ve awakened. Please excuse me for a moment.”
Shortly afterward, Kygraw came bustling into the room.
It filled quickly after that, a parade of people huddling around Corvin, inquiring after his well-being.
Quietly, I slipped away from his bedside, letting myself be pushed to the periphery of the crowd where I could still overhear everything, listening silently as Corvin was asked question after question in an incessant interrogation.
“Your Royal Highness. Tell me, do you believe there is an active threat against your life?” asked a winged man carrying a sword at his side and wearing a diagonal swatch of fabric across his chest, covered in a selection of feathers.
Another healer held two fingers to the inside of Corvin’s wrist. “Your Highness. How are you feeling right now? Are you comfortable? Warm enough? Hungry? Can you move and speak as normal?”
“My lord, I must impart bad news. Today is the Winter Solstice, and we’ve decided to delay the inauguration on account of your poor health,” said what I presumed was a royal advisor, another Roowk, resembling Kygraw but with darker feathers and a smaller stance.
Corvin ignored them all, rising from his bed. “I don’t have time for this. I need to get to the gateway before it disappears.” He pushed his way through the crowd of people, pushing his way back to me. For the first time since everyone materialized to fuss over him, silence descended over the room.
“Your Highness. Surely you don’t mean you plan to attend the inauguration in your current state.”
“Not me. Elvira,” Corvin replied, his voice filled with steely resolve. “She’s borrowing our gateway.”
The room exploded into raucous commotion as the crowd of royal advisors processed Corvin’s words.
He didn’t wait to hear them out, but strode out the infirmary door, Nix and I following after him.
As we entered the hallway, Corvin swayed on his feet, and I brought my arm up and under his armpit to help support his weight.
We stood together, leaning on one another for a brief moment before continuing down the hallway.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked with concern.
“You can barely walk right now. We can change our plan.”
Corvin nodded. “The courtyard isn’t too far. I’m getting you there. The inauguration—it means extra protection, extra strength. Your assailants, they will target you again. I’m not going to let that happen.”
We reached the courtyard door, holding each other up, and I realized there was a throng of advisors trailing behind us. “Your Highness! Please see reason. For Stormcloud’s sake, you’re still in your sleeping garments!” somebody called after Corvin.
“Then find me some clothes,” he yelled back over his shoulder as we slowly staggered out of the doorway.
A few more steps, and we were in the courtyard.
A few more steps, and we were standing in front of his mother’s memorial statue.
And then I wasn’t focusing on much of anything at all besides the breathtaking gateway, shimmering in the air high above us.
It took the form of a silver-gilded rounded archway whose enormous double doors were overlaid with pearly white paint swirling across the archway like clouds floating through the sky.
Delicate metal feathers, an exquisite piece of metalwork, decorated the interior of each door, but the handles, the handles were its most striking feature.
Two large wings, a shade of blue so dark it was almost black, extended from either side of each door handle, lightly flapping in the breeze.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed, hearing Corvin’s sharp intake of breath as we stared at it together.
As we stood and admired the gateway, the trailing throng of advisors caught up with us.
The same Roowk from before, whom I didn’t yet know, approached Corvin’s side, wringing her hands together anxiously.
“I really must advise against this plan of action. The words. They are to be kept secret. A precious secret passed down by the royal family for generations to come. To share them endangers your life and your rule.”
Corvin gazed down at me, eyes locking on mine.
“Then it’s a good thing I trust Elvira with my life.
” He curled a hand around my lower back, summoning his midnight-black wings to curve protectively around us.
“This is how I show you,” he told me. “You asked me to decide. And I have. I trust you with my heart, Elvira, and with my kingdom. Are you ready?” he asked, looking up at the sky and bending his knees, prepared to launch us upward to reach the gateway.
His lips brushed my ear as he whispered, “The words you’ll need to say to pass through the gateway, listen closely now: Those who seek freedom, take to the sky.
” The words were beautiful, and I committed them to heart, more grateful than I could express that he trusted me enough to share them with me, to sacrifice his opportunity to attend the ceremony this year, to protect me instead.
“I’ll be back soon, Nix,” I said. “Try not to cause too much trouble while I’m gone.”
I clung to Corvin’s side, working up the nerve to tell him I was ready.
“WAIT! There’s another way!” shouted a familiar voice—King Ravenell.
“Father?” Corvin stammered, releasing his hold on me.
The king came stumbling into the courtyard, instantly shifting into a magnificent raven and flying the rest of the way over to the statue where we stood. Every single member of the crowd bowed in deference to the king the moment he shifted back into his human form.
Corvin embraced his father, and I wondered how many opportunities he got to see him out of bed, to hug him like he was now.
The length of time they spent holding each other suggested such moments were all too rare.
King Ravenell sounded frail and out of breath when he spoke.
“There’s a way—a way you can both make it to the ceremony.
Ajax told me what happened when I awoke to find you gone.
The golden mirror, the one whose twin lives on your island, Elvira.
It’s not just a mirror. It’s a threshold.
They’re connected. If you wish, you still have the ability to step through and return to your island.
I can take you there now. You don’t have to choose; there is a gateway waiting for you both. ”
“The mirror is a portal?” Corvin stuttered. “But why would you gift it to the Midnight Sovereign?”
The king awkwardly cleared his throat. “For a time, years before I met your mother, Luciana and I would meet regularly…”
“You mean you gifted a priceless Zrocan artifact to Luciana so the two of you could—”
A wild laugh tore from my throat. “Corvin, that doesn’t matter right now. I can make it back to the island! This changes everything. We’re both going to make it to the ceremony!”
King Ravenell grinned broadly. “Kygraw! Quickly now! We need to grab Corvin his crown. And some dress clothes.”
The crowd rapidly dispersed, everyone running in different directions, at the change in plans.
Their prince was going through the gateway, and the Sky Kingdom would soon be known to the realm.
I smiled up at Corvin, expecting to see relief etched upon his face, but detected a flicker of fear or hesitation hidden in their depths instead.
“What’s wrong, Corvin? You can tell me.”
He shifted on his feet, rattling out a deep breath.
“Taking on my father’s debts wasn’t entirely noble.
I hoped I might be able to complete them all before the inauguration.
That he would be standing here instead, bearing the responsibility for our kingdom’s fate.
What if we reveal ourselves, and it only leads to more death?
And it’s all my fault. Like my mother. Only this time, I lead our entire kingdom into ruin. Endanger everybody I love.”
I gently squeezed his hand. “You can do this, Corvin; you can fly through that gateway. I know it’s daunting, that everything is about to change.
But you’re not alone. You have so much more to offer your kingdom than your fear of what could happen.
Life is uncertain. And it’s impossible to fly without risk, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking to the sky.
Everyone here cares about you and knows you have what it takes to succeed.
We’re in this together now. If we fall, we’ll catch each other.
You’re going to be magnificent. The Kingdom of Zroterra is going to be magnificent.
Olayra and its rulers deserve to know about what you’ve built here. ”
His expression softened. “I think I can step through, knowing you’ll be on the other side.”
I gazed up at him, our resolve stoking one another’s like wildfire. “Then I’ll see you there.”