Chapter Fifteen
Avari
As the trail came to an end, a wall of dense foliage blocked us from going any farther. When River first suggested a hike after our meal at Rob’s place, I thought he was joking, but I’d enjoyed every moment. He was right about the scenery; it was glorious.
I often paused, caught by awe, silently cursing that I’d left my phone in Ortensia. The photos I could have taken would have made perfect reminders of an unexpected and peaceful adventure with the Fogoyan King—a monster who, against all reason, seemed to have grown a heart.
I considered asking to borrow his phone but decided against it. It was a royal device, no doubt filled with things I wasn’t meant to see.
The wooden balustrade encircling the lake’s sapphire gleam splintered softly under my touch. Its crystalline waters shimmered with shoals of bright fish leaping above the surface, their scales flashing like jewels. Some were streaked with purple and pink, while others rippled with rainbow hues.
I laughed when a cloud of tiny creatures drifted past—part dragonfly, part firefly—their wings casting soft blue light across the water.
Eventually, I walked over to where the king sat quietly watching from a distance.
When I lowered myself into the grass beside him, our knees brushed, and my fire stirred for the first time in days.
Surviving the curse had drained my strength and my power, and I waited anxiously for any sign of recovery.
‘What do you think?’ His voice was gentle as he watched the leaping fish, sunlight warming the edges of his face.
‘It’s magical,’ I said honestly. Now I understood why he had fought so fiercely to keep this place sealed. It deserved protection.
And so I ran my fingers through strands of grass at my feet and let the minuscule coils of green come to the surface and reach out to connect.
It still felt dim and unreadable, as if it were still blocked by a grey cloud.
Too muddled for a substantial connection.
I needed to give it more time. Unable to clear it, I started to pull back, stopping only as the king encircled us in a thick ring of fire.
I didn't know how he'd realised it was exactly what I needed.
I also wondered where he'd learnt about the effects of power rings.
But in that moment, all I cared about was the fairy-tale scene before my eyes.
It was all my power and I could focus on.
I drifted away, wrapped in the soft embrace of the surrounding greenery, until his voice beckoned me back.
‘What does it feel like when you…’ He was lost for words and gestured to my hand on the grass.
‘It’s different every time.’ I drew a little of my magic back so I could focus. ‘Depending on where I connect, it changes. Sometimes it’s emotion, and sometimes it’s memory. Here, it feels like timeless tranquillity.’
River looked intrigued, running his palm across the ground as though mimicking what I was doing, as though it might help him understand me.
I wondered what had sparked such a change in his attitude towards witchcraft.
He used to recoil at the mere mention of it, yet now he sat beside me, watching it unfold with subdued fascination.
It was uncanny.
I considered offering to share the feeling, just as he had shared his fire, but it felt too soon. It would require a level of trust neither of us had in the other.
Then his brows drew together as he stared at my hands. ‘So it's a feeling you get?’
I followed his gaze to the tiny jade-coloured bursts pulsing beneath my palm like faint neon light. ‘Not always. Sometimes it's information, and sometimes the other side is trying to tell you something.’
‘But how do you know what you’re getting into?’ His puzzled expression made me laugh softly.
I breathed in the fresh air, catching the faint scent of him on the breeze. ‘That's the beauty of it. You don't.’
A bee landed on my shoulder for a brief moment, evidently prompting the king's next question. ‘Could you connect to animals, or people?’
The fact that he seemed genuinely interested, rather than expecting me to hide this part of myself, soothed a fear that had refused to stop gnawing at me. Witchcraft was as much a part of me as being fae. I could never pretend to be anything else.
‘Technically.’ I paused, trying to explain. ‘Nature is simple, stoic, and predictable. There’s no vegetation out to get you. But animals and people are much more complicated.’
‘How so?’
Deciding the conversation deserved my full attention, I withdrew the last remnants of my power from the ground and turned my focus to the king.
‘When you connect, you reach the innermost part of their being, what some call the essence of life. It’s a strong force that can kill you in seconds if provoked.
With people or animals, that essence isn’t always pure. It can be malicious and mean harm.’
He grew thoughtful. ‘Have you ever risked it?’
‘Not exactly,’ I said quietly. Unwilling to elaborate, I let my gaze drift back to the lake and its inhabitants.
After a long pause, I looked at him again. ‘You've shown me more today than I expected. Why?’
‘Because I want you to see my kingdom for what it really is,’ he said as his hands shifted uneasily in his pockets. ‘I know you don’t think highly of it yet.’
The admission sent a blush to my cheeks; I felt them heat even more under his stare. Summoning my courage, I asked, ‘Why would you care?’
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he took my hand and let his fire trace the lines of my palm. My small embers reached for him instinctively, merging into bright sparks that danced between our joined fingers. They twined and separated, two flames moving as one.
I began to suspect his fire longed for mine as much as mine longed for his. Watching the energy blend left me quietly spellbound.
‘Why do you do that? I thought you hated me.’
‘Fire doesn’t respond to reason,’ the king said with a laugh as my flames curled around his. ‘Needy much?’
It was nerve-wracking; I couldn't believe either of us allowed it to happen.
‘I warned you. The day I forbid them from playing with yours, they might make me spontaneously combust.’ When I tried to pull away, my flames only chased his harder, making him chuckle again.
Shortly, his hand held onto mine a little tighter, and the fire shifted from red to green, mirroring my witchcraft.
‘You can do that?’ I asked, amazed.
‘There isn’t much I can’t do with my fire,’ he teased, pushing his energy through mine until my embers glowed with the same hue.
‘That’s incredible,’ I whispered, watching the serpentine glow move between our fingers. ‘Does everyone in your court have this much control?’
He shot me a questioning look.
‘I’ve never had anyone to help me train,’ I admitted. ‘My fire’s probably wild compared to everyone else’s. I don’t even know what’s normal.’
Concern flickered across his face. ‘Nobody trained you? I assumed—’
‘What did you assume? Ortensia doesn’t have fire-wielders. Not that my mother ever cared to find any. Apart from me, but I hardly count.’
‘Why would you say that?’
A blush crept into my cheeks again. ‘I can barely use my flames to dry a puddle.’
A flicker of conflict crossed his face. His gaze drifted to our joined hands, where our flames intertwined like living threads. ‘I thought your father would have taught you. Your fire must come from him, right?’
The question stung. Embarrassed, I admitted, barely above a whisper, ‘I’ve never met him. My mother never entertained my questions.’
The word mother felt poisoned now, a reminder of pain rather than comfort.
‘I’ll train you,’ he said quietly.
I accepted his offer with a small nod.
When we returned to the carefully secured castle, I once again wondered if there was a reason he had been on edge.
Something must have been brewing, given the power he constantly radiated and the number of soldiers stationed around the perimeter.
I even asked why there were so many as we drove in, but he wouldn't give me a real answer.
Lying in bed, with my thoughts drifting across past, present, and future, my mind wandered to the raven-haired girl who had sent River flying. Michael told me she was mated to his brother—did he mean the king? He never attacked her back…
Would the king be spending time with me one-on-one if he were already mated? Perhaps that explained why the woman had been so furious.
But would he really be spending his spare time with me like this if he already belonged to another?