Chapter Thirty
Avari
The morning passed in a blur as I readied myself for what was coming. The king spent the night on the sofa in my room, since the little fainting spell worried him.
No amount of explanations that it was normal and expected and that I felt fine satisfied him, and eventually, I let it go.
Hiding my fidgeting fingers in my pockets, I questioned him once more about our destination. ‘So there are a lot of them there?’
A smirk tugged at River’s mouth as he shot me a mocking glance. ‘It’s the Land of Volcanoes. The name would suggest so.’
‘You do know that I’m only half fae, right?’ My short legs lacked the stamina to match his brisk pace without rushing. But upon noticing the struggle, he slowed down, assessing me like he kept doing last night. It was getting on my nerves.
He stilled for a moment, brow lifting as he pressed, ‘Your point?’
Gaze full of dread, I tried to explain my worry. ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger; what doesn’t kill me makes for a seriously unpleasant recovery.’
His chiselled face was set in seriousness as his gaze locked with mine. ‘Have I ever done anything to suggest you would be harmed in my presence?’
Memories of several situations flashed in my mind, and I winced. ‘Well…’
Frowning, he clarified, ‘Okay, let me reframe that. Have I done anything like that recently?’
‘No.’
He grinned. ‘Then stop this foolishness and get your arse through that portal.’
A warm hand gently pushed on my lower back, reducing my distance to the swirling abyss of heatless energy that was meant to take us there.
There was no time for any more worries as I took the step forward and met the flickering flames, delicately coating my skin in unreachable molten glass. It grew and expanded, wrapping around me like a second skin, shimmering and untouchable.
Then it fizzled out, leaving only a low hum as a reminder of the threshold I had crossed into a place I had no desire to go.
Just before my foot touched the ground, my skin began to prickle with static and heat, preparing me for a change of location and scenery.
Stepping over that threshold, dry ash whipped across my face, the only greeting the new land offered, as I covered it with my hands, trying to shield from the sudden assault.
‘Oh my God, I’m so sorry!’ a frantic woman screeched before assisting me in removing the dirt from my eyes. The itch and burn only increased the more my attacker tried to wipe it away.
‘What the hell?’ River nearly bumped into me, shocked at the scene before him. ‘What happened?’
‘I thought that was your grandfather, River. You should have told me you were coming,’ she screeched.
Stepping beside me, he gently pushed the woman away and began blowing air into my face to clean it. ‘Gods above, Grandma, you are a lunatic.’
The woman screamed, ‘Watch your language, child. Be mated for as long as I’ve been, and I will let you judge me.’
‘Not sure that you’re making a compelling case for getting mated at all,’ he sneered, before getting back to me. ‘Are your eyes any better?’
Before I had a chance to respond, the woman butted in, ‘Excuse me, I’ve lived with that man for longer than your and your siblings’ lifespans combined. When I tell you he deserved it, it means he—’
She stopped abruptly and hurled even more ash in the general direction of the portal.
‘What the hell are you doing, woman?’ An older man stepped out, his chest covered in dirt like my face was.
He assessed my state and smiled. ‘I see you have met my batshit crazy wife.’
The woman saw red and, with a flick of her wrist, set the bottom part of his jeans on fire. He used his own to fizzle it out.
‘You see what I’ve got to put up with?’ he sighed, turning to River. ‘I forget to get milk, and this is what awaits me.’
Fury barely contained, the woman raged, ‘You’ve burnt half my wardrobe down!’
‘Accidentally.’ His grandfather lifted his hands in a placating gesture. ‘I can’t help it; I have allergies. One sneeze and it all went ka boom. You’d think, as the former Fire Queen, she’d wear clothes that are less flammable.’
‘You—’
‘Okaaay. Enough.’ River ran a hand through his hair. ‘So, the girl you just blinded is Princess Ava, and we’re heading off to train. When we come back, can you behave like people who are at least partially mentally stable? Thanks.’
The second we stepped out, I looked at River, a million anecdotes swirling in my mind, most of them laced with disbelief and a healthy dose of ridicule.
Just as I prepared to voice at least some of them, the king dropped to one knee and, covering his face, burst into laughter.
Full-bodied, shoulders-shaking, breathless laughter that echoed off the stone walls like a spell gone wrong.
I blinked, stunned by his audacity. ‘What part are you laughing at exactly?’
River tried to speak but failed, waving a hand as if that would explain everything. Between gasps, he finally managed, ‘You, your face, when she threw the ash, and then she just did it again.’
I ran a hand over my face once more, feeling the powdery substance still coating my complexion. ‘Ha. Very funny.’
He gazed up, still chuckling. ‘Oh come on, I saw you perk up a little when she threw it at him.’
‘Maybe it was a little funny.’ That part was mildly entertaining.
‘A little? You’ve got a little of the ash still on your face. Gods, they are so unhinged.’
River smiled, as carefree as I’d ever seen him. Ever since last night, when he realised everyone in his battalion would survive, a weight lifted off his shoulders.
An abundance of wonderment and appreciation shone in his eyes as he thanked me; I didn’t know how to react. I didn’t need gratitude. I was happy to help, especially since Fogoya had started to feel like home.
Laughing some more, he closed the distance between us and swiftly wiped the soot from my cheek as we continued along the trail winding behind the stone house belonging to his grandparents.
We walked ahead for at least an hour, and though the terrain was fairly even, my feet began to blister, and my nape grew sticky with sweat.
I expected those were the regular side effects of the Land of Volcanoes, where the fields were plagued by endless pools and creeks of lava, glowing in hues of brilliant crimson and deep blood-red.
The air shimmered with heat, and the ground pulsed faintly beneath our steps as if the realm itself were breathing. The sight was breathtaking, and I felt a sense of belonging.
No. The part of me that was a fire-breather felt like it belonged here.
For a while, we continued walking in silence, and I opened the gate to my fire, letting it bloom in my palm, flickering softly against the volcanic breeze.
‘Inspired?’ River radiated with joy at the sight of my wielding.
I connected the dots. ‘Is that why we’re here? For inspiration?’
His eyes followed the flame dancing over my fingers before he stilled. I caught the struggle in his gaze, the fire he fought to keep from me, even as it longed to reach me.
‘There are many approaches to training. Your witchery reacts to environmental stimuli; I thought perhaps your fire does too.’
The depth of his observation still shocked me. His watchful eyes seemed never to falter, even in the moments when I believed myself alone.
‘Did you struggle with your fire too?’ I wondered, since he seemed so educated and helpful in the matter.
An alluring grin stretched his lips. ‘The opposite of yours.’
‘You struggled with taming it?’ That I could imagine, with the thunder of flames dancing in his soul. But not wanting to give him unnecessary satisfaction, I rolled my eyes.
What kind of struggle even was that?
River chuckled. ‘Don’t you just love to deflect, my witch. Tell you what, grow your fire, and I will answer some of your questions in return.’
I weighed my options. ‘I’m dealing with a king here, which means I have to be specific in the terms of our deal. How many questions are you offering exactly?’
‘Two,’ he purred.
How lame. ‘Four.’
‘Three. Final offer.’
I had him. ‘Done. I would have agreed to two, by the way.’
‘And I always answer your questions anyway, witch. Don’t I?’
With his eyes shut, he stood as if carved from resolve, an image of pure, undistracted intent. ‘Can you feel it?’
I tried hard to reach the energy he sensed. More sweat coated my face as I felt it at my fingertips, fleeting like sand slipping through my grasp.
Each time I reached, it vanished, leaving only silence, an unattainable treasure, a blistering source that my flames shimmered eagerly for.
A yearning for the source, for the searing embrace of the scorched land. It was almost close enough to grasp.
But it was as fleeting as it was irresistible. As if it had never existed, the fire fizzled out, leaving me with the hollow ache of a failed connection.
The king stepped closer, close enough I could smell his aftershave. ‘You almost had it. Don’t stop now. Feel me, connect to me. We can do this together.’
River let his tornado of flames engulf us like never before, scorching everything in its wake but us. As I reluctantly took his outstretched hand, the energy assaulted my every sense, stretching far into the depths of who I was.
No longer fae, witch, nor halfling, I became fire itself. The power grid and life force of the land surged through me like the roots of an ancient tree, swimming through my nervous system, carving me anew, inch by inch.
I never noticed when he let go. Never felt the moment his fire receded. And yet, I stood, still engulfed in it.
The dam on my fire dissolved without a trace, and the sensual awakening drowned everything else until suddenly, I had access to the pure, undiluted rage of a vortex that was mine alone.
He stood before me, mesmerised. Pride marked his face as his eyes, hypnotised and reverent, tracked the direction and patterns of my flame.
Getting closer, our fires responded, eager as ever. They thrashed against each other, battling for dominance in a passionate war of will.
Lips parted, he took a deep breath and allowed our bodies to hover close enough to brush. His fingertips grazed my cheek as he lowered himself to meet the connection I craved. Our lips, millimeters apart…
‘River, child…’ His grandmother’s melodic voice cut through the moment.
We stepped back, hurried, breathless, and undone.