Chapter 14
“C orenathia sits at the center of the Earth’s core. Humans widely speculate that the Earth’s core burns about four thousand to seven thousand kelvins. That would be about seven thousand to twelve thousand degrees Fahrenheit. The Fire Fae's skin has been goddess-blessed to withstand this heat and weaponize it. To yield it.”
The muscles in my hand cramped with the effort to keep up with Myles’ instruction, the pain traveling throughout my palm and down my wrist—my hand flying across the magicked tablet. Myles had promised at the beginning of today’s lesson that soon he would start on simple spells that dictate notes versus having to write them out. As I shook my hand out, I sort of wished he’d begun with those lessons first.
Myles slowly paced before his desk. “As you very well know, the Fire Fae rule this realm quite differently from all other realms. They see humans as collateral. While strict protocols are in place today, the Fire Fae took full advantage of the last ice age, enslaving every human who took refuge in their lands. They remain enslaved till this day.”
I looked up from my notebook, appalled. “Even today?”
He winced. “Yes,” he confirmed, the sorrow evident as his shoulders slumped slightly—so at odds with how he usually carried himself.
“But…but how is this still going on today?”
Myles inhaled deeply. “The Fae realms are far more complicated than the Above World, Asherah. Diplomacy is a delicate balance, and the power of the Fire Fae is very great. Challenging them could cause an all-out war that none of the other realms are motivated to pursue. Each queendom loves its people too much, with the exception of Corenathia. Their Queen does not value her people as much as the other Queens value theirs. She’ll use them to whatever ends she needs to overcome any obstacle before her. She’ll threaten whole families to serve her and torture them until they comply, and many do so in an effort to protect their families regardless of whether they support the mission of their Queen. And unfortunately, not every realm is willing to stand up to them. While each queendom has its own elemental abilities, it is very tough to combat the Queendom of Corenathia.”
I blinked. “But can’t someone just take them down?”
Myles chuckled sadly, shaking his head. “It’s not that easy. I truly wish it were. The scrolls of the High Priestesses prophesize a Fae powerful enough to rule over all the queendoms, but that is all we have. A mystical foretelling that is less than dependable. Until then, we must use whatever tools are in our arsenal to get them to yield. Sometimes, it’s the most frustrating dance imaginable. And it will test you, Asherah. Of this, I have no doubt. There will be days when you’ll look a Corenathian in the face and attempt diplomacy when all you really want to do is drown their lungs with water.”
A knock sounded at the door, and our gazes landed upon Draevyn—his jaw set. “Kane is outside. We’re being summoned to the council room. Something urgent he refuses to disclose.” His gaze slid to me momentarily, and my cheeks instantly heated. “Says he’ll stay here and stand guard while we’re gone. Shouldn’t take too long.”
Myles sighed. “Very well.” He made rapid strides to the back wall, fingers grazing over the spines of books till he plucked one out and fanned through the pages. He hurried back and placed the book on the table before me. “This section is about the last ice age and Corenathia. Read it while I see what is so urgent that it can’t wait. We’ll go over it once I return.”
With that, he and Draevyn strolled from the room, leaving me to read over what I could only assume would be some dark and disturbing shit. In the silence of the classroom, with only the ticking of the clock on the wall for company, I read page after page of the cruelty and vileness of Corenathia. The idea that humans were no more than slaves in their realm boiled the blood in my veins. This was proving to be the hardest lesson yet when the next words leapt off the page:
When Corenathia agreed to the accord, splitting the humans evenly between the realms, they failed to disclose
their ill intentions. It came to the attention of the Queendoms Council nearly a century later when a spy, at a
significant personal risk, procured the inner workings of Corenathia. Since the realm is protected by a fire dome
only the Fire Fae can control, there was little the other queendoms could do to infiltrate Corenathia and save the
humans.
“Fucking assholes.”
“You must be learning of Corenathia,” a cool voice called from the doorway.
My head snapped up. A man who visually appeared to be in his mid-twenties leaned against the door jamb, his medium build taking up half the doorway. His bright orange hair loosened a little from behind his tipped ears as he tilted his head, observing me with his deep brown eyes—an amused smirk lifting his lips. A feeling of unease emerged.
“And you are?”
He casually stepped into the classroom with his hands in the pockets of his loose leathers, his gaze never leaving me. “So, it’s true then. The heir of Atlantis exists. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. You look so much like your former Queen.” He gestured over me. “With the exception of the human attire, of course.”
“Yes, I exist. And you are ?”
His smile grew as he leaned against the desk at the front of the room, crossing his arms over his dark green tunic. “Lux.”
“Lux. Okay. Well, hi, Lux. Is there something I can help you with?”
His shoulder lifted in a shrug. “Nothing in particular. I just wanted to meet you.”
“Well, you’ve met me.” My eyebrow rose. “And now, I have to get back to my reading.”
“Of Corenathia?” he asked curiously.
I paused, not knowing how much I should or wanted to share with Lux, but decided there was no harm in telling a nosey student what I was studying. That’s what we were here for, anyway. “Yes, of Corenathia.”
“Interesting.” He pushed off the desk and strolled around to me. “And what do the Atlantian texts say of us? Is it everything as evil as they say we are?”
My heart plummeted, and my eyes widened. My inability to defend myself against any other Fae became strikingly apparent as a sense of helplessness spread throughout me.
I shot up from my chair, walking backward to the next row of desks, my feet tripping over the legs of the table at my back. “We?”
Lux held his palms up. “Relax. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“You’d be the first Fire Fae not to do so.”
There were now several rows of tables separating us, but I could have sworn I saw sadness fall over his gaze before his carefree composure returned. “That was warranted. I understand why you’re cautious.”
I was saved from retorting when angry male voices sounded down the hall. Lux’s eyes held mine, almost pleading. Truth be told, I didn’t know what to make of that look. “Remember that not everything is as it seems, Asherah. And if you ever want to know the truth, find me.”
I could feel my nostrils flare. “I think I can decipher the truth for myself, thank you very much.”
Lux sighed, his hands falling to his side in what looked like defeat.
“You were supposed to guard her, not seek fresh air outside these walls!” That voice was distinctively Draevyn, and my shoulders eased as he entered the classroom. Myles and an unfamiliar guard followed behind him and stopped short within the doorway, their lips parting and their eyes bugging out of their sockets as their gazes fell on Lux. Draevyn’s trident materialized out of thin air, the glow causing his scales to glimmer.
“Prince Lux. What exactly are you doing here?” Myles demanded.
Lux placed his hands in his pockets. “I just wanted to introduce myself.”
“There’s a time and a place for such diplomatic introductions. I think it best if you return to the class that you are presumably missing. We wouldn’t want you to fall behind in your studies.”
“No, we wouldn’t want that.” Lux turned back to me. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Your Highness. Until we meet again.” Decerning that his time was up, Lux rushed out of the room.
Draevyn’s trident disappeared as he approached me. His face, full of concern, did nothing to calm my nerves. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah. He just wanted to introduce himself. No harm done.”
Myles came up to my side. “Did he say anything to you?”
I shook my head. “Nothing bad or threatening.”
Draevyn wheeled around and glared at the other guard. “You can return to Melysah now, Kane. I think you’ve caused enough trouble for one day.”
A malicious smile broke on Kane’s face. “By trouble, you mean reporting what must be reported as required by my superior? I hardly think it’s trouble. It’s called accountability, Draevyn. You should try it sometime.”
“How dare you?” Draevyn charged toward Kane, but Myles’s arm caught him in the chest, holding him back.
“That’s quite enough, Kane. All is done. Please go back to your assignment.”
I watched as Kane stepped backward through the doorway with a vile grin, disappearing a moment later. I made my way to my desk and pulled my chair upright. As I slid into my seat, I had a sinking feeling this was about Melysah, figuring she made good on her threat. I pinched the bridge of my nose on a slow exhale. “Do I want to know what that was about?”
Draevyn’s face was pinched as he leaned against the table across from mine. “Melysah figured that if she couldn’t follow through on a threat because of your order to stay silent, she’d have her lapdog do it.”
Myles folded his arms. “Dax will be visiting you soon to discuss your relationship with Draevyn,” he said in an almost fatherly tone.
I threw my hands in the air. “Am I not allowed to have a friend?”
“Calm down. Calm down. You’re allowed to have friends.” His gaze traveled between the two of us. “You’re also allowed to have more than that if that’s what you want.” I could feel my cheeks heat. Myles fluttered a hand in the air as he continued, “But there are protocols for this sort of thing.”
“What Asherah and I have is not a thing .” I could feel my heart swell at his declaration. This indescribable pull that made zero sense kept a hold on me and my heart.
But we were just friends , right?
Right?
Myles slid his hands in his pockets, regarding Draevyn. “I really don’t care what you call it. Quite frankly, it’s none of my business. That’s between the two of you and the goddess.” His attention shifted to me. “Dax just wants to speak with you. Just chat with him. There’s no harm done. This is just Melysah trying to stir the pot.”
Draevyn huffed his displeasure. “She’s doing more than just stirring the pot when the Prince of Corenathia is strolling into the room with our one and only heir.”
“Indeed, but remember. If the rumors are to be believed, Lux is every bit his mother’s victim. I don’t think he meant any harm. And with regard to Melysah, we cannot sink to her level. We must keep the line, especially with her. She’s the most knowledgeable council member ever to hold a seat. She knows more about the council rules and politics than Roarvyn, a fact that crawls under his skin. If you two were smart, you’d try to hide whatever it is you feel for each other for as long as you can. Her obsession with you is well known. She’ll not take kindly to being upstaged.” He reached forward, sliding the book I’d been reading across the desk. “Now, let’s get back to your lesson.”
But I could hardly focus on anything else that afternoon, nor did I want to.
The Prince’s words kept rolling through my mind.
Remember that not everything is as it seems, Asherah.
Even though I’d expected the knock at the door the following morning, it still set my nerves on edge when I heard it. Reneah peeked her head into my bedroom and gave a slight wince. “He’s waiting in the sitting room.”
I nodded and placed my latest textbook, Medieval Diplomacy: Airelandia and Atlantis, on the side table. My shaky steps carried me into the living room where General Lumeya waited. Gone were the days when I could take an interest in someone, or they take an interest in me, and we could decide what we were to each other without interference.
Friends?
But even as I thought it, it didn’t seem right.
He’d mentioned that we were more than a “thing.” I couldn’t disagree if I wanted to. It’s hard to call someone a friend when my body reacts the way it does to Draevyn Eliron. Regardless, one thing was for sure. I didn’t want to have this conversation.
I really, really didn’t want to have this conversation.
Dax’s note came early in the morning as I devoured a breakfast of fluffy eggs with bell peppers, onions, and bella mushrooms. The savory flavors from the homefries accompanying them still lingered on my tongue. After those first few days of holing myself up in my room, I can still recall the first time my breakfast magically appeared across the kitchen island. Reneah, having sensed my confusion, had explained that there are elemental fae responsible for cooking. Being catered to like this wasn’t something I was used to, and I made it my mission to find out where they cooked such delicious food so I could thank them profusely.
As I entered the sitting room, I found Dax sitting on a reading chair in the corner—mindlessly chewing on his thumbnail and staring out the window with a contemplative look. I cleared my throat, and he snapped to attention—his massive form rising abruptly to bow.
“Good morning, Your Highness,” he said, his warm smile spreading across his masculine face. “It’s good to see you.”
I smiled in return. “Good to see you as well, Dax. I hope you’ve been feeling better.”
His head dipped in a nod, strands from his bright blond hair falling forward. “The goddess has given me the strength to go on. Well, as best as she can possibly provide. I’m great in physical health. But I still have quite a bit of work to do with my mental health, if that makes sense.”
My heart squeezed for Dax. What he must have seen then, and what he must have felt now. I didn’t want to imagine. “Yes. It makes perfect sense.”
Dax motioned with a meaty hand to the sitting chairs by the window. “Shall we?”
I moved across the ornate Persian rug to perch on the edge of the chair—my hands folded neatly in my lap.
Dax plopped down and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, there’s no easy way to go about this, so I’ll not sugarcoat it for you. I believe you know why I’m here?”
Thoughts of the Elemental Ball flashed through my mind. The way Draevyn had laced his fingers through mine as if it were the most natural thing in the world, the way he held me as we danced, the way I lost myself in those stunning green eyes like it had been my own personal, tropical oasis, the confidence in his words and the way he treated me. Friends , he had said, but more than a thing. “I do,” I answered Dax because regardless of what we were to each other, we weren’t just Guardian and Princess.
He let loose a breath. “I’m reassigning Draevyn to the—”
“No.”
His brow rose. “No?”
“Please. Do not do that.”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “Why him, Ash?”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “I don’t know.” Please don’t blush. Dear goddess, please don’t blush.
“That’s not a good enough reason. Any one of my Guardians would do the job well.”
“I know, but…please. Just leave him assigned to me.”
The glare of his cobalt-blue eyes was heavy with concern. “You realize you’ll be pissing off one of the most strategic council members with,” he flourished his large hand, “whatever is going on between the two of you?”
“We’re just friends.” When he gave me a look that said he didn’t believe a word out of my mouth, I straightened my spine. “Besides, I will not be bullied.”
Dax quirked a thick, blond brow. “You’re sure you want to go there with Melysah?”
“Yup. Pretty sure.”
“Be that as it may, Draevyn may be in violation of some code of conduct. I’ll need to report this.”
“You will not. I mean.” I glanced down at my hands. “Please don’t. That won’t be necessary. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”
Dax gave me a knowing smile. “Maybe not wrong according to you, but in the eyes of the Guardians and the Council, he may have stepped out of line.”
I grimaced. “Please leave him assigned as he is, and please don’t report him. Commander Eliron has been incredibly helpful to me. This realm…it’s all new to me. I feel safer with him at my side. This is nothing more than Melysah attempting to create drama.”
Dax gripped his chin in his hand. After a long pause, he said, “I wouldn’t be doing you any favors if I didn’t tell you this. I’ve known Draevyn since he was a faeling. I’ve watched him work hard to achieve his status. There were times I’d catch him in the training center long after everyone had departed for the day, going over and over his movement to perfect it. He has poured many hours, weeks, and years into his craft. I’ve never seen anyone like him. As his mentor, watching him grow into the male he is today has been a point of pride for me. I could depend on him like none other in my guard.
“His elemental calling has always been his sole focus, which is why his recent behavior—particularly with you—has me both perplexed and worried.” I felt a phantom vice grip around my lungs, robbing me of air as I awaited his answer. “Yet, oddly, it also has me confident that there is no one else I’d rather have looking over you. I’ll keep him assigned to you so long as whatever is brewing between the two of you—and don’t deny it—doesn’t distract him from his duties.”
My shoulders sagged. “Well, thank you. Draevyn’s been…great.” There was no hiding the heat on my cheeks because Draevyn Eliron was not only great but also mysterious.
And charming.
And alluring.
And intoxicating.
I voiced none of those things.
“I’m glad to hear it, but be mindful. Melysah will have her eye on you now, on the both of you. She’s a pain in the ass, one I’ll gladly handle for Draevyn and for you, but it won’t be easy.”
I gave him a solemn nod. “Thank you. It means a lot to me.”
Dax rose from his chair. “And now, I shall return to your grumpy father in the Above World.”
“Grumpy?”
Dax’s shoulders bounced with a chuckle. “Yes. This isn’t his calling at all. He longs for your coronation day so that he doesn’t have to deal with Fae politics anymore. It’s not his thing.”
I nodded, the weight of my responsibilities settling hard and heavy in my gut. “Well, I’ll let you get to it. Tell my Dad I love him.”
Dax’s face brightened. “Of course, Your Highness. But you can tell him yourself. He returns this evening to prepare for the upcoming meeting with the queendoms.” I twitched a bit, and Dax’s keen eye noticed. I wasn’t looking forward to meeting the other queens. I didn’t feel ready for it, but Dad insisted I be there as a sign of our strength. “Try not to worry yourself too much. It’s your first queendoms meeting, but you’ll get the hang of it.”
I gave him a solemn smile. “Thanks, Dax.”
He dipped in a brief bow and lumbered out of my quarters, leaving my nerves unsettled save for one tiny victory.
I would still have my guard.