Chapter 19
I wiggled my toes against the bank before the Shingu River, my hands flexing at my side and sweat beading on my brow. I stared into the depths, observing the other Water Fae swimming toward the university—a few of them glancing up as they noticed us on the shore.
“The water isn’t going to bite you,” Draevyn teased beside me.
I provided him with my best scowl. “I’m aware. Thank you for that insight.” I shook my head. Before I could talk myself out of it, I dove in, the water rising to greet me. My vision sharpened on the various mounds of brightly colored coral in beautiful shades of red, purple, and blue that decorated the perimeter of the river, with schools of brightly colored fish swimming in and out. Dozens of Water Fae swam by with a speed that made me desperate to match. However, there was one notable difference between my scales and theirs.
I’d been warned about the Water Fae opting to display their skin and minimize their scales to the bare minimum. It wasn’t unusual for most males to display their chests proudly or for females to don their scales on their breasts and legs only, exposing their stomachs, shoulders, and arms. “It’s not appropriate,” Reneah had told me when I’d asked if my scales looked okay that morning. In the Above World, wearing my swimsuit was an everyday occurrence. In Atlantis, royalty had to be covered and never exposed. I’d swiftly donned my scales without a further comment.
Draevyn, on the other hand, had no problem whatsoever with exposing his mouthwatering olive skin to the world. His broad chest came into view as he reached for the bag floating on my back, checking on the thin layer of protection he magicked to stay dry. It was entirely distracting and nearly impossible not to gape at his body. I couldn’t help the heat creeping up my cheeks when he caught me ogling.
He gave me a sly grin. “Enjoying the view?”
I reached out to pinch the olive skin of his chest, but he caught my hand and threaded his fingers through mine. Draevyn had held my hand before, but the way he looked at me now had me clenching my thighs and lit something in me. As Draevyn and I continued this delicate dance in the gray area between friends and something more, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to snuff out my feelings if they were unrequited.
Hello, friend zone. Ash again.
“ Ready, my Queen?” he asked, drawing me from those particular thoughts.
“As I’ll ever be.”
He winked as he pulled us into the current—my Fae instincts taking over as my feet moved of their own volition. Wanting to test how far I’d come, I kicked harder—the movement propelling me ahead of Draevyn. He smiled and matched my speed. Bubbles floated from my mouth with a giggle. Being with him was as easy as breathing—like he was an extension of myself. The thought both thrilled me and scared me, especially because I didn’t know if he felt the same way. After everything that happened with John and Chrissy, I felt more cautious with my heart than I’d ever been before. My grin dipped into a frown as I tried to hide my face from Draevyn.
Tried and failed.
“ What’s the matter? ” he asked, swimming up beside me.
I plastered on my best impression of a smile. “ Nothing. ”
His lifted brow told me he thought otherwise, but he thankfully left it alone.
The swim to Cibao was over in a blink as the gate loomed before us. With a quick check-in with the guard, it wasn’t long before we were climbing the stone steps and striding down the brightly lit hallway to the classroom where Myles awaited. As usual, Draevyn remained just outside the door to stand guard.
“Morning, Myles.”
“Good morning, Asherah,” he said with a kind smile, gesturing to the desk before his. “Take a seat. I see you’ve survived the wrath of the queens.”
“Barely,” I quipped.
Myles’ shoulders shook with laughter. “Yes, well. Cathan tells me you did quite well in your first queendoms meeting. And because this was a hot topic of discussion between the four of you, we’ll review the last ice age today.”
I pursed my lips in mock thought. “Um, yes. Especially the part about humans being our rightful slaves.”
Myles sighed. “Yes. That. Queen Sessi loves to throw her theories around. It’s complete rubbish, of course.”
“She’s hell-bent on trying to convince the other queens just how right she is, though.”
“Yes, she’ll do that. And you must be prepared with the truth.”
I extracted my journal and pen from my bag. “One thing has been bugging me, though. The Fae put so much dedication and devotion into the goddess. Why would Queen Sessi risk challenging the goddess’ will to push her agenda to enslave the humans? Does she not fear the goddess?”
Myles crossed his arms and leaned against the desk. “She believes the goddess wants the humans enslaved.”
“That’s stupid.”
He lifted his shoulder. “That’s Sessi. It always has been, and I suppose it always will be. And that’s what you’ll be fighting against. That’s what makes us Atlantians. We see things the way the goddess intended. Not some distorted version of the truth.”
It made my blood boil in my veins. Sure. Humans were imperfect beings, but given everything I’d seen of the Fae, so were they. Myles circled his desk, grabbed the chalk they lay on the lip of the board, and began writing across it.
My eyes narrowed. “Chalk?”
Myles looked over his shoulder, wiggling it in the air. “Magic chalk. It never breaks and never leaves residue on your fingers. Very different from the Above World.” He turned and resumed his scribbling. When he stepped back from the board, it read:
“During the accord of the last Ice Age, which took place roughly twenty thousand years ago, many errors occurred that could’ve been prevented, but the gravest was not standing as one against Corenathia’s terms, the very same ones that left them to operate independently with no checks and balances of any kind. We were met with great resistance when any inquiries regarding their land provisions and the care provided to the humans were made. Our ancestors wrote multiple scrolls and tomes expressing their deep regret that they never demanded a better treaty between the queendoms and Corenathia to ensure the humans were treated with dignity.” Myles reached for a hunter-green book on the corner of his desk and thumbed through it with his brow furrowed. When he reached his intended page, he placed the book before me. “If you will read the first paragraph in this passage, please.”
I glanced down at the passage—the page browned with age and weathered at the edges. “Lessons for the New Ice Age” was written in a deep, bold black at the top of the page. I read, “It was imperative that every human be documented and recorded in the High Priestess archives, no matter which realm they were assigned to. While it was initially difficult to secure such a proclamation from Earthos, Airelandia and Atlantis immediately began recording their human populace’s lineage to better understand and support them as they established themselves in the realms. Earthos—while reluctant to divulge any information at first—eventually committed to the practice. Corenathia refused to commit to a proclamation based on claims from their scholarly research. They believed the goddess intended for the humans to serve the Fae. Such mistakes cannot be repeated. Any future accord must have Corenathia’s cooperation.” I glanced up at Myles. “No pressure then, huh?”
He smiled ruefully. “I’m afraid the task lies squarely on your shoulders to negotiate these terms.”
The only experience I had negotiating anything at all was with Professor Larson when I pleaded my case for an extra day on my mid-term paper. I’d won my case, but I was on penguin-feeding duty for an entire week during his vacation to Tahiti. It took weeks to get rid of the fish smell on my hands. Now, I was expected to convince a nasty queen to reveal the inner workings of her realm. A sense of deep unease crept up my spine. “And she never mentioned what happened to the humans in her realm during the last ice age?”
“From what we understand, there are barely any humans left in her realm. But it’s hard to tell exactly. Our informants are reluctant to reveal too much for fear of prosecution.”
“That’s terrible. I don’t understand how her scholars determined that humans are supposed to serve the Fae. What does she even mean by that?”
“That dates back to the original goddess’ text. The wording states that ‘all humans shall be set free by the Fae.’ That part about ‘set free?’ That’s what the Corenathians hang on to. They believe the Fae are responsible for granting the humans their freedom…or denying it; therefore, they are meant to serve them. Serve us. We believe ‘set free’ is related to the word before it. Shall, not maybe. Not someday. Shall be set free. But the Corenathians have distorted their scrolls for their own grotesque purposes, changing the wording to match their own beliefs.”
My brow dipped. “How can they change the goddess’ own words?”
“The same way all ancient texts, both Fae and human, have been altered since the beginning of time. They do it in plain sight and then gaslight their people into believing it was necessary; however, the true core of the texts rarely changes if you look closely enough. And that message—that prophecy—has never been altered to our knowledge.”
“Prophecy?”
His head dipped in a nod. “Yes. The scrolls point to a prophecy interpreted before the last ice age. They speak of a Fae who is the key to peace, one who will possess a sacred set of abilities.”
I tilted my head, a few rogue strands of hair tickling my shoulder. “What abilities?”
“Abilities of extraordinary power, all four elements. No Fae in history has ever possessed all four elements. It’s unheard of. When one Fae mates with a Fae with an opposing element—let’s say water and air—only one element carries to their offspring. Never more than one.” Myles gazed absentmindedly at the floor. “We keep hoping the chosen will present themselves before the next Ice Age, as the text suggests.”
I fidgeted in my chair. “Do we know when the next Ice Age starts? Do the texts mention anything about that?” They’d spoken over and over about the approaching Ice Age. I’d assumed—given how long the Fae live—that it was thousands of years away. I internally dreaded the answer.
Myles rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m afraid it’s already begun. The weather patterns have been incredibly unpredictable, as prophesied in the Scrolls of Atabey. There’s a powerful hurricane in the Above World even as we speak.”
My stomach dropped. Hurricanes weren’t uncommon where we’d lived. I’d been through several in my lifetime. They’d only recently become more catastrophic. More destructive. Lethal. “Where?”
Myles winced. “I’m afraid the eye of the storm is over The Keys at this very moment.”
I leapt from my chair, the back slamming against the desk behind me. “We have to go.”
Myles gave me an incredulous look. “To the Above World?”
I threw my tablet and books in my bag. “Yes. They’ll need our help. The storms are getting worse every year.”
Myles held up his hands. “Wait, wait, wait. You don’t have to set off in a panic. We have Guardians already assisting. Our magic protects them as much as possible.”
I hefted my bag over my shoulder, the leather strap biting into my bare skin as I glared at him with determination. “I still want to be there.”
“Given what happened, it’s much too dangerous for our future Queen to visit the Above World. We can’t lose you, too. It’s much too risky.”
I glared at him dead in the eye. “If I don’t take any risks for the humans, for my friends, then what kind of Queen will I be?”
He stood motionless before his shoulders dropped, a sigh leaving him. “You mustn’t go alone.”
I glanced toward the door. “I won’t be.”
Myles followed my gaze and placed his hand on his hip. “Very well. But when you return, we will thoroughly review Earthos’ secrecy and our alliance with Airelandia. Understood, Princess?”
My hand cut into the air with a salute. “Understood, boss.” I rushed out of the room, Draevyn’s light smile disappearing when he saw my face. “What’s happened?”
“There’s a hurricane in the Above World right over The Keys. I’m going to help.”
Draevyn’s lips thinned as he nodded. “I’ll go with you.”
I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “Thank you.” We were going to the Above World, and I didn’t know what we’d find there. The dread seeped into my veins as we hurried down the hall. What would John and Chrissy say? How exactly would I explain my absence? I’d left the Above World as a graduate, ready to start my career as a marine biologist. As far as they knew, I was living out my dream in California. That version of myself seemed so far away. Now, I’d have to pretend I was still that girl and not the woman I’d become. John’s handsome face, growing beet red the way it always had when he’d caught me doing something I wasn’t supposed to, flashed in my mind. Not a phone call, text, or smoke signal. That’s precisely what he was going to say. In an oddly masochistic sort of way, I was looking forward to it.