Chapter 24
G uake’te.
The bonding ceremony.
My thoughts were a mess of all things: excitement and fear and longing. I had to imagine that Guake’te was equivalent to a marriage ceremony in the Above World. And Draevyn mentioned it so casually, like he knew with his whole heart that I was his bondmate.
And I couldn’t disagree with him.
I’d never felt for anyone else the way I felt for Draevyn Eliron. If falling in love with someone meant losing yourself in them so irrevocably, then I never wanted to be found.
My thoughts continued to distract me as Atlantians packed every inch of space, and the gentle buzz of their conversations permeated the room. Villagers from all over Atlantis checked in with a female named Iris just beyond the massive double doors. As they entered, the villagers clustered in groups, waiting their turn to speak with the King.
And the Heir.
I hadn’t even known the throne room existed until Dad sent a letter requesting I meet him there for the town hall. I had to pick my mouth off the floor when my eyes landed on the very ornate, very elaborate wooden throne that sat on a dais at the head of the room—an intricate trident carved directly at its center. Dad had to ease me into the chair, some inner part of me protesting that I didn’t belong in that seat. Roarvyn’s voice growled in my mind, and my ass landed on the cushioned upholstery.
My spine remained taut and immobile beside Dad on the dais—my fingers drumming on the armrest of the wooden throne. I had no idea what to do or what to say. I remained a silent observer of all the Atlantians who came forward. Dad’s hand came to rest on top of mine, settling my fidgeting without breaking his conversation with the man who’d come forward to complain about a sliver of land they felt was rightfully theirs.
“I’ll have the appraiser sent immediately to assess the land divide.”
“Please, Your Highness. It would be much appreciated. The only thing I want is to move on from this in peace. There’s nothing as terrible as a feud with neighbors.”
He smiled gently. “Understood. In the entryway, please find Iris. She’ll be happy to schedule a time for you.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” he said with a bow.
He’d heard every issue with a grace I knew I’d try to mimic for years to come without coming close: land disputes, trade negotiations, business agreements. We’d heard just about everything.
A human woman no older than thirty stepped forward with a scowl. Her eyes raked over me from head to toe before she bowed in greeting. When she rose, her eyes landed on Dad. “Your Highness, I’ve come to address the issue of the Atlantian humans and their permanent residence in the realm.” The collective gasp in the room could be heard all the way in the outer gardens. I didn’t think I could stiffen any further, but I did.
The smile faded from his face. “Why is there a question about the permanent residency of Atlantian humans?”
“Forgive me, Your Highness. There are rumors of a movement to get rid of us.”
“Such rumors shouldn’t be entertained,” he said in a firm tone.
“And yet, they’re entertained by many in the realm. Our families have been a part of Atlantis for centuries. This is our home.” Her gaze shifted to me again. “While we are…honored that there is an Heir to the throne, many wonder if we’ll be truly safe from the threats under the rule of the future Queen.”
I’d never seen my father’s face turn so red. “I will not hear of this.”
The woman bowed again. “I mean no disrespect, Your Highness. I only meant to relay the rumors in the exact details. We worry about our future.”
“You have nothing to worry about.”
“Says you.” The distinctly male voice carried from the back of the room. You could have heard a mouse fart for how silent the room went. The sea of people parted. A male Fae stepped forward, his steps sure, and his steely gaze held on Dad. “What she speaks is true. Every word.” He glared at the human woman with such loathing that I pitied her. “We question whether we want the dilemma of the humans coming to Atlantis—whether we want any humans here at all. The Fae founded Atlantis. It should be for the Fae,” he declared boldly.
Dad rose from his throne that resembled my own, yet smaller; his fists squeezed so tight his knuckles whitened. “I will not have anyone in this queendom question the will of the goddess.”
The male’s arms stretched wide. “What goddess, Your Highness? Where is Atabey? We only have our texts that mention her existence. She hasn’t appeared in a millennia. At least I’m brave enough to say the quiet part out loud.”
“I don’t think that’s bravery coming out of your mouth.”
His meaty hand gestured over me where I perched on the throne. “And now we have this…Heir, raised among the humans. We deserve to know why. Because from where I’m standing, it sure looks like she’s ill-qualified to lead a queendom of the Fae,” he spat. My breathing accelerated—the male was the epitome of all the fears I’d held so deeply inside.
“Enough,” Dad said, his hand slicing definitively through the air. “I will hear no more of this. Atlantis has been and will always be a safe haven for the humans.”
The most sinister of smiles emerged on the male’s face. “Yes, but if there’s no Heir, then we have no more human coddlers on the throne.”
Before I could register the threat, the male conjured metal through the open door of the throne room. I’d only heard of metal elementals briefly in my studies with Myles, but to witness it up close was another thing entirely. The metal came to him in the blink of an eye, forming into a small, thin arrow pointing straight at me. My eyes widened when he flicked his hand and sent the arrow through the air. Months and months of Dax’s training thrummed through my body. I dodged to the right—the arrow knicking my upper arm. I instinctively conjured water from the fountains that ran the length of the room at a speed that equaled the male’s. Frozen spikes formed before me in a blink, and I sent them careening toward the male exactly where Dax had taught me to kill a Water Fae. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open when all three spikes lodged themselves through his head, mouth, and neck—the impact sending him to the ground. I hyperventilated as I watched the life slowly leave his body.
Silence.
Pure, motionless silence save for my rapid breaths filled the throne room.
A hand landed on my shoulder, Dad jostling me gently out of my stupor. “Sher, it’s okay.”
But it wasn’t okay. I’d just killed a male. My body began to shake.
“Sher, listen to me. He would’ve killed you. You were simply defending yourself.” I couldn’t move my eyes from the male’s body as it twitched with its last vestiges of life. In my periphery, I caught Dad gesturing to someone at my side. If I hadn’t been in shock, I’d have known who it was by the tingling sensation in my chest. “Take her to her quarters.”
Draevyn’s arm came around my shoulders, gently guiding me down the steps of the dais on shaky legs and away from the male whose deep red blood seeped along the grout of the stone floor. The weight of stares bore down on me heavily as I left the room.
“Let that be a lesson to all who dare to doubt,” I heard Dad say—his voice echoing off the walls of the throne room. “Asherah Delmar is the rightful Heir to the throne and is a Fae through and through. She’ll be there for her people, both Fae and human. May her line forever reign over this realm.”