“Alaska?” He sits up, his hand resting against the mattress as leans in towards me. “What the hell is an Alaska?”
I throw my arms up in frustration, my voice rising. “Oh no.” My head shakes vigorously, the strands of my hair swaying with the motion. “I am not doing this again.”
His laughter erupts, a deep, resonant sound that fills the air. My tongue glides across my top teeth with annoyance. But as my eyes roll from the ceiling down to meet him, he is grinning earto ear. As if he likes getting me riled up. His white teeth gleam brightly against his warm, sun-kissed skin, and a charming dimple appears, carving a playful crease into his left cheek.
“You honestly expect me to believe that you stumbled upon a pile of old stones and somehow found yourself here in this realm?” Koen teases with an arched eyebrow. “The Queen might find you deranged and have you thrown in with the dragons for speaking this way.”
I narrow my eyes at him but can't help feeling a flicker of doubt creeping inside me. Something I have wondered… did I truly follow those whispers weaving through the ancient rocks until they led me here? But everything about this place has felt real.The pain. The beauty.All of it.
“Yes,” I reply firmly. “I touched one of the five stones and felt a power surge through me. A feeling I cannot explain. Then I woke up and was transported to this place. I was no longer in a cave deep in Alaska but here, in a field, in a place I’ve never heard of.”
Koen chuckles softly, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “Well then,” he says with a sly smile playing on his lips. “If you truly possess such mystical abilities bestowed upon you by these mere stones, show me some magic.”
His banter both frustrates and intrigues me in equal measure. He is by far more unpleasant to be around than Florian. I know that he knows what he says and does, makes my insidesboil.
“I don’t havemagic.” I lean over, my palms pressing into the soft mattress. “The stones brought me here, and that is how you found me in that field of ash.”
He leans closer to me, his eyes dropping from my eyes to my lips. “You are quite interesting.” He takes a long pause. “Your name?”
“Serene. Serene Quinnell.”
“Okay, Serene. Let's get you to meet the Queen of Azure and we’ll see if she believes you havetransported through these stones.”
I pull my loose strands behind my ear, giving a small smirk before speaking. “I don’t think anyone will believe the words I say. I’m unsure if I even believe them, but all I know is it happened and I don’t know how to return.”
His eyes linger on me, almost as if he were reading the thoughts running rapidly in my mind.
“Do you want to leave?” he subtly says.
“I…” I go to speak but pause just as fast. “I need to.”
“I didn’t ask if youneeded to, I asked if youwanted to.”
My heart pauses, and I feel the blood rush to my head as he softly gazes my way. But a loud thud hits on the door and Prince Florian stands there. His outfit has changed to a slightly similar suit to the one that still lies flat on the bed.
“She isn’t ready yet?” Florian grips the doorframe, pausing before walking in. “We need to leave, night is about to fall. We must set out.”
“How’d you know we were here?” Koen’s brow arches.
Florian's head shifts to the side. “Because the guard told me he saw you walking up the stairs.”
“We are leaving? What about the arch…” Before I can say archives, Florian interrupts me.
“We must leave to the Queen. The King's order.”
“It’s always what the King wants,” Koen mocks as he pushes off the bed.
“Says the brother who stood by his side this morning? What the hell was that?” Florian takes a fierce stride through the room, heading straight towards us.
“I knew you two would come this way. I had a feeling you went to see the elder.” Koen’s thumbs rest into his belt, uncomfortably close to the dagger.
Florian straightens his back. “Did you tell him?”
“Don’t worry brother, your secret is safe with me.” Koen’s eyes drift from his brother to me. “Now get dressed. We’ll be waiting outside.”
I LIFT THE SUIT UP into the air, holding it by the shoulders as it dangles and sways slightly. I twist it around carefully, examining every stitch and button, trying to make sense of its complex structure.
“How the hell do I put this on?” I mutter.
