A spark in my eyes? What does that even mean?
“Zeei doesn’t produce the cold, his armor just represents the God of ice. The God of our realm here in Nilak, which you will hear all about on our voyage to the Queen. Only if he is threatened will he freeze another.” Koen glances over his shoulder at me, his dark, chestnut hair swaying perfectly around his sharp jawline. I rip my gaze away from him within seconds.
“Tell Zeei to ride,” I grunt as I hesitantly wrap my arms around his broad, solid frame. Pausing before touching him, I glide my fingers across his stomach, the fabric of his suit straining against the muscles beneath, which I can feel flexing under my fingertips. He places his hand over mine, his hand warm and firm,yet gentle, guiding mine to pull me even closer against him.
“He goes fast,” he warns, his voice dropping to a low growl. “No matter how much I might infuriate you on this journey, no matter how much you want to scream or push me away as you hold on to me… whatever happens…” his eyes soften as they lock on to mine, “do not let go.”
Chapter 10
“The Darklands were once a place where the descendants of the Gods, known as the Fallen Embers, would train to hunt. A beautiful place filled with flowers, rolling hills, and magic. But, overtime, after a descendant betrayed the Gods, the land was scorched by fire.” - Book of Azure
WE LEFT THE ICE NATION.
Thank the Gods here in this Realm we made it out before my left arm froze. Unsure how Koen’s mother ever survived in this suit. The ride outside of the castle walls was puretortureand I had to snuggle my face into Koen’s back, which was worse than the cold wind that whipped at my bare skin. Even though the heat radiating from his skin helped ease the pain, I was annoyed that I had to bethat close to him.
And I’m sure he enjoyed every minute of it, knowing I was unamused by him flexing his abs every few minutes.
As Koen warned me before leaving, I stay locked onto his body no matter how many times I want to let go. Especially when he glances over his shoulder at me with a smirk along his face I ambegging to slap off. My mind is constantly replaying our first encounter, back in the field of ash.He is the reason for all of this.
And now I have to see his face for no telling how long.
Florian has been riding ahead of us, tugging on the silver reins side to side as he leads us through the desert. Every movement makes me flinch, fear creeping through my body as each rock gets kicked from the horses’ hooves. I am unsure if we would make it out alive this time if the sand dragons hear us.
“Normally, the sand dragons are never in pairs, let alone packs.” Florian’s golden hair catches the wind as he yanks his horse, the icy coat glistening like a mirror under the blazing sun. Each movement reflects shards of a nacre light.
Despite the heat surrounding us, the horses remain unaffected. As Koen explained, these majestic beings aren't truly made of ice, they symbolize the heart of the God of their Realm.
“Something must be wrong for them to want to attack in a pack like that.” Koen scans the open space of the sandy desert.
“I think we are in the clear, now.” Florian’s eyes narrow. “We are almost to the border.”
“Is that where the Queen is?” A loose strand tickles my cheek from a gust of wind, and sand irritates my eyes.
Koen nods, his muscles shift under my fingertips as he turns to look back towards me. “Yes. You’ll meet the Queen soon enough.”
“And what about our agreement?”
He nods, a subtle scuff escapes his lips. “You’re right.” He clears his throat. “You sure you’ll be able to keep up?”
“Just explain.” I hit the side of his arm, his solid muscle aching my hand once again. “And then, as promised, silence for the rest of the trip so I don’t have to hear you speak again.”
Koen deeply exhales. “As I was saying, centuries ago, the year the Deskyiara bloodline was killed off in a deadly battle between the Darklands and the rest of our Realms, out near the Northwest Shores of Wyreienn, which is far up north past the waterfall. Do you remember seeing that when you rode into the Realm?”
I nod.
“Good. Imagine that waterfall, flowing with the brightest teal water you have ever seen, where fish leap up and plunge back into the streams that would flow through our Realm with grace. That was our life before our Realm froze. Our life before the battle.” Koen sighs. “I remember as a boy before the curses broke out, swimming there almost every day with Florian. You remember that, brother?”
“Feels like a lifetime ago.” Florian sighs as he trots beside us.
“That it does.” Koen clears his throat before continuing. “After the battle and the fall of King Deskyiara. A thunderous roar broke through the clouds, lightning whipping in the sky. The Gods were angry. A massive stone fell from the ash pillows up above and was perfectly placed on the hill that overlooks the ocean in our realm. The impact trembled throughout our lands, golden light sparkled in our skies, and silence took over.”
“Are the stones the curse?” My brows narrow as I clench his body tighter when we take a sharp turn.
“No. Not at all.” He grunts, yanking his horse to the side to avoid a dead tree that had fallen over. “It was then said, our four leaders at the time marched their way up to the stone and when they arrived, five eggs were laying flawlessly along the grounds of the boulder covered in ash. Five eggs, for five Realms. Each egg, placed directly under a marking that connected from the topof the stone to the bottom and beamed a red hue. Each marking was of a unique pattern, but all aligned straight to the eggs.”
Florian cuts in. “They were massive and dark as the midnight sky just like the stone but with the golden markings wrapping around each egg. Each leader picked one up, besides the Kingdom of Eekatia who took two due to the Darklands being forbidden to have one, but not knowing what was sleeping inside, they brought it back to their realms.”
The horse beneath us scuffs as if he can hear the story they speak about. “Nights and days passed with no movement from them. When hope felt lost and rumors started to spread about the Gods punishing the Realms, cracks started to show.” Koen’s voice drops to a deep growl, as if telling a scary bedtime story.
