Which breaks my heart a little more for him. How dare this manipulative female use her motherly bond to try and get out of the consequences of her own actions. Actions that impacted an entire world.
Cillian’s voice rings out firm. “As Matriarch Queen, you will not be sentenced to death, but your magic will be bound, and you will be banished to the human world through the same portal where Princess Nova was killed.”
Isolde, of all Fae, hates other species. To be sent to live out her immortal life in the human world, without her powers, basically as one of them, in her eyes death may be preferable.
“Out of mercy, your mate bond will be broken,” Cillian continues, looking to his father. “Patriarch King Kiel, you will be imprisoned here until Gaia sees fit to return you to your element.”
Kiel’s shoulders drop in obvious relief, and he hangs his head. Isolde’s stone facade doesn’t react at all.
My eyebrows draw together. Breaking a mate bond is excruciating, mentally and physically. Yes, this is a mercy on Cillian’s part, but true mates should be in a panic.
“High Priestess Halcya, you, along with any Guardians suspected of being part of these cover-ups and conspiracies, will be confined and tried at a later date.”
More pandemonium erupts, with Guardians restraining other Guardians suspected of misconduct. Niko takes a stancebehind us, ensuring our safety. Niko and Cillian have planned well. Soon, the guilty are all being led away.
We both stand again. Cillian offers the remaining crowd a serene smile. Only I realize it’s full of pain.
He explains to the Fae before us that we believe that by correcting the decisions of the former monarchs, Castara will be restored to its full potential. It will take a lot of work to rebuild, but we are committed to doing everything within our power to fix it all.
With the adrenaline leaving my body, I begin imagining the future. A future where the useless synthetic energy sources are removed from the Two Kingdoms. Where plants grow in thriving, healthy soil; fresh water flows freely; air blows naturally; and fire burns unassisted. Energy and magic will be restored.
Then something pulls at a memory. Something that Caspien said before giving me that potion…
When we sit back down, I whisper, “Are the storms starting back in Varethiel?”
Chapter
Forty-Two
NISSA
Blinking awake, I moan as I feel petal-like kisses moving down my stomach. Strong hands grip my hips under the sheets, holding me firmly to the bed.
Reaching the top of my underwear, he lifts his head from my abdomen to slip my underwear down my legs. Unfortunately for him,and me, Cyndr takes notice of the threat moving under the covers—andattacks.
Cillian yells out as claws penetrate through the sheets into the top of his head. My eyes go wide, and I jerk up to grab my miniature protector. Before I can pry his claws out, Cillian lifts up on his knees, still covered in the blankets, and Cyndr screeches, digging his claws in tighter. Pure pandemonium fills the room.
By the time I separate the two, I am in a full blooming laugh. With his hair in all directions from the sheets and the attack, Cillian gives me an outraged-filled look, like I have betrayed him. I laugh even harder.
Before I realize what is happening, he lunges for me, grabs my sides, and tickles me until tears are streaming down my cheeks. I scream between the laughter for Cyndr to get him. But now that he has identified the threat as a friend, he lazily curlsup in the sun by the window, swishing his tail in the stream and ignoring my plea.
When Cillian finally relents, we are lying side by side, chests rising and falling rapidly. Random laughs bubble out of both of us.
Linking our hands, Cillian rolls his head to face me. “Are you going to see your mother today?” His expression is concerned.
It has been two days since they took everyone into custody. My mother had not arrived at the celebration yet, so she was apprehended from my childhood home. The same home where my father taught me to love and laugh, to dance and cherish those in your life. The home that now sits empty—my sister dead, my mother contained, and my father gone.
I take a deep breath and sit up, cross-legged next to Cillian. “Want to see a trick?”
He gives me a knowing smile but nods. Placing his hands behind his head, flexing his arms and putting them on full display for me. I smile at the ease of the moment and allow myself another few minutes before facing the question of my mother.
“Cyndr,” I whisper, and a single eyelid opens to look at me. “Let’s show him.” I tilt my head towards Cillian and note the growing interest on his face. He sits up, watching closely.
Excited but in no rush to share his new trick, Cyndr stands and stretches his back. He sits back on his haunches, and I giggle at the confident look on his little face. He looks up at me and then to Cillian before his chest grows as he sucks in air. Cillian’s eyes go wide when Cyndr blows out and a small burst of fire fills the space between us.
“Your fire!” Cillian laughs in excitement. “How did this happen?” he asks as Cyndr jumps to his lap to receive his praise.
“As soon as you told me that he’d lost his fire, I began working on some different herbal concoctions I hoped wouldhelp. I took them to the library every day, and it seems to have worked.”
