Hers was to whatever path she’d now set off on. He didn’t doubt they’d need to part ways soon. He could feel it somehow—that she was meant for something bigger, maybe even bigger than Havlands, while he…
Loche sighed deeply.
Marriage was a small price to pay to keep his people safe.
And Iviry…
Shewasthe most beautiful woman Loche had ever seen, and she commanded respect from humans and Fae alike, and… they wanted the same thing: a peaceful Havlands where everyone was welcome. It could have been much worse.
His mind snapped back to the temporary council that had formed after Iviry stormed out of the building. ThreeFae and three humans had come forth: Iviry had apparently already made preparations for the representatives from her side before she left, while Venko and two women from Ellow, one a captain whom Loche knew very well and another a merchant whom the people loved, had been pushed forward by the crowd.
They’d demanded a plan for the wedding and the subsequent battle. Loche had hesitated at first, wondering whether it was wise to make any decisions without Iviry present, but Dedrick, the tall blond Fae who’d suggested the wedding, had jumped in and declared that Iviry had given him authority to decide on the date and place. Her only criterion was that it needed to be fast, so the affair didn’t pose any risk to their people.
After that, the decisions had been made quickly.
Loche and Iviry were to be married within two weeks, at sea on the border between Ellow and Vastala, to symbolize the joint union and the equality with which they entered it. They’d both bring their entire fleets and armies to the occasion, using it as an opportunity to train together before the anticipated attack by the Oakgards’ Fae.
Dedrick wanted them to head out as soon as tomorrow, get everything in place as quickly as possible, but Loche had pushed back. His promise to Lessia regarding the prisoners weighed heavier than the urgency for a perfect wedding.
While Dedrick had grumbled, Venko had thankfully taken Loche’s side, declaring that the Oakgards’ Fae they had imprisoned might have insights that would be helpful as they prepared.
So in the end, they’d decided that they’d leave in twodays, and that Loche and Iviry should take the lead on his ship, presenting a united front for the vessels that would follow on the entire journey there, and then, of course, for every day for the rest of his life.
Loche’s eyes flicked to the sooty ceiling, some of the guilt that had knitted a hard knot in his gut easing. Iviry would live so much longer than him, so for her, at least, this could be but a blip in her almost eternal life—something she could look back on and laugh about, remembering the time she was required to wed a powerless half-breed to save their world.
A wince wove across his face as his mind snapped to his mother.
He’d have to deal?—
Loche jerked when the door slammed open, and so did everyone else as a bolt of lightning lit up the three people in the doorframe. Raine sprang upright while Kerym showed his teeth, his arm flinging out to cover the witch sisters beside him.
It took a second to take in the scene, but then Loche was also on his feet.
The twisted masks of the people before him weren’t his men’s bird masks or any other type of guise.
Pain. It was pain that morphed Lessia’s and Merrick’s faces as they clung to Iviry, who looked as if she would pass out too.
The three of them were so drenched it seemed as if they’d taken a dip in the sea. As Loche reached them, his feet moving of their own accord, Iviry shifted Lessia into his arms. He spun around, heading for the couch to set her down, but not before catching the curious look Iviry shot him as he adjusted Lessia, who leaned her forehead against his shoulder.
Merrick snapped something sharp when Raine tried to lift him, and while the latter backed away, his hands in the air, Merrick only followed Loche, offering him a curt “Thanks” when he set Lessia on the couch Kerym and the sisters had gotten up from, and he dropped down beside her.
“I felt a surge of magic,” Iviry explained as she walked into the house, with Kerym closing the door behind her. “I’ve never felt anything so strong, so I had to go looking for it, and I’m glad I did. They were half dead in a cave by the sea, and while that angry sea wyvern threatened to eat me, I knew I had to get them out.”
Iviry’s teeth started chattering so hard her words came out clipped, and Loche’s eyes flew across the room until they landed on a blanket lying across the arm of the chair Frelina sat on. When the younger half-Fae caught his gaze, she quickly pulled at it, and Loche nodded to her as he unfolded it and swept it across Iviry’s shoulders.
The swift movement had Iviry’s scent rush toward him, and for a moment, everything went quiet.
Loche couldn’t even blink as the smell of ship wood, of crisp sails and summer wind barreled into him, and it wasn’t until Iviry touched his hand that he could snap out of it.
“I’m sorry,” Iviry mumbled when his wide-open eyes landed on hers. “It’ll get easier.”
Loche didn’t dare breathe through his nose. He was about to ask why she’d apologized, but before he could, Iviry stepped away from him with a whispered “We don’t need to pretend amongst friends. Save it for the ship” and turned her back on him to check on Lessia and Merrick.
“What were you two doing?” Iviry demanded. “And why were you doing it on a damn cliff?”
It was Lessia’s weak voice that traveled through the room after she’d given Merrick a glance. “We spoke to the souls. Auphore and Ydren and the wyverns helped us, so we needed to be close to them.”
Loche’s eyes were still on Iviry when she tapped her foot on the floor and asked, “But how did you get hurt?”
