I closed my eyes and did what he said, finding dust where the River Kingdom had life-giving rivers producing seemingly endless power. It felt like scraping the bottom of a bowl for the last drops. “Did someone cut it off?” It was the only way to explain it.
“We don’t know.” He paused again. “Magic is hard here. There is less magic everywhere than in years past, but the Desert Kingdom is one of the places hit the hardest.”
“So he’ll heal slower?”
“Yes. His body needs magic to repair itself. He has old injuries too that weren’t fully healed.”
“And what if they find us again?” I felt like they were closing in on us still, and maybe it was just my fear, but I couldn’t shake the feeling I was walking into a trap.
“They won’t find you here. The tracer is gone, and if they can catch up with your trail, they will find nothing here but barren land and assume you took to the mountains.
“Could they be tracing him in a way you wouldn’t recognize?”
“Anything is possible, but I don’t think so. We’ve had some of our best examine him, and our protections and wards are strong in this place. But there is never zero risk.” He folded his hands in front of him. “We have been fighting this King for many years, and it’s always a balancing act. We could be discovered at any moment. Hence, all the safety measures. You know, even being here means your life will never be the same?”
“I know. But it’s better than swallowing it like my ancestors before me have done.”
“Don’t think they also didn’t fight. You don’t know the change others have enacted, so we could be here together now.”
I nodded. “You really think the past queens have done anything but get comfortable in their life of luxury?”
“The last queen is long dead. Don’t you think she’d still be alive if she were docile and compliant?” He had a point.
“Who knows?” I hated to think of any of it or what they endured. I didn’t know what kind of fae the last queen was. Our dukes were selected, not succeeded father to son, otherwise, the line would be so inbred by now, the kingdom wouldn’t be worth saving. Maybe it was easier to think they wanted to be there, but was that doing them a disservice?
“We only know what we see before us, but the board was primed long before we were even born to bring us together. We must trust in His guidance.”
I gasped. “You follow His guidance?” I’d had my fill of the Goddess worship that was forced on us under the unification. Tohear another from outside Light refer to Him was like fresh air after almost drowning.
The fae simply nodded once and said nothing more.
“My sister keeps telling me to trust.” I blew out a breath. “Tell me what you want?” I hated beating around the bush. We might as well get this over with while Faolan was out of commission. He wouldn’t approve of this and would only try to talk me out of making a bargain, but he was leaving, so he didn’t get a say.
“It’s a complicated question. You were not in our plans, so we’ve had to reconsider. We have spent much of the night deliberating.”
“What does that mean?” I understood that they’d have to discuss my offer, but I just needed a direction to cling to, or I’d lose my sanity when Faolan left.
“We aren’t sure. Maybe we will decide by the time he heals, or maybe plans will simply have to evolve. We need to build trust with each other.”
I opened my mouth to say I trusted him, but he held up a finger.
“I’m sure you believe in the cause, and your rage at your situation gives false trust, but you will soon be in a place where you can’t trust anyone and thus will doubt everyone. Trust must be built.” He curled his fingers under the edge of his hood and slowly lowered it, revealing not a fae face. Bone and skin woven together, leaving an unfinished face, like the Gods had abandoned his kind before adding the final touches. Thick muscle weaved down his neck, more pronounced than in a fae, while antlers grew out of his temples in front of my eyes, crowning the top of his head in an almost regal way. His eyes burned from dark sockets like fire, orange and unlike anything I’d ever seen before. “I am Ryuu, and my kind was crushed under the boot of the Twelve Kingdoms, much like yours. There is much we can do for one another.”
I gasped, unable to help it, but quickly clapped a hand over my mouth. “I’m sorry,” I barely managed, not wanting to offend him.
“Do you fear me?” His mouth moved almost like a smile.
I shook my head. “No. But I thought your kind was?—”
“Legend? Dead?”
“Gone. Moved on from here, either past the veil or to other continents.” I shrugged, not sure what I’d thought.
“The ones of us left went deep into hiding. Some went into a hibernation they may never awake from, and others live their lives on the fringes where they are more accepted, but some of us want to release the old magic and gain our freedom.” He met my eyes, and I shivered.
“So you want this as much as I do?”
“Yes, which is why I revealed myself to you. Laying the foundations of our trust.” He replaced his hood.
