Isla discovered the island had not actually been host to the Primeval gods, but other than that, the myths were not too far from the truth. From Rynn’s tales and her readings, the island really was closed off from the humans—although that had not always been the case. As Rynn had briefly explained, an entire kingdom of people used to live there with the four elementals. They’d even had a king and queen.
Iona was the smallest of all the island kingdoms and was located to the far east in the Wyndsor Sea. Even though the drawings in the book were faded and yellowed, Isla could tell it had been a magnificent place. Her fingers traced the outline of mountains overlooking a beach, with a domed castle looming in the background, behind an expanse of large trees. She wished she could have seen it in all of its previous splendor.
It was difficult for Isla to ascertain the exact reason for the kingdom falling apart, as the book stuck mainly to facts and dates, but she was beginning to piece it together in her mind.
The elementals had dwelled peacefully with the monarchs of Iona and their subjects for as long as it had been in existence—until a little over a thousand years ago when factions of people began rebelling against the crown, King Medes and Queen Nah-yomi. These groups believed the elementals should be the only true rulers of the kingdom—some even went as far as to say the entire realm. Dissent and division grew and festered until it sparked an all-out war among the humans. This was the civil war Rynn had told her about, without as many details.
The history books he kept didn’t mention the elementals much, besides their general power, lists of deeds, and “miracles” they’d accomplished that warranted documentation. But after her conversations with Rynn, Isla guessed they had disagreed with the way the monarchy was ruling the kingdom and had let glory and praise from the rebels go to their heads until things spun out of control. Which was why, eventually, they’d decided to step down completely by having the Aether put them to sleep and make the entire island unapproachable forevermore.
What was still a bit hazy to Isla was how the war had ended and how the humans had been moved off of the island. Where had they colonized? She assumed they had found a place among the other three kingdoms and that descendants of Iona were now dispersed across the lands, never knowing their true origin. She wished there was more information on what had happened to them.
As she carefully flipped through the book, her eyes strayed to Rynn. His brown hair settled around his face, that same stubborn lock covering his eye. He kept having to tuck it behind his ear, and the gold ring on his pinky caught the firelight every time he moved his hand. Shadows dancing along the walls sharpened his already strong jawline and further darkened his gray eyes. Her body heated as she stared at him, and she tore her gaze away, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers.
So much for a distraction.
It had been two years since she’d been this drawn to someone. And with Waylan, it had been a different kind of attraction. Waylan was the boy she’d grown up with, who knew and loved every part of her. There had been nothing hidden between the two of them, no secrets or shadows to lock away. Their childhood friendship had blossomed into something more, something beautiful. She remembered when the shy smiles had turned to lingering touches, when the late-night talks had led to whispers against her skin and sweet kisses under the stars, soft moments wrapped in his arms.
These feelings with Rynn were…new. Unfamiliar and disarming. It was like lightning striking her skin every time he brushed by her; his presence stole the breath from her lungs.
Thinking of Waylan made her sick, as if she were betraying his memory by having these reactions to another man. That was ridiculous, of course. Attraction to someone new didn’t negate the love she’d once had, but she still couldn’t stop the pang of guilt whenever her heart flip-flopped at the sight of Rynn.
She was brought out of her thoughts by Rynn clearing his throat. Her head jerked back to her book.
“Did you need something?” he asked in his calm, low voice.
“No. Wait, yes. Do you want to train?” she blurted. It was the first thing that came to her mind.
He put his book down. “Train for what?”
“Just…train. Exercise, practice using these weapons you’ve been buying, brush up on my defensive skills.” She was used to training with Arden several days a week at home. Maybe her body missed the routine, and that was why she had all this restless energy.
His eyes grazed over her cheek. “Are you sure that’s a good idea with your injury?”
“As long as you don’t aim for my head.”
He ran a finger along his bottom lip, thinking. “Alright. We can train.” A sly grin unfurled on his face, and her stomach tightened. “But I do not think you are ready for my kind of training.”
Chapter Twenty
Rynn
Hehadwarnedher,yet she had not listened.
Isla was lying flat on her back in a grassy clearing with a long dagger in her hand. Rynn tried not to think about how the scene had him wanting to forgo their current activity for a different type of training altogether.
“Again,” she growled, launching herself from the ground. Her creamy skin had a slight sheen of sweat to it, and copper tendrils of her braid had worked their way loose to frame her face.
Rynn chuckled. “Do you think a third time is going to work?”
She narrowed her eyes as she positioned her feet, angling her torso to him.
“Alright, then.” He opened his hands to her and motioned. “Go ahead.”
She struck, lowering herself into a crouch and lashing out with the blade, hopeful triumph on her features. But with a flick of his wrist, he cast a wall of air right before the dagger reached him, his wind reverberating as her hand collided with the solid barrier.
Grunting, Isla twisted, tossed the handle in the air, and caught it with her other hand before bringing it down to his side.Clever girl.
He twitched his fingers, and her movements slowed. He knew what she was feeling: like she was pushing through a current of thick wind that kept holding her back, no matter how much force she used against it. Rynn easily sidestepped her so when he released his wind and let her move again, he was long gone.
