“I made a promise to Rawn that he would see his family again.” Dyna took Aerina’s other hand. “I assure you. Nothing will make me break my word.”
The tears gathering on Aerina’s lashes spilled over like drops of dew. She must have been containing all her worry and fear. They sat with her as she silently cried, watching the land roll by.
The carriage eventually rolled to a stop in the early evening. Horses knickered and voices called to each other.
A rap knocked against the ceiling. “We have arrived, Your Grace.”
“Oh, yes.” Lady Aerina straightened up excitedly, all smiles again, though her pale skin couldn’t mask the redness around her eyes. “We are here.”
“Where?” Keena flew to the windows.
“We have reached the Melodyam Falls. This is my favorite place.” She giggled, a pink blush coloring her complexion. “It’s where Raiden was conceived.”
Dear Gods, Lucenna didnotneed to be privy to that information.
Raiden, having opened the door for them at that exact moment, turned bright red. He groaned at the sky. “Mother, please.”
“There is nothing to be ashamed of, dear.”
Raiden returned her smile, though his was sarcastically polite. “Yes, well, I would rather you not discuss the private matter of myconceptionwith our guests.” He glowered exasperatingly at Dyna. Lucenna was relieved to see her crack a smile.
Aerina accepted her son’s waiting hand and stepped out of the carriage. “You should be proud,” she told him. “Your conception is what led to the discovery of these sacred waters.”
“Sacred waters?” Dyna repeated as the rest of them stepped outside.
At first, they only saw the forest and the cliffside south of the game trail. But they followed Aerina round the carriage, and Lucenna’s mouth dropped in awe. They had arrived outside a set of ruins carved into the side of a foothill. It held many stone bridges and abandoned structures covered in moss and vines. It overlooked a beautiful arrangement of three cascades that fell into a crystalline pool. The crash of the water echoed through the empty ruins, making it seem as if the halls were singing.
But what Lucenna found most peculiar was the water itself.
From where she stood, it looked pink.
Red petals floated on the surface of the water. Dynalyas grew everywhere. On the rocky cliffs, the water’s edge, and on the small island inthe center of the pool grew a large bushel of them. So tall, it may as well be a tree.
“The dynalya flower symbolizes love, yearning, and devotion,” Lady Aerina said. “What is more, they are also a source of healing. Somehow, its magic has transferred to the waters here.”
As she spoke, Cassiel landed not too far from them. His gaze was already on Dyna, which she pointedly ignored. Klyde called him over to help with the unloading of the horses as the guards set up camp.
“That sounds fascinating,” Dyna said, looking eager to study the water.
“I will tell you a secret,” Aerina whispered to her. “Long ago, the royal bloodline of Greenwood had been cursed.” Her hand came to rest on her flat stomach as she gazed at the cascades. “A King cursed a King to bear only barren children, so one day his line would end. My father’s line. Leif did not believe it, until his wife could not bear sons. I, too, became sterile. It was a secret well-kept for fear my brother would lose the throne. Until one day, Rawn brought me here, and then there was you.” She smiled up at her son. “You do not understand the significance of what that means.”
Raiden rolled his eyes. “Mother, I have a ratherundesirableunderstanding of what that means. I think you, however, fail to understand what hearing this story, an insufferable number of times, does to my mental fortitude.”
Lady Aerina gave her son a look that Lucenna could only describe as loving. She patted his cheek. “All right, darling, forgive me. Come, I must stretch my legs. Would you like to see the ruins, Lady Dyna?”
“Oh, yes. I would be glad to.”
Raiden held out his hands to both women. “I will escort you, if only to impede any more embarrassing tales on my behalf.”
Dyna laughed, walking off with the young Elven lord.
“Princess, please be careful,” Camsen said as he and Eldred followed. “We are below the base of the mountain, and far too close to River Myst.”
Cassiel watched them go, his gaze on Dyna.
“I can see his mind working to figure out how to gain her trust and forgiveness again,” Keena whispered to Lucenna. “I can’t help but feel sorry for him. The pain and love in his eyes, it’s almost?—”
“Pathetic,” Lucenna retorted under her breath.
