“And you?”
“I'm supposed to get on her back.”
Everan took a calming breath and nodded. “I'll meet you there, Shalani.”
I kissed his cheek and he helped me onto Adhara's back. It was a damn good thing that I'd put jeans on that morning. I settled among her feathers and grabbed handfuls of them tightly. The last time I rode her back, that's exactly what she'd instructed me to do and nothing could have made me forget those instructions. Truth be told, I would have preferred a nice strong harness or even a rope but goddesses don't come equipped with saddles.
Adhara turned her crested head and focused a huge black eye on me. When she was assured I was as firmly attached as I could get, she stepped up onto the railing and leapt off. My heart lurched into my throat as she dove down the side of the rock promontory, then angled up just before she hit the River Lene. Swinging into a dramatic curve, she turned toward back toward the castle and climbed higher into the sky. I glanced down to see Everan watching us grimly, then he rushed into the castle. I had a feeling that he wouldn't be showing up in Prinne alone.
The stronghold fell away beneath us as Adhara rose higher and higher, angling toward the peaks of Caironn—her home. The city of Sylene was already bustling with life beneath me and her citizens came rushing into the streets to point up at the sky and gawk. I waved at them as if flying on the back of a goddess was an everyday occurrence for me, and they cheered. Yes, it was a type of lie but again, it was also a type of kindness.
The giant water wheel that supplied the city with free energy turned on our left, powered by the rushing waters of the Lene. Adhara had taken me to the platform at its top the first time we'd met but today we were going far higher and much further away. We reached the level of the mountain pass that led to the stronghold's royal gate, used mainly by visiting royals, Everan, and me. Southern knights shouted Adhara's name and held their weapons aloft in salute. I once again waved gaily.
“No trouble here, just going for a morning flight,” I muttered through my grin.
“It's better to keep them calm for now,” Adhara said over her shoulder.
“Has someone stolen some of the Heart of Air's magic?”
“It is likely but we don't have time to minister to the heart right now—the storm has already started. We have to stop it before we attempt anything else.”
“A storm?”
“The element of Air is unbalanced.”
“Adhara, I was weakened by the Heart of Earth. I don't know how much I'll be able to do.”
“You aren't that weakened, small goddess. But either way, you must try. I will do what I can to help you; you are not alone.”
Forests passed by rapidly beneath us, then a quilt of farmland and cities. Mountains rose and fell away, plains stretched out, and fey animals ran across them in herds. Danu's beauty lay before me like precious jewels cast on velvet. And all of it would disappear if we didn't find whoever was hurting her.
“What will happen to Danu if the hearts die?” I asked Adhara.
“It will cease to exist.”
“Does that mean the land will just disappear or will it die in a more explosive manner?”
“It will not have enough magic to explode,” she said grimly. “My guess is that it will simply vanish.”
“Your guess?”
“There has never been a realm built upon magic before, little goddess. It is impossible to tell what will happen. Especially when the gift of foresight is denied me—that alone is worrisome.”
“Why do you think that is? I mean, why can't you see the future of Danu?”
“I don't know. Perhaps the future has become unbalanced as well—hanging on a precipice.”
“If you can't see the future, how did you know something was wrong in the Western Kingdom?”
“I sensed the pull on the magic.”
“A pull?” I asked sharply.
“Yes. Like strong currents sucking at my soul.”
“Like the currents I saw in the mantle?”
“Just the same. All magic has currents, even that which seems as if it should be steady. Now, hold on tighter. We have reached Prinne.”
