“The village. I'm assuming you can unearth it. You know, since you're the King ofEarth.”
“I may be able to summon the stone buildings forth, but with so much water involved, reforming the foundation beneath them will be difficult, if not impossible.”
“Water,” I murmured, then brightened. “It's your lucky day, King Rory. Not only can I help you harden the earth once you've raised the village, but I can also drain off the water in the soil.”
“Water?” Rory frowned at me. “How can a Dragon-Sidhe affect water?”
“I told you; I'm not just a Dragon-Sidhe.” I grinned. “I'm also a goddess. The Goddess of Love, Lions, andthe Moon.”
He just stared at me.
“The Moon controls water, King Rory.” I rolled my eyes. “I can draw the water out of a person if I want, or alter their water levels to make them insane. The word lunacy comes from luna—the Moon.”
Rory gaped at me.
“And controlling water inside a person is much harder to do than pulling it out of the ground. Just tell me where you want it.”
King Rory recovered enough to say, “If it's seawater, it needs to go back to the Water Kingdom.”
“I agree.” I narrowed my eyes at the mountains, focusing with my dragon eyesight. Then I nodded. “Alrighty then.” I smacked his shoulder. “I'm about to prove to you, without a doubt, that I am who I say I am.”
Closing my eyes, I called to the Moon point of my nine-pointed star. In my mind, I saw it glow. Come to life. Shine brighter than the Moon it represented. The magic infused me, tingling along my arms, eager for a mission. I sent it forth, out of my fingers and into the soil. Feeling it hit its mark, I opened my eyes. With the magic connected, I could concentrate on the physical world.
The villagers of Halfsprings gasped as water gathered on the ground, then gushed up from it in a geyser. I lifted my arms, pulling the moisture out of the soil, but only that which didn't belong. Seawater. How perfect. Most of the water affected by the Moon was seawater. My magic knew it well and had no problem distinguishing it from the natural moisture in the soil.
A pool formed above the ground and mud turned to dirt. Keeping my target in mind, more in mind than in sight, I sent the seawater back to where it belonged. It flew over the trees like an exotic bird with crystalline feathers. Massive, translucent, and gleaming, the water went home, sliding over the mountaintop and splashing back into the basin.
The villagers cheered and applauded.
Their king stared at me as if flowers had sprouted out of my ears. “It's true,” he whispered. “I mean, I did believe you. Well, I believed you about being from another time. The Goddess thing . . .” He shook his head. “I wasn't so sure about that.”
“Until now?” I lifted a brow at him.
“Yes. Until now.” Rory stared at the dry earth and made a sound of amazement. “You are a treasure, Queen Vervain.”
“Funny, that's what my husband calls me. A Thaisce. But don't tell him that. He won't give me that pet name for thousands of years.”
Rory chuckled. “Oh, I won't be telling King Arach anything about you. I don't want him sweeping in to take you away. Not while I still need you.”
With that, Rory held out his hands. The ground began to tremble. Around us, other Earth-Sidhe came forward to assist their king. Pebbles rolled. The earth cracked. Then great fountains of soil erupted, bringing forth stone and thatch homes. Dirt rolled off the bound roofs and trembled off the stone walls. But the ground beneath was still unstable. As the Earth-Sidhe held the buildings aloft, I blew fire over the ground, solidifying sand and other minerals to form a solid foundation for the village. I stepped forward, blowing my flames side to side, pinpointing the earth while staying away from the flammable thatch.
It took a while and by the time I finished, I was exhausted, my fire banked for the time being. I gave one last huff of smoke, then swayed on my feet.
Rory, sweaty and shaky himself from helping to hold the structures aloft, rushed over and steadied me. “Queen Vervain!”
“I'm all right,” I said. “I just need a nap.”
“Yes, I think we all do.” He turned and escorted me across the village.
As soon as we came within sight of the villagers, another roaring cry went up. They wept and thanked us in Fey, bowing as we passed. Rory said kind, kingly things to them. At least, I think he did, judging by his tone and their response. And then he helped me into his royal carriage, and we rode away from Halfsprings.
We made it ten feet before I passed out.
Chapter Thirteen
People were talking, and I couldn't understand them. It was almost as annoying as passing out.
“English, please,” I groaned and sat up.
