Surren strode to the air column with his usual stoic expression. He raised a hand, clenched it into a fist, then released it gently against the spinning pillar. Where his hand touched, the air grew sharper, clearer, and more vibrant, as though he’d carved his resolve into the currents.
The water remained untouched as my ladies moved to the elements, gathering around me in a semicircle. Moira hesitated in front of the air before placing her palm there, her quiet gift adding a ripple that danced through the column. Faelith’s soft hum brought a faint shimmer of light to the twisting water, and Calista chose fire, her power blending seamlessly with Talvon’s.
Then it was my turn. Merrick stepped aside, his eyes on me and only me.
“I am here for you,” he said softly. “We will face everything together.”
Swallowing against the tightness in my throat, I stepped over to the column of water that churned and spun faster the closer I got. The unfamiliar magic there called to a deep resolve inside me, a fragile, unshakable thing I would not let falter. I pressed mypalms into the column’s cool, flowing surface, and the water enveloped my hands in a gentle caress.
Merrick joined me, sliding his hands into the same column over mine, linking our fingers. I felt more than saw the surge of his power filtering into the mass along with mine.
Finished, we backed away.
Energy coursed up through the floor, where it gathered, blended, and pulsed between the pillars. The elements became less distinct as they merged together, wrapping upward to touch and surround us in a vortex of light and energy. Merrick extended his arms as if he was claiming the magic, harnessing it, speaking words of power in a language I didn’t understand.
Farris yipped and leaped into the swirling vortex at the center of the pillars. The air crackled as the nyxin twirled, caught, his sleek silver coat catching the light from the merging elements. The vortex didn’t repel him. Instead, it bent toward him, almost welcoming, the energy folding inward to cradle his small form.
“Farris,” I cried, lurching toward him.
Merrick held me back. “Wait.” Awe shone in his voice.
The energy around Farris rippled, and a soft hum filled the chamber. His eyes glowed with an unnatural light, flickering like twin stars, and when his paws touched the ground again, the vortex seemed to lock into itself, solidifying the ward with a burst of finality. Farris scampered over to me, his tail swishing, as if he was still a simple nyxin and not…some sort of magical being who'd chosen to become a part of this spell.
The castle shuddered. As suddenly as it had started, the energy settled, sinking into the walls and floors like it was being pulled into the bones of the enormous building. The pillars dissolved, falling away in fragments of light and shadow until they’d returned to the world around us.
Silence stretched between us.
“It’s done,” Merrick said.
I stooped down and wrapped my arms around Farris. He licked my face before breaking away. After scooping up his ball, he returned to drop it at my feet, his tongue lolling and his nyxin grin in place.
I lifted his toy and threw it.
He raced after it with an eager yip.
I linkedmy arm through Merrick’s as we left my suite, taking the stairs down to the first floor with our guards striding around us.
The massive double doors of the throne room loomed ahead. Two liveried fae stationed there stepped inward, pulling the doors open. Beyond the threshold, the red-carpeted aisle stretched ahead, cutting between the tall, stately pillars in a river of blood. High lords and ladies sat in benches along the sides, their gazes snapping in our direction with interest, wariness, and, in some cases, that disdain I hoped to someday diffuse.
It was the scene between the seating area and the dais, however, that made unease churn through my belly.
A cluster of people had gathered like ravens around fresh carrion. Or Erisandra, in this case. She stood tall in the center of the group, her gown of deep blue pooling around her in a stormy sea. She held her head high, and her dark hair had been woven through with glittering silver threads.
Her eyes cut directly to mine. Whatever game she was playing, it was clear she’d already made her opening move. High fae I hadn’t formally met surrounded her, and I spied Lord Hadrin among them. His hair gleamed in the light, his sly eyes fixing on me with thinly veiled disgust. He hadn’t forgotten my judgment inthe matter of Devron Bullipart’s stolen cows; his anger blazed on his face for everyone to see.
What surprised me the most was seeing High Lord Zeiger, the fae man who’d escorted me to the dais for my coronation, among them. His gaze met mine before jerking to the others, and he eased backward, smoothing his gray-speckled hair across his shoulders. He took his seat a few rows behind where Erisandra usually sat.
Merrick paused, and while it was barely a breath of hesitation, I caught it. The faint tightening around his mouth and the flicker in his eyes told me he was interested in the gathering as well.
“Bold of them to do this inside the throne room,” I said.
“Calculated.”
Ah, yes. This show of force would be gossiped about throughout the kingdom.
I leaned toward him, keeping my voice low enough for only him to hear. “What are we going to do about it?”
His arm stiffened under my touch. “Diffuse it as quickly as we can.” His gaze hardened, a blade sliding into place, mirroring the thoughts tumbling through my mind. This unbecoming little gathering had trouble written all over it. I was starting to wish I'd brought my sword, not just the sheathed blades at my sides. Plus Farris, his silly ball, and his not-so-silly teeth.
