I kissed her temple, speaking in her ear. “Hold on. There’s more.” I pointed to our right. “See that river winding through the valley? That’s the Sylvane. It stretches all the way to the sea at our south andfeeds half of our villages. And those peaks to the left? Guardians of the old ley lines, where our magic runs deepest. Dragon’s Fang is beyond that. My father took me there when I was a boy. We camped in the wilderness, where he taught me to hunt and how to survive. To embrace the world around me. All of this is Syllavar, Minx. Not the wasteland outsiders see, but the heart of it. Fertile lands, hidden groves, and people who laugh and love and bleed to hold on to what we can. My home.”
I wanted her to love it like I did. Wanted her to see what we were fighting for, what we could continue building together. Every valley, every village, every mountain peak. It could beours, not just mine.
This was what completion felt like. Not ruling alone, but with her in my arms, showing her the kingdom we’d protect together.
“It’s beautiful!”
Not as beautiful as you, I wanted to say, but the words stuck, too tender to give voice to yet.
She’d make me a better king, tempering my fire with her steadiness. She turned my solitary rule into something shared, something unbreakable. And fates help me, I loved her with a depth that scared me. It wasn’t a fleeting spark; it was a blaze that would consume me whole if I let it. And I would. Gladly.
I handed her slices of bread with cheese, and we ate as we soared higher, the air turning crisp and thin. Kyreth’s wings cut through clouds like silk. Isi relaxed against me, but I could still feel the subtle thrill trembling through her. Every bank and dive heightened the press of her against me, her body nestling perfectly against mine, stirring heat inside me that had nothing to do with the sun above.
We flew for a time, savoring the thrill of traveling through the clouds.
But even as the joy of flight wrapped around me, I had a few things to say. I couldn’t keep them from her any longer. She deserved only the truth.
As I banked Kyreth toward the right, leveling us into a steady glide, I drew a breath and tightened my arm around her.
“I want to tell you about Addie,” I said.
She stiffened, twisting in the saddle to glance back at me, her eyes sharpening with that keen intelligence I adored. “What about her in particular?”
I’d carried this burden alone, and sharing it with her felt like I was exposing a wound that might never heal. Leadership had always meant hard choices, but this one haunted me.
“As you know, I sent her and Fenmark on a mission,” I said.
“Yes, though you didn’t tell me anything else.”
The resentment in her words scraped across my skin.
“They traveled south to discover who’s controlling the Skathes. They went no-contact as protection, and magically masked to blend in, looking like Skathes to infiltrate without drawing attention.”
Her breath whooshed out, but she didn’t pull away.
Self-blame flooded me like the wasteland’s rot. I’d made the decision, weighed the risks, but every lost life under my command carved a deeper gash in my soul. Her sister could break us. “I sent her into danger, Isi.” My voice cracked on the words. “Every choice I make, every order I give… Lives hang in the balance. And I sent her into that darkness. If something happened to her because of my orders?—”
Her hand covered mine where I held her. “You were trying to save people. That’s what good kings do.”
“Good kings don’t lose people they’ve sworn to protect.”
“Good kings carry that weight so others don’t have to.” Her voice came out fierce, protective. “Let me help you carry it.”
“How do you always know exactly what I need to hear?”
She turned in the saddle, her eyes finding mine. “Because I see you. Not the crown, not the title, not the legend. Just you.”
“Whatdoyou see?”
“A man worth following into battle. A king worth standing beside through any storm.”
The words hit me like dragon fire, burning away every doubt. “Isi?—”
“And if that’s not enough,” she said with a smile that could power the sun, “you’re also devastatingly handsome in leathers.”
I laughed despite the weight crushing my chest. “There she is. My impossible woman.”
“Yourwoman?” She raised an eyebrow, challenge sparkling in her eyes.
