“Neither of us claims our father’s family. Our mother’s choice to marry someone from Oras was something even her own family disagreed with.” Amalee exhaled. “But somehow, she convinced them to believe the marriage would unite the two continents. Unfortunately, it didn’t. Both the fae and witcheswere upset with the decision, which only furthered the divide. And now both of them hate us.”
“I don’t think we—” I warned my sister.
“But your ears?” Audryn spoke over me. “They’re still pointed?”
“Our mother is fae, her family has ruled Kuroden for centuries. At least we inherited her good looks.” Amalee grinned.
Our heritage was something each kingdom held against us, except our own. It didn’t matter that I had cut ties with the witches when my father died, not only with those from the Alden Islands, but the entire continent of Oras. And though some royals in Crofea were kinder than others, none of them truly accepted our mixed lineage.
“Was your father mad?” Audryn took the bottle from Amalee’s hand and took a swig; she grimaced as she pulled it away. “When you rotted your teeth, was he angry?”
“Whenwasn’the angry?” I exhaled and whistled.
Amalee’s stare darted to me, then to Audryn and Fisher before quickly landing back on me. Neither of us spoke of him, especially around our mother, and definitely not around anyone outside those we trusted most.
They say you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but when your father was only wicked, there was nothing left to say. So we nearly always remained silent.
2
AUDRYN
Behind my closed eyelids, the morning sun shone bright and warm. Not ready to wake up, I burrowed under the blanket. Everyone had slept near the fire except for me. I’d never been one to sleep peacefully with others nearby and preferred my space, even if the dropping temperature left me cold.
I had settled on a small hill for the night, grateful to be away from the others. Fisher protested, saying it was too dangerous, but Grave assured him there was little concern. With the wyverns camping nearby, they were sure to keep outsiders away.
The guard grumbled that I’d be too cold without the warmth of the flames, but when the king provided me with his personal bedroll, Fisher had no other choice than to let me be. And though I didn’t want to take him up on his offer, the alternative of sleeping close to everyone else was an even worse option.
The magic of the land vibrated as life moved around me. Critters scuttled and birds sang sweet melodies from nearby trees. In the distance, the crackling fire had faded at some point during the night while my thoughts drifted to dreams of mymother. I was grateful for the times she visited me in my sleep, but it always ended too quickly.
Several minutes passed before I gave up and decided to check in with the others. I pulled the blanket back, exposing an eye. A single furry bumblebee buzzed by and landed on one of the stalks of lavender intermingling with tall blades of vibrant grass. His thick body waddled along the stem toward the plant’s nectar-filled blooms.
“Good morning, Kam,” I breathed through a smile at the familiar winged critter.
“Who’s Kam?” Grave’s deep voice surprised me from my morning haze.
Lifting my head, I scowled at the man lazily reclining back against a dark shadow. He was near my feet with his legs outstretched and his hands resting behind his head. The beams of the sunrise reflected on his skin, making him appear nearly golden.
“That’s none of your business,” I admonished, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
When my haze cleared, I realized Grave’s back wasn’t against a boulder or shadow, but he was leaning against one of the black beasts. Zalzre had wrapped his body around me in a semicircle, effectively blocking me from the summer breeze. The beast was fast asleep as a hum of air blew from the small gap in his maw.
“Were you both here all night?” I narrowed my eyes at the king. “There was a reason I chose to sleep here and not over there.”
“Temperatures dropped, and the wind picked up. You were going to shiver to death in spite of yourself. So, Zalzre helped out.” Grave paused for a moment and looked out over the swaying grass. “Who’s Kam? I don’t suppose you go around naming every bee you come across.”
I sat up and pushed my back against the leathery wyvern,taking in the slight warmth of his skin. The heat of the morning was absorbing into him just enough to take the chill off the reptilian-like creature. Zalzre shifted slightly and nudged into me, but didn’t wake.
“Did you know a bee works its entire life and still doesn’t make enough honey to sweeten one cup of tea?” I stared at the bee, still hard at work collecting nectar. “Funny how it takes so many little critters for us to enjoy a single cup.”
“Interesting,” Grave mused.
“They have no way of communicating through voice, so they developed body movement to talk with each other. Supposedly, they do so by scent too, but I’m not sure how someone even found that to be true.” Stretching my neck from left to right, my vision settled on Grave, who was watching the bee.
“I think there’s a lot you can tell from body language.” His gaze rolled to me. “Sometimes words fail us and our actions speak louder, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Hmm,” I considered.
“So, are you going to tell me who Kam is?”
