The moment we leveled out, I felt her relax against my back, her body moving with mine as I flew.
This was different than carrying her before. Then, she’d been a stranger. A political necessity. Someone I needed to transport from one place to another.
Now, she was my wife. My partner. Someone who knew about my parents, who created blizzards when her emotions overwhelmed her control.
Someone I was falling for despite every wall I’d built.
I flew us east, following the route she’d mapped, and sent her images as we passed landmarks. The twin waterfalls that fed into the valley below. The ancient forest where my father had taught me to hunt. The hot springs that bubbled up through volcanic rock, steam rising in white plumes.
Each time, I felt her excitement ripple back to me. She loved this. The flying, the views, the sharing of my territory.
And I loved sharing it with her.
The landscape gradually changed as we flew closer to Brightmore. The lush forest gave way to sparser vegetation. Rivers that should’ve been full ran low, exposing rocky beds. Fields that should’ve been green were now brown patches.
Adele’s excitement turned to concern.
When Brightmore village came into view, the drought’s severity was undeniable. The entire valley looked parched,brown where surrounding areas remained green. Crops drooped in fields, and the main river had shrunk to a trickle.
I circled once, giving Adele time to observe from above, and descended toward the village square.
Landing required more care with a passenger. I came in slowly, my wings spread to brake my speed, and touched down with barely a bump. The moment my feet hit the ground, I lowered myself again, and she dismounted with less grace than she’d mounted, clearly stiff from the flight. She placed our bags on the ground beside me.
The shift back to my usual form took only a flash, and I soon stood beside her, dressed in the tunic and pants I was wearing before I shifted. No one knew where our clothing went during a shift, but this was how it had always been for my people.
Adele took in the village with worry.
Dust coated everything. Crops in nearby fields drooped on the ground, and the few villagers visible moved slowly, their faces drawn.
“It’s worse than I thought,” I said.
“Much worse.” Adele had already pulled out a notebook and was sketching the conditions. “The soil looks completely depleted of moisture. Those crops won’t survive another week without water.”
A door opened on one of the nearby cottages, and a weathered woman came out, her silver hair pulled back in a loose knot at her nape. Her dragon eyes took us in with a single sharp glance.
“Your Majesty,” she said, joining us, bowing. “We weren’t expecting a royal visit.”
“Piper.” I clasped her forearms in greeting. “This is my wife, Adele. Adele? This is Piper, the leader of this village.”
“Your wife?” Piper’s eyebrows rose as she studied Adele with curiosity. “The witch?”
“That’s me.” Adele smiled, unbothered by the scrutiny. “Things look unsettling here. When did the drought conditions begin?”
“About six weeks ago.” Sebastian, her mate, emerged from the same cottage, his build stockier and his hair still dark despite his age. “The spring rains never came. We thought it was just a late season, but then the summer storms passed us by entirely.”
More villagers were gathering now, drawn by our voices. Quinn approached, holding a toddler on her hip. An older man leaned on a cane, his expression grave. Willa, the village’s healer, stood in her doorway watching.
“The crops are dying,” Quinn said. “We’ll lose the entire harvest if this continues.”
“We’ll starve come winter,” Willa said, joining us. “The stores from last year won’t carry us through.”
These were my people. My responsibility. And I’d failed to notice their suffering until it reached crisis levels.
“We’re going to fix this,” I said, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt.
“How?” Sebastian’s question didn’t sound like a challenge, just exhaustion. “We’ve tried everything but nothing works.”
“I’m a weather witch,” Adele said, still scribbling in her notebook. She glanced up at Piper. “Would you mind if I examined your fields?”
