The caring man who tried so hard to earn my forgiveness was gone. In front of me stood a king analysing the situation from an angle I couldn’t fathom. ‘I hate your kingdom; they’ve done unforgivable damage to mine. But it’s on their former queen, not necessarily the civilians.’
‘They did it willingly,’ I argued when his words sounded too much like a justification for the way they tortured his people. And me.
Head shaking slightly, he clicked his tongue. ‘Would she have accepted their refusal?’
‘Probably not,’ I admitted while he held the car door open. ‘But does it excuse them?’
‘People will do horrible things to survive, Ava.’ He hopped in behind the wheel. ‘Do you think your sister would continue the war if she took over? She appeared keen on the idea.’
Willow.
Willow was an enigma. I wasn’t sure anyone ever truly got to know what lurked beneath.
‘I honestly don’t know what goes on in that girl’s head. The tides have shifted, though; it won’t be as easy for water-wielders to lay claim to the Gem Fields anymore.’
‘What are you talking about?’ His hand rested on the steering wheel, intrigue making his amber irises spark with enough warmth to make me squirm.
Focus. Focus. Focus. Do not fill the car with your stupid pheromones.
Deep breath.
How could this even be explained to a non-witch? ‘You remember when I told you that connecting to nature is like a push and pull? That sometimes you gain and other times you give?’
‘Yeah?’ his tone was low.
‘When I finally connected to the Isles, where my family lives, it was very overwhelming. It was like getting pulled in a hundred directions at once until the land took me to its very core. No place ever did that before.’
A shiver ran down my spine at the memory. Nothing compared to that connection. It granted me an understanding of magic so deep and so primal I wasn’t sure anyone should ever wield such power.
The crease in his forehead deepened.
‘It’s like… like a heart of sorts. So much magic resides there; it was unbelievable. So raw and majestic. It felt divine. I’ve never read about anything like it; a connection that deep isn’t usual.’
River’s eyes never left mine. ‘Did you do something differently?’
I shook my head. ‘It was the land’s choice to show me how the process works.’
‘The process?’ he asked, leaning back in his seat.
I nodded. ‘Of going beyond the surface. And how to ask for it.’
He paused.
‘I’m so lost, Ava.’ A smile stretched his lips as he interlocked his arms behind his head. ‘I have no idea what you’re saying, I’m sorry. Speak to me like I’m dumb.’
I giggled. ‘You’re not dumb. You’re just… fae.’
‘Well, shit. Tell me how you really feel,’ he teased, lightly thumping my shoulder. ‘So, the dumbed-down version, please.’
‘Upon showing the energy within the Gem Fields the cruelty of Ortensians, it agreed to ban water-wielding,’ I said in one breath.
River didn’t know what to say. His mouth moved, closed, the action repeating a couple of times before he stuttered, ‘Ban… water-wielding?’
‘Well, that’s the short version of the story. And it’s oversimplified. What it means, though, is that they can’t use it for combat on the Gem Fields.’
A flicker of shock crossed his face. ‘How is that even possible? I didn’t know witches could do things like this.’
‘Oh, I didn’t do this. The land did.’
