by Jessica Gunn
Still, I didn’t fancy any more killing today.
Keir closed his eyes for a long moment, then looked up again. “It is done. They’ll begin their retreat.”
“And the stone?” I asked, holding a hand of crackling lightning magic out waiting for it.
Keir dug around his pocket and handed it to me. Eli’s eyes went wide with recognition, but he said nothing.
“Now forget my name, Keir,” I told him. “Gods willing, we will never meet again after this.”
Chapter 22
I stayed by Zezza’s side for the rest of the night, entrusting Keir’s care and imprisonment to Eli, my Guardian. Keir had hit her head-on with his magic. Zezza was strong, though. So protective and stubborn. She’d make it through. In fact, Zezza was already doing immensely better than when we’d brought her in. Even better still than when the last healer had completed her round of healing magics.
Still, hours later, Zezza slept.
I could not. Everything still felt too real, too raw. Like even though the incursion had been a small one, it had been world-ending. And for some dragons and hatchlings, it had been.
I wasn’t strong enough yet. Maybe if I had been, fewer people and dragons would have died. Maybe if I’d accepted my role sooner or discovered some sort of magic was protecting my identity, I could have done something.
My mind spiraled around these thoughts, along with questions about Kristian and his ex-lover. About me somehow being her doppelgänger and what that meant. It had made many things about Kristian and the way he’d acted make sense. But it still left me with more questions than answers.
Then there was this whole “elven law” business.
I clamped my hands to my temples and rocked back against the wall beside Zezza’s healing bed. So much had happened over the past few days. So much. I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.
If Zezza made it out of this, everything would be fine. I might have failed the other dragons, but I wouldn’t fail her.
I wouldn’t fail myself, either.
I reached out and pet her neck and back, hoping it would comfort her in her healing dreams. Twice since she had hatched, Zezza had gotten injured on my watch.
“It won’t happen a third time.” And especially not here, in the Lair that was supposed to be a safe haven for them.
After tonight and all the questions it had left me with, I wasn’t yet ready to really call this place home. But Zezza’s and my connection was real. So too was this blooming friendship with Eli.
I lifted my gaze to Zezza once more. Just past her, through a stained-glass window, the sun had started to rise.
“One day at a time,” I said to her. “And today we make sure they don’t kill Keir.”
Zezza’s wing twitched. I leaned in closer, watching her eyelids move the littlest bit.
…and her chest.
“Are you awake?” I asked. “Are you just lying here faking me out to get more attention?”
Zezza’s mouth formed her trademark toothy dragon grin. Then her eye snapped open and she jumped up and into my waiting arms.
“I’ll forgive you, Zezza,” I said. “This time.”
By the afternoon, Zezza was totally back to normal. We returned to our cliffside cabin unescorted—a welcomed change—where I showered and put on some more appropriate attire. It was then that Eli, Elena, and Tharin appeared. We’d been summoned to the volcano citadel of the royal family.
Eli’s gaze turned dark as we approached the base of the volcano. “Don’t speak unless spoken to; that’s the best bet with them in this sort of situation.”
Elena rolled her eyes. “Mother and Father aren’t that bad.”
“For you,” Tharin said, chuckling. His arm was in a sling, but he didn’t seem fazed by it. He must have gotten hurt in the initial battle on the beach, before Keir had found me at the nursery. “They don’t really like anyone else.”
Eli gave me a semi-reassuring smile. Mostly, it made me regret agreeing to go with them. But I wanted to see this all through until the end.
So we climbed, following a winding path up and through the volcano. Past natural ridges in the rock, through rough-cut tunnels that warm wind passed through with abandon. It was surreal being able to feel the rumbling of volcanic activity while also hearing the sounds of ocean waves.
Eventually, the path became finished marble instead of rock and soon we had passed the outer gates of the citadel and into a massive open space in the middle of the caldera.
“So it’s not super active,” I observed.
“Right now, no,” Eli said.
“And when it inevitably erupts?”
Tharin shook his head. “It won’t for a long while. My family and I are keeping tabs on it. Don’t worry.”
Across the open courtyard of rock, soot, and smoke arose a massive castle structure made from dark red brick with iron buttresses and archways. We crossed through the courtyard and into the castle, Zezza ever following next to me on her tiny wings.
Finally, we arrived in the throne room, a space adorned by twenty-foot-high murals of past kings, two thrones, and a circle of smaller seats around the room.
“The knights,” Eli explained, as every seat but one was occupied by shifters with dragon scales on their arms and faces.
In the center of the space was Keir, kneeling on the ground between two armed guards with his arms bound behind his back.
The king rose from his throne as we came to a stop to one side. Elena continued, taking her seat at the king’s righthand side. The only empty seat was now taken. The queen, now in the privacy of the throne room, finally made eye contact with me… and her look was one of unfettered disgust.
What the hell? I’d barely even met her last night.
“We gather today to sentence this fae prince,” the king said. “An imposter, a murderer, and a coward. But also nearly a thief. Five dragons and two hatchlings died at the hands of him and his group of elite fae soldiers. Half a dozen shifters also lost their lives.” He glared down at Keir. “How do you plead?”
“You know I’m guilty, you old fool,” Keir said without lifting his gaze. “And to regain my spot on the fae throne, I’d do it all again. To stop what’s coming.”
“Warden.” The king’s booming voice boomeranged around the room, reverberating through me. When he said my name, my heart dropped. I bowed a little in response. “You would have us return him to the fae weave rather than imprison him here or sentence him to death?”
A single sweat droplet rolled down my temple. Gods, it was hot in here. And this attention on me… Eli must have told him what happened yesterday, and what my obvious opinion on the matter was.
“Vera,” Eli whispered after too many moments had passed.
“Yes,” I said, but my voice was weak and shaky. I cleared my throat. “Yes. He belongs with his people and they deserve to know of his betrayal. It is fair and right. A neutral response that would prevent war.”
“But it will in return reveal our existence,” the king argued.
I shrugged a little. “If Keir knew, then your existence was probably already revealed. Doubly so since Kristian Kane witnessed Eli and his friends rescue me and Zezza from the vampires.”
The king considered this for a long while. Moments stretched on into minutes as silence reigned supreme. Finally, the king retook his seat on his throne. “We will move to voting on this.”
He looked around the room at each knight in attendance, then lastly to Elena, his daughter.
“I want him dead,” Elena said. “But majority goes.”
Eli stepped forward. “I agree with my sister. But as Vera pointed out yesterday, just as elven law states we all let Vera choose whom she decides to ally herself with as Warden of the Storm, it also demands we return Keir to his people as he is, technically, an heir to both courts. No matter how far removed from those thrones he may be.”
The king nodded. “Then return him you will. Take your royal guar
d, your sister, and the Warden with you. Let this be a diplomatic mission to the fae weave via the mortal realm.”
And a show of power.
“Warden?” the king asked as Eli, Elena and Tharin began escorting Keir out of the room. Elena scowled as they left, clearly upset about being outvoted. Great. Another reason for her to hate me.
Their departure only left Zezza, me, the king and queen, and the knights alone.
“You brought his upon us,” the king continued after the others had gone. “However accidentally it may have been. You need to be more careful, or you will find you have no home here regardless of the title fate has bestowed upon you. Are we clear?”
I gulped. It was a warning. Elena must have told her father how much of a traitor she thought I was. And he must have bought it. Betting the weave stone for Keir to win had been a bad idea, sure. I agreed with that.
But at the time, I’d been told it was too depleted to be used to get anywhere, least of all through a well-guarded, heavily-barricaded pocket-weave.
“Understood, my king.”
I bowed my head a little more this time.
Zezza landed on my shoulder and showed me an image once more of a cavern entrance to the volcano. Only then did I realize we hadn’t passed that area while climbing up here this afternoon.
What is he hiding, Zezza?
She didn’t respond. And the next thing I knew, we were all being ushered out of the throne room and back down the volcano path to the beach.
No answers this time.
But something told me this wasn’t the last chance I would get to see the castle.
“What did my father say to you back there?” Eli asked as we once more found ourselves walking down the path toward the beach. For a place so big on magic, it felt weird that the only portal on and off this pocket-weave was basically in the ocean.
I shrugged, petting Zezza absentmindedly. Since this morning, she hadn’t left my side once. That was fine with me. Her presence calmed me and reminded me that I had a purpose here even if the king and Elena didn’t see it that way. “He gave me some friendly advice.”
“Why do I feel like it wasn’t actually very friendly?” Tharin asked.
Elena slapped an open palm against his chest. “Watch your words.”
Keir rolled his eyes. It was about the only thing he could do besides walk, given he was bound and under the effects of a silence spell.
“You know,” I said to him. “I kind of like you better like this. Much more amiable, don’t you think?”
He glared daggers at me. I only laughed in return.
All of this was still impossibly insane.
I was starting to like this type of insanity, though. As improbable as everything was, it was also exhilarating. And raw. It was like the entire world had been revealed to me in full color the past few days. And not just because of my connection issues falling away, but also because of my magic being fully awakened thanks to Zezza.
“Will you stay?” Eli asked out of nowhere.
“Hmm?” I asked.
He pointed ahead to the portal visible in the distance. “In the mortal weave. I know my father would have asked about that.”
“I can’t stay there anymore,” I answered. “Honestly, I never really fit in. I don’t have a place there. It’s always felt that way. But at least I know why now. I just want to meet with my parents and explain what happened and that I’m still alive. And why I had stolen my father’s weave-stone years ago. Then I’ll come back.”
I didn’t want them to think I’d stolen from them and then outright abandoned them. It was true I’d always planned on leaving Boston, and that, yes, I had taken their weave stone. But being a fugitive was not how I wanted to be remembered.
“You don’t have to,” Eli said. “That part of what Keir said was correct. Elven law states that in matters concerning the fate of all supernaturals, we must let those in power decide on their own terms what side to take. It is a law of neutrality.”
“Based on creatures no one’s seen since the meteor strike?” I asked. “Even longer than that?”
Eli nodded. “Yes. And the Warden of the Storm is one of the highest on the list of powerful beings.”
I peered over at him, studying his face. “So you’re saying that instead of destiny being in play here, it’s really some abstract view of neutrality created by the elves?”
He stopped walking, realization dawning on him. He smiled. “Yeah, I guess so.”
I laughed and clapped him on the arm. “Well, we don’t believe that, do we, Zezza?” She trilled happily in response. “I believe it’s all destiny.”
Eli didn’t have a response to that, me beating him at his own game. Instead, we walked in silence toward the portal with Keir in tow, ready to settle things the neutral way in order to make room for fate and whatever she may hold.
And me? I was ready to finally, finally, be a part of something bigger than myself.
I was ready to become the Warden of the Storm.
Vera’s journey as Warden of the Storm continues in Roar of Thunder, available now!
Thank you so much for reading Spark of Lightning. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without you, readers. If you have a moment, I’d be grateful and appreciative if you left a review to let me know what you think!
Have you downloaded your free prequel to the Storm Warden Chronicles yet?
It’s available through Book Funnel here: STRIKE OF MAGIC.
Venom in the Skin
Deadly Trades Series: Book One
Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. No allies to call on.
I'm Ava Locke. I have three dozen problems. But remaining the anonymous champion of Midnight's fighting ring wasn't one of them--until tonight, when a change in the rules pitted me against a fellow Fire Circle Hunter, and I lost. Badly.
Without the champion title masking my identity, my location is now a blinking neon sign beckoning Veynix, the demon who slaughtered my entire team. And this time, he's leaving a new wave of victims on his path to me. But since the demon-fighting Fire Circle thinks I bargained for my life when the rest of my team was murdered, I'm fresh out of allies-except for the Hunter I fought in Midnight's ring.
For some reason, Mr. Tall-Dark-And-Handsome is on my side, despite clearly having a few skeletons in his own closet. But I'm not choosy because I can't do this alone. Not if I want any chance of stopping Veynix from taking more innocent lives. And saving my own.
Grab your copy of Venom in the Skin Today!
Also by Jessica Gunn
The Hunter Circles Series
The Hunted | The Traitor | The Changed
The Hero | The Power
Hunter Circles Series Books 1-3 + Prequel Boxset
Deadly Trades Series (Hunter Circles World)
Venom in the Skin | Embers in the Blood
Poison in the Well
Deadly Trades Complete + Prequel Collection
Hunter Circles World Standalone Novellas
The Hunter | The Healer | The Ghost
The Atlas Link Series (New Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy)
Gyre | Landlocked | Driftwood
Riptide | Countercurrent
The Atlas Link: Complete Series Boxset
About the Author
Jessica Gunn is an avid science-fiction and fantasy fan. Her favorite stories are those that transport the reader to other, more exciting worlds. When not working or writing, she can be found binge-watching Firefly and Stargate, or feeding her fascination of the ancient world’s many mysteries.
Let’s Connect!
www.jessicagunn.com
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