A Crown of Reveries (A Crown of Echoes Book 2)

by Brindi Quinn

  Windley clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re already having one spawn. What’s one more?”

  Rafe was quiet, ruminating over the most weighted call he had ever had to make.

  “The choice is ultimately yours, Rafe. We can advise you, but we cannot force you. If it were Windley—if it were a matter of protecting him and our unborn child from demons—I would allow it. Beau isn’t here to speak for herself, but as her friend and confidante for over twenty years, I believe I know her heart.”

  Windley weaved his fingers through the air. “Say the word, mate.”

  Rafe looked demurely up at the golden goddess. “No thanks. If I do this, I’m doing of my own consent.”

  Windley took no offense.

  He and I stepped back, giving Rafe time and space to make his final decision. With the tedious sigh of a man marching to his grave, he stepped into the giantess’s sunny palm, and she carried him off to the sky.

  You’d expect a goddess to keep her word, wouldn’t you?

  Chapter 19

  Hearts in the Sand

  “How long do you reckon it will take?” Windley sat boredly on a smooth boulder with his cheek in one hand and a stick in the other, which he had used to draw a lazy heart in the sand.

  “I would think you would know that better than most.”

  “Heh.”

  I took the stick from him and drew an M + W in the center of the heart.

  “Aw,” he cooed. “Does that stand for Meraflora and Windley?”

  “No, it stands for murder Windley. Or mangle Windley. Or maim Windley. Take your pick.”

  “Scaaary,” he whined.

  I chomped my teeth at him and he grinned, taking the stick back from me and scribbling a new heart with our full names inside.

  I gazed off over the cotton candy shores. “Are you still feeling negative?”

  “Negative?” he said.

  “Over Beau’s news?”

  “What? You think I’m jealous over a slimy, wriggly little creature?”

  I did. “Babies aren’t slimy, you dolt.”

  “They are at first…” He cocked his head, examining the sand heart. “Do you think I’d look good with a tattoo?”

  He would look good no matter what.

  “You may want to work on your horrid personality before you start on your horrid appearance.”

  “Mean!” He pawed at me. “You owe me three sweet comments to make up for it.”

  I pretended to search for anything redeemable about him, if only for an excuse to stare at him awhile. “I think it’s cute, the way the tips of your ears are pointed. I like the way the corner of your mouth curls and spasms when you’re feeling playful. And—” I made a circular gesture in front of his chest and abdomen. “All of this is particularly nice.”

  He sighed with one of those twitching grins. “Goddess, you’re so obsessed with me.” He stiffened. “Wait—goddess. Did you ask the goddess about Exitium and the Crown and all that?”

  I recounted the conversation.

  “Egad. You’re doing surprisingly well for someone panicking on the inside.”

  “I have no choice. I’ll need to use Exitium when we face off against Ascian. I’ll just have to figure out a way to get rid of it after. I already knew it was something dark; I just underestimated how dark. It seems to have grown since encountering your former master.”

  “This is my fault. If I hadn’t brought you into the woods with me—”

  “Then you’d be on the run by yourself, and I would be fretting over what happened to you.”

  “This isn’t your fight, lion queen.”

  “If it’s your fight, it’s my fight.”

  “That’s what a guard should be saying to his queen, and not the other way around…” His voice trailed as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

  “Why are you looking at me that way?”

  It was sort of a lovesick look, as though he wanted to confess something.

  “Hm, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, but I’m not sure I want to.” He pinched my earlobe while peering at my mouth. “You’ll either find it charming or creepy. Let’s hope charming.”

  I searched him. “Well, you have to tell me now.”

  “I suppose.” He stalled. “I… kissed you once before, you know.”

  “What?”

  He nodded and swallowed, looking over my nose and cheeks. “It was one time when we came out to visit. I fell asleep in the throne room after partying with that stocky guard of yours—what’s her name, Saxon?—back when she was just another castle grunt. That girl can hold her ale like I’ve never seen. Anyway, you snuck out to see me, but you fell asleep in front of the fire, kneeling at the settee and resting your head on the cushion. Your cheeks were all rosy from the heat and your eyes were all sleepy. You’d been in meetings all day, so you were dead tired. When I awoke and saw you, I couldn’t help myself. I stroked your hair and kissed your cheek because I couldn’t bear not to. I think that’s the moment I knew I would never be able to escape loving you. I loved you before that, but right there—that’s when I knew it would never go away.”

  Oh. My. Heartstrings.

  I remembered that night. I had been dealing with a fairyfern shortage due to drought. We were forced to supplement our most popular cough remedy with another type of fern and had to double the dosage as a result. I had been waiting to see him and Beau all day, but by the time I was done, Beau had turned in. Much to Albie’s dismay, Windley had a habit of passing out in the throne room, so I tried my luck and was glad to find him there, strewn over the cushions like he owned the place. I suspected he’d been drinking and meant to tease him about it, but the fire was intoxicating in its own right, and I fell asleep instead. I had a dream about him that night, and when I awoke some hours later, he was gone.

  I touched my cheek in remembrance. “I never knew.”

  Windley swallowed again. “And now you’re wrapped up in my problems, in danger’s way. It’s kind of killing me. I never wanted this for you.”

  I took his face, hoping my eyes conveyed the tenderness of my chest. “I would rather be out here with you, fleeing evil, than safely back in the throne room listening to my advisors squabble. There’s no one else that knows me as you know me. There’s no one else that sets my soul aflame and makes me feel wild and free. I love you, Wind. My only regret in any of this is not admitting it to myself sooner.”

  ‘It’s easier than you’d think and also more painful than you’d think.’

  It hurt. To love that much was a painful thing.

  Windley held me in his arms, feet meshed into the sand at the Edge of Nowhere, through seconds and eons, for time did not exist along the shores painted with more colors than you’ve ever seen.

  And that was the moment I knew, captive ones, that I would never be able to escape loving him.

  I had loved him before, but that’s when I knew it would never go away. Like the deeply entrenched roots of an ancient mammoth tree, there was no deracinating Windley from my heart.

  We could never return to life as we knew it before.

  ‘I want you, and I would give up everything to have you, so… think about that and let me know, lion queen.’

  I wouldn’t let him know. Not yet. We still had too many obstacles to overcome.

  Windley held me to his chest for what could have been an hour or a year, until Rafe returned from the far horizon.

  “Rafe! You’re glowing!”

  The light of Soleil had stained him, but it quickly began to dim, along with the rest of the Edge of Nowhere, when Rafe set his shoes to the sand. From there, the elysian colors of the skyline receded until we were back on the normal coast at the beginning of dusk.

  The world seemed far dimmer after being swallowed in the glow of the sun. It would take some time to adjust.

  So it was done. I wondered if Beau could feel a difference in her yet. I hoped I knew her as well as I thought I did.

  “How
was it, mate? As bad as you thought?”

  “It was… warm,” was all Rafe would say.

  But it seemed to have worked, for when he unsheathed his sword, it glowed with fiery power. He slashed it through the air, sending flames where there would have once been frost.

  “Incredible!” I marveled. “I suppose you’ll never need to use a flint again.”

  Rafe ran a thumb along the sharp of his blade. “It’ll take some getting used to. Spar with me, Windley.” He happily threw his cloak to the ground, no longer forced to use the scent-deflecting properties of the itchy feathers stuffed inside.

  “What, you don’t want to spar with me, Rafe?”

  “I wish to leave the duel breathing, Your Majesty.”

  “I’m surprised you have any energy left in you, chap.” Windley raised his eyebrows. “But sure, I could go for a spin.”

  He meant so literally, for he pulled both hatchets from beneath his cloak and spun them around in his hands like a fancy card trick.

  I had never seen them clash before, and it was entertaining to watch them go at one another as boys, Windley taunting and teasing, and Rafe taking clear delight in every close call. I noticed that Windley was more liberal with his footwork than normal, too, twice launching himself from the sides of boulders to attack from the air.

  When they were finished, Windley was rubbing his arm where Rafe had singed him and Rafe was inspecting a slice in his shirt, but the greatest casualty was a nearby shrub, burning orange from the crossfire.

  “What do you think of Soleil’s power, Rafe?” I said.

  He held the blade so that its flame reflected in his eyes. “It’s different, but I like it.”

  “Don’t let the moon hear that,” said Windley. “That is, assuming she shows her face tonight.”

  “Doubtful,” said Rafe. “Soleil said she’s still recovering.”

  Exitium’s power was really that great? Great enough to make a goddess recover for several days?

  I wonder why that could be, captive ones. Maybe you’ve figured it out. If not, don’t worry. We’re getting close.

  I studied the darkening sky. “The plan is still to lure Ascian here using Windley’s power, yes? It’s probably best to do so before Luna recovers.”

  “Agreed. With all of Abardo hexed, Ascian’s even more powerful now than he was eight years ago. We don’t need to give him any more allies.” Windley turned to Rafe: “Did you talk to your sun mistress about helping us out when the time comes?”

  “Mm. She was hesitant to get involved, but I explained that our… child won’t be safe unless we get rid of the fiends pursing the Queen. She said she’ll protect me when the time comes.”

  Windley turned up his palm. “Courting powerful women does have its advantages, doesn’t it?”

  “There are some stipulations, though. She’s most powerful by the coast, so we need to stay nearby. And she can only offer protection during the day.”

  During the day? It made sense, but how were we to guarantee something like that?

  Windley thought on it. “It might be to our advantage that both times they saw Merrin’s power, it was night. If we’re lucky, they’ll avoid a night encounter based on that alone. If not, we may have to stall them until the sun rises.”

  Yet another unsound plan. But it was all we had.

  “I am a little worried about how we make sure Ascian shows this time. Last time he sent Edius to do his bidding when he felt your power.”

  “Knowing him, he won’t make the same mistake twice,” said Windley. “You escaped last time, so I expect he’ll come for you himself this time. If not, we’ll take out whoever he sends and summon him again.”

  “Do you plan to start tonight?” said Rafe.

  “The sooner the better,” said Windley.

  “If your magic is like mine, then you should use as much of it as possible, over time, to give off a strong signal,” said Rafe.

  Windley beamed. “I’m counting on it.”

  “What I mean is…” Rafe shot me a look before lowering his voice so that I couldn’t hear.

  “Don’t blow my what?” scoffed Windley. “Excuse you, I’m a professional, Rafe.”

  After holding back for so long, the thought of Windley using his power on me, unbridled, was a tempting one, but I really didn’t want Rafe involved in the planning of it.

  “O-okay! Enough of that. We’ll make camp here. Windley, find suitable ground for the tent. I’ll help Rafe with dinner.”

  The horizon was now a lovely shade of cerulean ombreing to black over the rest of the sky. We never did receive that rain promised by the lavender stars. Tonight, they looked to be yellow with tails of green.

  Rafe was already bringing sticks to add to the bush he’d previously set aflame. “I can handle dinner, Your Majesty. You should rest.”

  “Actually, Rafe, the reason I offered is to see how you’re doing.”

  He looked up from the fire with unenthused eyes. “Fine.”

  “I mean it. I know you don’t like to share your feelings, especially not to me, but I can’t help thinking how difficult it was for you to make the choice you made. You’re so young, and to father the child of your lover is one thing, but to father a second child of celestial origin is something unfathomable. I expect you aren’t fine. Not really.”

  He was silent as an empty tomb.

  “Of course, I won’t force you to tell me, but if it will relieve you in any way, I am a willing listener, and I will not judge you nor offer you unsolicited advice.”

  He was silent longer, fishing around in Windley’s pack to see what supplies he had to work with. I figured that was the end of it.

  Until Rafe cleared his throat. “It’s probably the same for you, Your Majesty. Life has changed a lot in a short time.”

  “Yes, I scarcely feel like the same person.”

  “And the choice wasn’t hard, in the end. I would kill anyone for Beau. Anyone. Even you.” He hung his head. “Dishonorable as that is.”

  Off-putting to hear, but—

  “I understand.”

  Rafe continued, “So I thought: if I would end life for her, why wouldn’t I create life for her? That’s what it came down to.”

  It was strange. For how fair and delicate and princess-like Beau was, I couldn’t see her with anyone else but a grouchy magician from the far north with a general disliking for conversation and people.

  “I’m glad you found each other. For Beau and for you… and for myself, too. I don’t know if I would have realized my own feelings if I didn’t first see it in you two.”

  Rafe gave one blunt laugh that was barely a laugh. “I don’t think you have to worry about that. That guy wouldn’t have let up. Ever. We both knew he liked you—I mean everyone did. We weren’t as sure about you, though. He’s so damn annoying, I don’t blame you for outrunning him as long as possible.”

  “You say that, Rafe, but you don’t mean it.”

  At our backs, the waves lapped gently, licking at the sand. The fire chewed at the kindling Rafe fed it, growing taller and hotter like an ancient being of lava and ash.

  Rafe’s expression remained apathetic as he released the longest, heaviest sigh. “I guess he does keep things lively. Not a bad fighter either. And he can keep a secret.”

  I knew it.

  Rafe considered Windley a friend.

  “Has he explained the situation with Ascian to you any further?”

  “A little. I guess we’re not allowed to kill the young one with the round face? It’s his brother or something?”

  “Or something. From what I know, the battle is certain to be emotionally charged. Thank you for staying to help us quash this threat.”

  “I’m still your guard, Your Majesty.”

  “I’m glad for it, Rafe.”

  I offered him a smile and rose to go check on Windley’s progress with the tent, but not before the magician offered something unusually candid for someone so inclined to reservedness.
r />   “Good luck tonight, Queen Merrin. To me, he’s looking a little… ravenous.”

  Ravenous.

  Raaavenous.

  Rav-en-ous.

  All right, captive ones. Brace yourself. I’ll try to hold nothing back.

  Chapter 20

  Bait

  After dinner, we three sat around the fire, watching the tailed stars zip across the coastal sky. The heavens seemed so much vaster out here, in a land uncaged, over a sea unexplored. My heart beat free.

  Windley had been sitting behind me for some time, resting his chin on my head and his arms loosely over my shoulders, but when Rafe stood to gather more firewood, Windley shifted, brushing my hair to one shoulder and exposing the other.

  I gave a shiver from the chill of it being uncovered.

  “Wind?”

  “Even if they left Abardo this moment, the earliest they could reach us riding the fastest creatures would be midday tomorrow.”

  He was proposing we begin the next phase of the plan, which was to alert Ascian of our location using ‘as much of his magic as possible.’

  As his target, he was seeking out my consent.

  He grazed his lips over my shoulder. “Do you have any hesitations, Queen Merrin?”

  “N-no.”

  He took hold of my hair and twisted it in his hand, lifting it snuggly away from my head—taut enough to feel good at the roots but not too tight as to hurt—and next skimmed his mouth across the back of my neck.

  “I’ll try my best to keep my promise to you,” he murmered.

  “Promise?” I breathed.

  “I don’t intend to make love to you on the floor of a tent. Not the first time, anyway.”

  I wasn’t sure if the warmth in my face was from the fire in front of me or the devil behind me. Either way, I had to fight my body not to begin breathing faster.

  “You’re making me feel nervous again,” I whispered.

  “I like it.” Taking my neck from behind, he lifted my chin so as to gain easier access to my earlobe, which he took between his teeth. “If I can make you feel this way, I wonder how else I might make you feel.”