The Bound

by K. A. Linde

  But the ones who did know what was going on held back from the group. Brigette seemed indifferent, but Cyrene suspected she was nursing a broken heart. The very thing Cyrene and Dean were trying to avoid. Alise looked furious. Cyrene still didn’t know what her problem was, but she looked ready to spit fire at Cyrene. And she was very glad that Doma blood didn’t run in the Eleysian royal family.

  The Queen, however, ushered everyone away from Dean and Cyrene and stared them down. “That was a very clever thing you did today.”

  “I’ll take that as congratulations,” Dean said.

  “I am happy for you both, but marriages of royalty are a matter to be determined by me and your father. If you think that by proposing in front of half of the queendom will change my mind about sending her off to Byern tomorrow, you’re wrong. Expect a long-distance engagement. I refuse to let this stand until I’ve had word from King Edric that he will allow this. His Affiliates are his to give away as much as my son is my responsibility.”

  Cyrene’s heart sank at the words. That couldn’t be true. Consort Daufina had said that her father had married someone against the wishes of the court. But Cyrene highly doubted that, if she went back to Byern to ask for permission, it would go over very well…or at all.

  Dean seemed to come to the same conclusion. “You can’t ship her back to Byern!”

  “I at least need approval from King Edric for this marriage. He wants her back, and we don’t need a war over one girl,” the Queen said. “We have a celebration to get ready for tonight. I expect you to be on your best behavior after that debacle.” Queen Cassia left them standing at the docks.

  Cyrene was sure they were supposed to follow her inside, but the last thing she wanted to do at this point was face his family after that conversation. She had the sneaking suspicion that Edric would never agree to let her marry Dean…or anyone really.

  She looked down at the ring on her finger and felt her magic jump at the sight of it. She was engaged. And she had no idea if she would ever get married.

  “Cyrene”—Dean grabbed her hand and kissed the finger that the ring was on—“you said yes.”

  She laughed hoarsely and tried to hold the tears back. “I did. I mean…you proposed! You want me to be your wife. Are you sure that’s what you want?” she asked, her fears getting the better of her. “You’re not just doing this so that I won’t have to leave?”

  “Of course I don’t want you to leave, but that’s not the reason. It was going to happen anyway.”

  “It was?” she asked softly.

  “Yes. I love you, Cyrene. I love everything about you.”

  Cyrene smiled wide and threw her arms around his neck. “I love you, too.”

  He squeezed her tight. “It is so good to hear that. I feel like I’ve been holding that in for months. But I’m glad you know now. I’m not going to let one letter get in the way of us. You’re not going back to Byern unless it’s what you want to do. It’s not, is it?”

  She shook her head. “No. I want to stay here with you.”

  He sighed. “Good.” He kissed her hard on the mouth. “Come with me. I kind of had something planned in case you said yes.”

  “Did you think I wouldn’t?” she asked, following him back out onto the boat.

  “I wasn’t sure if it would be too soon with you. I knew I wanted it, but I didn’t want to rush you. We have our whole lives.”

  “I’ll admit, it wasn’t high on my priority list. I have a few other things I want to figure out before getting married. A lot of things actually, but that doesn’t mean it feels wrong with you.”

  He leaned back in the gondola and kissed her as they sped through the canals to their destination. His lips were tender, as if her words had sparked a fire within him. His fingers threaded into her intricate updo, and he grumbled as he kept hitting pins.

  Cyrene laughed and pulled his hand away from her hair. “Leave it be. I have to be presentable for the party later.”

  He groaned and leaned his head back.

  She ran her thumb along his hand. “So, where are you taking me?”

  Dean smiled but didn’t fill her in.

  A few minutes later, they were docked in Fifth Harbor, and Dean was pulling her toward a large ship. She followed after him and got on board.

  “Another boat?” she asked in confusion.

  “A celebration,” he said. “I wanted to do something special for you.”

  “We’re celebrating on a boat?” she asked again.

  “Well, at sea. I hired a small crew to take us out on the water. It is the Bride of the Sea ceremony today. And since you will be my bride at sea and are wearing a bride’s ring, I thought it was appropriate.”

  “About as appropriate as it gets,” she agreed.

  The crew cast off, and Cyrene watched the capital city grow smaller in the distance. She could still see it as a speck on the horizon, but they were closer to some of the other volcanic islands in the area. It was a beautiful sight to behold. It was the first time she had ever seen the island like this. The last time, they had come into the city at night. Now, she was seeing it as it would appear to a stranger.

  The crew stuck to themselves so well that Cyrene basically never even saw them.

  They had lunch above deck, out of a basket that Dean had filled with Eleysian delicacies. He spread a blanket and placed a few cushions out for them, and they toasted their engagement with a bottle of bubbly champagne that went straight to her head.

  When lunch was over, they didn’t have that much time left before they needed to go back for the party, but neither of them seemed ready to leave.

  Dean’s fingers trailed up her arm and to her shoulder. Goose bumps broke out across her flesh, and she leaned into his touch. He kissed her shoulder and then her collarbone. She sighed.

  “Creator,” he groaned. “That sigh is going to kill me.”

  He stood, hoisted her into his arms, and carried her below deck. She didn’t even protest when they entered the bedchamber. For the first time since she had found her magic, she felt out of control, and she loved it.

  Dean set her down on the bed and lay next to her. She had slept in his bed more than once in the months since she had come to Eleysia, but never had it felt more intimate than the moment when she was looking up at her future husband.

  His fingers threaded back up into her hair, and he slowly removed the pins, one by one. Her dark tendrils fell out of its style until it cascaded down her back. Then, he pushed his hands through the mass of hair once more.

  “I like it better down,” he told her, brushing it to the side and gently kissing her on her bare shoulder.

  “Then, I’ll wear it down,” she told him.

  Their eyes met in the dim lighting, and it was as if everything in the world made sense. She might have been sent to Eleysia to find Matilde and Vera, but finding Dean along the way wasn’t a coincidence. And she loved him.

  They moved together at the same time. All those months they had been holding back cracked open between them. Their lips touched and tongues explored.

  He leaned her back on the bed and covered her body with his. The pressure of him against her just made her crave more. His hand slid under the fabric of her dress and caressed her calf, knee, and thigh. Her own hands were clutching his chest and back, trying to get him closer.

  Fire built within her body as magic seemed to come alive with their connection. Every place his hands touched her was a shock to her system, both intense and jolting. She had never felt so alive.

  When she pushed him back to tug his shirt over his head, her heart was hammering in her chest. She was entirely exposed and vulnerable to him. But Dean gazed at her with the most caring and wonderful look in his eyes. Those eyes swore to her with everything he was that he loved her…and they were going to be together.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  She nodded. Her body was shaking. Her powers were alive and pooling inside her, like she was about to release m
ore energy than she ever had in her whole life. It was a buildup that could tear down kingdoms or re-create the world.

  “Yes,” she confidently told him.

  And then, as their bodies came together, she released that energy. Every last ounce of it, she let flow from her, and with all her might, she pushed it out into the world. It was like heaven and bliss and sweet pleasure. It was the best feeling in existence.

  There was a split second of perfection. A perfect calm. A perfect stillness. A perfect being.

  And then the waves started.

  Cyrene and Dean made it above deck just as the first wave crashed on board. She almost lost her footing as water sloshed over her dress and under her silk slippers. Dean caught her at the last minute. He shoved her toward the railing.

  “Hold on!” he cried over the sound of the storm.

  Wind whipped her hair around her face and whistled in her ears. Her heart was still hammering after what had happened. Then, she looked all around her in horror.

  The water that had been a little rough when they first went out on the water was now devastating. Thick black clouds hung overhead. Sheets of rain could be seen in the near distance, and it was traveling fast. The waves themselves were already ten feet high and growing. She dipped with the rocking of the boat, thankful for her sea legs.

  “When did this start?” Dean called to one of the crew working on the deck.

  He had huge frightened eyes. “Just now, Your Majesty. It came on so suddenly. We had mostly clear skies, and then, out of nowhere, the world erupted.”

  Dean shook his head. “That’s impossible.”

  “I saw it, too, Your Majesty,” another sailor confirmed.

  Cyrene felt sick about what the sailors had said. The storm had just come upon them. With no expectation for a storm of this magnitude. Her hands were shaking with the realization.

  “Dean…” she said shakily. She could barely be heard over the wind.

  “Not now. Let me find out what’s happening. Go below deck, and get out of the rain,” he said.

  “Dean!” she cried.

  He turned to her with concern in his eyes. He took her hands. “Please, go below deck. We have a very small crew, and this looks like a full-blown hurricane. I have to help get us to safety. I don’t think there’s time to get us back to the capital.”

  “I can help,” she said warily.

  “No. Even if you were a sailor, you don’t know these waters.” Dean shook his head. “The Creator must be punishing us.”

  “What? Why?” she demanded.

  “Brigette threw the ring in the holy water without a prayer. She did this.” Cyrene was about to open her mouth to protest, but Dean shook his head. “She’s cursed us. Now, please, get somewhere safe.”

  Dean ran off to help the sailors on board, but she could see that it was no use. The waves were too high. The hurricane was coming in too fast. The rain was too heavy.

  And she had done this.

  When she had pushed her magic out into the world, she had called forth this storm. She, Matilde, Vera, and Avoca had been working on pushing a storm out into the ocean to prevent Ahlvie and Orden from being pursued and to hopefully prevent the Byern army from coming into open water after her. Matilde and Vera had told her that it would never be of full magnitude because they couldn’t go out on open water, and they didn’t want to push Cyrene too much. She was the first magical user in two thousand years with abilities to control the weather…and she had just brought a hurricane down on top of herself.

  Dean could try all he wanted to get them to safety, but she had to do what she could to try to stop this. No matter what happened, she couldn’t unleash this on the world.

  Bracing herself against the wind and rain, Cyrene reached into herself for her magic. She nearly gasped when so little of it came to her. She had used so much to draw in this hurricane, and she hadn’t even meant for it to happen. She had been so caught up in Dean that her magic had just worked its own way, feeding off of her adrenaline and energy to create something beautiful…and terrible.

  Cyrene held on for dear life as the boat dipped and curved with the force of the waves. She dug deeper and deeper into her core, demanding more energy. She needed to control it, contain it. There were consequences for tampering with the weather, especially to this degree. She didn’t want to find out what would happen if she couldn’t stop this. But she hadn’t used this much magic without being linked to Avoca since she had fought off the Indres. And that felt like a lifetime ago.

  More magic filled her veins, but it wasn’t enough. She could almost cry. It definitely wasn’t enough. She was depleted and drawing this much out of her reserves was painful. She could feel it singeing through her fingertips and down to her toes. If she drew more, she could black out…or worse, burn out.

  But she couldn’t stop.

  She swirled the water back in the way it had come. When she had released before, she hadn’t even thought about it. It had left her body, fully formed. Now, she needed to counteract everything she had done, and the scary part was that she didn’t even know how to do it. They had only worked on starting the disaster…not fixing it.

  Fear pricked at her. She didn’t want to let this thing run its course.

  “What are you doing?” Cyrene heard Dean yell, even over the sound of the wind.

  That broke her concentration, and she felt some of her magic dwindle. She contemplated ignoring Dean’s call, but then she heard an unexpected voice.

  “Did you think you would just get away with it?”

  Cyrene frowned. “Robard.”

  How had he gotten on board? She hadn’t seen the crew, but she was sure that Dean would not have included him as part of this. Her stomach dropped. She had a horrible feeling about this. Holding on to her magic as best as she could, she gave up her position on the deck and dashed toward the sound of Dean’s voice.

  She found Dean and Robard squared off on the slippery deck. They both had their swords in their hands, and their feet were planted in defensive positions. She was facing Dean, but when he saw her, he actually looked fearful. That must have gotten Robard’s attention because he turned around and lunged for her.

  Cyrene screamed and dived out of the way. On instinct, she called up a wave to push him away from her as she ducked and rolled. Her shoulder was already throbbing from the impact. When she looked back up, Robard was a few feet away from her, drenched from head to toe. He looked at her as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened.

  “Witch!” Robard called. He regained his footing and looked ready to attack her. “Is this why you’ve been harboring her? She’s a black magic user?”

  Cyrene nearly laughed at him, but she wanted to get as far away as possible from him. He had murder in his eyes. She scrambled to her feet and dashed to Dean. He held his sword high to protect her even though it was clear that she could hold her own. At least until she depleted her energy source.

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Dean said.

  “She just used an evil spell on me.”

  “I did nothing of the sort,” Cyrene said defiantly. “All I did was keep you from attacking me!”

  “What is this all about, Robard? Why are we fighting? You used to be like my brother!”

  “Like your brother,” Robard cried. “Close but never close enough. You were promoted as an officer first, and you became Captain first. You’ve gotten everything because you are the Prince.”

  “I’ve worked hard for what I’ve achieved. Maybe if you stopped complaining and put that energy into something worthwhile, you could have made Captain instead of trying to cheat me into it,” Dean cried.

  “I put everything into my training. I came from nothing and worked harder than anyone. I lived in the training facility, but it was never enough. There was no way I could ever be the prince. Then, she walks into your life,” Robard cried, pointing his sword at Cyrene, “and suddenly, everything is just perfect. Now, you’re going to
wed, and once again, I have nothing.”

  “What does Cyrene have to do with anything?”

  “Because the Queen, your mother, refused to give me Alise’s hand!” Robard roared. “I did everything I could to show her just the kind of person Cyrene was. Then, even when she is forced to go back to where she belongs, you find a way to get around it.”

  Cyrene gasped. “Wait, this was your doing? Did you send the letter to Byern?”

  “I had Alise officially send it,” Robard taunted. “But everything was my plan, and it would have worked, too, if Dean hadn’t proposed!”

  “You dirty bastard! Can’t have everything you want, so you try to take away my happiness! You will pay for your sins.”

  Then, Dean hurled himself at Robard.

  It was as if Cyrene were watching the two fight in the sand pit to see who would become Captain all over again. Except, this time, there was no general to determine the winner, and she doubted either of them would stop before the killing blow.

  Robard countered Dean’s attack, and then they paced together in a choreographed dance. They knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The last time she had seen their sword fight, Dean had won, but Robard had forced him to concede to his weakness. He couldn’t kill his friend. Cyrene saw that Dean was not going to have that problem today, but Robard seemed confident. Recklessly confident. If he overestimated Dean’s ability to forgive him, then he would be in a world of hurt.

  Cyrene hurried out of their way so she could fix this. Because she had to fix this. She concentrated on what was going on around her and felt her powers push out into the atmosphere. She didn’t know what she was doing, but she had to try.

  Holding on to her powers with a tight leash, she propelled them outward until she could feel almost a residue of what she had done before. Her powers were everywhere. In every drop of water and every air current and every cloud. The ocean teemed with her magic. It was too much and not enough. She could have sat in this trance forever, like a purgatory for her powers.