There were a terrifying number of orkydas scattered about; the Storm King had been nothing short of thorough. If every city in every quadrant had this many blooms, then we were probably fucked.
A breeze rolled in from the forest, gently lifting a few tendrils of my dark hair, sending my nerves buzzing with energy.
What the...?
It was like lightning crackling through my veins, vibrating every cell, warming my skin.
I turned back toward the forest and scanned the trees. Though I saw nothing, I had a niggling suspicion that magic was nearby. From whom or from what, I had no idea. But I was determined to find out.
"Reesa, you go on ahead. Dump the cart in the courtyard. Tell the princes I'm in the woods across from—" I read the name of the nearest shop. "—Bargador's Books."
Books! It'd been so long since I read a good book. I was going to have to sneak in there some time before our visit here was over.
Her expression turned fearful. "Your Highness, traveling the woods alone in the dark is unsuitable for a princess."
I wasn't a damsel in distress; I could do shit on my own. But I wasn't a total idiot either, which is why I wanted her to fetch the princes.
"I'll be fine," I argued. "Just deliver my message, then rest. You've had a long and tiresome day. And tomorrow we'll be at it again."
She nodded solemnly and scurried off with the cart bouncing softly behind her.
The magic I'd sensed didn't feel... bad. Powerful, yes, but not evil. I wasn't frightened of it; I was merely curious. How I inherently knew any of that shit from a simple breeze was anyone's guess, but still, I was sure that I did.
With one final glance behind me, I made my way into the woods and toward the buzzing energy.
Chapter 17
Tiptoeing carefully through the woods, I came upon a moonlit glade.
The grass of the clearing looked a dusty blue shade in the pallid starlight, but the creature standing in middle was bright white and practically glittering. It stood on four strong legs with golden hooves, and on its majestic head sat a single, spiraling gold horn.
"Oh my gods," I whispered to myself. I'd never seen anything like it.
At the faint sound of my voice, the creature's head snapped in my direction, and it ruffled it's feathers.
Feathers?
I looked closer, stunned to find the horse-like creature also had two massive wings tucked into its side. It shook its silky white mane and cracked its longhaired tail, snorting at me.
"Holy shit," Ben muttered, appearing out of nowhere on my left. "It's an alicorn."
I gasped and spun around, surprised to find that all the guys were already there.
"How the hell?" I questioned in a whisper, clutching at my chest as my heart hammered.
Ben cocked his head toward Cal, whose whole body sagged as he reached into his shorts pocket and withdrew a velvety pouch. He worked the drawstring open with limp fingers and shakily brought a dark ball of chocolate up to his mouth.
One of his special energy treats. I knew he relied on them when he used his power over the sky, which cost him his strength. I'd tried the little morsels myself a couple times, and they were delicious.
I suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that Cal had flown them all there.
"I'm sorry," Rob rasped in a harsh whisper, "but did you just say alicorn?"
Ben turned to him and nodded.
"So, the Storm King was right?" Criss marveled with a gaping expression. "They're not extinct after all."
"They're beautiful," Dan added quietly.
"They really are," I agreed, turning my gaze back to the glittering creature. "What do you think it's doing here?"
Ben shot me a grim expression before turning back to study the glade. "There doesn't seem to be any chains, wires, or fences."
"It still seems trapped though," Rob argued. "Otherwise, it would have run off when we all appeared. It definitely sensed us."
Ben nodded his agreement. "I'm sure it caught our scent on the air. Let's move a little closer and see what happens."
We inched forward, slowly at first, but with more ease and determination as we drew nearer to the magnificent beast. It watched us with steady eyes, unstartled, but wary just the same. When we got too close, it trotted to the opposite side of the little meadow and continued staring at us.
There was a circle of charred grass surrounding the glade, right at the edge of the tree line—it must've simply looked like a shadow from further away—and atop the burnt grass, were tiny chunks of what appeared to be white paper.
Ben knelt down, picked up one of the white scraps and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger. Then he brought it to his nose and sniffed. After that, he broke off a piece of charred grass and studied that.
He turned to us, gesturing to the white stuff. "These are torn orkyda petals." Then he gestured to the charcoaled grass. "What are the odds these scorch marks are from dragon fire?"
"Probably 100 percent," I muttered.
"That's what I'm afraid of," he admitted. "I have a feeling that if the alicorn were to attempt crossing that barrier, it would combust. It must've sensed danger in the air or something, that's why it instinctually knew not to cross the threshold."
"So let's dig it out," Dan suggested. "Get rid of the dragon fire and the petals. Give the damn thing at least a three foot berth and—"
"And what?" Cal interrupted. "Let it free? The Storm King will just capture it again and hold it hostage in another location we don't find right away. It could be trapped for months before we find it again."
"Or," I argued on behalf of the beast, "it can escape and live its life in peace, free from the Storm King and all of humanity that would use its magical dust for evil."
"Assuming it didn't get caught," Cal stressed, eyeing me sternly. "Which isn't a solid assumption, considering it's one of the last of its kind and it still got caught."
I glared at him. "It still deserves a chance. What would you propose? Rescuing it from one cage and putting it in another? That's not a rescue; it's a transfer. We're better than him. Let's prove it."
Cal stared at me for a long moment. They all did. But soon they all came to the same conclusion: that I was right.
"Fine," Cal admitted. "We'll free the alicorn. But if it gets caught another time and we have to free it again, then we're going to do things my way—transferring it for a time, yes, but not permanently. Once we find a safe and suitable place to relocate it, we'll most definitely do so."
"Fine," I agreed. "But for now, let's let the poor thing try to make it on its own."
Dan and Criss immediately got to work, using nearby rocks to dig out chunks of soil where the grass was charred. Once all signs of orkyda blossom and dragon fire were gone, we backed away and waited silently behind some trees.
The alicorn snorted and stomped its golden hooves. When we didn't move closer—or at all, really—it trotted over to the gap we'd dug in the barrier. It sniffed, as if testing the air for some sort of magical current. The next second, it lurched forward, crossing the threshold in an instant before spreading its wings and flying into the midnight sky. The fact that it could fly away now that the barrier had been removed, proved to me that someone had placed the creature there intentionally and probably by force.
My heart swelled as I watched it until it disappeared into the night. The Storm King had no doubt already collected dust from it, so the threat of explosions was still very real. But we'd saved an innocent creature's life. That had to count for something.
"We did the right thing," Dan decided, placing his dirty hands on his hips.
Ben nodded. "Now, I'm just wondering where the dragons are."
And, of course, he was totally right. If alicorns were still alive, then we had no choice but to believe dragons were as well.
"We'll find them," I assured my Sand Prince with a confident smile. "One way or another."
"I hope you're right, Sailor."
Rob chuckled. "If light
ning bolts are anything like dragon fire, then we should put Criss in charge of finding them."
Cal turned to Rob and raised a brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
It was difficult to tell in the moonlight, but it seemed as if Criss's cheeks had flushed.
"Ask the ladies’ man, over there," Rob replied, jabbing a thumb toward Criss, who at that point, I was certain was blushing.
"I'm not a ladies’ man," he assured us bashfully.
For some reason, my stomach twisted into a knot. "What happened, Rob?"
"Poor bastard was just trying to finish his sandcastle," Rob began with a shit-eating grin, "kept getting interrupted by hot girls. Every time one of them got brave enough to touch his arm or his leg—bam!—they got zapped away by a bolt of fucking lightning. It was hilarious."
I turned to Criss and did my best to keep my jealousy in check. This was stupid. He wasn't even one of my guys. Not yet, anyway. So, why was I feeling so possessive of him? "Is this true?"
His mouth opened and closed a few times before any words fell out. "Yes? I wasn't flirting or anything. I wasn't checking anybody out. I didn't ask for them to approach me. It just sort of... happened."
I looked at him—for real—for the first time in... well, ever.
His buzzed light brown hair lent him an edge of daring. Beneath that, he had beautiful hazel eyes—a swirling mixture of green, blue, brown, and gold—and a set of dimples cute enough to keep my lick-happy tongue busy for days.
He wore a pale blue dress shirt that was only half buttoned up, allowing some of his chest hair to show, and his sleeves were rolled up to the elbow, showcasing his biceps. Actually, the whole thing was tight enough to showcase every rippling muscle in his body.
At his hips, everything narrowed beneath his shirt into what I recalled seeing was a serious "V." The lines of his abdominals were cut deep, drawing my gaze down to the outline of his dick as it rested underneath his khaki shorts.
I swallowed hard, wondering what it'd be like to let him touch me. To slip his tongue into my mouth, run his hands up my sides, and sink his cock between my thighs. Heat rose to life within me, and my gaze darkened.
I was surprised to find that I wanted him. That my imaginings weren't just born of curiosity; that they were also filled with excitement and longing. The revelation was confusing, though. I didn’t know if it was okay for me to want him or to be feeling any of those things.
All of this happened within seconds, so before anyone could somehow read my mind or pick up on my mood, I quickly changed the subject. "I'm tired."
Cal nodded. "It's been a long day."
"And it'll be another long one tomorrow," Dan promised us. "Hopefully it'll be the last day we're stuck yanking orkydas from the ground, though. We have other shit to worry about."
"I wonder if any letters will come back early?" Ben pondered aloud, which set Cal off.
"Criss," he began, sounding excited at the prospect of politics and business. "What'd you come up with today?"
Criss, who hadn't been nearly as unobservant as the rest, fought hard to drag his gaze away from mine. I had a feeling he knew exactly what I'd been imagining, and that he'd been imagining it too. In some fucked-up world, on some alternate plane, we were probably mind fucking each other. "A lot of things," he replied, before glancing back at me.
I couldn't help it, my lips parted as I once again thought about kissing him right there in front of everyone. It was a feral urge, one that was hard to deny, but I managed. Barely.
Criss swallowed hard and concentrated on not looking at me.
I wasn't sure whether to be thankful or pissed off.
Cal and Criss walked back through the woods toward the chateau as they discussed our various options. Dan and Rob exchanged a bored eye roll but followed after them. Ben and I, on the other hand, exchanged a smile.
"You want to grab a drink?" he asked me, tucking his hands into his shorts’ pockets. "I know it's late, but there's a pretty sweet beachside bar at the cove if you're interested."
I glanced up at the moon, trying to gauge what time it might've been. The sun hadn't set that long ago. And honestly? A drink sounded wonderful. I turned back to Ben and grinned. "I suppose it is still your date..."
He bit his bottom lip almost shyly. "I'm sure Cal won't mind if we go without him."
I laughed. "Cal's the one who left without us!"
This time Ben laughed, throwing an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close as we brought up the end of the line. When everyone else veered up the cliffside stairs toward the chateau, Ben and I carried on straight, walking until the sandstone streets became a boardwalk and the boardwalk became a sandy beach.
Ahead, lights, which were suspended in the air by nothing at all, twinkled like stars. In fact, they looked like stars—stars that had fallen from the sky and decided they had nothing better to do than illuminate a local outdoor bar.
"Faerie lights," Ben whispered in my ear, giving me goosies. "Rumor has it, the owner traded a fae something terribly valuable in exchange for them."
"What did he trade?"
Ben shrugged. "No one knows."
I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. I wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or teasing me.
Ben pulled out a tall chair and gestured for me to sit at the bar; then he hopped onto the stool right beside mine. With a wave of his hand, he flagged down the bartender.
Music swam through the air like an eel, curling back and forth between the customers who were either drinking or dancing or both. My foot tapped to the alluring beat, and my hips and shoulders swayed.
"What can I get ya?" the bartender asked us, focusing way more on me than Ben. He was young and handsome with dark hair and shadowed stubble, but he wasn't one of my Storms, so the attraction wasn't there.
Ben smirked, eyeing the poor bartender with sympathy as he pined over me. "Ladies first."
"I'll take something fruity," I decided. "And strong."
The man smiled, a blush touching his cheeks before he turned to Ben and his smile faded. "And you?"
"A whiskey on the rocks."
The bartender nodded. "Coming right up."
"Hold on," I said, stopping him before he could rush off. "Are you the owner of this place?"
"Sure am," he replied with a nod.
I leaned forward and pointed to a faerie light before crossing my arms. "How'd you get those?"
He chuckled as he grabbed a glass and wiped it out with a white towel. "Ah, the faerie story has been making its rounds again, I see."
I glanced at Ben then back at the tender. "So it's not true?"
"No, it is. It's just sometimes the tale is popular and other times it fades out."
I waited patiently, not to be deterred.
He cleared his throat. "I traded a fae for them. He was a travelling type, stopped by before setting sail. I had a few nautical trinkets decorating the place, but one of the pearls in particular took his interest. He asked for the pearl in exchange for the lights, and since the pearl was a worthless decoration to me, I accepted."
I nodded my agreement. As an ex-jewel miner, I was a little biased. Pearls were worse than rocks, nothing precious about them. "So, you didn't have to trade something terribly valuable after all."
The tender chuckled and set the dry glass down on a shelf behind him. "I wouldn't say that. It was nothing to me, but to the fae, it was valuable. He said it'd fetch a pretty price in Hydratica, but I couldn't care less. The very next day another pearl washed in, and I replaced it."
He pointed to a wooden sign hanging above the bar. It read: The Salted Pearl. In the top right corner, a dip had been carved in the wood to allow a small sphere to sit. Inside the dip was a champagne-colored pearl.
I grinned and cocked my head. "I'm curious, what did the original pearl look like?"
"It was about the same size as that one. A strange color, though. Pale like a pearl, but with hints of lavender, or lilac, or maybe even periwinkle." He nodded
to himself. "It was pretty, but surely not worth more than a few extra coins. I was lucky to get the faerie lights in exchange."
"You certainly were," I agreed.
He smiled and backed away. "I'll be back with your drinks in just a moment."
When he left, I turned to Ben who was staring at me in curiosity. I leaned closer to him. "What are the odds of that pearl being the Eye of the Sea?"
Ben's eyes went wide. "What?"
"Think about it. Why else would a common pearl be valuable enough to trade for magical faerie lights? No one else in Blackwood has these, at least, not that I've seen. They must be rare, and why would a fae trade something rare if not for something rare in return?"
Ben's eyes darted from side to side as he worked out my suspicions like a math equation in his brain. "If the fae did as the bar owner says, and he took the pearl to Hydratica to sell, then the Storm King is right—the Eye really is located in enemy territory."
I nodded.
"Fuck."
"Yeah," I agreed. "Fuck."
Chapter 18
The next morning, we finished ridding Ebony City of orkyda blossoms.
Reesa and I had scanned every corner of the eastern side, and by lunchtime, we'd deposited the last few cartloads in the courtyard.
The night before, while Ben and I were learning about the Eye of the Sea, Dan and the others had burned the previous day's haul. Apparently the flowers burned sickly sweet, so I was almost glad I'd missed it. I didn't need anything putting me off of my sweets, now did I?
Ugh. Sweets...
My heart squeezed and sadness tore through my chest like jagged lines of black lightning, filling me with darkness and fear. I'd been trying so fucking hard not to think about him, not to worry about him, but Asher's handsome face immediately invaded my mind as soon as I'd thought of the word.
His warm smile captivated me, followed by the intensity of his amber eyes framed in dark lashes. I'd long ago memorized every detail of his features, and I yearned to trace them now, to feel his skin beneath my fingertips.
Storm Chaser (Storms of Blackwood Book 3) Page 14