A warmth gathered in his heart, lingering as he watched her pack a few items in a small bag. She paused at the tent flaps before she left, but there was nothing left to say. Instead, they nodded to each other, a leader to a leader, a friend to a friend, understanding passing between them. Then she was on her way.
By the time Helen came running through the same opening, he was already bent over his desk, fingers covered in black ink as he hastily drafted a letter to Queen Zara, requesting an update.
“The queen! She’s gone!”
“I know,” he said simply, glancing up from the paper. “And she won’t be coming back.”
“But the isles, and the magic, and everything she told us—”
“Sit, Helen.”
Xander kicked the chair to his left and it slid toward his captain of the guards. She eyed it, her expression torn between concern and control. If this was how she reacted, he certainly had his work cut out for him. But Lyana believed in him, and so did Cassi, and so did Rafe—maybe it was time he started believing in himself too.
Oh, there was doubt and worry and fear, but instead of pushing it away, instead of funneling it into his invisible fist to fester and grow, Xander embraced the uncertainty. He embraced the challenge. He let it fill him until all that was left was the burning desire to prove his every insecurity wrong, to show the world exactly what a raven king could do.
“You’ve been my top advisor ever since I came of age,” he said, authority oozing from his tone. “And I need you to keep it together for me now. The prophecy has pulled Lyana away, which means it behooves us to convince the remaining houses to prepare for the worst. Our entire way of life is on the brink of extinction. If there was ever a battle we needed to win, this is it. So…” He motioned to the chair with his chin. “Have a seat, take a breath, and help me figure out a plan.”
30
Lyana
In all Lyana’s years spent wondering what the edge of her house might hold, she never imagined finding a seafaring ship buried among the snow. Though the crew had done their best to camouflage the wood, in the soft light of dusk shadows crawled across the barren landscape, leaving the mast and nets to stretch like fingers upon the ice. Bits of glass caught the sun, reflecting brilliant gold against the darkening gray. Beside her, her army gasped, though Lyana suspected their awe might be directed more toward the shoots of glitter spiraling into the air behind the hidden courtyard and less toward the ship. Magic lit the skies of the House of Peace, a sight she’d been sure she’d never see.
The very thought made her smile.
Or maybe it was the series of crystal domes gleaming beneath the sunset that made her chest feel warm despite the cold.
She was home.
“Follow me.”
Lyana landed with grace and marched confidently across the frozen ground, her mages following, their spirits thrumming with interest. She remembered the way inside from her last time at the guest quarters, and she slipped around the wall with no problem. A circle of wingless mages waited in the center courtyard, all their focus split between a woman with auburn hair whose palm simmered with crackling flames and a second woman with rosy cheeks who oozed tendrils of darkness.
Lyana held out her hand and her army paused. They hovered in the shadows of a crystal building, waiting and watching. Like the others, she was curious to know what would happen next. Unlike the others, she recognized a magic duel when she saw one.
The pyro’kine acted first.
Flames blazed across the sky, shooting toward the umbra’kine with deadly precision. For her part, the blonde mage dove, limber and quick. Shadow shot from her palm as she rolled across the snow. The onyx coils wrapped around the fire mage’s head, blocking her sight. The flames blazed brighter, dropping toward the ground, trained on a spot in the center of the circle that clearly held meaning. The shadow mage cursed and bit her lip. Another blast of fire flared across the circle.
“Hey!” a third woman said, blue simmering at her fingertips as she pulled at the snow. The frozen fractals turned to liquid as they rose to shield against the blaze. “Watch out!”
The fire mage shrugged, still blinded by darkness. “Sorry.”
While they spoke, the umbra’kine crept around the outer edge of the circle. One of the men elbowed another as she tiptoed behind them, a grin on his lips.
“Shadow,” the fire mage muttered, caution in her tone as she braced her legs. “I know what you’re doing.”
The blonde woman just grinned.
“Shadow—”
She lunged, catching the pyro’kine around the midsection as she tackled her to the ground. Fire exploded in a bulbous cloud that was quickly swallowed by darkness. The entire courtyard went black, the sky and ground disappearing as an onyx wave shrouded the light. As quickly as it came, it was gone.
The umbra’kine sat in the center of the circle with a smug smile on her lips as she tossed a pair of dice in the air. “I win.”
The fire mage slammed her fists into the ground, the ice immediately turning to a puddle upon impact. She grumbled something unintelligible as she jumped to her feet, but smiled when another woman bumped her hip, her magic a soft lavender as it crackled like lightning between her fingers. They whispered to each other. The redhead laughed, a loud, throaty sound.
A mix of jealousy and joy twisted Lyana’s stomach. These mages were perfectly at ease. They were comfortable with each other and their magic in a way the birds around her would never be. But that was why they were here—to learn, not just how to use their power, but how to accept it as well.
She cleared her throat and emerged from her hiding spot. A few of the mages spared a moment to glance in her direction, but it was the shout from the other end of the courtyard that left them jumping to attention.
“Is that how you greet a queen?”
Lyana guessed the owner of that sharp voice before she rounded the corner, her single hawk’s wing on full display. If there was any doubt, her expression washed it away. Though her skin had weathered from a lifetime spent on the sea, her icy eyes were just as cunning as her daughter’s, the resemblance between them undeniable.
“Well?” Captain Rokaro crossed her arms, staring down her nose at her crew. “Look alive!”
At her bidding, the mages scrambled, hastily falling into a single-file line as they offered a mix of haphazard bows and curtsies. Lyana folded her lips between her teeth, fighting the urge to laugh. Captain Rokaro didn’t bother. A derisive snarl blew through her lips, the sound somehow affectionate, regardless. In the world above, their attempts were pathetic, but a life spent chasing dragons hardly prepared one for a royal audience. To be honest, Lyana preferred their informal greeting. It had been nice to be treated the same as anyone else for a moment.
“Thank you, Captain.” She stepped forward, trying to hide her sigh. “I hope Rafe mentioned I’d be coming.”
“He did.”
“And he told you why?”
“He did.”
Lyana swallowed, feeling more like a child than she had in weeks. Cassi had warned that her mother could be tough, but the captain oozed authority in a way that was almost unnerving. It was enviable. “Excellent. I’ve been putting together an army—”
A loud snort made her stop short. Lyana’s brows drew together as she located the source of the noise. The petite woman was familiar, her face round and her ebony hair cut short, her milky eyes aimed at the sky as though looking away might prevent her from being seen.
“I know you.”
The mage winced.
“You were in my room in Da’Kin,” Lyana continued, piecing together the memory. All the mages in the line leaned forward to peer at their friend, amusement flaring. “You said you were a servant. You pulled on my feathers.”
“I don’t think that was me,” the woman muttered as she scratched at the back of her neck, looking everywhere but at Lyana. “I have a very common face.”
The man to her left, his hair a mix of
gray and black, lifted his fist to his mouth to stifle his laugh. The woman elbowed him in the gut. Lyana simply stepped closer.
“You were asking me all sorts of questions, about my life, about—” Her eyes widened as realization hit. The woman had been asking if there was anyone she missed from her world, someone special she might care about. She’d been asking about Rafe, but Lyana had answered with Xander’s name, and the next thing she’d known, the mage had vanished. Her heart immediately softened. “You’re friends with Rafe.”
“It depends who you ask,” the same man from before interjected. Pine-green magic simmered around his fingertips, identifying him as a ferro’kine. “Rafe would probably call her a thorn in his side.”
The woman made a face.
“Ah, then they must be great friends,” Lyana teased, liking these people already. “Rafe only reserves that term of endearment for his favorite people. I should know—I’ve been called the same.”
“Her name is Brighty,” Captain Rokaro interjected. “And she’s a pain in all of our asses. What were you saying about an army?”
“Well…” Lyana swallowed, glancing at the mages behind her. Their expressions were uncertain, their souls wary yet tinged with the slightest bit of interest. “We’re not much right now, but it’s a start. All of these people have magic, and I was hoping you could teach them how to use it.”
The captain’s gaze cut to her companions, the feathers on her single wing ruffling, as though brushed by an invisible wind. Shadows marred pale eyes haunted by dark memories. Lyana remembered the rumors. Mages in the House of Prey weren’t killed outright but tossed over the side of their isle while still alive. Whatever had happened to the captain, it hadn’t been good. And it was a fate her companions well understood.
“I’m trying to put an end to the executions,” she said softly, drawing the captain’s attention. “And in the meantime, I’m rescuing everyone I can. All these people want is to learn how to use their power, an incredible, innate part of themselves they’ve always been forbidden from exploring.”
The captain swallowed, then sighed, the tension in her back releasing as her wing dipped. “I suppose we have nothing better to do. How about some introductions, and you—” She spun, staring at her crew, taking the time to look every single one of them in the eye. “No games of dice until I say they’re ready.”
A collective groan filled the air.
“I mean it. You’re a bunch of thieves and cheats, and I won’t have these people taken advantage of, understood?”
No one even tried to deny it. As one, they grumbled, “Fine.”
“Good. Let’s start with you.” Captain Rokaro pointed to the raven at Lyana’s left. “Name and type of magic.”
“Amara,” she said, nervously shifting her feet. “And I can grow plants.”
“You’re an agro’kine. You’ll partner up with Leech. What about you?”
Down the line they went, with the captain dividing Lyana’s army among her crew. By the time they were done, voices filled the courtyard, some eager and some sarcastic, but the sight of burgeoning magic still filled Lyana with a joy she’d never known. The future she was working so hard for was here. It was happening right before her eyes. People from two different worlds, working together, finding common ground.
Maybe this wasn’t hopeless.
They were all mages, so not everyone would be this simple, but hope sparked deep in her chest. If she could find a way to close the rift and defeat the monsters, maybe she could also stop a war between two cultures so vastly different she never imagined they might find a way to live together until now.
While they practiced and mingled, Lyana stepped around the perimeter of the courtyard, making for the photo’kine all alone in the corner, her arms tucked tightly around her chest as she shivered quietly in the cold.
“Brighty.”
The mage offered a sidelong glance. “You want to know where he is?”
“I do. Please.”
“Stupid idiot,” she grumbled, though the sadness in her tone was unmistakable.
Sympathy simmered across the girl’s spirit, revealing the warm heart she tried to hide. They were close, clearly. To Lyana’s surprise, no jealousy tightened her stomach. Instead, she was grateful he’d had someone to confide in all these weeks they’d been apart. He deserved loyalty. He deserved a friend.
The photo’kine kicked at the dirt, then continued, “He was worried they’d take one look at his wings and run. I told him good riddance, and we didn’t need people like that around anyway. He, of course, muttered that I didn’t understand. But what’s to understand? It’s not like he did that to himself. And if he is the King Born in Fire, it was bound to happen anyway. I just—”
She cut herself short, wrinkling her nose as she cast a hard look at the birds filling the courtyard around her, tentatively using their magic.
Lyana put a hand on her arm.
“Give them time,” she murmured. Rafe had been right. Brighty didn’t understand, but it wasn’t her fault. No one from the world below would understand the hold their gods had over her people or their deep-set fear of Vesevios. As much as it pained Lyana to admit, he’d been right to hide, at least for this first day. “Where is he?”
“A room at the back of that building. He said you’d know which one.”
Lyana followed the path of Brighty’s finger to the crystal building across the way, the largest and most prominent one, meant to house the royal family. She’d spent a single night in those halls, every moment burned in her memory. She knew exactly where he was.
“Thank you.”
Her heart pounded as she made her way across the courtyard and inside the crystal building, same as it had all those months before. Back then, the halls had been dark and quiet, the hour late and the night still. Their meeting had been illicit, a stolen exchange between two lost souls. She’d cursed at him for lying. He’d coldly cast her out. Both their actions were a cover for the truth—that their hearts were aching.
For some reason, despite the soft light of sunset streaming through the windows and the new roles they’d come to play, this moment felt just as forbidden.
Was he her king or simply her protector?
Had fate drawn them together or was a darker force at work?
Would their love save the world or doom it?
Lyana swallowed her fears and knocked. “Rafe? It’s me.”
Footsteps padded softly across a rug. He paused on the other side of the door, long enough she could almost hear the deep breath he must have drawn into his lungs and the heavy sigh as he let it slowly out. A second later, the knob turned, and he welcomed her inside.
31
Rafe
“You found me,” Rafe murmured as Lyana swept into the room.
As always, the sight of her stole his breath away, making his chest burn with both pleasure and pain. She tossed him a look over her shoulder, her eyes gleaming mischievously above the edge of her ivory wing.
“Brighty ratted you out.”
He snorted. “Of course she did.”
“I’m sorry you felt the need to hide.”
“Don’t be.” He shrugged, stepping farther into the room, pulled toward her by something outside of his control. “It’s hardly the first time my presence could be classified as unwanted.”
“Rafe,” she chided in a whisper as she ran her fingers along the back of a chair. Her gaze swept across the room, pausing momentarily on his bed before snapping to the window. Yet no argument came, because they both knew the truth. Today the sight of his wings would have done far more harm than good. Lyana sighed. A shiver ran visibly down her spine, rippling her wings as she hugged herself.
“Are you cold?” He hadn’t felt a chill in weeks. In fact, he’d forgotten what it felt like to live without fire running through his veins.
“No.” She spun to him with soft laughter on her lips. “No. I guess I just— It’s strange to be back here, in these rooms, with you…
”
“Ahh.” His mouth quirked into a lopsided grin. “You mean talking and not fighting?”
“I’ve been told I can be unreasonably demanding.”
“I’ve been told I can be irrationally stubborn.”
“By who? No, wait. Let me guess.”
As one, they said, “Xander.”
Strange how for the first time in her presence, the thought of his brother didn’t sting. Instead, laughter simmered at the back of his throat, only slightly bittersweet. “I believe you stormed in demanding to know my real name.”
“And I don’t think I ever got the true answer to my question.”
She hadn’t.
At the time, he’d been afraid that if he gave her even one more piece of himself, he’d never get it back. Little did he realize he was already too far gone. Now, the thought was almost freeing. He loved her. No matter what he did, he couldn’t stop loving her. So why fight it? The truth didn’t scare him anymore. He’d follow her to the end of the world, if that’s where they were headed. She need only point the way.
“It’s Aleksander.”
She drew her brows in. “What?”
“My name. My real name. It’s Aleksander Ravenson.”
“Aleksander,” she murmured. The flames reflected in her eyes brightened as a tremor ran through him. They were standing so close their thighs nearly touched. He didn’t remember moving toward her, but he must have, or she to him, drawn together by an innate yearning he no longer cared to stifle. “I like it.”
“I don’t.”
It reminded him too much of his father, a man he both loved and loathed, depending on which person he remembered—the crownless falcon who’d spun him and his mother about their modest room at the very base of the castle, or the king who’d turned his back on his vows and the heir who’d loved him.
“Aleksander,” Lyana whispered again, her voice seductive, making him want to forget the world and everyone in it. She lifted her hand, fingers skimming his chest until they found the bare skin of his throat, then sliding into his hair, her touch tingling with magic. The ache in his soul eased, as it always did when she was near, from her power or simply from her presence, he wasn’t sure. In truth, he didn’t care.
The Dragon and the Queen (The Raven and the Dove Book 3) Page 23