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Ellie summoned her magic and pushed them down, down, down, until they were propelled through the water again, riding a current so powerful she couldn’t fight against it.

They tumbled through the freezing darkness and Ellie cradled her head with one hand. Her lungs burned, begging her to breathe. She hit another wall, then another.

Maybe this hadn’t been her best idea, but it was better than getting crushed by a city. Or maybe she’d just sealed them in a watery grave where no one would find their bodies instead.

The burning increased and just as Ellie was about to open her mouth and accept her fate, the current spit them out into still water. It took several seconds for her to discern up from down, but Ellie followed the bubbles, pushing her body faster and faster, screaming at her magic to keep them alive.

She broke the surface and gasped for air, sucking down lungful after lungful. But Ellie didn’t have time to stop. She grabbed Rion’s body and propelled them toward the edge of the lake at breakneck speeds until they were on the bank.

She dropped to her knees and pressed an ear to his chest.

A heartbeat, but he wasn’t breathing. She pressed her hands against his chest, grabbed the water in his lungs, then dragged it up and out of his mouth.

He didn’t move.

“Do not make me give you mouth to mouth,” she said and slammed her fists against his chest. No movement. Ellie did it again, then Rion gasped and rolled to one side, coughing as he sucked in breath. Ellie fell back onto the grass, resting one hand on her chest as she tried to steady her own breathing.

Water lapped against the shore and silence settled over the space as the pair laid there struggling to catch their breaths. Her eyes burned and her lungs were on fire, but she laughed anyway. “See?” she said breathlessly. “Piece of cake.”

Rion barely had the strength to lift himself onto his elbows. His arms were shaking, but he looked at her like she was the craziest being he’d ever met. “What did you do?”

Ellie waved one arm and realized she was trembling, too. “Oh, nothing special. I just found an underground current and threw us down it. Thank the gods for all the recent storms.”

His eyes widened. “And you knew that would work?”

She shrugged. “It was an educated guess.”

Rion collapsed again and started laughing, the sound deep and true. Ellie laughed with him, their breaths shaky and bodies spent, but just as she was about to comment further on their luck, a myriad of scents hit her all at once. Ellie leapt to her feet, yanking at the water in the lake behind them.

She clenched her teeth, staring down a dozen armed warriors standing atop the hill.

Chapter Ninety-four

Talon

Talon stood at Arianna’s side, watching his queen with his head half bowed. He knew the male had been changing for Arianna, but he never imagined Rion willing to sacrifice his life for the masses. Not after all the devastation Talon had seen him inflict on the battlefield.

Talon examined the amount of loose earth and sand surrounding the ruins of the once great city. He’d seen Rion’s magic before, but never to this magnitude. It gave merit to Raevina’s hurtful words before the battle. Talon shook his head. He was nothing compared to Rion’s strength. Rion was, without a doubt, the strongest male on the continent. He was indeed Arianna’s rightful mate and Alastríona’s king.

King.

And the male had fallen before anyone had ever recognized him as such.

Talon wouldn’t feel shame. He wouldn’t grieve. He had to remain strong for Arianna. He would ensure the male received proper recognition for everything he’d done. He’d erect a monument in Rion’s honor, even if he had to build it himself.

The world no longer made sense. The ancient texts. Their history. It was warped and filled with lies and false teachings.

The Fae weren’t humans. They didn’t forget their forefathers or their heroic deeds. They sang songs that stretched through the ages. They were a race that learned from their mistakes instead of repeating them.

Why then, had they believed Rion was a threat rather than royalty?

Even with Niall’s dishonorable nature, the male was only nine hundred years old. He couldn’t have been the one responsible. Not when the entire continent believed the same lie.

Talon couldn’t wrap his mind around it. He’d speak to Avalon later, and Arianna. Only when she was feeling up to it, of course.

Talon studied his friend. His queen. She just sat there with tears running down her face. Talon prayed she wouldn’t have another loss to mourn, not after Rion, but Ellie was missing, too.

He clenched his fists, feeling a lump rise in his throat. A warrior from Móirín had seen her running toward the falling city before they’d landed. The male had received a broken nose and a fractured wrist for attempting to restrain her.