Page 13 of A Song of Air (Fae Elementals #4)

“B asil, do be careful !” Corvina called out. Her son was running ahead of the group, kicking up dust and leaves, his laughter echoing through the air.

Gale chased after him, yanking her skirt up to her calves to avoid tripping. She was followed quickly by Clay, who sent Corvina a wink as he went by. The sight of her mate following and protecting her son warmed her inside and eased an ache she wasn’t aware had started to build.

“If anyone can protect the little lord, it is Clay.” Beside her, Weylyn uttered the words with a confidence that surprised her. She rarely heard Weylyn speak, much less to praise others. Despite his animosity towards the others, she didn’t doubt that he respected Clay.

She didn’t know why that made her happy.

“I know.” She smiled.

“It goes without saying,” he continued, “that if the blood letter does not treat you well, I will rip his innards from his mouth.”

She blinked at the violence of his statement, surprised at it, and if she was honest, slightly perturbed. She wondered though why the threat didn’t make her nervous. Had he been Tobias, or his brother, or King Wes, a chill would have slid down her spine at the words that were all but a promise she knew he meant to keep.

But there was a confidence in her chest that hadn’t lived there before, and she knew that Clay would never hurt her.

“I suppose I should thank you for the sentiment?” She tilted her head to the side. They’d been walking side-by-side in companionable silence for quite some time now.

“Thank me for nothing,” he said quickly. “I’ve done nothing to warrant it.”

Her palms smoothed out the front of her traveling dress. “On the contrary, you’ve been very kind to me.”

He scoffed. “If there’s one thing I am not, it is kind .” He all but sneered the word.

“I did not mean to offend you.”

“You did not.”

She felt as though she had and cringed internally. She was not very good at socializing with the others. Years of being forced to keep her feelings and opinions to herself had damaged her, and she was unsure what words were appropriate to say to others.

But Weylyn was... different from the others. And she’d already vowed to herself that she would try to find herself, her voice.

“If you don’t mind, may I ask a question?”

He nodded his assent.

“Where were you?” she asked. “When the courts fell?”

His golden eyes flashed, and for a second, she wanted to recoil away from the rising force of his rage. It was almost palpable, suffocating, like a darkness given form. She knew it had been a personal question, though she hadn’t expected such a vehement reaction.

“Awaiting my moment,” he replied darkly.

Before she could ask what moment he was referring to, his eyes flickered. His footsteps faltered. It was a brief second of immobility, the price of using his mind-reading magic. A moment later, it was gone.

“Excuse me, my lady,” he said and pushed past her. He walked like a predator, slow and prowling. As he passed by the others, they recoiled from his presence like he was something venomous they should not touch. She wondered what it made her, willing to be in his presence for such a long period of time.

While others averted their gazes, as if that could stop him from reading their minds and exposing their secrets, Corvina watched him. And because she was watching so intently, she saw when he passed a tall, purple-skinned half-Unseelie Fae with white hair and shared what seemed like a conspiratorial glance.

It was gone as soon as it came.

And just as easily pushed from her mind like it hadn’t really been there at all.

A bed of bones spread out across the landscape. The rotted corpses were hidden deep in the earth, ivory only occasionally peeking out from between foliage. But Valerio could smell it. The land was quiet, the sky darkening as though it would rain, or as if Mana was sending them an omen.

The further they traveled the more unease slid down the Seelie Prince’s spine. He could not quite place what it was. The dead bodies casually buried through the ground, their stench wafting up his nose? Or could it have been because the familiars in their presence had become even more agitated the longer they walked?

Ryker’s cat hissed from her perch on Weylyn’s shoulder, the hairs on her body standing in menace. Iona’s bear pawed at the ground, growling and whining as his eyes darted around. Looking for a threat? Sensing one close by?

When they reached a clearing near a collection of trees, yet still out in the open, Valerio lifted his hands, demanding everyone come to a stop. His eyes scanned the tree line, smelling, staring, though he found nothing. Still, it was as good a place as any to camp.

They’d need open space to keep an eye out for any intruders and the trees to hide in case soldiers came upon them.

“We will make camp here,” Valerio said.

They stared at him in question, likely wondering why they were making camp if it was still daylight,but he avoided every gaze. Valerio wanted the danger to pass. They were already deep in the kingdom of Ielwyn and he needed to speak with Shula, Iona, and Corvina.

They were unpacking their things, setting up rolls of blankets. He gestured at them, and the three Elementals made their way towards him.

“Do you sense them?” he asked.

They shared a glance between them, and for a moment he envied that connection. Envied the fact that they could sense what he could not.

“I can,” Shula said. “It’s like...” She paused, as if searching for the right word.

“Lightning beneath the skin,” Corvina supplied.

Iona nodded in agreement. “Our magic reacts when we’re close to each other. Like it wants to force its way out of our bodies.” She cracked her neck. “Makes me restless.”

“Then we will wait here,” Valerio decided. “And we will venture out to find them tomorrow.”

Corvina’s eyes strayed to the forest. “I feel them there,” she whispered. “Somewhere. I can’t pinpoint where exactly.”

Valerio nodded at the blond woman. That was all he needed to know. She was somewhere inside the forest of Ojor, which meant they were closer to their goal.

His father’s goal.

After he dismissed the three Elementals, he walked to the edge of the forest, staring within. Uric’s presence appeared next to him, silent and protective as usual.

“What are you thinking?” his friend asked, though he didn’t need to. He knew Valerio all too well.

“They’re out there,” he said.

Uric nodded, the edges of his white hair grazing his cheeks. “We are being watched.”

“Keep your magic at the ready,” Valerio replied, glaring into the forest, as if he could see the unseen enemy that was watching from a distance. “We may have need of it.”

When those watching decided not to watch anymore. When those watching decided they were sick of lying in silence.

When those watching inevitably attacked.