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Chapter fifteen

HYACINTH

It had been twenty-four hours since we arrived in Ithia and the elders still hadn’t called on us.

My skin was beginning to buzz, as if a needle were pricking every one of my nerve endings with each hour that passed as we waited.

The longer I thought about the likelihood of them not agreeing to our plans and the fact that Dukovich had been roaming free in Ammord for a full day, the tighter my stomach coiled.

Andrues sat on the grass yards from me, nestled under a tree with his legs outstretched and ankles crossed, casually flipping through the pages of his book.

Landers stood next to him, his back leaning against the large trunk, watching me as I paced back and forth in the open, grassy knoll of the cliff’s edge.

This was beginning to feel like a waste of time. I could be training, could be reading in the archives, searching for more information on the Fallen Ones. I groaned into the air as I stopped my pacing and turned to face Landers and Andrues.

“Is this normal? Do they normally make you wait this long when you come?” I questioned, growing more annoyed by the minute. I pushed a curl behind my ear, walking toward them and watched as Landers smirked at my impatience.

“When the elders are involved, it does tend to take longer to be called to council,” Andrues answered, snapping his book shut and pushing himself from the grass.

I took a step toward Landers and he wrapped his arms around my waist as I looked up at him, placing a kiss on the tip of my nose.

“Patience, Darkness. They will call,” Landers said softly, his eyes glittering down at me with amusement.

“Well,” I started as I pulled from his embrace, my fingers dragging down his chest. “If it’s going to be awhile, I need to do something to get this energy out of me. My nerves are going into overdrive.”

“How can we be of service, Hyacinth?” Landers deadpanned with a mock bow. I rolled my eyes and a soft chuckle left Andrues’s lips as I glanced toward the cliff.

A grin spread across my face as I slowly looked back at them and folded my arms across my chest.

“How about a little cliff diving?” I asked, my smile growing wider as I backed toward the ledge.

Andrues shook his head at me with a knowing smile as Landers took a small step forward.

“Hyacinth . . .” Landers said, his tone telling me he did not approve. I gestured my head toward Andrues, and with a few quick steps, he was by my side.

“Andrues,” Landers snapped, his tone sharp with warning as Andrues turned to face him, both of us still inching closer to the edge.

Andrues shrugged, a grin now plastered onto his face as he responded. “When was the last time we had some real fun?” He raised a brow as he spread his arms out to each side. “Live a little, brother.”

Landers groaned, watching as the heel of my boot slid to the very edge of the grass, nothing but open air behind me.

“I promise , I will catch you,” I said, my smile deepening as I placed my hand over my heart then leaned back and fell from the cliff.

A shriek of joy flew from my lungs, adrenaline racing through my veins as Andrues and I plummeted down the mountain side, his laugh echoing into the air around me. My eyes snapped open to see Landers taking the jump, finally flinging himself from the ledge to join us.

Shadows flowed from my limbs, creating a canopy under Andrues and me to slow our fall—to give Landers time to catch us. I reached my hand up to him, stretching my fingers out to his as Nithra appeared from the clouds beneath us.

Our bodies collided with her spine and I wrapped my shadows around our waists to hold us in place as she took a sharp turn upward. Andrues flung his arms out and hollered into the sky as the wind ripped through his hair. I had never seen him look so free, look so . . . blissful.

Landers’s arms wrapped around my waist and I could feel the stiffness in the muscles of his forearm as his warm breath flowed over my neck.

“Flying suits you,” he whispered, his voice low as his lips brushed against my ear. I leaned into him, letting my head fall back against his shoulder as I breathed him in.

“More moments like these,” I whispered into the curve of his neck, my lips grazing his skin before letting my gaze drift up to his. “When this is all over, promise me that we can have more moments like this.”

His eyes pierced into mine, so much love and devotion swirling in their depths as he smiled softly down at me.

“As you wish, Darkness. As you wish.” The words were gentle as he said them but there was something in his tone, some uncertainty that I could not place.

And as his lips connected with my forehead, fear clamped around my heart.

Nithra pulled us back to the grassy knoll, her talons digging into the earth as Andrues slid from her back, his hand trailing against her scales lovingly as she nuzzled her snout against him. The bond they had was beautiful. Outside of myself, he was the only one she showed any affection toward.

Landers jumped from her spine, his hand supporting mine as I dismounted beside him. I watched as he dragged a hand through his wind-tousled hair, smoothing it out as he pulled me closer into his side.

“I do not know if anything will ever top that feeling,” Andrues said, the smile on his face radiating pure elation as he sauntered over to us.

“There is a first and a last time for everything,” Landers said, clearing his throat as he glanced back toward the cliff.

“Has he always been this serious?” I asked Andrues, my tone teasing as Landers scoffed down at me with a playful streak in his eyes.

“No,” Andrues started as Landers lifted a brow at him. “That was the symptom of becoming King.” He smirked over at me as Landers shook his head at him with a soft chuckle.

“Uhm . . . excuse me, your highness?” A quiet voice sounded from behind Nithra’s body.

I knew that voice.

I knew the cadence of that tone.

I rushed around Nithra and saw Cai standing there, staring wide-eyed at the dragon.

“Cai!” I shrieked, running toward her and wrapping her in my arms. A nervous sound left her lips as she reluctantly let her arms slide around me. “I have missed you,” I whispered into the raven hair that now fell past her shoulders.

I took a step away from her, finally freeing her of my embrace as she wrapped her arms around her middle. I looked at her in confusion, my eyes falling on the golden mask.

“Cai, I . . . I thought that they had removed your masks.”

Her eyes flickered from the grass up to me before she answered. “I requested that mine remain intact, so that I may never forget the land that I call home.”

The words were firm and resolute when she said them, but I could feel the nervous energy flowing from her as she spoke.

A soft smile spread onto my lips at the sound of it.

Her demeanor reminded me so much of myself, of the girl I used to be.

I knew all too well the fear that sullied the mind when you finally decided to speak up for yourself, the anxiety that came with speaking your truth when you were conditioned to live in silence.

Pride bloomed in my chest as she allowed herself to hold my gaze.

I nodded my head toward her as I reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Good for you, Cai. You should be proud of yourself.” A smile that I could not see reached her eyes as she looked at me. I didn’t have to speak it, but she understood what my words meant.

Cai cleared her throat, dipping into a small bow toward Landers as she said, “The counsel is ready for you now.”

My heart caught in my throat as the words left her mouth and I glanced toward Landers and Andrues. Both of their faces were now void of the joy we had felt only moments ago, the hard lines of their features reappearing as they dipped their heads back to her in respect.

“If you are ready, I will tether you to them.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, letting out a weighted breath as I stretched my hand out to hers. “We are ready.”

My limbs pulled against the blackness as we tethered, the feeling brushing against my tangled nerves as we traveled through the fabric of reality.

We landed atop a high mountain peak that was scattered with monks climbing and descending the worn stone pathways that led to the temples peppering the hills.

I had never been to Ithia’s House of High, and standing in front of it now, I was mesmerized by its beauty.

It stood among towering cedar trees, its wooden beams weathered by centuries of wind, rain, and sun. I stared at it in awe. It was so different from anything I had ever seen. Its roof was curved in graceful tiers and topped with bronze finials that had long since turned green with age.

“Miss?” Cai’s voice cut through my wonder.

My gaze fell back to hers to see the three of them had already stepped through the doors while I was gawking over the serene architecture.

I forced my feet to move, not wanting to leave this beautiful sight behind as I followed after them, careful not to step on the moss that crept over the stone steps that led to the entrance.

Cai held open the wooden doors carved with dragons and phoenixes and as I stepped through them the fragrant scent of incense flooded my senses. My eyes widened at the smell as my gaze shot to Landers.

It smelled like him .

Moss and woods and coffee. He looked back at me with a knowing smile and my heart swelled in my chest. I knew he had been raised in Ithia, knew that this was where he had come from, but it wasn’t until this moment that I realized how deeply ingrained this culture—this realm—was in him.

Cai led us through the large open room. Tatami mats covered the floor that seemed to have been worn smooth by generations of worshipers. We weaved through, careful not to step on them as the soft sunlight reflected off ancient statues of gods and guardians that watched over the quiet space.