Page 14

Chapter Fourteen

T he fae guards advanced in a tight, deadly circle around us, their mouths turned down into snarls. My heartbeat thudded in my ears, but before I could fully grasp the situation, Caelum shoved me behind him. The enchanted sword glinted in his hands, and he swung it, its shimmering edge cutting through the air and sending waves of magic rippling outward. The fae recoiled from the blade, faltering under its force.

“How did you know to take that one?” I stammered behind him.

“I didn’t know what it could do ,” he huffed back, holding his ground. “I just thought I’d look cool holding it.”

This was an impossible battle to win, but Caelum fought with a focus I hadn’t expected, each swing causing a new magical wave to engulf the guards, sending them pinwheeling through the air or slamming to the ground. Still, for every guard he drove off, two more slipped in, and I could see the strain in his shoulders as he swung, each movement a little slower, his breath coming in ragged bursts.

“Any ideas, Tempest?” Caelum yelled as a few arrows whizzed by us.

I growled, reaching inward, searching for that spark, that elusive well of magic the fae kept telling me I was made of. My fingers tingled as I strained for it, calling on it with every ounce of will I had. But the magic was distant, slippery, like trying to grasp smoke with bare hands. It was nothing like when I pulled lightning from the sky or even when I’d managed to redirect the waterfall the night before.

It needed to be closer . I could do nothing without the magic source nearby.

“Come on , Eedy,” I muttered to myself, feeling a wave of panic rise as I watched Caelum narrowly dodge a fae’s blade who’d made it past the waves. “You must do something .”

But the magic remained stubbornly out of reach, flickering just beyond my grasp, a river running through my fingers. Frustration and fear twisted inside me as I tried to focus, but my storm of emotions made my thoughts too chaotic.

While I ground my fingers into the dirt in desperation, a tall fae with fiery hair and eyes like burning coals stepped forward, his hand raised. A ball of flames grew in his palm, crackling and twisting as he molded it with precision, his furious gaze fixed on the prince and me.

My eyes widened as the fae took aim, the blazing orb swelling. “Caelum, move!”

The fireball hurled directly toward us, and in a heartbeat, Caelum turned and pulled me into his arms, his body shielding me from the oncoming blast. The world slowed, his eyes brimming with fear, finding mine before the flames struck him square in the back, the searing heat flaring up with an intensity that stole my breath.

He fell forward with a strangled gasp, his weight pressing into me as he crumpled. I caught him as best I could, sinking to my knees as he sagged against me. The acrid scent of burned flesh filled the air, my hands already slipping over blood and charred fabric as I held onto him.

“Caelum?” I screamed, shaking him. His eyes bulged, his mouth twisting in pain.

The fae closed in, cruel laughter echoing all around us. King Thalion pushed through the crowd with a haughty smile, picking up the stolen blade and sheathing it at his side. “It seems your soft heart has cost you, princeling.”

I gritted my teeth, swallowing back my fear as I clutched Caelum closer. “Fine, you win,” I said, my voice cold. “I’ll stay in Velarune, but only if you heal him. Let him return to Eyre.”

The king scoffed, folding his arms across his wide chest. “That’s not how this works, mage . He challenged the deal, and he lost. I do not have sympathy for losers.”

My heart was like a frightened bird, thrashing itself against my chest. “At least give me a few moments alone with him then.” I glared up at the king. “Please.”

Thalion shrugged indifferently, waving a hand to dismiss his guards.

He did not leave with them. Instead, he knelt next to us, and a stench of cold steel and wet earth overcame me. He grabbed me by the chin roughly, forcing me to stare at his smooth, stony face that no doubt matched his heart. “To ensure your time here begins smoothly and without any disruption on your part, I’ll allow you ten minutes with your reckless prince. When those ten minutes are up, forget you ever met him.” He bent lower to whisper in my ear. “Mortals do not deserve our tears.”

Then he stood and sauntered out of the grove after his guards.

Caelum’s breathing was shallow, each intake strained, and I could feel my own heartbeat in my throat. “Stay with me, Caelum,” I whispered, brushing a hand over his damp golden hair. “Please, just hold on.”

“Someone wise once told me I should never think I could outwit the fae,” he muttered, his voice barely audible. He swallowed hard, and it seemed to take all his strength. “I should have listened.”

His words sent a pang through my chest, and I had to look away, forcing back the tears that threatened to spill over. “You’re going to be fine.” My voice broke around my hollow words. “We’ll get you out of here.”

But it was a lie, and I knew it. There was no way out of this. All I had left were a few minutes to say goodbye.

One of his hands stuttered toward me. I grasped it, blinking back tears.

“It’s okay, Eedy,” he whispered, the lightness in his eyes fading. “At least, in the end, I’m not alone.”

I squeezed his one hand in both of mine, curling in on myself in the mud on the ground, unsure of how I’d survive the pain crawling through me.

A faint shadow stirred to my left then, and I braced myself for an attack only to see the old fae who had cut us, the one who had first called me mage .

Solimir.

He observed us with a calm curiosity.

“Don’t touch him,” I growled, shifting my body in front of Caelum as much as possible.

The old fae nodded, his expression grave. “I am not here to kill him a second time, mage . He will be dead soon enough.”

A tear finally slipped through my resolve at Solimir’s blunt observation. “Then leave us in peace for these last remaining moments,” I said, my voice shuddering under all the emotions coursing through me.

He grunted, circling us like a vulture waiting for its prey to die.

Eventually, he knelt next to me, his milky eyes set on mine. “I am not one to challenge the king openly, but magic has claimed you, and I would not be on the wrong side of it when the magic of this world changes hands. It is all connected.”

I swiped tears from my cheeks. “Does that mean you’re going to help me?” I whispered, afraid to speak any louder and shatter whatever spell this fae seemed to be under when it came to me.

He examined the prince’s wounds with a dispassionate eye. “He won’t last long, mage . These wounds will keep spreading, eating away at him. He has until nightfall, at best, and I cannot heal. You should leave him.”

“Just help me get him out of here then,” I pleaded, ignoring his suggestion. “I don’t care how much time he has. I just...”

My chin trembled. My chest burned.

But maybe I did care. Maybe I cared very much about the time he had left.

The fae’s eyes flicked between us before he nodded, his face solemn. “Very well.”

Solimir took an extra cloak and blanket from the other horse to wrap around Caelum. Then, together, we managed to lift the prince onto my horse, his weight sagging limply as I climbed up behind him, steadying his unconscious form against my chest.

The old fae pressed a hand to Sorsha’s flank, murmuring an incantation that left a faint glow along her hide. “This will carry you faster than any normal horse for a short time. Ride hard, and do not look back.”

I glanced down at Solimir, my heart a twisted mess of gratitude. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“I do not do this for you, mage , but to stay in the favor of magic. It requires balance. If it gives something to you, know that it will eventually need it back.” He paused, his stare boring into me. “This is our tip in the scales for when we claim it all. The debt is paid.”

The old fae gave a slight nod, stepping back. I spurred Sorsha forward, and we bolted, racing away from the darkened grove and back toward the border of Eyre.

Not long after, angry shouts and thundering booms sounded from behind me, but I followed Solimir’s advice, and I did not look back. Caelum’s shallow breaths were warm against my hands as I held tightly to the reins, though his body was unnervingly still as I clung to him, urging my horse faster. I was desperate to outrun the dread that rose inside of me when I realized I might be the sole witness to the prince of Eyre’s very last heartbeat.