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niara

I awoke to a tickle of smoke against my nose. One by one, my other senses came back online. I lay on the sand, but my head rested on something more solid. I could sense light against my eyelids, and I blinked them open to find the magenta glow of dawn cresting the horizon.

Next to me were the dying embers of a fire that still produced enough warmth to cut through the early morning chill. And above me, Keeran’s face peered down. Dark eyes crinkled in a soft smile.

The events of the day before rushed back to me.

I’d been floating aimlessly on the small raft given to those sentenced to the Unmooring.

The sun’s rays beat down on me, searing my skin.

Pain wracked my body in waves. I knew I would need to ration my one day of supplies and had been taking only small sips of water from the canteen, but my shaking hands had spilled it on the boards of the raft .

Melancholy had been an anchor around my neck, making me perhaps closer to Morros than I ever had been, when I spotted something cutting through the waves swiftly toward me.

Fear trapped a scream in my throat, but I quickly recognized the tiny boat as one of ours. Then I spotted him. Keeran. His expression was one of fierce determination as he raced my way.

My scream turned into a squeal of relief.

The pain faded immediately, and I embraced him when he reached me.

He lifted me into his arms and sat me on his lap—the only way we could both fit in the small craft.

He told me of Safina’s aid and how she had stayed behind.

I worried over the consequences she would face.

As her spell had run out once he located me, Keeran had to row us to shore, which was still visible in the distance, thank Morros. We ended up here on the beach, where I collapsed. Both of us were exhausted. We split the rest of my rations, and I fell immediately into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Now, fully awake, I sat up to face Keeran. He yawned, stretching. He wore only a scrap of fabric tied around his waist—the remnants of some kind of bag. My cheeks heated. I wasn’t sure where to look; there was just so much of him.

His densely muscled chest, smooth and nearly hairless, was lightly covered with sand. Powerful thighs and thick calves begged to be admired. His wings were just a ghostly apparition of fire behind him, nearly invisible in the light.

He reached out and stroked my face gently, his expression more than just one of fondness. There was admiration there as well .

“You came for me,” I whispered.

“Of course.” He dropped his hand and averted his gaze. “There’s something I must tell you.” At his pause and body language, my nerves grew. “I had been fairly certain before, but when we were separated, it became undeniable.”

“What did?” I asked.

His eyes found mine. They were so dark, I felt lost in their depths.

“You and I are fated mates, Niara. We have begun the twining.”

I blinked, searching his face for any sign he was jesting.

“That is why it hurt so badly to be separated,” he continued. “Especially at this early stage. Even a mile is too much. It will get better within a few months, and especially after we complete the ceremony—that is, if we complete the ceremony,” he said, looking away again.

I was frozen, unsure how to respond. Of all of the stories I’d read about Ember Fae mates, none of them had included a partner who was not Fae.

“How can we be fated when I’m a Water Mage?” I finally asked, pushing the words out of a throat grown impossibly dry.

“The only theory I have is that you must have Ember Fae ancestry somewhere. You’ve been struggling with your water magic? I’ve heard it spoken of around the camp. Perhaps the water and the fire in your background have been in conflict.”

I was all too aware of how easily every other initiate to the Order took to magecraft and how difficult it had always been for me to conjure anything simple.

Each failure of my trials had been a cause of such misery and shame.

If there were an Ember Fae in my family lineage, it would all make so much more sense.

Due to the conflict between our peoples, there had not been unions very often, but it must have happened occasionally.

I’d never known my grandparents, and my parents had been gone for well over fifteen solars—there was no one to ask, and our family had not been auspicious enough to be tracked in the curators’ records.

Suddenly, Keeran shuddered. His eyes flashed brightly with the molten fire of the beast. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, the veins in his neck standing out in bold relief.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, leaning forward to grasp his arm.

“This far from the Oculus, it’s difficult to hold this form,” he said through ragged breaths.

“Well then transform back,” I cried.

“I fear the beast will lose control.”

I frowned. “You never have before.”

The pain seemed to fade, and the corner of his lips quirked up. “You didn’t see me when the flotilla set sail, separating the two of us. I destroyed one of their ships.”

My brows rose. “I wish I could have witnessed that. Any chance you took down High Warden Amal?”

The brief amusement on his face died. “No. But I will. I vow it.” He took my hands in his and squeezed gently.

“Without the water cage, traveling in the cursed form would be difficult. It was created to live inside the volcano. I could very well set fire to the landscape, making us even easier to track.”

“Do you think they’re tracking us?” I asked .

“If they planned to carry out a coup using me to channel Ignis’s magic, then they cannot afford to let me go. Also, allowing a rampaging fire beast loose in the countryside is poor form.”

He looked around, scenting the air. “I think we must be in Thyraelis. We’ve certainly traveled west for long enough.”

“Can you seek sanctuary or aid from the Fae here?”

His expression grew cautious. “Though the Fireforged are distant relatives, they will be suspicious of anyone cursed by Ignis. And the Rootborn Earth Fae are our natural enemies. I think it best to avoid both of them.”

“I’m not sure what we do now,” I told him, melancholy seeping into my bones.

“Should we try to get back to your family in Ashcrest?” That seemed the best option, though I didn’t know how it could be accomplished.

We’d have to travel across two separate nations, and if Amal and the rest of the Water Mages were searching for us, our chances of success were low.

Keeran shook his head slowly. “I believe our best option is to break the curse.”

I leaned back, pulling my hands from his, surprise stealing my voice.

“According to my father,” he continued, “at the same time that Ignis cursed our line, the palace seer received the following prophecy: Where Ignis’s power meets Lyra’s light, and tempers yield to wisdom’s might, devotion true, the curse must prove, with twining vows to his only love .”

My heartbeat sped up. “So you need your fated mate to break the curse.”

He held my gaze. “Ignis’s power meets Lyra’s light only at a very specific celestial event. ”

Understanding dawned. “Day Seven of the Holy Convergence!”

Keeran’s expression was grim.

“The eclipse is visible at certain Fire Moon temples. In Thyraelis, the only temples used for that purpose are near the towns of Neufall, Belward, and Flamescar.”

“Day Seven is when Amal and Ylena intended to drain you,” I said.

“Yes. The only good thing to come out of their treachery was that it gives me the opportunity that my uncle never had... to find my mate and break this curse.”

My stomach began to quiver. “This... this seems like a lot of responsibility.” Keeran was a prince. He was likely used to responsibility, but I had only ever been a disappointment.

Feeling my distress, he took my hands again.

“We do not have to complete the twining ceremony, Niara. I am not trying to trap you in a mating you do not want. The prophecy states only that I must make the vows, not that you must reciprocate. If you do not want this, once the curse is broken, I can sever our bond. I would never force you into a lifelong commitment you have no wish to join.”

He’d misunderstood the nature of my emotions, but I wasn’t quite ready to correct him yet. “What happens to you if the twining is severed?”

Keeran blinked rapidly and averted his eyes once more. “That does not matter. All that matters is that you have a choice.”

His answer was not satisfying, and his evasion let me know that the consequences for him would not be pleasant. The fairy tales never mentioned severing a bond. However, I was still wrapping my mind around what it meant that we were fated.

“Fine. Let’s focus on breaking the curse first. Do you know how close we are to one of these three temples?”

“No. But it should be easy enough to find out.”

“While also avoiding most of the locals?” I raised a brow.

“It would definitely be best to avoid the Fireforged.”

“Are the Rootborn Fae any friendlier?”

He took a deep breath. “Friendly is rather a strong term. Slightly less overtly murderous might be a better way to put it.”

Oh joy.