Page 40 of The Storm of the Empire (Flyers Of The First Kingdom #3)

THIRTY-NINE

LUKA

W e landed silently far into the middle of the night to be greeted by trusted fae on the platform. They’d camouflaged themselves, waiting for our return. Faolan landed and let me carefully slip off his back before leaning down to let the waiting fae unload the satchels. Eggs were pulled out of the cases, carefully wrapped only to vanish immediately into waiting bags.

We weren’t taking any risks because we didn’t know who was in on this with the priests—what had happened with Octavian had proved that. Kiera and her Gran had repurposed a room within their family suite to create a place for the eggs, and they all moved them quickly and quietly. Hazel would deliver hers to Alora, and then they would have to try and figure out where the rest of these eggs belonged.

Faolan shifted, leaving the satchel to pool on the ground around his feet. He balled it up and tossed it at me before taking a pair of sweats from Jaxus.

“Were you followed?”

“No, the swap went perfectly. They won’t know the eggs are missing until they check them at some point,” I said, following them inside.

“The fakes look nearly identical. It would take a dragon to know the difference without instruments.” Faolan pulled on a shirt as we walked down the dark corridor towards Kol’s room.

The King at least left Nyx alone to sleep.

“How did it go?” Nyx asked as we entered, his voice hoarse.

“Perfectly.”

Nyx glanced around after Jaxus shut the door. “Did your foresight work?”

“Yes,” I whispered. “I can channel it, too. Some.”

All three males stared at me.

“Have you told the King?”

Nyx shook his head. “Something told me not to.”

“Don’t,” I said, feeling as strongly about that as ever. “Not yet.”

He’d find out. I knew that too.

“Hazel?” Nyx asked.

“On her way with what she believes to be Alora’s egg. She said she trusts her brother to help her switch it.”

“How do you feel about that?” Nyx asked, focusing back on his own brother, but the intensity of the question hit me.

“I feel good about the egg’s return. I’m glad I could be a part of it.”

“You feel like your gift helped?”

“I’m sure of it.”

“Will you do something for me?” Nyx asked hesitantly.

“What?” I knew this was going to be bad, but I’d do anything he asked after all he’d given me.

“Will you try channeling your power to see if Kol will wake up? If my brother is even still there?” His words punched me right in the stomach.

I sucked in a breath. “Yes. I will. Now?”

“Do you think it will be better to wait until Hazel gets here?” Jaxus suggests.

“I can do it.”

“If you’re sure.” Nyx sat back from where he leaned on the bed, hand in his brother’s, releasing him. “What do you need to do?”

I took a step, then two, crossing the space to stand over Kol. “I’m new at this. I’m going to try what I did in the tunnels.”

“It won’t hurt him, will it?” Jaxus asked.

“It’s not that kind of magic, right?” Nyx said, looking at me for the answer.

“Not that I’m aware of. I think it’s all in my head.” I waited for a second to see if either of them had another question.

Neither spoke, so I closed my eyes and again did the reverse of what Hazel had been teaching me. The magic I called upon felt stretched, so far off. I tried to pull it, but it I couldn’t get enough of it. The more I grasped at the power, the more it slipped through my fingers.

I fell to a knee, gasping.

“Luka!” Jaxus grabbed me, hauling me to my feet.

I struggled to catch my breath while Jaxus dragged me to a chair. I sat with my elbows on my knees until the sickness passed.

“He over-extended his magic before he knows how to use it fully,” Kiera said from the doorframe. “Shame on you both. What were you having him do?”

Jaxus and Nyx exchanged a look. So they hadn’t run any of this by their mates. Wonderful.

“Someone spill it,” Kiera demanded.

“I asked him to see if he could foresee when my brother would wake, if at all,” Nyx said, his voice monotone.

Kiera put a hand over her mouth. “Can he do that?”

“I managed to channel it with the eggs.” I sat up, feeling better.

Kiera searched my face. “And you were able to not?—”

“No lost memory, no strange voice. I felt like I used to.”

“That’s—wow. And you just tried to repeat it?”

I nodded.

“You amateur. You used your magic well once and then tried to do it again so soon with your mate across the kingdoms?” Kiera scolded.

“When you put it that way,” I muttered.

“You two should know better, even if he doesn’t,” Kiera said when the other males were noticeably silent.

Jaxus kicked the floor, muttering an apology. For what, I didn’t know.

Nyx stared at his brother, not saying a word.

“I’ll try again when Hazel gets back.”

Kiera crossed her arms. “She’s not going to be happy.”

“I need to. You know that as well as I do. Look how much you sacrificed to make sure he’s okay.” I lowered my voice, like it would prevent Nyx from hearing me. “He’s the fabric that holds all this together.”

“Which one?” Kiera asked, glancing at Nyx and Kol.

“It’s Kol. He holds us all together,” Nyx said firmly.

“It’s not one of them,” I corrected. “I think it’s both of them.” I corrected.

“He did what?” Hazel asked, marching in, having obviously just flown back from the Storm Kingdom. I was filled with relief to see her home safe and would have rushed to her, but Kiera was following behind her and had clearly caught her up with yesterday’s antics before she even found me, so she looked less than pleased.

I’d slept late, more drained from the previous day’s raid than I thought, so I was just processing my existence while drinking a strong cup of tea. “Good morning.” I greeted her, putting on my best innocent smile.

“Good afternoon. You did what?” Hazel growled.

Kiera waved with a smile. “Should I leave you two to it or…”

“Oh no you don’t get to leave. You started this conversation, so we’re going to have it.” I blew out my cheeks waving them both to sit down. “I’ll make more tea.” I got up to get more water boiling.

Hazel joined me, getting more cups and sugar. “I didn’t mean for my return to be like that.”

I turned towards her, leaning against the counter. “Did everything go okay?”

She nodded, but I knew she was holding back.

“What?”

She grabbed me in a hug, pressing her face into my shoulder. “I need you to be okay.”

After a second, I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer. “I’m okay. I’m not going to do anything to make myself not okay.”

“Okay,” she breathed against my neck. “When I got back and Kiera said you’d over used your magic…”

“I am fine,” I growled. “It didn’t work. Nothing more happened.”

“She said you collapsed,” Hazel whispered. “I panicked.”

“I’m sorry to make you worry. She shouldn’t have told you that.”

“I think she’s worried about you, too.” She pulled away to look at me, touching my face lightly. “You look like you over-extended yourself.”

“I probably did. I’m new to this. But I’m okay.” I picked up the tray and took it back to the little sitting room part of our suite.

I freshened up my tea, and they each made their own cup.

“So why did you feel the need to tell my mate all of that without me there?” I asked, trying to restrain my annoyance.

“Because I don’t think Nyx and Jaxus are taking it seriously. Zaria is too worried about Nyx to deal with anything else, and I think it’s my duty as a healer to make sure you’re okay. Your mate has been my friend for our whole lives. I can’t watch her suffer the way Nyx is.” Kiera’s voice shook with emotion.

All the anger drained out of me. “I will be eaten by this sooner or later, and it’s my duty to do as much good as possible before it takes me.”

“But that could progress it faster,” Hazel gasped.

“We don’t know that.” I countered. “We don’t know anything about it. Maybe it will help me control it. No one knows if suppressing it will make it worse or better. Nothing is known, and you can’t find anything about it, Kiera. If it’s like any other magic, I should be training it, but all of you are so worried about it consuming me, I have to walk on eggshells. I can’t do that. It felt so right to use it looking for the eggs, and when I leaned into it, look what happened! It worked. We got out without alerting anyone. Even down to my idea about bringing decoy eggs to throw them off our trail. It all worked marvelously.”

When neither of them said anything, I went on. “I think if anyone is going to have any idea on what’s good for this, it’s the guy with foresight. I’ve learned to trust myself over everyone else my entire life. My childhood and through all of this. I haven’t been wrong yet. So if I’m destined to be consumed by my visions, I will get there whether I fight it or not.”

Kiera and Hazel exchanged a look.

Hazel took a deep breath. “I know you’re right, but I’m terrified.”

“I know. Me too.” Maybe that wasn’t true. I’d come to accept it. This was my fate and my purpose. To love her and to help save the dragons. “Kiera, this is tied with your work. I know it is. We are fighting the same battle. The missing magic, the dying out of the dragons, the priests, the bane, the place Zaria and I came from.”

“I think you’re right.” Kiera looked at her hands. “But that doesn’t mean it’s all on your shoulders.”

“I know it’s not, but I am a part of it.” I almost felt out of my body saying it. “Is the King with Nyx and Kol today?”

Kiera shook her head. “No, Gran insisted on peace while they work. They think his body is strong enough to start trying to draw out whatever is in that tattoo today.”

“Let’s go see them. I want to try again.” I had to. I needed to figure this out for both myself and to give Hazel some peace.