Thorns of Frost (Fae of Snow & Ice, #2)(86)

Ryder cocked an eyebrow as his long braid trailed down his back. He did a slow circle, admiring my handiwork. “You’ve become pretty proficient with your affinities, Lady Seary.”

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Haxil said with a grin.

Nish frowned, but a new light entered his eyes as he crossed his arms, studying me. “I have to say it is rather . . . impressive.”

“Thank you,” I said, suppressing a smile. “Anyway, the reason I wanted to return here was because of what I sensed earlier. It got me thinking.” I leaned down to the snow and pushed at least four feet to the side before kneeling on the frozen ground.

Norivun joined me, inching closer to me until we touched. “What did you sense?”

I leaned more into him, that soothing feeling rushing through me as I laid my palm flat against the ground and closed my eyes. “I’m not sure, but . . .”

Magic swirled in my belly, and I drew upon it, calling my life-giving affinity to the surface before pushing it out of me. My power spiraled into the land as I searched for a hint of orem. Once again, nothing was there. I pushed deeper, trying to find that off sensation I’d detected only hours ago.

My magic dove through the ground, hunting and searching. Despair began to plague me, but then I hit something. It was so very deep in the land. Deeper than I’d ever tried to push my affinity before.

Forehead furrowing, I concentrated on assessing it, letting my magic spread out like probing fingers. It took so much concentration that I had to call upon everything Matron Olsander had taught me.

“How strange,” I murmured. “It almost feels like a veil or some kind of net is deep within the land.” I paused and glanced up at the prince as my mind raced. “Do you think our crops are dying from an unnatural occurrence that has nothing to do with the gods? That perhaps whatever I’m feeling in the land is encapsulating the orem?”

The prince’s lips parted. “Does it feel like that?”

“I don’t know, but I wasn’t strong enough before to dive my affinity this deep. It makes me suspect that what I’m feeling now has spread throughout the continent.”

He scowled, the expression making him look downright scary. “If that’s the case, my guess is that Wormiful and Crimsonale are behind whatever you’re feeling.”

“That’s what I’m thinking too, and if they’ve found a way to douse our land’s orem and starve our fae, then we’d be forced to move south. It plays into exactly what they’re pushing for.”

His hand pressed against my back. “But how are they doing it? How are they creating whatever you’re feeling?”

I shook my head. “I have no idea, but if we don’t figure it out, my affinity can’t save us.”

I closed my eyes and returned my attention to the soil. Brows scrunching together, I dug deep into my reserves to force my affinity to dive farther.

Whatever was in the land zapped me again, its responses growing stronger the farther down I went, almost as if it was trying to deter me. But I pushed my affinity through it anyway, burrowing my magic as deep as it would go. The netting heated in response, growing hotter and hotter and hotter as I drilled through it.

ZAP!

I was flying.

Arms and legs extended upward as a clear sky shone above me.

Pain ricocheted through me as something followed me from the soil.

I landed on the ground so hard that I couldn’t breathe.

“Ilara!” the prince yelled.

My head lolled. My sight blurred. Everything went black.





“Ilara!” Hands gripped my shoulders as anxiety filled the male’s voice. It sounded as though he called out from far away, as though the male was underwater. “Ilara!”

My entire body was convulsing. Vibrating. No, that wasn’t right. The male was shaking me as he tried to rouse me.

I opened my eyes to see the crown prince bending over me, his eyes blazing as intense fear lined his expression. His hands gripped my shoulders as power ratcheted off him, radiating around him in an aura so strong that I flinched.

I blinked as an aching pain in my gut made me wince. Groaning, I tried to sit up. “What happened?”

“Don’t move.” His hands traveled rapidly over me as he felt for injuries, but there was no blood. No broken bones. Not even bruises as far as I could tell. Just . . . pain.

I brought a hand to my forehead. Hair flew around my head as a slight throb twisted my stomach. “Norivun, what happened?”

His face twisted in worry. “I don’t know. You were feeling the soil, using your affinity, and you said something about it being strange, and then—”

I hissed as pain slid through my gut, strengthening with every second that passed.

“Ilara?” His voice grew quiet, his hands gentled. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. Nothing? Everything? But I’m okay. I think.” But I didn’t know for sure. Whatever I’d just felt in the soil had done something to me. It was internal if the roiling in my stomach was any indication.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to sit up more. “Let’s go back to the castle.”

The aura off Prince Norivun throbbed even more. “Yes, I want Murl to check you over.”

Before I could respond, the prince’s arms were around me, and he was gently lifting me as he stood. Around us, his four guards had their backs to us. They’d formed a protective circle, as though guarding us from any unseen attacks.