His arm squeezed me. “But back to the gods seeming to like you. Nyktos gave us his blessing basically. If that was Aios last night, and gods, it just might’ve been her, she woke to ensure your safety,” he said, and there was a bit of awe in his voice. “I’m going to repeat that, Princess. A god woke from hundreds and hundreds of years of sleep to protect you. That is not something that has ever happened before as far as I know.”
My pulse skittered. “Then why would it happen now? Why would they step in for me?” As soon as that question left me, Duchess Teerman’s words came back to me. You are Chosen. Lies. Duchess Teerman had only spoken lies. “I mean, I’m not special.”
“I’m going to have to disagree with the idea that you’re not special. You are to me, and you are to the Kingdoms of Atlantia and Solis,” Casteel said. “Together, we can change the now and the future. That’s not the only reason you’re special, but that could be why you’ve caught the sleeping eyes of the gods.” He took my left hand in his. Our marked palms met, and there was that strange jolt of energy. “The gods favor you. Either way, this is good news, Poppy.”
I threaded my fingers through his. “If the gods accept me, how can your parents not? How can your—” I caught myself. “How can our people not?”
“Exactly.” He kissed my cheek.
And for the first time since all of this started, hope sparked. Real hope that gaining the acceptance of his parents, of the people, would be possible. That they would stand beside us now when we returned to Solis to free his brother and to gain territory. That they would stand beside us afterward, when we returned. And if one day I became more than a Princess.
A lightness filled me, a warmth that made it impossible for that coldness to return.
We rode on then, eventually catching up to Kieran, and it wasn’t too long before the sun-dappled gold-leaf trees gave way to lush green. I knew then that we’d passed the mountain and we were truly at the edge of the actual Kingdom of Atlantia.
Gold Rock was exactly as I expected. A large, round boulder that shimmered gold in the sunlight.
Jasper and two other groups were already there. Quentyn began waving the moment he saw us.
“Glad to see you made it,” Emil said, bowing from where he stood by his horse. “And you.”
The last part was directed toward me, and I recalled Casteel’s jealousy. I stopped my grin then.
“What about me?” Kieran asked, dismounting.
“Should I lie and tell you I am thrilled?” the Atlantian replied, a hint of a grin on his face.
“It would make me feel like my life’s complete, Emil.”
“Naill and Delano haven’t arrived yet?” Casteel asked as he dropped down. He reached for me as he said, “I figured they’d beat all of us.”
“They haven’t arrived yet,” Jasper answered, looking tired as he leaned against the rock. “I thought you would’ve beat us here.”
“Yeah?”
Jasper nodded as he covered a yawn with the back of his hand. “I cannot wait to become reacquainted with my bed,” he said with a sigh as I started to unhook the buttons of my cloak. “Anyway, I hope the night was less eventful for you all.”
“Nothing of interest happened with us,” Casteel said, meeting my gaze as he brushed my hands aside. He began working the tiny buttons, and a wealth of gratitude rose. Not for him unbuttoning my cloak but for not mentioning what happened. “What about you all?”
“Weird dreams,” Jasper muttered as he watched us—watched me.
“As if that’s all,” Emil commented as he rolled up the sleeves of his tunic. “I’m assuming you guys felt that last night—the shaking of the entire mountain.”
Casteel nodded but didn’t elaborate. I felt Jasper’s attention focused on us—all the wolven that were present, actually—as Casteel folded my cloak and placed it in one of the saddlebags. The rest of our group arrived. None of them looked like they’d slept well, and it was strange to see Beckett in his mortal form and so subdued as we eventually continued on.
The patchy grass gave way to rolling hills that were a lush, vibrant green, and it wasn’t too long before I wished I had changed into the sleeveless tunic.
Lifting a hand, I wiped a fine sheen of sweat from my forehead. “Is it warm like this always? I’m not complaining if it is.”
“It’s warm here, near the sea,” Casteel answered, and I looked around, wondering what body of water he spoke of. “But farther inland, when you near the Mountains of Nyktos, you’ll see more seasonal changes and colder temperatures.”