“Whatever we create will be a blessing upon the entirety of Embergate. That, I am sure of. Now, let’s get home and bury our dead. Then we will tell everyone that I have chosen you as my queen.”
I slipped my hand into his, and although the guilt of promising myself to the king so soon after Joslyn died weighed on me, I took comfort in the fact that it was him in the kissing tent all this time. I had him first.
After we gave Joslyn and Regina a respectful burial, I wanted to have him forever.
SEVENTEEN
I flew us back to the castle together a few hours later in the dark of the early morning to cover us. We weren’t sure how many more shifts Drae had in him, so I didn’t want him to try unless he had to. Word that Drae had killed the Nightfall queen’s son would no doubt have spread and we had to be on high alert. When we reached the gates of Jade City just as the sun was rising, the guards blew the horn announcing the king was back. The people flooded into the street to get a sight of their winged king, but instead of just seeing him they saw me with him riding on my back. Gasps and looks of surprise fell upon the faces of the people as they pointed and clapped and small children ran after us.
‘They are going to love you as their queen,’ Drae said into my mind.
I didn’t respond. I was suddenly worried that I might have trouble conceiving with him. Then all of these people, including Adaline, would die.
‘How do you do it?’ I asked him as I lowered us over the stables and armory.
‘Do what?’
‘Carry the weight of your entire people’s fate upon your shoulders.’
‘One day at a time.’
I nearly cried in relief when I saw Cal, Nox and Falcon waiting for us down below. They were covered in mud and looked to be soaking wet but they were alive. They’d gotten here fast… they must have stolen horses and rode all night. Dr. Elsie stood next to them with the king’s advisor, the old man with the book from my testing ceremony.
When I landed, the king got off and I ran off to the stable to dress. By the time I came out, the king was frowning. Nox, Falcon, and Cal were gone, and Drae was peering down at a small leather-bound tome.
I ran up behind him and brushed an affectionate hand over his arm and he stiffened, causing me to recoil.
Dr. Elsie stared at me with a deep sympathy that scared me, the sort of sympathy you gave before you told someone they had just lost a beloved.
I grasped my chest. “Are my mother and sister okay?”
“They’re fine,” Drae said, letting the book fall to his waist.
“King Valdren was just telling us of your plans to marry…” Dr. Elsie said, peering at the elderly advisor. I couldn’t be sure but I thought it was he who had advised Drae to just kill me. Dr. Elsie went on: “I knew that you would be the next best option in terms of magic, so I did some research after you left.”
I hated that she was constantly evaluating the fitness of my magical womb. “And…？” I asked.
“I’ll speak to her alone,” Drae suddenly said, and Dr. Elsie stiffened, still staring at the advisor, who looked like he was barely alive. Seriously, how old was that dude?
They scurried away and Drae turned to face me.
“Just tell me,” I begged him. “I’ve lost Joslyn and Regina. Just… tell me. I don’t have the emotional capacity for games.”
He nodded.
“There is an old book that catalogues royal births. This one was hidden due to its nature… it discusses a royal birth between Eclipse clan and Dark Night clan a thousand winters ago.”
A thousand winters ago! Maybe our clans were friends back then, I didn’t know.
My hands started shaking, my eyes flicking over Drae’s shoulder as Elsie greeted three familiar faces in the distance.
That red-haired girl from Jade City? The blonde with the bad breath. These were girls he was courting before he chose Joslyn.
“Why are the girls back?” I asked.
Drae sighed. “After seeing this, she thought it prudent to call them. Kendal is on her way as well.” He winced.
Kendal! My heart nearly seized in my chest.
What the Hades was he talking about? I reached out and ripped the book from his hands, looking down at the open page, and gasped.
The first line was in bold. Baby severely deformed, lived only hours.
Then I read the next line.
Hypothesis: Mother’s Eclipse clan magic consumed the Dark Night clan magic, killing the child.
I didn’t even know I was crying until the tears fell onto the page and wet the words.