Page 39 of The Kingdom of Flames and Ash

“Excellent decision.” Father steepled his hands. “But for now, everyone should eat up to ensure they have the strength for the half-day flight tomorrow.”

My knees almost gave out thinking about Finnian and Lorne. I needed to heal them so they could make the journey, which meant I had to find a way to get my healing magic up to full strength.

Most of the people who’d rioted crossed their arms and narrowed their eyes, but a handful seemed thrilled without reservation.

“The Seelie king and I have several things to discuss, and once all has been settled, you will be alerted of our decisions.” Tavish sheathed his sword and moved to my other side, placing me between him and Caelan.

“Until then, stay in your homes. If anyone leaves the land without permission, they’ll join the others in prison.” Tavish then waved at the men who had caused the riot. “Take them to the cells immediately and keep them away from Eldrin.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Struan bowed his head and then gave orders to the guards.

Tavish wrapped an arm around my waist and guided me through the castle entryway once again. Caelan and Father followed close behind us.

Something isn’t right.Tavish clenched his jaw.I don’t understand why your father did that. He didn’t discuss our return with me. In fact, he seemed adamant that we should stay here. Will he find a way to take it back so more of my people will turn against me? Or does he want the Unseelie to believe I’m even more Seelie friendly, which would have the same end result—more people turning against me?

I grimaced, trying to work out my own uncertainty. None of it made sense to me. Father was a man of his word, but he understood well how to play the political game and was adept at dancing around the truth without lying.

As soon as Mother, Dad, and Mom joined us in the entryway, Struan closed the doors.

“I thought they were taking the people prisoner?” Mom scowled.

“They are.” Tavish turned to face my parents, keeping his arm solidly around me. “Prisoners don’t travel through thecastle. They’ll be brought in through the window nearest the prison cells.”

The night Tavish had taken me from Earth and brought me here, he had brought me in the same way.

“No one without a personal invite from the Unseelie king enters the castle,” Caelan added, remaining on my other side as if we were facing an enemy. “It may not be the real Dunscaith, but we uphold our fae traditions even in barren land.”

My stomach roiled. I’d hoped that we’d be beyond this by now, but the distrust between the two species made it hard to bridge the gap between us. Instead of posturing, I’d rather get to the point. “What was that out there?”

Father smirked. “Always direct, my little sprout. Maybe your bond with the frosty fae influenced you even as a young child.”

A muscle ticced in Tavish’s jaw, and I leaned into him, hoping to ease his trepidation.

“That’s not helpful. You just declared that all the Unseelie will return to their land without mentioning it to Tavish beforehand. What’s your real plan? Haven’t the Unseelie suffered enough?” If he wanted me to feel ashamed of my fated-mate bond with Tavish, he’d soon realize it wouldn’t work.

“Oh, Lira.” Mother placed a hand on her chest. “That offer was sincere. Your father and I discussed it briefly, and when it became clear that you would fight us on taking you back to Gleann Solas and that the Unseelie wouldn’t have enough to eat, we agreed to allow them back home.”

Tavish scoffed. “I should have made the announcement after we discussed a strategy. This isn’t your kingdom or your people, though clearly, you decided otherwise twelve years ago.”

I winced at the resentment in Tavish’s tone, but he had every right to feel that way. The Unseelie never should’ve been banished to begin with. “A discussion would’ve been the diplomatic way to go about it.”

Father’s face flushed a faint yellow. “There wasn’t time, and I don’t appreciate being questioned about my intentions or how I decided to handle the matter. Your people were out of hand, and Sylphia and I had agreed moments before the riot to take down the veil. I was assisting in calming the crisis.”

So that was what the anxious discussions and looks they’d been exchanging before the revolt started had been about. Even though I appreciated the sentiment, I understood the outrage Tavish felt.

“A crisisIneeded to handle.” Tavish’s fingers dug into my side. “And you even decided that we’d leave tomorrow while Lira is still recovering and can’t safely fly, and two of my men are severely injured. The three of them can’t leave tomorrow.”

Unless I can determine what’s hindering my magic from coming back.I’d had no issue healing during the gauntlet, and I’d been this drained then, too.

“We will assist them in traveling.” Dad tapped the hilt of his sword.

“The Unseelie aren’t in a situation where they can defend themselves.” Mother bit her bottom lip. “Not if they’re starving and fighting among each other. And Lira won’t stay away from you long. Erdan and I have come to accept that, and it’s best if you return to your traditional home and get stronger so we can fight the dragons together. They’ll never expect that.”

My throat closed. I couldn’t believe all the anger and disgust I’d felt for these two people when I’d awoken in Gleann Solas when they were now doing all they could to keep me safe. They had been misguided, but maybe there was hope for peace between us.

“We’ll also be able to get your cousin to speak sooner if Tavish, Sylphia, and I are at full power so we can get Lira out of this blazing vow.” Father rubbed the spot over his chest where his magic lay underneath his heart. “Trying to repair that cavedrained my magic. I barely feel a hint of it left.” His expression crumpled. “I’ve never experienced it depleted like this. In fact, all the Seelie are growing weaker. And I fear we’re going to need all our strength to retrieve Eiric and keep Lira away from Pyralis.”

Mom winked at me, essentially telling meI told you so. She’d told me that my parents loved me and that eventually everything would work out between us. Too bad it had taken so dire a situation to get us to this point. We most definitely weren’t in a place to win against the dragons.

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