Page 40 of The Kingdom of Flames and Ash

If the cave hadn’t collapsed…

The volcanic rock had caused the collapse, and the stones that had crushed the mushrooms had been a dark, smooth gray. The same type of stone that the arrow that had pierced my wings and injured them so badly had been made of.

My geology classes from college came rushing back to me, and the world stopped. “I think I know what’s going on.”

14

LIRA

Tavish turned toward me, sensing my dismay.

I swallowed, not wanting to speak the words out loud, but that was foolish. Not informing them wouldn’t make the situation vanish or change.

“You have our attention, Lira,” Caelan said gruffly with his head tilted.

Nose wrinkling, Tavish flicked his gaze at Caelan, giving him a stern warning.

“Fae don’t have exploding rocks in our kingdoms.” I didn’t want any more tension and disagreements between our group, so it was best to move this conversation along. “The rocks were created by dragons—they’re tied to their magic. Right?”

“Yes. Their magic isn’t the same as that of the fae.” Father steepled his hands. “It isn’t tied to their land—it comes from within them. That’s why they eventually ruin any land they live on. It isn’t able to tolerate their magic.”

That bit of information confirmed my suspicion. “The exploding rocks the Unseelie were throwing caused the cave to collapse, and now bits of those rocks are embedded in it. When people moved the debris out of the way to get back inside, thedust from those rocks must have gotten on the mushrooms and killed them. The residual dragon magic is now all over the cave.”

Both sets of parents took in a shaky inhale while Mother asked, “So even though the dragons haven’t lived here for years, their magic is still impacting the land? How is that possible?”

“On Earth, many people believe that gemstones and rocks harness energy and promote different types of things, such as claiming amethyst channels balance, black onyx blocks negativity, and hematite helps with courage, like the minerals themselves carry a type of magic, though it’s not the same as here.” None of my classes ever confirmed the theories, but Eiric and I had always felt a connection to earth and water, which made sense now. We were fae and had an affinity for the elements. “But the logic still holds here. This island clearly had volcanic eruptions, which spread the leftover dragon-magic residue throughout the island. That could be why the mushrooms struggled to grow outside the cave and why more things don’t grow here, even after all this time.”

Tavish froze, resembling a statue.

“Which means living here isn’t a viable option for anyone long term.” Caelan shook his head. “Yet we were forced to suffer through the entire situation.” Bitterness hung heavy on each word.

“Our intent wasn’t for you to lose half your people.” Father ran his fingers through his beard. “We thought the earth would heal itself easily with the dragons gone and you could survive. But now we have an even larger problem. If the dragons kill the land they live on, they’ll eventually need to find yet another place to settle, and Aetherglen will be the next place they’ll want to take over.

“That must be why Pyralis is determined to marry Lira, and if he’s aware that Eldrin knows something that would free her from the vow, then he won’t want to wait.” Tavish’s featurestwisted. “That way, they’ll be set when they need to relocate again”—he turned to me—“and all the dragons would need to do is kill your parents. Then you’d reign over the island, and he’d be—” He didn’t finish that sentence.

Father’s nostrils flared. “The dragons approached us about the alliance. They pressured us for the betrothal, which we agreed to so we could eliminate the threat of darkness quicker because our land had already begun dying. That isn’t enough to void the agreement, so there has to be more.”

“We must focus on one issue at a time, or we’ll be overwhelmed.” Mother pursed her lips. “Right now, we need to get off this cursed island and back to Aetherglen. We have three injured fae who we assume won’t be able to fly tomorrow, so we need to find a solution for how to get them to our land without straining others too much.”

A part of me wants to resist returning to Aetherglen merely because your father was the one to decide it on our behalf, but it would be a death sentence to my people if I let my pride get in the way.Tavish closed his eyes.If it weren’t for you and the safety of my people, I’d harm him right now.He exhaled and braced himself. “We’ll leave at first light.”

I forced my mouth closed, though I wanted to scold him for still wanting to hurt Father. I understood why Tavish still harbored resentment, but my father was trying to make things right. However, I’d need to discuss that with my mate later, not now.

My wings fluttered, causing my back to spasm. After flying to Father and Dad, my wings were in just as bad of shape as yesterday, despite my healing magic. “I fear I won’t be able to fly.” I let it hang there because only Caelan and Tavish knew about my healing magic. Even though I trusted both sets of parents, I also trusted Tavish when he’d said we should limit thenumber of people we told. If it got back to Pyralis, there was no telling how he’d react to the news.

You used your magic to quicken Finnian’s and Lorne’s healing instead of using it on yourself.Tavish leaned his head against mine.Maybe you shouldn’t do that and let yourself heal.

My magic still wasn’t working despite the rest I’d gotten last night. I was barely at a quarter strength, and I hadn’t even healed myself that much. Something had changed, but I had no clue what it could be.

“We’ll figure it out.” Dad rocked back on his heels, using his wings to balance himself. “Don’t worry. We’re not going to risk losing you too. Once we arrive back in Aetherglen, we’ll have the resources to focus on keeping you safe and retrieving Eiric.”

Eiric.

My heart squeezed. Once again, she’d sacrificed herself for me… and this time, it could quite possibly cost Eiric her life.

“She’s alive.” Tavish kissed my forehead and continued, “He won’t risk her because he knows how much she means to you.”

“I agree with the Unseelie king, which is the only reason I haven’t raced off to save her yet. We’ll get her back, you’ll heal, and we’ll figure out how to handle the dragon prince.” Mom smiled. “Trust us. When have we ever steered you wrong?”

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