Page 45 of The Kingdom of Flames and Ash

“I believe Nightbane is larger than Eldrin.” Finnian rocked back on his heels, watching my cousin struggle. “I bet the beast’s penis is also bigger than his. No wonder neither men nor women were interested in him.”

Eldrin huffed, and Nightbane growled. The animal turned his gaze on Lira, his green eyes pleading.

Don’t even consider it. You just healed yourself, and I can sense that you aren’t completely better.Lira would no doubt try to carry him otherwise.

She cut her eyes at me in warning, but she didn’t argue.

Struan stepped forward, holding a set of chains at his side. “All the prisoners are ready to fly.”

Excellent. The urge to leave this entire island behind took hold.

Taking Lira’s hand, I guided her past the guard and the fifteen prisoners who had attacked us the day before. We flew out the window, the chill of the air brushing over my skin. Down below, the Unseelie villagers were gathered in the center of the town. Most carried small bags of their possessions. For myself, I had no desire to bring anything back from here. I wanted to start afresh back in my rightful kingdom with Lira by my side.

The Seelie guards lined the edge of the village while about thirty Unseelie guards instructed the villagers on the ground.

As soon as we flew overhead, a few of the children pointed upward, and Isla yelled, “It’s time to leave!”

We met up with Lira’s parents at the edge of the sea, and my focus turned in the direction of the new dragon kingdom. I half expected to see dragons rushing in our direction.

After what felt like hours but had to be mere minutes, our massive group of six thousand fae began the journey over the ocean. Hestia, the king, the queen, Lira, me, Finnian, Caelan, and Brenin hung back, allowing a third of the Seelie and Unseelie guards and half of our people to head out first.

Soon, our group of eight moved forward in the heart of the group, and we started across the water.

With each flap of wings, my excitement increased, but so did my concern. I glanced over my shoulder at the prisoners, who were close behind us, surrounded by guards. The rest of the villagers were behind them, and the remaining soldiers brought up the rear.

The memory of how we’d been herded to this island within a day of Eldrin freeing me from the Seelie castle sprang into my mind. I’d used glamour to hide between Caelan and Finnian. Dragons had circled us, ready to shoot fire, and the Seelie guards had been prepared to use magic and weapons on us if we flew an inch out of line.

Unlike the prisoners now, we hadn’t deserved mistreatment.

As my attention split between watching the prisoners and keeping an eye on the skyline, something deep inside me became unsettled.

Is something wrong?Lira asked, her irises darkening with concern.

I could sense her worry about flying over the open sea, which had to be adding to my trepidation.I’m not sure what we’re heading back to. Did the Seelie ruin our land, or will they be the same as when I left as a young man? When we escaped and hid in the underground lair, we didn’t see much of the kingdom.Our magic naturally charged the land and made them darkerand colder, but not one Unseelie had been there for years. I feared that, just as we hadn’t been at full strength living on the ruined island, our natural land would have been hindered by our absence.

There’s only one way to find out.Lira looked left and addressed her parents. “What is the state of the Unseelie land now? What can they expect when they arrive?”

The royals glanced at each other before the king cleared his throat. “If you’re asking if we tried to infuse our magic into their land, the answer is no. We also never tore down their houses. Some of our guards were stationed there with their families to ensure nothing strange happened. It’s not the same, but it shouldn’t be hard to restore the land. We didn’t risk disturbing the magic.”

Hearing that they hadn’t deliberately ruined our land gave me some relief, but it didn’t stop the nagging sensation deep within me.

The group fell silent as we continued to push toward Aetherglen. Even Finnian and Caelan were unusually quiet.

Lira flew closer to me and took my hand, alleviating some of my discomfort.When we return, we’ll get the people set up and the land back to normal,she reassured me.

The wind warmed, and the water gently crashed underneath us. My anticipation grew. Would our kingdom be what we remembered, and would it still feel like home?

Either way, I knew that, as long as Lira was by my side, everything would be all right.

When the border of Aetherglen came into view, my wings beat a little bit faster. I remembered the impact on the strength of my magic when we’d stayed here just one night, and all of us needed to recharge.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in front of us.

At least one hundred people in golden armor flew from the island directly at us, their wings flapping hard.

My stomach sank, and Lira’s hand tightened on mine.

I had worried that the Seelie lured us here under false pretenses, but I’d hoped that, for Lira’s sake, they wouldn’t manipulate us.

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