Page 89 of The Kingdom of Flames and Ash

I flew closer to the ground, the breeze picking up. Maybe Fate was trying to issue me another warning. King Ignathor’s shoulder-length, mocha-brown hair, the same color as that of Pyralis, blew into his face, and he pushed it behind his ears. Queen Sintara stood next to him, tendrils of her almost-white hair falling from her braid. She wore a white dress trimmed with golden lace and a jade gemstone pendant.

As I landed before them, King Ignathor arched a brow and gestured for Pyralis to stand on his other side. His beady brown eyes homed in on me. “Princess Lira, you’ve grown far more enchanting than we could have hoped for. This bodes well for your and my son’s future children.”

Bile inched up my throat, but I remained silent, not trusting myself to speak.

Lira, please open our bond. I want to see if I can hear what’s going on because all I want to do is fly next to you and protect you.

I didn’t want to consider how I’d feel right now if I were in his wings. Doing what he asked, I tugged at our connection. Rage blasted into me, but underneath the heat, cold tendrils of fear nearly froze me in place. He was an even mixture of emotions that compounded each other, increasing in strength.

Knowing I had to keep it together, I absorbed them and pushed away the extreme sensations, focusing on my task.

Father cleared his throat. “I want to be clear that I don’t appreciate what you’ve done. Your attempt to kidnap our daughter was not part of our agreement. She’s not yet twenty-five, the age upon which we decided she would come to this land.”

I glanced at Pyralis, prepared for him to rant about why I had to come here. But I didn’t see the arrogant man who’d been at Gleann Solas. Instead, he kept his amber eyes on the yellowing grass at his feet.

“And Pyralis wouldn’t have been forced to take such extreme actions if you hadn’t allowed the nightfiend to locate her on Earth and bring her back here.” The king straightened and smoothed down his jade shirt with golden lace accents that matched his wife’s dress. “Not only did you fail to inform us of her return, but you initiated an offensive to retrieve her without informing us that she was in danger.”

Queen Sintara clasped her hands in front of her stomach. Tilting her head, she scanned me. “And she completed a fated-mate bond with someone else and didn’t even attempt to hide it.”

Between Tavish’s rage and now my own, I couldn’t stop the words from leaping from my mouth. “Because hiding the fated-mate markings would have made it all better?”

I’m not sure which one I’m willing to keep alive,Tavish’s voice popped into my mind.I think I hate the king and queen equally.

At least, this confirmed that he could hear the conversation…. A neat little trick we might need to use again.

The queen’s jade eyes widened. “Pyralis mentioned that you spoke your mind, but I’d hoped being around the Unseelie had inspired that unflattering attribute. Such disrespect won’t be tolerated here.”

And there’s my answer. The queen it is, so you can visit her in the dungeon and disrespect her every day for the rest of her existence.

I gritted my teeth, wanting to tell her exactly what she could expect, but I had to blasting play nice until Eiric was safe. Swallowing my bitterness, I inhaled, trying to keep my voice level. “Understood. But as requested, I’m here to trade places with my—” I cut off my words, not wanting to saysister. If they realized she was family to me, there was no telling what they might do with that information. “Guard.”

Queen Sintara smirked while King Ignathor steepled his fingers.

“Very well, but first, there is something we want to discuss since King Erdan and Queen Sylphia decided to join you today.” Faint ruby scales spread across King Ignathor’s face as if he might shift. “Why did you allow the Unseelie back in their land? Not only are they free once again, but that nightfiend killed one of our family members. Why weren’t we consulted?”

Mom and Dad placed their hands on the hilts of their swords as Father moved next to me, standing tall.

“Why would I consult you when no one informed me that Pyralis planned to kidnap my daughter?” Father clenched his hands and spread his earth-brown wings behind him. “We went to the former Tìr na Dràgon to retrieve my daughter, only to find the entire kingdom in chaos. The Unseelie were fighting among themselves, and my daughter was distraught because her guard sacrificed herself to keep her from being taken. As far as the Unseelie king killing one of your family members, be thankful it was just the one. They came onto fae land uninvited and demanded my daughter go with them.”

Smoke wafted from the king’s nose. “If you’d allowed Pyralis to bring the princess with him as he requested, then none of this would’ve happened, including the spilling of dragon blood. So you see, the problems arose from you and your decisions.”

Queen Sintara nodded, placing her hand on the king’s arm, and added, “You sent her to Earth to protect her, yet the nightfiend found her. Now you’ve allowed him to not only form a connection with the princess but to reinhabit land where he can become strong once more. Have you already forgotten what happened twelve years ago?”

Mother laughed bitterly. “Believe me, we have not. But we’re doing the best that we can with the information we’ve been given.”

Even though I couldn’t see Mother’s face, I had no doubt she was wrinkling her nose in contempt. We needed to stop talking because nothing good could result from this. “This conversation isn’t helping matters, just rehashing information both sides already know. I’m here as requested. I’d rather make the exchange and resolve some of the conflict between us.”

Pyralis straightened, reminding me of the arrogant prince I’d seen in Gleann Solas. He lowered his head. “I agree with Princess Lira. This conversation is futile.”

“Well.” Queen Sintara placed a hand on her chest and smiled. “That just melts my heart. The two of them are already making progress in their relationship.”

I wanted to puke. In fact, my stomach gurgled at the words while Tavish’s rage swept through me.

Mom glanced at me, scowling. I didn’t need a connection with her to know she was torn at this moment. She wanted Eiric back, but not at the risk of me.

Lira, I—Tavish sounded broken even in my mind.

It’s almost over, and then we can put this whole night behind us.I felt helpless, but there wasn’t any way to comfort him.

---