Page 60 of Mountains of Mist and Magic

Her father scoffed. “Trust me, they'll warm to the bond quick enough. I was in love with your mother even before our bond was forged, but I don't think your mother was so sure. But within a month, we were married. And a year later, you were born.”

Renya leaned in, absorbing every detail her father provided. She'd spent so long feeling like Renya the Orphan, that she latched on to every scrap of information about her life in the fae world before she was cast out.

“Do you think she really loved you?”

Cyrus looked thoughtful and pushed up his sleeves, returning to the book, avoiding Renya's gaze. Just when she thought he wasn't going to answer, he whispered.

“She did. And she still does. Deep down, beyond the shadow that she has let rot her heart, she still loves me. And, she loves you. I could tell that night up in the tower. It wasn't an act, and your betrayal towards her hurt her more than when I'd severed our bond. You are still precious to her.”

Renya squirmed, uncomfortable with this revelation. It made her mother seem more...human. Well, fae. And at least, less of a monster. It made it harder to justify killing her, which Renya promised to do as soon as the magic was restored.

“Enough talk of this, I say. Can you stall your friend? Tell her we might need her magic on our journey? If truth be told, even I have no idea what we are up against. The more magic we have in our arsenal, the better. There's a reason why your mother was siphoning off power, mark my words. What we are going up against is going to make your mother's little war look like children's play.”

“What more have you learned?”

“I think there's a map that Triston's family is in possession of. Either it's at the Tidal Kingdom and Triston doesn't know it, or he's purposely hiding it.”

“Why would he do that?”

“You saw his behavior at dinner. He's...incredibly scared of the mountains. Whatever happened to him on his journey there, along with his parents...changed him forever. There's something he's not telling us.”

The atmosphere at dinner that night was thick with tension. Esmeralda and Phillippe seemed to be in some kind of argument, and Renya noticed Grayden avoiding her gaze, making her suspect he knew something he wasn't sharing. Triston and Julietta sat as far away as they could from each other, each pretending the other didn't exist. The only couple that seemed to be completely enamored with each other was Selenia and Sion.

Renya felt a surge of happiness for them both. Sion had done so much to help not only her, but the entire Snow Lands while he was in the Shadow Realm, and he seemed to adore Selenia, even if he couldn't feel their bond. Selenia glowed with a joy Renya had never seen before, even when she was with Jurel. A pang of sadness hit Renya as she thought about their fallen friend, but she consoled herself with the thought that he was somewhere at peace.

Grayden kept throwing her meaningful glances, which she playfully ignored. She wasn't really mad about his outbursts in the parlor with Julietta and Triston, but she figured she'd make him earn her forgiveness later tonight. Heat rose to her cheeks at the thought, and he noticed right away, leaning into her ear and whispering.

“You want me, don't you Little Fawn? It's been too long since I've been inside you. Do you know how much I miss you? How much I need you?”

She reddened even more, pulling away. There was a time and a place, and this was neither. They needed to concentrate on their ultimate goal, instead of all the interpersonal relationships going on. Frustration welled up inside her; it had been two weeks, and they were still no closer to restoring the magic than they had been when they arrived.

Cyrus stood up, almost as though he sensed Renya's unease at their lack of progress.

“I think we've all been rather distracted lately, but we need to continue to move forward if we have any hope of restoring the magic. Triston, the tides in your kingdom are lowering, and more and more land is being revealed every day. Grayden, your lands are warming, and you'll be left with nothing but a watery mess if we don't right things quickly.”

Phillippe's chair scraped against the floor as he leapt to his feet. “I'm ready. What do we need to do?”

“The Tidal Kingdom,” Renya replied, noticing Triston's suspicious glance.

“What for?” Triston's eyes narrowed.

Cyrus stepped in. “Triston, I've gathered that your parents were searching for more magic for you, correct? If so, they must have had a map, or a tapestry, or something to show the way. They didn't come up with the idea of pursuing magic all by themselves.”

Guilt flashed across Triston's face before he nodded.

“Yes. There's...a diary. Said to be kept by one of the first fae. It...speaks of a place of mist and mountain, trials and tribulations.”

Excitement bubbled up in Renya. “Do you still have it?”

“I do...but...”

“But what?” Cyrus pressed.

“It's too dangerous. I refuse to lose anyone else on this ill-fated quest.” Renya caught Triston's gaze darting to Julietta for a split second, and suddenly she understood. Triston was in love with Julietta, and all the talk of them breaking their bond was fear-based. He was afraid to lose her.

Grayden's voice cut through the tension. “Triston, I don't think you realize what's at stake. My lands are literally melting underneath our feet. Towards the south, glaciers are melting, flooding entire villages. I don't have enough magic left to save my people. And it's not just my kingdom, either. I know for a fact that your oceans are retreating, the tides getting lower and lower. No one in your kingdom can breathe or survive underwater anymore. The Spring Land flowers have stopped blooming, the Twilight Kingdom—”

“I understand the significance of what's happening to our world, Grayden,” Triston interrupted, his tone rough. “But this diary will only lead to disaster.”

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