Page 26 of A Song of Air
But the king liked to shit where he ate, that was something Weylyn had learned about him early on. When he’d been younger, he’d seen it too. It had only gotten more visceral as the years let on.
And if the king was not careful with his words, he was sure to meet an untimely demise.
When Weylyn and the Seelie King finally joined them in the throne room, it was to impart last minute instructions as well as to add additions to their party.
Corvina watched closely while the king gave Valerio quietly whispered instructions, occasionally gesturing in the general direction of the Fae that would be joining them. The man was half-Unseelie half-High Fae. He had purple skin with a shock of white hair pulled back into a knot at the base of his neck. He stood apart from the others, standing elegantly as he cast furtive glances in Weylyn’s direction.
Meanwhile, Weylyn stared ather.The heavy press of his gaze against her sent a shiver down her spine. Though she confessed she liked him, his stare was uncanny and mysterious. Still, she felt a kinship between them, as he too was from the Gold Court and was the first to acknowledge her as a High Lady as if theywerein court.
He hadn’t known that it had been the small push she’d needed in moments when she felt she’d disappear. When things had felt too heavy days ago. When she felt like everyone was doomed to die because of her. Because Tobias would have stopped at nothing to get her back.
She’d underestimated how resilient the Resistance could actually be. How far they’d go to protect one of their own. And she’d felt humbled; for the first time in a long time she had felt a sense of family with these people. Like she could actually count on them to go the distance for her. Like she would now go the distance forthem.
“You ready to go?” Clay interrupted her thoughts, giving her hand a tight squeeze.
She smiled at her mate, though her heart pounded up to her throat. For the majority of her life, she’d lived in the Gold Court and after that, Dana. She knew nothing of the outside world. Had never even stepped foot out of the kingdom.
Now, she was leaving.
There was something cathartic about that, but also frightening.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied breathlessly. What she didn’t ask was what awaited them out there. She had a feeling even Clay didn’t know, but she was sure that together they would find out.
“Time to go!” Prince Valerio called out. He’d pulled away from his father and was standing beneath the marble archways of the room. Sunlight blazed through the open space, shining down in dark contrasts against the prince. Uric stood beside him, the two bathed in shadows and sunlight, a dark gloom against the brightness.
On a silent command from the Prince, Uric spread his palms wide and a portal was created. It shimmered like the surface of a lake and reflected their own images like a mirror, distorted and blurry.
The prince turned. “Julius,” he commanded. “You first.”
Julius sauntered over to the portal, unsheathing his blade as he went. He took a deep breath and walked through, disappearing within its depths. Next went Iona, following after her mate. The prince gestured at Dawn, Wren, Gale, and Juniper. The four shared weary glances with each other and then Corvina. Though her own fear threatened to dominate her, she tried to appear confident, giving her ladies a nod of approval. After deep breaths, they walked through, disappearing to the other side.
Their party slowly began filing through the portal. Corvina noticed that the longer it was opened, the more Uric’s fingers began to tremble. His skin, which had once been tight and beautiful, wrinkled like crumpled paper. His hair grayed, his eyes drooped, but he held strong. It was the price of his magic, no doubt.
When it was their turn to walk through, Corvina went to pick up Basil. She held him tightly in her arms, more for her comfort than his. Her son did not look scared, but rather excited at the prospect of an adventure. On her other side, Clay wrapped his arm around her waist. She wondered if he could feel her nerves down the bond.
Even without a bite to officially mark them as mates, she could still feel their connection and knew that he could too. His presence was reassuring as he guided her towards the portal. She stared at her distorted reflection and dared a glance backwards at the palace she’d once called home and prison in equal measure.
This would be the last time, she vowed. This would be the last time she ever stepped foot in Dana again. This was a place of the past, a place where she came to be tortured, brutalized, and raped.
It was also the place where she found her son and found her mate.
With a deep breath, she looked forward again.
“Ready?” Clay asked.
“As I’ll ever be,” she replied.
And together they stepped through the portal.
