Page 130 of Throne of Dreams
Tiernan laughed, briefly wishing Deirdre was there with them. She made an excellent cup of tea to cure such agony.
Aran set his empty glass down, lightly tapping his fingers against its rim. “Might I leave you with one more word of caution?”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
The High Prince’s smile faded. “Whatever you do, don’t fuck up.”
Then he strolled away, taking the stairs down to the first level of the ship to go sleep off his drunken state.
Tiernan let his gaze return to Maeve, whose eyes had grown sleepy, and she disguised a yawn with the back of her hand. To the Furies’ credit, each of them stood and bade her a good night before silently retreating to other parts of the Amshir. He wasn’t entirely sure they even needed sleep, but they’d been smart enough to realize their queen was exhausted.
He rose from his seat and went to her, taking her hand and easing her into a standing position. “You need rest,astora.”
She rolled her neck from side to side, letting her gaze drift skyward where the blue of night was fading and giving way to the gold of sunrise. “I think I’ll stay up.”
His brow furrowed. “What for?”
“There’s something I want to see.” Maeve led him from the verandah to the first level of the ship and together they walked toward the stern, the horizon of sky and sea meeting and stretching out like a canvas of blended watercolors.
The world glimmered, coating them in magic.
They’d crossed into the boundaries of Faeven.
* * *
The Furies never slept.
Maeve supposed they didn’t need to, not when she could hear the low rumbling of their voices from the port side of the Amshir. But right now, she didn’t need sleep either, not when the sun would make its ascent at any moment and light the skies on fire.
She took Tiernan’s hand, guiding him around the back of the ship. Already, the eastern sky was aglow with the first rays of the morning. Soon, it would be just as she remembered from her first crossing of the Eirelan Pass.
“What are we doing?” He leaned against the railing and toyed with one of her curls, tugging it gently only to let it bounce free.
“Watching the sunrise.” She shifted into him, and his arm slid around her waist, pulling her close.
Seconds floated through the space between them, slow and languid. When the sun finally graced the horizon, the cresting waves sparkled like diamonds and golden beams burst through the lazy stretch of early morning clouds, illuminating them with radiance so they seemed to glow from within. It stole the breath from her lungs, and she swiped the unbidden tear that slid down her cheek.
It was as beautiful as ever. Just like when Rowan had shown her the first time.
“Sun and sky.” Tiernan’s voice was filled with awe, and his grip on her tightened while he drank in the beauty of the world before them.
“Yes.” Maeve wrapped herself in his embrace. “Sun and sky.”
ChapterThirty-Eight
Tiernan, Maeve, and Aranfadedinto the main courtyard of the palace with the Furies right there with them. Somehow, the otherworldly beings seemed to defy all magical laws. They moved with unrivaled speed, despite not being able tofadeor fly. They required no sleep and didn’t appear to need food either, though they made short work of four bottles of whiskey the night before.
Ceridwen, Lir, Merrick, and Brynn were waiting for them.
It wasn’t exactly the homecoming he expected, but his friends had a right to be wary. The Furies had been an intimidating trio when they were flesh and bone. Now that they were nothing more than shadow and distorted bodily figures, they were far more frightening. To make matters worse, and slightly more uncomfortable, Merrick was sending the Autumn High Prince a death glare.
Merrick rocked back on his heels, crossing his arms. “I have a feeling we’ve missed something.”
“Aran will be staying with us for the foreseeable future.” Tiernan addressed all of them, ensuring he met each of their dubious looks with a leveled stare. “Until we can overthrow Garvan from the Autumn Court.”
“And what of them?” Lir nodded toward the Furies, who’d slowly gathered around Maeve.
“They will remain as well.” Tiernan gestured vaguely behind him. Lir and Merrick shared a look.
