Page 78 of The Divine Shallows
Concern pricked at her as she observed Elowyn indulging in her sixth glass of fey wine. Elyria pondered whether her overprotectiveness over the years had done more harm than good. The notion stung, but she recognized that Elowyn needed to learn to stand on her own once she was gone.
Pushing aside the guilt, Elyria redirected her focus to the gathering below. Her gaze fixed on her mother, Queen Eddra, who clapped politely alongside the other fey, wearing a pleasant smile. Yet, despite her outward disposition, Elyria sensed the underlying fury in her mother’s aura. She had learned to decipher her mother’s concealed emotions over the years. Whenever Queen Eddra appeared too perfect, too content, it signaled that she was hiding something. The Clever Queen harbored numerous secrets, and despite Elyria’s efforts, she had only uncovered a fraction of them in her twenty-six years.
Initially, Elyria found hiding to be frightening—detesting being alone and cloaked by darkness—but gradually, she grew to appreciate the hidden nooks and corners of the castle and the safety they provided.
She quickly discerned that fey behaved differently when they believed they weren’t being observed. And similarly, their behavior shifted when they were aware of being watched.
Her discoveries held their weight in gold, hence Elyria’s choice to remain concealed in the darkness, surveying the mingling crowd below.
In the calmexpanse of the Eriden mountains, the pre-dawn sky hung heavy with darkness, the first light of morning still hours away. No more than thirty minutes after their return from the Elune Isles, Queen Eddra received a sealed missive, delivered by hand from a Neramyran informant. The message contained the same cryptic contents as the six missives before it, all arriving on consecutive days since the start of the Ceremony.
Queen Eddra recognized it was no mere coincidence that these messages began on the first day of the Ceremony. In Neramyr, coincidences were regarded with skepticism—often, they were calculated rather than merely coincidental.
Atop one of the mountain peaks, Eddra tenderly ran her fingers over the smooth, ivory scales decorating Stryx’s hide. Her gaze drifted to the starlit sky as she murmured, “She remembers, Edwyn.”
Edwyn stood nearby, his sapphire firedrake poised behind him, his expression inscrutable. “I know,” he replied with a grave look. “They both remember.”
Meeting his gaze with a composed expression, Eddra nodded in understanding. Turning her attention skyward, she crumpled the scroll tightly in her fist. At once, the parchment ignited into flame and disintegrated into ash, leaving only a faint trail of smoke in its wake.
With a formidable stride, Eddra mounted Stryx in a single fluid motion. United with his rider, the chalk-firedrake emitted a piercing cry before launching himself into the sky, his powerful wings propelling him upward. Stryx disappeared into the darkness, vanishing among the shroud of gray clouds.
Meanwhile, the prince exhaled deeply as he surveyed the darkness, his gaze shifting to hisanimus. With a gentle touch, he patted the blue dragon’s hide, a silent communication passing between them. Afterward, Edwyn mounted Nerys effortlessly, and the dragon charged toward the edge of the summit. With a powerful leap, Nerys soared into the air, her membranous wings beating against the night.
With cryptic eyes, the Clever Queen and the Fanged Prince embarked on their journey through the obsidian skies, hastening toward the Elberrin Forest.
27
The Cherry-Stained Door
In the quiet of dawn,Draeden cradled Elowyn’s sleeping form in his arms, admiring her peaceful features. He observed the gentle rhythm of her breathing, a comforting sight after the strife she endured. Last night had been unexpected; Elowyn had sought him out, her eyes filled with tears and her heart heavy with weariness. Knowing the burdens she carried, Draeden couldn’t fault her for feeling overwhelmed. Just days before, she had been forced by her father to forge an Eternal Tethering bond with the newly appointed feyguard of Eriden—a decision that still ignited a throe of anger within him.
Within Neramyr’s royalty, the Eternal Tethering bond was not unheard of; his own father, King Kyrus Darkmaw, possessed three Eternal Tethering bonds himself. Yet, typically, the bond was entered into willingly, a formal commitment freely offered by one fey to another to forsake their life to the bond if it necessitated it. The Eternal Tethering bond was sanctioned and blessed by the Goddess and fulfilled through the High Priestess in this realm.
If the Moon Goddess did not endorse the bond, the bond would not take.
Draeden was curious as to why the Moon Goddess accepted Elowyn and Finnor’s bond when it was presented before her. Most heirs did not take the bond before their coronation. In legend, it was warned that taking the Eternal Tethering bond before coronation condemned the reigning ruler to a felled fate—it was ill-fortune to tempt the throne with the longevity of another monarch.
Though he dismissed this as mere folklore, Draeden couldn’t discern any honorable motive for Elowyn to accept the bond at her age.
As Elowyn stirred slightly in his embrace, Draeden froze, careful not to disturb her. When she settled back into sleep, he gently brushed a stray strand of white hair from her face, his brow furrowing as he remembered her distress from the night before. In her anguish, she had implored him to take her somewhere safe, away from the burdens of her world. And so, he had brought her to the oasis in Orwyn—the only place he believed could offer her respite, while still ensuring the Eriden feyguard could locate her if needed.
A flush of warmth spread across Draeden’s cheeks as memories of their recent embrace flooded his mind. His heart raced as he recalled each kiss, every touch exchanged and shared beneath the stars. She was the first fey to ignite such intense emotions within him. Perhaps it was the ethereal connection he felt when they first met in the Temple of Caena, or the way she observed the world with the same keen eye as he did. It could have been the moments he caught her stealing glances at him, or the thrill he felt when their eyes met across the room. Whatever the reason, he was utterly captivated. Draeden had always understood the depth of fey emotions, but now he grasped why kingdoms had fallen and wars had been waged in the name of love.
He would do anything for her. He felt it with his soul.
As if sensing his profound affection, Elowyn’s eyes fluttered open, a soft smile gracing her lips. It was his undoing. Leaning in, he pressed atender kiss to her lips, his hand gently tilting her chin upward. Elowyn responded in kind, her fingers tangling in his crimson locks. Their kisses deepened, fueled by desire and longing as the dawn began to break on the horizon. In the soft light, Draeden admired Elowyn’s graceful form, feeling a surge of desire course through him.
With a groan, he surrendered to the overwhelming passion, his actions guided by tenderness and care. He traced kisses along her skin, savoring the curves of her body until their lips met once more. Their bodies joined, and only when Elowyn found release did Draeden allow himself the same, his movements urgent as he held her close. As they lay intertwined, bathed in the glow of morning light, Draeden cradled Elowyn in his arms, cherishing the intimacy they shared.
“How are you feeling?” Draeden’s gaze was earnest as he spoke.
“Better now that I’m with you.” Elowyn played with a strand of her hair. “Thank you for being there for me last night. I know I wasn’t at my best. But... I’m still trying to wrap my head around what happened during theVitus. I can’t believe how the ritual was performed. Why did the High Priestess allow it?”
Draeden wore a pensive expression. “To be honest, I’m still puzzled myself. The ritual has always been a solitary performance for each candidate, unchanged for millennia. For it to suddenly deviate... I can only wonder if the Goddess desired it to be this way.”
Elowyn sat up, turning to him. “Are you suggesting that this is how theVituswill be conducted from now on? That we’ll be using our abilities on each other when it’s our turn to compete?”
He shrugged. “Possibly, if the Goddess wills it. We might not have much say in the matter.”
