Chapter 14
Over the last month in Ayveri, Lyv had gotten used to just being Audry and not be recognized.
Then she had to meet Prince Destan, who led a search for her throughout the city for over a week.
And then she had to use her magic to stop Blackloch pirates from taking over the bay and bringing Thia Branvon back from the dead.
Now, she couldn't go anywhere without people noticing her.
Even though she had yet to see Thia since the night she saved her, Gideon told her all about the legendary female warrior, leading solo raids of human camps during the war twenty years before on her Tarver Red dragon, Erly. Lyv had to start teasing him when he got too excited telling her the stories. He completely denied it, but he was totally smitten with the half-human, half-sorceress and he hadn't even officially met her.
Lyv would have to change that.
Destan hadn't been the only one trying to find out more information on her after that. Thia had also. And, like him, she was a prominent figure in the city, being the only daughter of a wealthy Eld merchant who just happened to be one of the most powerful sorcerers as well.
"You really know how to blend into to Ayverian society, don't you?" Gideon asked as they went grocery shopping a week after what happened in the bay.
So many people had stopped to thank her, Fae, human, and fairy alike. Even Posy was getting impatient since Lyv had promised to buy her a new flower for her room. So many rumors had been spreading about her and her magic, which was something that no one had ever seen before.
"All right, I'm just going to keep looking forward and talking to you and Posy. Then maybe everyone will only stare and not have to stop and chat."
Gideon chuckled as she looped her arm through his, her other carrying the canvas bag with their dinner inside they'd picked up from a small café on their way back from grocery shopping. The owner didn't even make them pay for it...just like everyone else seemed to be doing whenever they would go out for meals.
Her idea had worked, though. She just kept rambling random things to Gideon to look like they were in deep conversation, occasionally cracking some childish joke to make him laugh.
It wasn't until they were walking toward their last stop – a small, fairy-run bakery that had the best chocolate mousse cheesecake Lyv had ever tasted in her life – that she pulled Gideon to a stop.
Destan was standing outside and talking with two guardsmen that stood on either side of the light blue door. The open sign had been turned over to closed, even though it was peak sale time.
Lyv tried to steer Gideon away from Destan's eyeline before he spotted them, but she was too late. She knew it by his grin.
"Looks like a certain prince is wanting to chat...and is trying to impress you by possibly buying out your favorite place? I hope he doesn't eat all the cheesecake..."
"Shut up," she murmured, elbowing him in the side as they neared, and then plastered a smile on her face. "Hello, Prince Destan."
"Hello, Audry, Vandor," he nodded.
"And is there a reason you've seemingly closed my sister's favorite shop?" Gideon asked, raising a brow.
"I told her my mother wanted to speak with her this week, especially now after what happened with the Blackloch pirates and Thia Branvon. And I might want to thank you as well by bribing you with your favorite sweet from the shop. I asked the owner what you usually get...chocolate mousse cheesecake, correct? My mother loves it, too, though she didn't wait for you to take the first bite of her own slice."
"You know," Lyv told him, "this is now borderline creepy with you trying to find out as much about me as possible."
"You were nervous when I last met with you. And we really do need to go to lunch again sometime...though I shall be seeing you a lot more around the palace should you accept my mother's offer."
Ah, so that's what this was about.
Lyv sighed, looking up at Gideon. "Go on back to the apartment. Everything will spoil if you don't. I'll meet you back there later, all right? And can you take Posy with you?"
The pixie, who had been sitting on her shoulder, started pouting. Lyv had promised her some cheesecake and a flower.
Gideon looked from her to Destan. "Just make sure she gets back home safely."
"Of course."
He nodded, leaned over to kiss the side of her head and take the canvas bags she'd been carrying, and walked away. Posy huffed out another breath, but flew after him, landing on the top of his head as he turned the corner.
"I would have thought he'd put up more of a fight about this," Destan admitted to her.
"We've already talked about what I should do once I talked with the queen."
"And that is...?"
Lyv only smiled before stepping around him and to the door. One of the guardsmen nodded as he held it open for her.
The scent of sugar and freshly baked treats greeted her when she went inside the bakery. Unlike it usually was, the place was completely empty, all of the white tables and chairs neat, the food in the display cases untouched, and the owner – a fairy she'd come to know well named Sherine – was peeking out from the back door into the kitchen. Her eyes were wide and bright when she saw 'her and then quickly glanced at the two Fae sitting at the only occupied table.
The first Lyv looked to was Queen Alexea...and paused when her sapphire blue eyes met hers. Jai had those exact same eyes, though the queen's shade of dark hair was that of Destan's and Laurel's. The power she radiated was one of grace and love and elegance. And when she fluidly stood, her light blue dress rippled like waves along the shore, sparkling like the sun hitting the water.
The Fae who stood up next to her then made Lyv stop in her tracks. She was expecting the queen, but not the king as well. She had heard how the princes favored their father and even how Jai was the spitting image of him. And it was completely true, though the king's hair was cropped short and slightly gray, his beard neatly trimmed, and his russet brown eyes watching her.
Their son stepped up beside Lyv, placing his hand on the small of her back that sent a shiver up her spine. "Mother, Father, I would like to introduce Audry Rey. Audry, these are my parents."
"King Emmeric, Queen Alexea, it is an absolute honor," she said with a curtsy, and then started brushing back the stray hairs that had fallen from her braid. "I apologize for my appearance. I wasn't...anticipating this meeting to be while I was out grocery shopping with my brother."
"That is absolutely fine," the queen smiled. "I apologize from taking you away from your shopping."
"She was coming here for her favorite chocolate mousse cheesecake, actually," Destan grinned...and then turned his attention to the slice waiting for her at the table with the king and queen.
"It's my favorite as well," the queen smiled. "Sherine is unmatched in her skills anywhere in the city."
"And she is sure to have someone bring some to the palace when she's not able to come herself," King Emmeric smiled over at her. "So, you had better start on yours before she steals it."
The queen huffed and hit her mate on the stomach. "Excuse you."
Destan snorted out a laugh as he pulled out Lyv's chair as the king did the same for his queen.
Mates. Emmeric and Alexea were the epitome of what a Fae mate was. Not only were they tied together by a bond that could never be severed by anyone other than the Goddess of Death, but they were each other's equal in every way. The king and queen had been together for nearly five hundred years, according to the books she'd read back home in Escarral. But those books couldn't describe how they were with one another.
Before, she'd pictured them like her mother and father, but this – this – was what it was like to be with someone you loved and were fated to be with. Every little movement completely captivating the one watching, the small smiles shared, even being able to laugh at the other when they did something embarrassing or just funny.
Just like what she had with Amory...but had they been mates? She remembered asking Gideon one time what tied an official mated pair together. He only gave her a vague idea without even looking at her. Until she'd asked if she and Amory could have been mates since he was Fae and she was human.
His eyes had immediately met hers, but he didn't answer.
Destan was watching her as she watched his parents then. He had draped his arm along the back of her chair, a picture of ease, and leaned forward to grab her fork.
"Are you going to eat or not?"
She smiled slightly, reaching forward to take it from him.
The queen started to talk when she took her first bite. "So, Audry, you have an idea of why I wanted to meet with you?"
"Destan told me about the palace healer position."
The king was the one to speak then. "We will be without a healer once our current leaves to teach at the university. And Destan thinks you would be perfect to fill the role."
"He told us about what you did for the pixie Laurel found on the way back from Aarden," the queen continued. "And I have to say I was quite impressed as well since most do not have that level of healing magic, especially when he mentioned you were from Waiter."
Lyv quickly thought up a lie. "My grandmother on my father's side was from Asturia. She was quite skilled herself."
Both of them were looking at her intently then, making it a little awkward to eat her cheesecake, so she decided to just have Sherine save it for her to come back to.
"And then there was what happened out in the bay last week," the queen said quietly. "You have powerful magic, Audry Rey. It's a wonder how you've been able to keep to yourself so long."
Lyv thought about that fissure in the wall that continued to widen with each passing day. The wall that seemingly held her magic at bay. What would happen if that wall completely disappeared?
"I just followed instinct," Lyv shrugged. "I want to help people. Thia Branvon was just one of those people who needed saving."
"You brought her back from the brink of death."
"You make me sound like a hero."
"You are to so many," Queen Alexea told her. "And if you become the official palace healer, just think of all the good you could do."
There it was.
"Is that an official offer, not just one from the prince?" she asked, glancing over at the male in question. He still had his arm draped over the back of her chair, a sly grin spreading across his face.
"It is," King Emmeric nodded. "We want to formally extend the offer of becoming the official palace healer to you. You will be provided with your own rooms, a generous monthly salary, and if you need anything more, all you need to do is ask."
Lyv was quite for a long minute. Of course, they believed her to be thinking over the offer to the position, close with the whole royal family and even becoming a friend.
That's what she was supposed to be doing, especially since Jai had yet to come back from his patrol in Eld. She had hardly thought of the prince over these last few weeks, not when his younger brother was making old feelings reappear every moment she spent with him. But her mother had her plan and that was for Lyv to seduce Jai. Lyv had other ideas for what she could do to the crown prince, but after that dream the other morning...
"Audry?"
She looked over at Destan, who was waiting expectantly for her answer, just as his parents were doing on the other side of the table.
"Of course," she nodded. "I would be honored."
***
"You decided to take it before this meeting with my parents, didn't you?" Destan asked as he walked her back through the streets of Ayveri, her arm in his. He was taking them on a longer way than what she would have taken with Gideon and she had a sneaking suspicion as to why.
"Of course," she nodded. "Why would I give up the chance?"
"And with what happened in the bay, it's not just going to be scraped needs and hammer accidents."
"Tell that to the female she saved."
Both Lyv and Destan looked up to see Thia walking toward them. Erly the dragon was no where in sight, but she really couldn't have fit the streets of Ayveri anyway. Thia was smiling, though, and looking even better than she had on the beach. Of course, at that point, she'd just been pulled out of the water and brought back to life by Lyv, so she gave her some leeway.
The sun caught the gold strands in Thia's hair and brightened her green eyes as she smiled. She was dressed in all leather, probably what she wore for flying on the back of a dragon.
"Thia," Lyv smiled.
"Hello again, Audry."
"How are you feeling?"
"Well, since my father sent me to the university hospital, even though, thanks to you, I was completely healed...I'm still feeling fine," she laughed, and then eyed the prince on her arm. "I see you snagged the attentions of the prince with your heroics."
Lyv couldn't help but laugh at that. "Actually, I got him when he was bringing Raldune horses back to the city from Aarden. Saw me out in the crowd watching and somehow managed to hold his interest."
"Ah," she nodded. "So that's why all the females are disappointed and keep talking about how Prince Destan seems to only have eyes for one now."
"She is pretty incredible, isn't she?" Destan grinned, looking at Lyv with a wink, and her face flamed.
"Sorry to ask, Prince, but do you mind if I steal Audry away?" she asked.
"And why is that?"
"Because I want to woo her myself," she said...and then rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Seriously, though, I have her to thank for my life and I have yet to properly do that. Are you going to deny me that, prince? And besides, Erly wants to thank her as well."
"Your dragon wants to thank her?"
"She'd be by herself if I was gone, you know, living out her days in Eld without a bloodrite bond...it's a lonely life. You didn't study dragons at university like your brother did, huh? Then again, he didn't take his schooling to heart when he tried to touch her egg."
At the mention of a brother, Lyv's interest perked. "You've meet Crown Prince Jai?'
Thia nodded. "Down in Eld a few days before we got to Ayveri. Erly liked him...until he tried to touch her egg. Never touch a dragon egg unless the momma dragon allows it. And that's pretty much never. Now, can I steal you away? You don't want to hang around this prince more, do you?"
Lyv looking up at Destan, laughing. "I will see you soon," she said...and had the guts to lean up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "You know, since I'll be around the palace a lot more in after tomorrow."
Destan looked at her like he didn't want to go just yet, reaching up to curl the end of her braid around his fingers. "What about your brother wanting you home safely?"
"Just tell him I'm making friends with the female of his dreams...he'll be okay with that."
"What?" Thia asked, raising a brow. "I didn't know I was being set up...and, you know, I don't really have time for Fae males. I've got a momma dragon to worry about. But if he's cute..."
Lyv laughed again, letting go of Destan's arm. "I'll see you later," she grinned.
Thia wiggled her fingers at the prince, smiling at the fact that she was able to steal her away from him.
"I have to say, for a female that has only been in Ayveri for a month, you sure do know how to make an impression," Thia told her when they started walking to the west end of the city.
"And why do you say that? Just because of Destan?"
"Not only because of him. But you got the attention of the king and queen, of all the people in the city because of Destan asking around about you and then because you saved me. And how you saved me...well, I might have been drowning at the moment, but I've heard what everyone has been saying. It's impressive for a female from a small village in Waiter."
Lyv sighed, staring down at the road as they walked. "You do some good and then..."
"And then you become the official palace healer, which is a very prestigious job," she said, and then winked. "Don't be surprised when Destan shows up as often as he can. I've heard rumors about the prince and his promiscuous ways. You be careful with that one...even if he's one hell of a handsome male. His brother is a different story. And a better story."
Lyv didn't say anything as Jai's image filled her head. Thia was right. There was just something about Jai that made Lyv...
"For how everyone said Jai acted, they couldn't be more wrong," she continued. "When I met him last week, he seemed...calm. Like going out on these patrols had leveled him out from the rowdy prince he used to be. Did you hear what happened last year, though? With him and what he was wanted to do with Escarral?"
Lyv stuttered and tripped a step. "Escarral?"
Thia barely noticed. "Now, I'm all for peace, but this soon after the war? Couldn't he have waited another decade or two until the queen was dead? He could have taken care of her himself and saved them a lot of trouble. He was working with the king before he was overthrown by his wife. Now, the people are under her rule, though they're rebelling against her now. Even her daughters have closed off their territory borders. And the youngest...I believe her name is Alyvia...oh, would I love to meet her. She's been undermining the queen every chance she gets."
If only you knew...
"She's the one who was born during the queen's captivity here before she escaped with her. And word is, she's got powerful magic herself."
"How would you know?"
"Because even King Emmeric has spies in Escarral."
Thia turned them down another street where the apartments turned into houses. Then another where the houses turned into estates with a good bit of land around them.
The estate house Thia turned them to then was the biggest one on the street with the most land surrounding it, three stories and made of stone with beautiful ivy crawling up the walls at the corners and dotted with red flowers. The paved drive was lit on either side by lamps with flickering blue orbs of light and split to one that went back to what looked like a large rock formation. Rock formations normally didn't have a huge double sliding door entrance to a cave, but this one did.
"Erly would get mad at me again if I didn't let her say hello to you," Thia smiled, and turned them toward the rocks.
"You mentioned her being mad at you before. When you woke up after I saved you."
"I made her fly ahead of us while I stayed on the ship. We were a day away from Ayveri and I made her go because I knew she was tired. She'd just stubborn and wanted to stay with me. But I gave the order, one she couldn't refuse even if she tried. So, she took herself and her egg here and well...you know what happened the next night. She's still pissed at me since she knows she could have stopped what happened had she been there, but she's slowly getting over it. I think me bringing you to say hello will help."
They made it to double doors in the rocks and Thia slid one open. It did indeed open up to a cave, but a cozy one they found a giant fire blazing in, a rack that held all sorts of riding gear, and one enormous red dragon who had an egg tucked between her chest and front left leg.
Lyv had never seen a dragon egg before...hadn't even seen a dragon since meeting Erly...but it was just as she imagined it. It was black and scaled just like the momma dragon that made it, but its surface was smooth and shimmered like onyx in the light of the fire.
Erly, who had been laying down, lifted her head and those gray eyes met Lyv's. She let out a throaty hum, another something she'd never heard.
"Cats purr, dogs bark, and Erly hums. She's strange like that and the only dragon I've come across who does it," Thia laughed, walking toward her. "You see? I brought our new friend. Doesn't that make it a little better?"
But Erly was hardly paying attention to her. Not when Lyv was coming closer, looking around.
"This place is amazing," she told Thia, who came to stand next to her then.
"I needed somewhere Erly could be while we were in Ayveri and to store all the riding gear. I had the saddle specially made so it's not bulky and annoying for her."
"How long have you two been bonded?"
"Since I was twelve and I found her newly hatched outside our estate in Eld, so...oh, a hundred and thirty-six years, but who's counting?"
Lyv stared at the female in front of her, looking the same age as her. She was almost a hundred and fifty...
"I don't know if you knew this, but I'm half-human, not full sorceress. My mother was human and from Palrion, hence the skin color. They have a darker complexion range in Ethran. The eyes are all Father, though. The eyes and the magic. My mother died over a hundred years ago. She was in her fifties at that point, but still as vivacious as ever. But that was when the plague swept through. She caught it and never recovered. Being human, it took her in less than a day."
"The plague?" Lyv asked. She had to admit she didn't really know that much about Ethran, but she should have at least known about a plague. "I never really heard much of it. I'm still young, so I wasn't alive at the time."
Thia looked a little uncomfortable but explained anyway. "The Arcane Blood Plague. It took about a third of Palrion's population, Fae, human, and sorcerer alike. They have about five million citizens in the city, so it took a little over a million and a half in the two months it went around and luckily didn't spread anywhere else. Lord Alberich of Asturia had come down with his mate Lady Bridget and a few other healers after the city officials sent distress calls a week after it started. They were able to get it contained before it could kill anyone else."
Lyv's stomach had dropped at the number of lives lost. A third of a city's population gone in less than two months. "That's horrible."
"You should have seen it happening," Thia said with a grimace. "There was a reason they called it a blood plague. The streets and rivers through the city ran red."
She swallowed hard, staring at Thia as she played with the zipper of her leather jacket.
But then a bright smile spread across her face as she looked back at her, then looped her arm through Lyv's to turn then to the doors. "All right, no more of this. Let's go back to the house. Erly will be fine. She's done a lot of flying these past few weeks, so she could use the rest."
But Erly wasn't having that.
Both Thia and Lyv stopped in their tracks when she let out a short-lived roar, followed by the throaty hum. Slowly, they looked back at the dragon, who was now standing on all four legs, her wings slightly outstretched and resting on either side of her.
"Erly," Thia said slowly as she walked forward.
But the dragon snapped at her, gray eyes never leaving Lyv's.
Lyv took a hesitant step...and didn't get snapped at.
"Mother above," Thia breathed. "Erly, you can't be serious..."
She continued forward until Erly lowered her head level with Lyv's. Reaching out, she placed a hand on the top of her head just as the dragon closed her eyes.
And then she felt it.
A bond forming that was similar and yet different from when Gideon had made the oath of fidelity. Old magic that had been around for thousands of years and yet Lyv was just now experiencing it. That bond wasn't directly with Erly, though. No, she'd already made that bond with Thia.
This bond, however, was for something of Erly's she'd been protecting until she found what she was looking for.
"What's happening exactly?" Lyv asked.
"The bloodrite," Thia whispered in awe behind her. "It's been centuries since someone's been chosen outside Eld...and for the mother dragon to choose you...that rarely happens..."
A warmth spread through Lyv's hand, up her arm, and into her chest where that ember made a permanent place in her heart.
And Erly opened her eyes, turning her head toward the egg.
Thia's laugh then was one of astonishment. "Looks like you've gotten yourself a dragon."
***First...Gideon is going to be so jealous of Lyv now. Haha! You know he's always wanted a dragon.
Second, I apologize for not getting this chapter up yesterday like I had hoped. Several things happened including a complete rearrangement of this chapter and the next two, the chapter itself basically doubling because of that and became freakishly long, and I got a job offer that I've been hoping I'd get! Whoo! I'm going to try and get as much of this book done before I start in about two and a half weeks.
Anyway, you know I love hearing your thoughts, so comment and vote!
Happy reading!
- Ansley***