Chapter 37

CHAPTER 37

There isn't an opportunity to speak with Aurora. She rides on Evander, casting wary glances my way. I try and catch her eyes as inconspicuously as possible. But there's little hope in attempting to convey anything other than confidence and reassurance. A confidence that wanes slightly when her own expression is twisted with worry.

Her being on Evander's back also gives me an excuse to look in his direction without risking any suspicion from others who might see. My attention toward Aurora can be explained. But Evander is harder to have excuses for.

He looks tense. Though perhaps I'm projecting my own worries upon him—my own fears for him. I finally found him. He's returned to me despite all odds. I won't let anything happen to him now.

The silvery trees of Den go right up to the water's edge. There's no thinning or shrinking of the magical flora. Their mighty roots stretch right into the water, shimmering beneath the perfectly clear surface. The lake itself is miraculously still for its size. Despite what must be considerable winds whipping across its vast surface, there isn't so much as a ripple.

As my feet touch the ground, a jolt of power shoots through me, even greater than the magic of the living trees. I suck in a breath and exhale a faint cloud. Even though we have not gone far, the air is colder here.

"What is this place?" I whisper.

"The stories say that long ago there was a kingdom here," Conri answers, stepping to my side. I appreciate that he understood what I was asking and did not simply repeat that it is the great lake of Midscape. "This is well before the wars of magic that resulted in the Fade being erected. Back when the world was very young and the first peoples were inhabiting it alongside the old gods and spirits."

"What do the stories say happened to the kingdom?" I ask as the others arrive, slowing to a stop in an arc around Conri and me.

"That depends on whose stories you are listening to. The siren sing that the city sank far below the earth—that its people became the first spirits their old gods shepherded to the Beyond, and, perhaps, monsters of the deep. The fae's stories say that their kind destroyed the ancient city, for its kings couldn't be trusted as they dabbled in forbidden rituals." Conri stares out over the vast expanse of water. It's so wide that it touches each end of the horizon. Wide enough that, if not for what I am told, and its unnatural stillness and deep magic, I would think it was a sea.

"And what do the lykin's stories say?"

"Quite the opposite of the siren's claims." It's Evander who answers, and I work to keep my face passive as I look to him. It helps that he's not looking at me, either. He stares out over the lake, his expression a bit dull—as though he's a bit exasperated that he is explaining this at all to me. "The lykin's stories say that we lived in harmony with this kingdom. That we taught them about how to commune with the spirits and the sirens to their west taught them how to revere the old gods. The tales say forgotten kingdoms were the greatest among us and, for their splendor, they were rewarded. They were carried with the old gods as they left this world, ascending beyond this mortal coil to eternal glory."

Conri begins to chuckle as Evander finishes his story. He shakes his head. "Such foolish tales."

"You don't think there's any truth to them?" I ask the wolf king.

"The fae's account I suspect to be the most true. A kingdom—or kingdoms—that refused to follow the rules of the King's Council as it assembled. I find the fact that the lake extends from Evalon to be supporting evidence of this theory. I could see the other kings combining their power to eradicate a group that wouldn't stand with them and their rules…like cutting off an unruly limb," he adds with a sour note.

It makes me wonder what Conri's goals actually are for his rule. To keep control of the lykin, obviously. But does he truly want to venture into the Natural World and claim the realm of the humans, as he suggested? Or does he simply want the power to keep himself independent of the other peoples of Midscape?

"But enough of histories and tall tales." Conri motions between me and the lake. "Show me this spirit that you've found."

All eyes are on me as I step forward. There is no getting around this. To object now would raise suspicions that I cannot invite.

Removing my shoes and setting them on the narrow, pebbled beach, I step into the water with a slow and bracing inhale. It is as cold as ice. My flesh immediately prickles, though I wonder if the sensation is from the deep magics that swirl in the lake, or from the chill. I square my shoulders and ball my hands into fists, trying to keep the instantaneous shivers from taking control.

Let's get this over with. I reach deep into my magic—into the well of power that is from Aurora. In a tongue reserved only for spirits, I intone without hesitation, "Volst, come to me."

The words send a ripple across the water that extends out from me. It speeds away with purpose as a visual representation of my summons seeking out the spirit. I watch as it fades beyond the realm of my vision.

But there is no reply.

My heartbeat quickens. "Volst, please," I whisper. The spirit seemed nice enough. But it is as mighty as Brundil and I suspect equally uninclined to be put on display. Or perhaps what I asked of him was too much. He can't return so quickly.

"Is there a problem?" Conri asks.

I glance over my shoulder. "No, no, it can take a moment."

The wolf king's expression is hard to read. The trembles begin to take over my shoulders. No doubt making me look even more guilty.

"Then why has this mighty spirit not yet come?" Conri demands to know.

"The spirits do have their own minds," I try to explain delicately, "and their roles to play in the world. We cannot always summon them on our mortal whims."

Conri closes the distance between us, his boots splashing into the water. They make short-lived ripples, the water actively refusing to be disturbed. He ducks his chin and lowers his voice, speaking only to me. "I am the wolf king; everything in this world will bend to my will. And if it does not…then I will have to break it." He leans away slightly, looking me dead in the eyes. "Do you understand, Faelyn?"

You included , is what he doesn't say, but wants me to hear. I manage a nod.

"Now. Try again." Conri steps back onto the rocky shore and out of the water that I am left to turn back to.

Never have I felt more alone than in this moment. Standing apart from the rest of them—completely unlike them. Having them all watch me like I am some kind of entertainment.

I take a steadying breath and roll my shoulders back. I am not alone. Back among them is Aurora—part of her magic is within me. In a way, right now, we are kin. Evander is there, waiting for me to come through for all of us. I can do this. Not for me, but for them. For the people who are going to be by me to the end.

"Volst," I say with purpose. My voice seems to carry across the still water, ripples chasing after the sound. "I ask for you to come to me, merely for a moment."

The words leave me and sink into the water. For a moment, I think I feel the slightest bit of magic brush against mine. A vague awareness that there is something else out there. But it's gone. He's too weak.

"Well," Conri says after a minute that feels like an hour. "I see that your expedition was a failure." I turn, looking back at him in shock. Even if it's only ever been for appearances, he's never spoke to me in such a tone in front of the others. Conri smiles. It's smug. He's gleeful at my shortcoming. I've little doubt it will be used as yet another reason to kill me. "Don't worry, though, my queen. Not all can be as powerful as me."

"She's probably exhausted." They're the first words Aurora has said and the glare that Conri immediately shoots her tells me the reason behind her silence. But she steps forward, away from Evander and toward me. "You sent her out and she not only found spirits, communed with them, learned their name, but had to defend herself, so the spirit is probably exhausted, too. She's been apart from me for too long and so our connection has wavered some, making all this harder."

Conri's glare does little to stop Aurora as she approaches me. She stops right at the water's edge. Her gaze drifts out across the surface and a frown that I think belongs to something more than Conri and the lykin tugs on the corners of her lips.

"This is a hard place he's brought you to," she whispers hastily as we meet at the water's edge. "This is a scar of great magic from long ago; it will be difficult for any spirit to come to you here, even if you and the spirit were at your best."

"What do I do?" I try to keep my face hidden behind Aurora as I ask so Conri can't see.

She leans forward and rests her cheek against mine, whispering in my ear. "I'm going to help you. Use my power—give it to Volst. Then I'll need you to help me recover after."

"What do I do?" I ask again, moving my lips as little as possible.

"Just being near me will help me recover from my magic within you."

She shifts and, with a press of her forehead into mine, a surge of magic flows through me. Aurora leans away, looking instantly exhausted. Her usual pallor has taken a worrying gray hue. Even the shine of her hair seems to have lost some of its luster.

"Auro—"

"There, now she should have the strength." She won't let me finish my worry. She steps back and turns to Conri. I wonder if the wolf king can see the immediate decline in her. If he can, I suspect it will only make him yet more inclined to kill me. Conri will see me as a leech to her power. I'm not doing a great job of giving him reasons to keep me alive.

"Well, then." Conri motions for me to make haste with a gesture of his open palm toward the water.

I force my expression to stay passive. Though, when I turn back to the lake, I can drop the mask. Disgust twists my stomach and my lips.

Kneeling, I submerge myself nearly to my breasts. I've grown accustomed to the chill and am no longer fighting shivers. Perhaps I have just been given enough motivation to steel myself.

I reach into my satchel and pull out a length of gray—nearly blue—line of thread. It's already soaked, but the tools of a witch's trade are no strangers to nature. If anything, they are further empowered the more patches of earth they fall into, the more grasses that stain them, and the more waters they soak up. They will draw from the power of my experience, and from the living spirits that live in everything.

With a firm knot, I tie the cord into a loop and rest it upon the surface of the water. Be it from my magic, or the powers in this lake, it floats in a nearly perfect circle. I cup my hands and lift, catching the circle on the upper rim of my palms. The thread rests along my pointer fingers, thumbs, and heels of my hands.

Purify , I think, pushing my powers into the thread. As pure as water cleansed by moonlight. The water bubbles and hisses, spilling over the sides of my hands. The power that the lake has been steeped into drips away with heavy plops, leaving nothing but plain water behind.

I just hope it is enough.

"Volst," I whisper into the tiny surface gathered in my palms. "I thank you for your help so far. Now, Aurora needs you. This is for her, not me. Leverage her power within me, if you must, with her blessing as well. But come to me here and now, if only for a second."

The water goes perfectly still. Then, it feels as if I am holding a pool of lead. My muscles strain with the weight of the spirit that I know has taken residence between my hands.

Forcing myself to stand, I turn, lock eyes with Conri, and say, "Behold, the might of the spirit of water."

The water lifts above my hands, hovering in the air, to the amazement of those gathered. There are gasps and wide eyes all around. Even Conri's scowl softens to something that I'd dare say could be wonder as the water takes the shape of a reversed raindrop, arms and head extending out from it.

Volst turns his head, looking at each of them. The lykin gasp and shrink back. I think it because of the weight of a spirit staring upon them…until I see the shadow rising behind me.

Daring a glance over my shoulder, I see that the water has vanished from around my still icy ankles and now stands suspended, like a frozen wave. It looms ominously over the shore. Quivering as Volst's eyes land on Conri.

The threat is palpable even to me. This is a warning. A display of power with the whisper of who this power might be used against.

But the threat doesn't snap the tension. Volst retreats into my palms, the water calmly shrinking back to its original place and settling. I feel it subside to my ankles and, when I return the water from my palms to the lake by kneeling down, Volst is no longer there.

"Thank you," I whisper, collecting the blue thread and looping it around my wrist. With any luck, it will make it easier to call upon him in a moment of need. We are connected now.

As I straighten, my eyes meet Conri's. He is staring at me with a mix of wonder…and horror. There is no doubt, he truly sees me now as the threat I am. I need to leave as soon as I'm able.