Chapter 6

The Water Court is full of spies, and nowhere is safe, not even with the former queen and the prince at my side. Kian looks over at me, eyes creasing at the look in my eyes. The worry. His mum, Meredith, has been nothing but nice to me since I got back from the Air Court, a difference to how she was before I went. They look so alike, Kian and his mother and Lysander too.

Emrys’s mother, Dorothy, was insistent on looking after me as a thank you for saving her son even when I told her I didn’t mean to, and I have no idea how I did it. I should be mourning my father, worried about my mother on the loose, but I don’t care about either of them as much as I do about the prince sitting near me. I appreciate all of their acceptance, but at the same time, I feel like looking over my shoulder continuously while I’m here. Meredith is still talking about what happened this morning. “It’s just not safe for anyone. Not without Lysander here.”

“How many died again?” Kian questions, sitting back in his seat.

“Ten nobles were drowned. I think the others are going to try to stage a coup to overthrow the king while he’s not here. Many believe he is dead and not coming back. Many don’t want him back. Many see this as the perfect time to overtake the court.” Meredith looks between us but focuses on her son. “Look, my sweet son, you are the next heir. They’re going to come after you, and I think you should leave the court. This place is too brutal for you, and we both know you can’t rule like Lysander did. He was merciless with this court to keep it in line, and nothing short of that is going to work.” Her eyes drift to me. “Take her with you, because we both know they’re going to try to kill her, too. She is seen as an enemy to all courts because of her blood.”

Kian looks furious. I’m not sure which part upset him the most, but his eyes tightened when she mentioned how much they want me dead. It’s not news to me. I’m surprised I haven’t been killed in the time I’ve stayed here. “I’m not leaving. This is my court too, my home. If I leave and you end up dying here?—”

“They wouldn’t dare touch me out of respect for your father. I’m still a high noble in this court, and killing me serves no purpose, whereas killing you…” She drifts off, like she can’t finish that sentence or thought, but she doesn’t need to. We both know she has a point. The Water Court isn’t safe. “Leaving is what is best for you. I can’t lose you.”

Kian looks thoughtful. “Lysander will come back. We both know that.”

“But until he does…” His mother leans forward in her seat to touch her son’s hand. “I think it’s best that we send you and Arty away. Please listen to me. Go tonight and do not tell me where. It’s best no one knows.”

Kian gives in. It’s a losing battle because she is right. It’s not safe here, and I know that is heartbreaking because it’s his home, his family. Sometimes the battle is not worth fighting. “Not tonight, but in the morning.”

Her shoulders drop in relief. “I will be here. Like you’ve said more than once, Lysander could come back at any minute, and I don’t want him to think we all just abandoned his court. If they try to hurt me, they will learn what the power of a Water Court queen can do.” She stands up, kissing Kian’s cheek and saying goodbye.

She pauses next to me, looking down. “Continue feeding the good part of your soul and not the part your parents grew. I’m trusting you, Artemis, with my son. With our future. Artemis is a special name for a special goddess. The goddess of the hunt. I’m sure your parents named you that for a reason, and I believe it was a mistake on their part. They gave you a name that came with a blessing from a powerful, good goddess. She was pure and kind, and I know in my heart that you can be like her too. Keep living up to that name of yours.”

I nod, letting her know I will do anything I can to protect Kian, just like he would do the same for me. As she exits his room, he watches me from his seat, his eyes unreadable. “What do you think?” he asks.

“I…” I pause. “Honestly, I don’t know. Leaving seems like you’re giving up the court. It’ll make it harder when Lysander comes back, but he made this court what it is, and it should be him who changes it. Maybe it needs overthrowing and made anew by your brother.”

“My father made this mess of a court. Lysander did nothing in his rule to try to help it because he was lost. He was trying but it wasn’t enough,” he murmurs. “I should have spoken to him as a brother earlier, should’ve talked about our father, and maybe he wouldn’t have been so lost.”

“He needed his mate.” I clear my throat. “He wouldn’t be half the king he is now unless she fixed him first. He won’t be alone when he comes back, and Lysander would want you safe. He loves you; I can see that. Anyone can.”

He rubs his face. “I think you’re one of the first to say to me Lysander loves anything or anyone but himself.”

I tensely smile. “I can see through the pretence he puts up, because I put up a similar one, convinced myself that I couldn’t love and wasn’t worth it. You showed me that wasn’t true.”

He smiles, so bright and beautiful. I find myself living for his smiles, for the way he looks at me sometimes, and for the look in his eyes when we stare at each other a few seconds too long. “I don’t know where to turn to next. The Air Court is in a mess and locked away. The Earth Court doesn’t accept outsiders without Grayson’s approval, and they have locked themselves down. Arden’s court. After what happened, they’re not going to accept anybody from the Water Court anytime soon, and they are also in lockdown. The fifth court…I don’t know what they are doing, but whoever has the wards up might not accept us. The island is riddled with the dragons. They’re more likely to eat us on arrival.”

I sigh. Hiding in the Water Court might be our best option, but it’s mostly sea, and we wouldn’t be able to trust anyone if they see us. “It sounds like each court is a bad choice, but we will figure it out. It’s better than going west.”

“I’ll think on it.” He stands. “We should practice your powers. Come on.” He walks to the other side of the room, opening up the door to the room next to his. This room is like a giant high school gymnasium. It’s huge, with various weapons on the walls. I know that because Lysander’s quarters have an entrance to this room, and they used to train together in here. Kian showed me everywhere on a tour of the castle when I first got here. It’s still a maze but I’m getting used to it. He lets me in first, shutting the door behind me. My shoulder brushes his, and I resist the urge to lean into him. It’s been a few days since Elle left, and we haven’t had a chance to explore my powers because I’ve not been well enough up until today. I wave my hands out, my voice echoing. “I don’t know how to do anything like magic.”

Kian moves in front of me, crossing his arms. “What happened when you saw Emrys?”

I clear my throat, thinking about the Air Court. “I came through the portal, and he was lying on the ground. I felt like someone should be there at his side while Elle was fighting. I had no weapons with me, and I didn’t have a clue how to fight gods with no magic. I hoped to swap myself for Elle so she could get away. Not fight. I touched his hand, and it felt like something was draining out of me into him, like a pull deep in my chest. Oddly, it reminded me of you.”

I touch my chest, and Kian follows the movement. “That is usually where your magic comes from.” He copies my movement, his own hand over his heart. “But the other time, when you were with that boy, it was like you passed through me to the boy, dragging my magic and making it stronger. We should try that again.” He offers me his hand.

My hand feels warmer as I slide into his, and he searches my eyes for a second. Sometimes I wonder if he’s going to kiss me, but why would he? Why would he possibly love someone like me? Elle may be on the road to forgiving me, but it doesn’t mean I’m close to forgiving myself for everything I did. It definitely doesn’t mean that he should forgive me, either. I don’t deserve a happy ending. I actually never thought I did. I’m going to be better than my parents, and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that this world is safe from my parents. I want Elle back on her throne in the castle and safe too, but I’m not sure there will be a place for me after that. I’m sure there could be for him, though. I might lose my mind without Kian at my side, and I don’t know if he feels the same way yet. Have you ever made a mistake you desperately wanted to change? A mistake that felt wrong the second you did it but you couldn’t take it back?

My mistake, my choice to be loyal to my parents, will haunt my soul until I die.

“Close your eyes, Artemis. Feel for the power in your chest.”

“I can’t,” I whisper, because all I can feel is him. How he smells like water and the sea, calm and brilliant all at the same time. When I open my eyes, I realise he is closer to me than before, his eyes glowing vividly.

He tucks a stray of my blonde curly locks behind my ear. I never liked my hair, but the way he looks at me makes me think I should. “Arty.” He pauses. “I don’t know if you ever…” He pauses again. Like he’s not sure of the words to get out.

I smile softly at him, desperately wanting him to continue. Needing to know what he’s going to say at the end. But instead of talking, he leans in and kisses me. My heart pounds as his soft lips brush against mine. I’ve been kissed before, but I know this kiss is about to ruin me for all others. This kiss feels like something completely new and pure, like the sea is washing away my sins. He groans as he deepens the kiss, searing his lips against mine, pulling my body to him, until there’s nothing but us. I feel his magic embrace mine, like it’s pouring into me, like I can take it if I want to, but I don’t. “You absorb my power,” he whispers against my lips, breaking the kiss. “You’re amazing.”

“That will be a very useful power to help your princess, Artemis and Prince Kian. I’m not interrupting, am I?”

We both whirl, seeing a woman with darkness circling at her feet. She is an absolute image of Elle, older, but she has some of the same facial features, same colour hair except for Elle’s purple ends. “You’re Elle’s mother… You woke up?”

Kian bows his head, his hand finding mine and linking our fingers. “Welcome, your majesty. How many we help you and the fifth court?”

She looks right at me. “Where’s my daughter?”

I bow my head to her before daring to answer. Elle’s mother is a little terrifying. “She’s not in this world because she has gone to get her mates back from another world. Ares opened a portal with a staff and somehow got them thrown there. Elle took the staff and went after them.”

Her eyes darken. “I swear I’ll be chasing my daughter across all worlds before I get to see her again.”

Elle will be so happy to see her. I have to make sure her mother is safe until Elle comes back. “She’ll come back to the castle. Your castle.”

“It was always hers. She is the rightful heir, rightful born ruler, and destined to rule every court.” Kian and I look at each other. I have been wondering what will happen when the war with my mother settles down and Elle has all four kings as her mates, and the fifth court rightfully hers. Will she unite all the courts under one rule? Any child she might have would be heir to them all and for a long time. She is on track to be the queen of Ayiolyn, not just any court.

“You two will travel with me to the fifth court. To my home.” She lifts her eyes. “In the meantime, I’m going to train you on how to use that power of yours. Power like yours, magic like yours, hasn’t been seen in a long time with the gods. Your parents should have known you’re far more powerful than they pretended you weren’t. Maybe they were scared of you and thought keeping you as a cat with no claws would save them from the cat learning how to bite.”

My heart races. Maybe she is right. They might have known I had power, but they kept me in the dark. There’s a softness to Elle’s mother but a fierceness to her that is quite terrifying. I want to be like her. I see where Elle gets it from. Kian looks down at me. “They should have known not to mess with the cat to begin with. Cat’s always land on their feet.”

I get the feeling that no matter where I go now, he’ll be with me. Because there’s nowhere else in any of the courts that I’d want to be than at his side. I still feel his magic, tugging and pulling at my own in my chest. I’m done being a doormat for the gods, for my parents. Kian and Elle’s mother are right…I have powers and I’m going to learn how to fight.