17. Lira

17

LIRA

S traightening my spine, I lifted my hands, allowing my refreshing, cool water magic to pulse from my palms and raise the water from the river behind the dragons. I could also shoot water from my palms if needed, but I wanted to make a stand. Attacking them would no doubt cause this situation to escalate further, which wasn't my intent. Though a part of me would like to douse the ashbreaths in water and relish watching them squirm, that wasn't in my best interest. "Let me be clear; I won't allow you five to take me. My magic is strong enough to drench you with water if needed."

The water rippled behind them, causing Zyndara to look over her shoulder and take a large gulp.

A few other Seelie stepped forward with their hands raised, and I had no doubt they could also bend water and would be stronger since they weren't half drained.

Tavish tilted his head back and jutted out his chin. "And though my people don't control water, they can use ice, which complements the water the Seelie can wield."

The dragon sneered, her eyes brightening like a star flashing. "We came in peace, asking for the princess betrothed to our prince to come with us, and this is the response we receive?"

"Let's be clear." Mother lifted a brow. "You just proclaimed that our daughter would be leaving with you three years before the agreed-upon date. If anything, your royals are abusing our agreement terms to fit their needs, which won't be tolerated."

I sighed, ready for this all to be over. I wanted to get out of the asinine agreement with Pyralis, kill Eldrin, and live happily ever after with Tavish. Was that really too much to ask? "In other words, I'm not going anywhere."

"Very well." Zyndara moved her feet shoulder-width apart. "I didn't want this meeting to come to this as we were hoping it would be amicable, but if you refused to have Princess Lira return with us, we were to deliver a message."

My stomach tightened, and Nightbane growled, the fur around his neck rising.

"Princess Lira is to come to Tìr na Dràgon of her own free will within three days, or there will be dire consequences."

My breath caught, and heat slammed through our bond as Tavish's face flushed.

We both knew exactly what they were going to dangle in front of me.

Eiric.

"And what exactly are those consequences?" Father asked curtly while both Mom and Dad stood frozen like statues.

Zyndara steepled her fingers, and her pupils elongated. "Her friend perishes slowly and brutally."

My heart squeezed. Mom's wings twitched, ready to fly forward, but Caelan snagged her wrists and held her back.

I couldn't believe they were threatening someone so important to me, but it was the only way they would get the desired outcome.

Tavish unleashed his magic, causing snow to fall and the sky to be shrouded in darkness. "Not only does the ashbreath keep claiming my mate, but he's willing to kill someone she cares about just to get her to come to him? He is either ignorant or suicidal."

"It's obviously the first one." Finnian scoffed and wrinkled his nose. "I'd heard the rumors that dragon's penises were large, but the sacrifice was a lack of intellect. Most of the energy rushed to the penis and testicles, leaving only leftovers for the brain."

I coughed a laugh as both Mother's and Father's eyes widened. That was one thing about Finnian; he didn't act cold and broody like most of the Unseelie fae. If I hadn't known better, I would've believed he was Seelie.

The royal-blue dragon huffed, a trickle of flames coming from his mouth. I readied to toss water in his face, but he didn't actually attack. He must have reacted in disgust.

"Insult us all you want." Zyndara smirked. "But these are our demands, and we aren't asking for anything truly unreasonable. Prince Pyralis simply wants to ensure that his future wife doesn't breed with a nightfiend. He wants his wife's bloodline to continue only from him."

Tavish unsheathed his sword and darted toward the dragons. Zyndara's skin thickened, her dark scales returning.

My heart hammered, and I prepared to do whatever was necessary to protect my mate.

I couldn't lose him.

Not like this.

Not when his goal was to save me.

"Blighted abyss," Caelan rasped, flying after Tavish with Finnian on his wings.

Heavier smoke trickled from the dragons' snouts, and I smelled brimstone. It made me want to gag.

They all pivoted, readying for Tavish to strike Zyndara, but instead, Tavish cloaked himself in darkness and stabbed the pearl-colored dragon on the end through the neck. Crimson blood sprayed as it tossed its head and roared.

Both Finnian and Caelan paused about ten feet away as the other dragons opened their mouths to let loose their flames on Tavish so I didn't hold back. I directed the stream so the water crashed into their faces, pushing liquid up their noses and down their throats.

Both Seelie and Unseelie guards sprang forward as the earth shook under the dragons' feet. Between that and the way they thrashed, I suspected that Tavish, if not more Unseelie, was using his illusion magic on the dragons.

"Stop," Zyndara shouted, gripping the sides of her head as a snout began to form on her face. She growled, "We don't mean you any harm. If we don't arrive back in Tìr na Dràgon by the end of the day, your friend will die."

I stopped calling the water, but I kept my hands upright.

"Stop the attack," Dad bellowed, voice rife with panic.

As the pearl dragon dropped to the ground, succumbing to death, Tavish pushed the darkness away, revealing himself right in front of Zyndara. The blood from the pearl dragon splattered all over his face. He could've killed her too, if he'd desired.

"Inform Pyralis and the other royals that their message was received and that if he sends anyone else here to threaten my mate or her friends, I won't stop at one death. I'll kill them all." His wings spread out behind him, blocking my view. "This is our land once more, and I won't tolerate my enemy treating it like it's their home. Do I make myself clear?"

Zyndara's face smoothed into its human form, and her chest heaved. "I'll inform the royals. I'm sure they'll be very interested in the turn of events here."

"Excellent." Tavish slid his sword back into its sheath, unafraid that the other dragons would attack.

In fairness, it would be foolish if they did. They were grossly outnumbered, and our magic was stronger here.

"Three days, Princess ." Zyndara focused on me once again and curled the side of her mouth. "I hope you take this time to get your affairs in order and come to us so your friend might live."

"How do I know they'll truly hand her over?" None of the royals were here making the vow, and I needed to make sure they weren't trying to skirt around the law of the realm.

She snarled, "The girl's parents can come with you. When you arrive at the border, we'll release her. You can watch her return to them before handing yourself over." Then she allowed a sinister smile. "And if you try something foolish, we'll wage war. It's that simple. Either way, the Unseelie king will pay for killing Pyralis's cousin."

I hated the way my knees wanted to give out. Tavish killing a royal family member had made the situation worse.

He didn't miss a beat. "I look forward to it." Tavish folded his wings back and gestured to the castle. "I invite Pyralis to come any time and take this issue up with me. In fact, tomorrow works perfectly."

Did you know that dragon was related to Pyralis? A sour taste filled my mouth because I hoped that my nagging suspicion was wrong.

"I'll alert him," Zyndara gritted out through clenched teeth, making the disdain she felt for him clear. "Now we'll take our dead and leave."

"Please." Tavish brushed at the blood that stained his sleeves. "I'd rather not have dragon remains left behind to poison our soil. If you don't, I'll be forced to toss him into the water."

The hunter-green dragon breathed heavily, but with water still dripping from him, he could barely make a trickle of smoke escape his nose. I took a step forward like I might use my magic on him once more, causing the dragon's eyes to widen marginally.

At least they had reservations about my abilities. Granted, on dragon land, who knew how strong I'd be, but this close to Gleann Solas, I could feel my power intensify.

The royal-blue dragon lifted the pearl dragon in its talons while the green and silver dragons watched and Zyndara transitioned into her dragon form.

The silence surrounding us seemed deafening as the four of them flew away.

As their figures grew smaller and smaller, I clenched my hands together and repeated the question. I suspected that his continued silence validated my thoughts. Tavish , did you know?

The pearl scales are a sign of a higher-caste dragon. He crossed his arms and stepped backward to Nightbane's side. But they came onto my land, demanding that my mate hand herself over, threatening her sister, and then flaunting all the heirs the prince wants to have with you in my face. Killing just one was me showing restraint, so I decided I would eliminate the one that would mean the most to them. It's common sense.

I placed a hand on my chest, trying to keep it from aching more. I hope that they don't take their anger out on E.

They won't, he assured me and took my hand. They know if they don't hand Eiric over, the Seelie will declare war. They want Eiric here, so both sets of your parents acknowledge that they had to give you up in order to get her back. It would be a daily reminder that they lost control to the dragons.

I should've known it would come down to that.

Control. Power. Two things the dragons cherished most. It must have driven them crazy when we'd told them I wouldn't be going home with Pyralis as soon as he demanded it.

My entire future had just been stolen because the choice before me had been made perfectly clear.

Father cursed. "Blasted abyss. I can't fathom how their timing was so perfect. Have they been watching our kingdom, waiting for us to return?"

"Not possible, Your Majesty." Dad kept his sword in his hand, searching the horizon. "The guards we left behind kept watch. They would've noticed if dragons had been lurking, and there isn't anywhere for them to land and rest between our kingdom and theirs."

"Then how did this happen?" Mother hung her head. "It seems too coincidental."

Finnian pursed his lips. "I'd say someone alerted them, but we took a head count of everyone before we left. All were accounted for."

"Even though we need to have this discussion, right now, we should prioritize helping the Unseelie return to their homes." Caelan pushed a stray lock of hair out of his face. "And we probably want to discuss this inside the palace."

Despite him being right, two things kept running through my mind. In three days, I had to hand myself over to the dragons, or Eiric would die. A war with the dragons wasn't far off if I didn't go willingly.

"You two handle the housing situation and establish shifts with the guards so that someone is always watching the perimeter," Tavish said stiffly, tugging me to his side.

Nightbane huffed and moved out from between us. He hovered in front of me like he was waiting for another attack.

"I'll leave some Seelie guards to assist in covering the area since it's so large. The others will return home to alert the rest of our forces of what happened." Dad flew over to a group of guards, leaving the five of us alone.

I turned to see Mom looking paler than I ever remembered seeing her. My heart lurched in my chest, and even though the one place I wanted to be was at Tavish's side, I needed to comfort her. I could only imagine how she felt. I risked losing a sister, but she risked a daughter.

I untangled myself from Tavish and hurried to Mom. As I hugged her, her body shook, and she returned the embrace even tighter.

My lungs screamed, but I refused to move or complain.

"Don't worry. It's all going to be okay." A sob began in my chest, but I tried to hold it back. I hated how hopeless I felt right now. I couldn't allow Eiric to die because of my selfishness.

"Sprite," Tavish growled menacingly. "I can feel what you're thinking, and I won't allow it." His anger hadn't ebbed, and now determination fueled it.

He had no intention of letting me go, even if it meant Eiric's life.

"You don't get to make that call, Tavish." I ran my fingers through Mom's hair, trying not to snag any curls. "If it's between me being a captive or E being killed, I know which one I'm going to pick. Look at what this is doing to everyone."

Hestia jerked upright, tears trailing down her cheeks. "This isn't just about Eiric. You should know better than that. This is about you too. Either way, I lose a daughter. Yes, Eiric could die, but a life with the dragons might be a harsher fate than death."

"Unfortunately, Lira's biological parents didn't agree with you since they're the ones who got everyone into this situation." Tavish turned his steely eyes on my parents and continued, "They promised their daughter to someone more vile and power-hungry than my father ever was."

"I resent that accusation, and your father was going to allow the rest of us to die by killing our crops." Father brandished his finger like a sword and jabbed it at Tavish as he continued, "So the Unseelie are the real reason we are in this mess. King Dunach disrespected the balance of power."

"Which is impossible." Tavish chopped the air with his hand. "He wasn't capable of that sort of strength!"

Dad rejoined us, eyes widening at the obvious tension.

Fighting among ourselves wouldn't accomplish anything. "We're wasting time. We need to deal with this situation; what happened before is irrelevant. The Unseelie king blanketing the sky in darkness and me being promised to the dragon prince are in the past. We can't undo any of that."

Mother nodded. "We need to channel all this turmoil into determining a solution."

"Yes, and right now, I can think of only one." I bit the inside of my cheek, wondering if I had the strength to do what was necessary. I would lose a piece of myself, and I could only hope that the end would be worth the sacrifice.

"You are not handing yourself over to that ashbreath." Tavish's chest heaved, and darkness curled around his body as his temper took control. He marched over and clutched my arm. "I won't allow you to do it. Your sister purposely took your place, and you'd dishonor her sacrifice? Do you have any idea of what that would do to me ? Knowing you're with him would kill me. And if our places were reversed, would you let me leave? We will fix this or go to war with the ashbreaths. You're worth fighting for, and I vow I will strike down anyone who stands in our way until my last breath."

I didn't like him telling me what to do, but even as I tried to hang on to the anger, the buzz of our fated-mate connection had it slipping away.

"He's right, sprout." Father winced as if agreeing with Tavish hurt him. "We have two full days to find a solution that doesn't involve handing you over."

I snorted bitterly. "It's either that or a war." If we wanted Eiric alive, we couldn't just do nothing. Still, I lifted my chin. "For the record, I wasn't talking about handing myself over. I meant we need to talk to Eldrin, and now."

Tavish smirked, though I could feel his surprise. "Now that's a good plan. Let's go." He immediately set off, leading us around the side of the castle. However, instead of flying upward to the castle windows, he stopped at a stone door that had been left open.

"The prison is this way," he said, flying into an underground setup that was nothing like the cells in the castle at the ruined land or the prison in Caisteal Solais.

Lorne, Finola, and Struan stood in the center of a huge dark space with cement rooms on either side, each with a solid metal door.

"Your Majesty, the other guards left a few minutes after we got the prisoners secured in their cells." Finola bowed her head, taking in both sets of parents behind me.

"Where's Eldrin?" Tavish barked.

Lorne pointed at the door closest to us on the left.

"Open it."

Not hesitating, Lorne did what Tavish commanded.

When the door opened, what I saw made me want to kill Eldrin even more.