26. Tavish

26

TAVISH

M y skin crawled, the urge to turn around and fly back to Gleann Solas so strong that I struggled to breathe despite the pure air all around us. Once again, desperation clung to every inch of me at the knowledge that Lira had been attacked and I hadn't been able to protect her.

I remained in place only because the threat had already been thwarted. However, it should've been thwarted by me .

Starting deep within me, my darkness hung even closer to my skin. I wanted to fly back and be the one to kill the thornling who dared threaten my mate, but right now, it was best if I remained here as we'd planned. After all, Lira was determined to hand herself over to the dragons tomorrow night, and we needed as much information about them as possible before the exchange for her sister took place.

Cold dread sank into my body at the thought of letting her do what she planned. However, I knew Lira. She would do anything to get Eiric back, and not even I could stop her. The only reason I'd given in to the awful plan was that I knew she'd resent me for the rest of eternity otherwise. And I couldn't fathom taking her warmth away… the warmth I'd come to cherish and crave.

On my left, Struan turned his head toward me, and my wings stiffened. In my moment of turmoil, I hadn't been paying attention to Tìr na Dràgon in front of us.

"My king, do you see something?" he asked.

My brows furrowed, and I narrowed my eyes, staring through the mountains of the island that the dragons now claimed as theirs to Caisteal an Dràgon, the dragon castle.

The gigantic castle nestled between all the mountains. The dark stone was the same color as the one we'd been forced to live in for twelve years, but this one had a gigantic dragon statue towering over the top of the double doors in front.

All we'd seen today were common dragons. None of the royals had come out. It was as if they were hiding inside.

"I don't. Do you?" I didn't understand why he'd ask that, so I glanced at Finola, who had her hand on the hilt of her sword as if she'd sensed the same urgency that I had. Yet, she didn't move forward, instead remaining rigid beside me.

"No, but from the way you're antsy, I thought I missed something. What's worrying you?"

Blighted abyss. Even my own guards could tell that I was distracted. I needed to brush away my frustration because, if I didn't, then Lira could be in even more danger than I wanted to consider.

"Don't be a fool." Finnian snorted from the other side of Struan. "We know what's causing our dear king to be distracted. It begins with a Li- and ends with a -ra."

Annoyance flared inside me, and I clasped my hands to keep from punching the thornling. We had to be careful. We were about five thousand feet over the surface of the water that hit the dragon border. I'd rolled darkness in over the past few hours, making it appear like clouds until we were finally able to get this close. We also made sure that we stayed where the wind blew at us, not risking our scent drifting below.

The dragons had excellent senses of hearing, smell, and sight, so we had to be careful to not alert them to our presence, and I had to keep my magic steady so they wouldn't sense fae magic either. Any aggravation I wanted to take out on Finnian would have to happen later.

Hestia and Brenin ignored us. They stayed close together on the other side of Finola while they watched not only the castle but also the surrounding areas, trying to discern where Eiric might be. I hoped that maybe we could locate Eiric and retrieve her so Lira never had to be put at risk.

As if Fate wanted to answer my unspoken wish, one of the double doors opened, and Pyralis stepped out of the castle and hurried down the stairs.

My chest tightened and every cell in my body blazed. My illusion magic spun inside me, and the darkness clung to me more.

This was the man who wanted to take my mate away from me. He wanted to impregnate her and use her as a means to make the dragons indestructible. There was one way to ensure it never happened—killing the ashbreath.

Wind hit my face as my wings pumped, pushing me toward him. I hadn't even realized I'd started moving.

This wasn't a thought-out plan, which meant that if I did this, Eiric could get hurt. Lira would never forgive me.

I gritted my teeth and stopped, though it went against every instinct. The last twelve years had taught me to kill any threats, and he posed a great risk to the most important person in my life.

Hands gripped my arms, yanking me back.

"I understand you're upset, but we can't be rash," Brenin gritted out from my right side.

Hestia squeezed my other side tightly as she arched a stern brow. "Our eldest daughter is down there in Fate knows what sort of condition. Don't you think we're struggling just as much as you are, staying up here and hiding when she's so close?"

Although I understood they loved Lira, what they felt for her didn't even come close to my love for her. Lira had thawed my heart after twelve years of it being frozen, and I wouldn't want to survive in a realm that didn't have her in it. "I stopped myself." I hated that I'd lost control, but when something risked Lira, I saw black. "I didn't realize what I was doing at first, but I barely flew ten feet."

"We have to be sure." Brenin kept his hold firm. "If we release you, are you going to do anything reckless that could compromise one or both of our daughters?"

For some reason, his calling Lira his daughter eased some of my disquiet. Despite returning to Ardanos and the four of them regaining their memories, they still loved Lira as their own. They wouldn't risk her for Eiric. They wanted both of them safe.

Pyralis headed around the castle, taking his time. He held a plate in his hands, and he kept stopping and turning around before continuing. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was trying to decide on something.

Is everything okay? Lira's voice entered my head, her fear pronounced within me.

Eyes locked on the ashbreath, I took a deep breath, trying to settle my anger and magic. I didn't need her to get worried and then do something foolish, like fly out here to check on us. The thought of her getting close to this island had the edges of my vision darkening. Yes, the ashbreath just exited the castle, and the urge to kill him nearly took over.

Tavish! she exclaimed, her emotions constricting our connection. If you do that—

I know. I said nearly took over. I caught myself in time. Besides, your parents were right on my wings the entire time. I exhaled, but still, the anger the dragon bestirred in me stole my breath. I had only hated one person as much as him, and Lira had taken care of his death.

To be clear, it's not only Eiric I'm worried about. I'm sure the dragons wouldn't mind making you their prisoner either if the opportunity presents itself. I can't lose you, not now… not ever. However, I can't stay safe and allow Eiric to die for protecting me either.

Caring about others made Lira different and had drawn me to her in the first place. I understand. That's why I'm keeping watch and going along with this plan. If you're going to hand yourself over, I'm going to do my best to ensure that you remain safe and that I will always be able to locate you.

I know, and I love you for it. Her end of the connection began cooling like she was getting sleepy. Will you be coming here when you're done or heading straight back to Cuil Dorcha?

That question had one side of my mouth lifting. Sprite, wherever you are, is where my first stop will be. I plan to gather you in my arms and take you home… right where you should be. The image of her in my arms once more had my wings feeling lighter.

Sounds perfect, she murmured. I love you.

I love you too. Words I never imagined I'd say after the death of my parents. Yet I would never tire of saying them to her. Get some rest.

Pyralis had made it halfway around the castle when he stopped in his tracks once again. This time, when he spun around, he continued to the stairs. As soon as he took a step up like he was heading back inside, he stopped once more.

Finola, Struan, and Finnian flew to the right of Brenin, where we were all hovering in a line once again.

"What the blast is he doing?" Finnian muttered. "Maybe killing the dragons won't be a problem after all. They can't even decide where they want to go. We could just fly around them in circles, and they could make themselves dizzy before succumbing to unconsciousness."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hestia smirk. She wasn't nearly as annoyed as the Unseelie guards and me.

All of a sudden, the breeze shifted, hitting our wings and backs and blowing toward Tìr na Dràgon. The six of us tensed before flying to the right, trying to get out of line with the castle before the dragon had a chance to smell us.

My gaze remained on Pyralis, who had frozen in place.

Pulse hammering, I pushed farther to the side where one of the mountains had become a volcano due to the dragon magic.

Waiting to see if he alerted any guards, I continued to move so I could see every expression and gesture as we positioned ourselves so that the wind hit us more on the right side, blowing toward the ocean instead of straight down to the island.

Pyralis didn't even glance in our direction. Instead, with a steady gait, he walked around the castle once more… to whatever destination he'd been originally heading.

"That was too blazing close." Brenin huffed. "I was certain the ashbreath sensed us."

I had been too, but for once, maybe Fate was on our side. "I didn't even feel the warning of the wind shift."

"We didn't bring anyone with wind magic." Hestia shook her head. "We should've considered it and taken the time to locate someone."

"If the wind were usually that volatile, it would've crossed our minds, but that change wasn't typical." Brenin bit his bottom lip. "It must be tied to the volatility of the land with the dragon magic."

He was right. In every land we'd lived on, changes in wind direction were rare and usually happened around the solstices. We were nowhere close to the June solstice.

"The castle is surrounded by mountains, so maybe they blocked our scents." Finnian lifted both hands as the six of us hovered, waiting to see what happened now that we weren't upwind of them again. He continued, "I doubt Pyralis would've carried a plate of food around if he planned on summoning an army."

"We should stay here and make sure that nothing happens." Finola's hair blew into her face. "And if they do something aggressive, we can race to alert the other fae."

From our position, we would be able to see any dragons that tried to fly toward Aetherglen. "Agreed. Let's wait."

Something settled hard in my stomach as we waited for what had to be a couple more hours. Though flying was second nature to us, the amount of time we had to hover in the sky made my muscles grow tired… yet we still had to endure for a while longer.

The six of us remained silent, scanning the land, taking in every indication of movement… waiting for dragons to take to the sky and search for us. The dragon village to the right was situated similarly to the one in the former dragon land, the houses stacked on each other with large windows so they could easily fly in and out. They were at the bottom of a range of mountains on the east side of the island, with one of the mountains smoking from the top like it was transitioning into a volcano.

A few dragons in human form hung out at both edges of the village. I assumed there were guards within the castle, which had my wings moving a little easier. If they knew we were here, they'd no doubt have come out and already be attacking.

Eventually, Pyralis returned. His expression was strained, and he carried the now-empty plate at his side. He didn't glance around, entirely focused on the double doors as he jogged up the stairs four at a time. He hadn't scanned the area like he sensed danger.

"I think we're good to leave," Struan whispered. "And fly around the entire island to see if we missed anything."

Right. The night would end in a couple of hours, and it would be best if we were already halfway home so our scents wouldn't still be in the air if the dragons decided to fly anywhere. "My magic is getting low, so I won't be able to hold on to the darkness much longer. I agree. We need to do a quick fly-by and head back."

The others nodded, and we banked to the right, paying attention to the wind so it wouldn't blow our scents back inland.

As we flew around the rest of the island, we noticed dense copses of trees at each section of the mountains. We found two more additional villages built in the same style with dragons posted on each side, watching for danger. The second one, in the north, was set against mountains like the other, while the village on the western side was nestled between a lake and the ocean that separated this kingdom from our own.

Satisfied that we'd gotten a feel for the land, the six of us headed for home. My magic was drained dangerously low, but I kept tugging on the connection until the dragon land faded from sight. Then I released it.

Hestia shook her arms. "I thought I'd never feel warm again."

"Be glad we didn't use our frost powers." Finnian waggled his brows.

"If you look at my wife that way again, you'll never have another opportunity to use your magic." Brenin glowered.

Immediately, I liked the Seelie guard better. "He does the same blighted thing with Lira. It makes me furious. One day, he's going to die, and he'll be the only person to blame."

"You could never kill me." Finnian wrinkled his nose derisively.

"I'm concerned." Finola flew slightly ahead, the skin around her eyes tight. "The last island was huge, but the only village they had was located where we all lived. Why would they separate and spread out here?"

Good question. "Maybe to distribute their magic so it doesn't concentrate in one area?"

The sun rose over the water, and we angled ourselves toward Gleann Solas, my wings moving a little faster. Though it'd been mere hours, it felt like an eternity since I'd seen Lira.

"There are many possible reasons." Struan shrugged. "We won't know unless they tell us."

"Either way, the placement is strategic for them. They can't be caught off guard as easily as they could on the other island." Brenin pursed his lips. "We need to have this discussion with our royals as well, so let's wait until we arrive home."

Unfortunately, the why didn't matter. We had to account for that advantage in our plans.

Our group fell silent.

An hour or so later, Aetherglen lay before us just as alarm that wasn't mine churned through me.

My mouth dried. I'm almost there, Lira. I can see the mountains of Gleann Solas.

Then you should come quick. Father has asked us to meet him on the dining hall balcony, and I don't know why. However, he hopes you are close since he wants you here for this.

"Something is happening. We need to hurry," I barked, pushing myself faster than I thought possible after how tired I'd become.

The others kept up, and I didn't bother attempting to cloak us. My magic was too low, and I didn't have any strength to spare because I needed to reach my mate.

The villages we passed looked empty, the fields of the sunberries devoid of workers. Guards were lined up across the land, watching the edges of the kingdom as if they were expecting a threat.

What could be happening? We hadn't seen a dragon pass by.

We soared over more mountains, and the Aelwen River in front of the castle came into view.

Every fae we hadn't seen stood in the opening of the village under the castle, looking up where Lira, King Erdan, and Queen Sylphia hovered above the balcony in front of the dining hall.

Fae only gathered around the castle for one thing, and I hoped that I wasn't wrong.