“Stop pacing, Keir.” Tierney sat perched on the edge of a flat-topped boulder. The vast cavern was empty for the moment, but it would soon be filled with Lenyans, come to hear the bad news that would confirm all the rumors told in hushed whispers in the corners of taverns and the marketplace.
“We’re going to instill panic and chaos if we don’t handle this right.” Keir leaned against the stone wall beside Tierney. He didn’t like the idea of telling the locals about their plans. At least, not all at once.
“We will give them the truth. It’s the least they deserve.” Bronagh sat in a straight-back chair at the front of the cavern. She made the derelict piece of furniture look like a throne. That was something he would never have. King, he may be, but royal, he was not.
“She’s right.” Tierney tapped her foot impatiently. “They aren’t going to like it.”
“They aren’t going to trust it,” Veren added.
“But they need honesty from their leaders.” Gulliver sighed.
“The people will come around.” Captain Michel twisted his hat in his lap. He seemed unable to fathom how he’d ended up in this situation. Already, his men were outfitting his ship with everything they would need to make the voyage. He was still quietly looking for volunteers, but after today, Keir imagined he would have more than he needed. Fae were bravest when their lives and the lives of their families were on the line.
Bronagh’s people from the palace began to arrive, filing into the room and taking their seats. The Vondurians arrived next, each giving their king a formal bow. They wanted everyone here to know they answered to Keir and Keir alone.
The air in the room was tense. As if at any moment a battle would break out and nothing would stop it.
Keir was so tired of it all. So tired of a war he didn’t want Lenya to keep fighting. Tierney was right. They had much bigger problems now.
As the villagers, fishermen, and merchants began to make their way into the back of the cavern, Keir, Tierney, and Bronagh stood together at the front of the room.
They’d rehearsed this part. The people needed to see them as a united front. Neither Bronagh nor Keir should be seen as the ‘leader’ of this venture.
“Welcome,” they said in unison.
“Today, we are not Grima versus Vondur,” Bronagh began.
“But Lenyans.” Keir stood proudly beside the young queen. “United against the threat that stands on our doorstep.”
Whispers erupted all around, and Keir held his hand up for silence.
“It is true,” Bronagh said, her voice ringing across the cavern like a bell. “The rumors you’ve heard, they’re all true.”
“The fire at the palace?” a lady from Bronagh’s court asked.
“Not an accident.” Bronagh clasped her hands in front of her, stiff as a soldier beside her. “The fire plains are expanding, sweeping across Lenya, and we are powerless to stop them.”
Gasps of surprise and sobs of protest rang out.
“It begins with the water turning foul,” Keir explained. “It will make some too sick to leave their beds. Then, the temperatures rise, the air turns putrid, and the earth begins to shake. The ground becomes so hot that fires spring from nothing to burn the land and whatever lies in its path.”
“We need magic. Magic will save us!” the villagers cried out, begging for an easy solution.
“Even if we emptied the mines, gathered Vondurian and Grimian reserves, and used every drop of magic we have left in Lenya, it will not be enough.” Bronagh reached out a hand as if to soothe her people. “I would gladly sacrifice what magic we have left and live without it if it meant we could save you all. But our magic is weak. It is not enough. We need help.”
“Magic has caused us nothing but heartache,” Keir continued. “And in the end, it will fail us when we need it most.”
“What can be done?”
“Will we be left to die?”
“Why have you brought us here?”
The questions and the fear that drove them tore at Keir’s heart. He hadn’t let himself feel it for a long time, but he loved his people and this land. He would do everything in his power to save them. Or die trying.
“There is a way to stop the spread of the fire plains.” Tierney’s voice rose above the din. “That is why we have called you here today.” She stepped forward to stand among them. “My name is Tierney O’Shea, and I am not of Lenya. I am princess and heir of Iskalt, a kingdom of ice and snow that lies far beyond the borders of your world. Months ago, a magical … experiment gone awry brought me and three of my friends here by mistake. In Iskalt, we have great magic. But unlike here in Lenya, our magic is infinite. I am too far from home to use my magic here, but we have access to crystals there. More than you could imagine and—”
“You expect us to believe this?”
“You would share your crystals?”
“What would your people want in return?”
“No one gives away magic for free.”
“What will it cost us?”
Tierney raised her hand for silence. She had that same royal quality that Bronagh had. The thing that made all fae respect her and show her deference. The room quieted, and Tierney smiled.
“I come from the four kingdoms. Iskalt is just one of those kingdoms with lands far beyond what you can imagine. We do not use the crystals for magic. We don’t need them. To us, they are beautiful stones we use for decoration and nothing more.”
“We must find a way to reach Iskalt.” Keir stepped forward to join Tierney. “It is our best chance of survival.”
“My father, King Lochlan of Iskalt, will gladly come to your aid. My mother is sister to the Queen of Eldur, which lies on the other side of the fire plains to the west. Her other sister is Queen of Fargelsi, a land so green and fertile it’s hard to imagine.” Tierney turned to Gulliver. “And my dearest friend in the world is of Myrkur, where the Dark Fae live. His father, my uncle, works closely with King Hector of Myrkur, where they already mine crystals to use for trade. My family are all kind, benevolent rulers who have fought hard to attain the peace we have enjoyed for more than half my life. I speak for them all when I say we will never allow the fire plains to destroy Lenya. As long as it is within our power to do so, we will help you defeat this threat and give all Lenyans access to magic no fae should ever do without.”
Astonished faces stared back at them. Keir wasn’t sure if they were stunned or if they just didn’t believe them.
“It can’t be done.”
“There are no other lands beyond Lenya.”
“The seas are too treacherous.”
“It is true.” Keir’s voice rose above the din. “We must first find a way to cross the Vale of Storms to reach Princess Tierney’s homeland.”
“It is impossible.”
“It’s too risky.”
“What other option do we have?”
“We have no other option.” Bronagh joined Tierney and Keir. “The seas to the south are too shallow and rocky to safely navigate. To the north, they are equally treacherous.”
“The maelstrom is impossible to sail across.”
“So it has been said,” Keir replied. “We’ve all heard the stories of the dangerous seas. We have always been locked inside the borders of Lenya, believing there was nothing beyond our world. But we have never before had such motivation to risk breaking through those borders to see what lies beyond our knowledge. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
“If we do nothing, we will all perish in the fires.” Bronagh stood taller, her gaze never wavering.
“Who will make this journey?” A man Keir recognized from the docks clutched his hat in his hand.
“We will. I will travel with King Keir of Vondur and Princess Tierney of Iskalt. Together, we will take the risk for you. I will be leaving Prince Donal in command during my absence.”
“And I have left my sister and my council in charge of Vondur.” Keir nodded to Eavha, sitting among the crowd with Declan and Gulliver. “By now, you have all learned of the treaty that has brought an end to the war between our kingdoms. We cannot afford to be divided any longer. From this day forward, we fight for all of Lenya.”
“How do we know you all aren’t just abandoning us to our deaths?” A bold man of Bronagh’s court stood among the villagers in the back, looking as weary and worn as the hardest working Grimians.
“Lord Branigan.” Bronagh nodded. “You will just have to trust us. We will be asking for seasoned sailors to volunteer to join us. To my knowledge, you have years and years of experience sailing the Grimian seas as a merchant sailor. You are welcome to join us as we risk our lives to pass through the Vale of Storms and around the maelstrom. As we speak, the Wind Runner is being outfitted for our voyage. We will set sail for the shores of Iskalt as soon as she is seaworthy.”
Lord Branigan lowered his gaze. “Forgive me, your Majesty. I only worry for my family.”
“As do we all.” Keir gazed across the audience, trying to give them a sense of peace about this venture. “You all have families you care for. Please know that Queen Bronagh and I care for our people as dearly as you care for your own families. We will not fail you, nor betray you.”
“You have our word as your monarchs. We will die before we abandon you all to the fires.” Bronagh gave them a look that said they were done here. “We leave in three days’ time. May the magic of our ancestors protect you all until we return.” She marched from the cavern, her head held high as her people stood to watch her go. Captain Michel and Veren followed her, urging the court to return to their temporary homes.
“Vondurians, you are dismissed.” Keir couldn’t be seen following the queen, so a military dismissal would have to do. As they all filed from the room, Keir turned to Tierney. He wanted to reach for her hand, but with so many eyes on them, he wasn’t sure it was a good idea. His people needed to see him as a king working with the other monarchs, not beholden to them in any way. That was the surest way of losing their support.
“Keir, you can’t go.” Eavha waited until the room had emptied before she blurted the words, her tears not far behind. Keir had never been able to stand strong in the face of her sadness. “It’s too dangerous.” She flung her arms around him. “You are all I have left. I cannot lose you.”
Her shoulders shook as Keir tried to comfort her. “It’s all right, Eavha.” He pulled back to search her face. “I am king. It is my responsibility to see Vondur through this.”
“Why can’t we just take whatever magic we have left and use it to save as many as we can? We could stop the expansion from spreading any farther, couldn’t we? We won’t have magic anymore, but at least we will have each other.”
“And what would you say to all the men and women and their families who couldn’t be saved? And what if our magic isn’t enough to stop it? Eavha, you know we need help. Not just access to more crystals but real help. Tierney’s people have a kind of magic we don’t. Not only that, they have information we don’t. We won’t find the answers to Lenya’s problems in Lenya. I have to go.”
“I wish you could just be my brother.” She sniffed her tears back, stepping into the circle of his arms to lay her head on his shoulder.
“What kind of king would I be if I let anyone else do this?”
“It would make you like Father.” She sighed. “And you’ve always had too much of our mother in you to be anything like him.” She gave another sniff and nodded. “Very well.” She straightened the collar of his shirt. “You have to promise to return. All of you.” She turned to glare at each of them. “Sail through that storm and bring the magic back to Lenya. I will accept nothing less than success. Let’s go, Declan. Gullie. We have preparations to make.” She pivoted on her heel and stomped from the cavern.
“That girl would make a fine queen someday.” Tierney came to stand beside him when they were the only two left. “It’s too bad she loves Declan or I’d introduce her to my cousin. He’s heir to Fargelsi, and in a few years he’s going to be in the same predicament I’ve been in.”
“Which is what?” Keir asked in an amused tone.
“In the four kingdoms, an heir must marry another royal or the highest of their noble houses. All the royals are related or close enough to be considered family, even if the blood ties aren’t there. It diminishes the pool of eligible consorts tremendously. My father was desperate to find the right match for me.”
“That’s what sent you running to the human realm, is it not?” Keir asked.
“It seemed like the end of my world at the time.” Tierney laughed. “My father and his stupid list.” She shook her head. “I guess I’d forgotten what real problems were then.”
“And now?” Keir arched a brow at her.
“May the magic help us through this.” She let out a long breath. “Because we have real problems running out of our ears.”