“There you are.” Tierney wandered into the library, where Keir poured over a map of the four kingdoms.
“Your world is so vast I can hardly fathom it.” Keir didn’t look up from his scrutiny of the fire plains along the Eldur border. “Did you know there’s an active volcano in Eldur that wasn’t part of the fire plains until recently?”
“Yes. It’s called Eldfal, and my mother was about my age last time it erupted, but it wasn’t a natural event, so I’m not sure it counts.” She moved to stand beside him. Hanging over his shoulder, she blew a warm breath in his ear to catch his attention.
“What?” Keir reached for his ear. “Oh, hi.” He grinned up at her ruefully. “I was doing it again, wasn’t I?”
“Fangirling over the four kingdoms? Yes.” He was obsessed. And even if he wouldn’t admit it, he idolized her father. The two men had become fast friends.
“I don’t know what that means. But your world is so exciting.”
“And the most you have seen of it since we arrived is this library and the palace.” She grabbed his hand, tugging him away from the library table.
“You’re up to something.” He resisted for only a moment before he followed her from the library.
“I wouldn’t be Tia O’Shea if I wasn’t up to something.”
“Where are we going?”
“You want to see Iskalt while you have the chance, don’t you?” She turned, walking backward down the hall as she pulled him along. “Or would you rather pour over books about Iskalt instead of visiting the nearest village with me?”
“Let’s go.” He laid a hand at her back, and they hurried down the hall.
Gathering their cloaks, they ventured out into the stable yard across the palace grounds.
“Is it always this cold?” Keir tucked his face into the warm woolen scarf he wore around his face and neck.
Tierney laughed, her eyes bright in the clear afternoon sunshine. “It’s a bit colder than normal but hardly noticeable for most of us used to the weather here.” She waved at the stable hand when he emerged with two fine geldings. A chestnut and a dark roan.
“Thank you, Stephan.” Tierney took the reins. “How is your mother doing? She was ill before I left, wasn’t she?”
“Aye, your Majesty.” The boy beamed a worshipful smile for the princess. “She is doing much better, thank you.”
“Tell your mother I’ll be along to visit as soon as I can.” Tierney mounted her horse.
“I will. It’s wonderful to have you home again, Princess.” Stephan bowed, turning to hand the reins of the other horse to Keir before he trotted off back to the stables.
“You visit your stable hands’ mothers often?” Keir arched a brow at her.
“As often as I can.” Tierney made a soothing sound to her horse to ease his nervous shifting. “You coming?” She glanced over her shoulder at him.
“Shouldn’t we wait for the others?” Keir climbed atop a horse.
“What others? It’s just you and me today.”
He trotted up beside her, giving his horse a gentle pat. “We’re going into the village; you’ll need a guard at least.”
“I’ve never taken a guard with me into the village.” She nudged her mount into a trot. “It’s perfectly safe. You’ll see.”
They rode along the winding path that led from the rear of the palace down to the lake, where children played on the ice.
“I’ve watched them from the windows and balconies, and I still can’t fathom what they are playing.” Keir watched them battle across the ice for possession of the puck.
“It’s only the best game in the entire world.” Tierney’s eyes sparkled in the sunlight as she watched the children. “It’s called hockey. It’s a human sport, but I grew up playing it with Gullie and Toby and all our friends in the village.
“Once my mother introduced the sport, Iskaltians took to it like they invented it themselves. I haven’t played in ages, but I’ll teach you before you leave for Vondur.” A pang of something she didn’t want to identify shot through her, and she rushed on. “There’s almost always a game happening here at the palace. Father gave his permission ages ago for the village children to use the lake whenever they liked.” Tierney missed those days sometimes. She had some of her fondest memories right here.
“Does the snow ever melt away?”
“Never. There are times of the year when the snows are infrequent, but there is always a blanket of crisp white dust covering the world.” She waved to a group of girls walking along the wide path.
“Your Majesty.” They all smiled, dipping into awkward curtsies.
“The village school is just over there.” Tierney pointed across the expanse of snow-covered fields to a stone building that looked like it had been there for centuries. “I used to beg my father to let me go to school with the other children, but I had magic as a young child. Erratic magic, and I was prone to using it when I wasn’t supposed to.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” Keir chuckled. “Your children don’t have magic?”
“In Eldur and Iskalt, we inherit the use of our magic when we come of age. I’ve only had my Eldurian and Iskaltian magic for a little more than four years, but I’ve had Gelsi magic my whole life.”
“And it’s unusual for a fae to have all three types of magic?” Keir asked.
“I’m the only one.” She shrugged. “My mother has Gelsi and Eldurian magic. For a long time, it wasn’t common for fae of one kingdom to interact with those of another, much less join in marriage. It’s much more common now. My mother thinks in a few more generations, everyone will be like me but with Dark Fae features, and we’ll all just be fae without any differences at all.”
“Princess Tierney! Welcome home!” A cheery woman crossed the street into the village proper, waving frantically.
“Mrs. Fintan, how are you?” Tierney called. “Is Eloise in town today?”
“She’s working at the general store; she would love it if you popped in to say hello.”
“I’ll do that.” Tierney led them along a cobblestone street lined with fir trees and people coming and going about their business. It was a prosperous village, but most of Iskalt was like that under King Lochlan’s rule.
“Do you know everyone by name?” Keir asked after she nodded to another passerby.
“I’ve lived here all my life, and I’m positive I spent more time in the village than at home.”
Keir glanced around the town square, a slight frown on his face.
“What’s the matter?” She rode close beside him.
“You have … everything here. There’s a mill and a smithy. You have stores and pubs, and I don’t even know what most of these businesses are. It’s … wonderful. Eavha would fall in love with your village if she could be here.”
“I hope she will come for a visit someday soon.” Tierney turned them down a side street, pointing out the various businesses. “That’s a bookstore. And there’s an apothecary at the end of the street. They have everything you could ever need and then some. Then, there’s a tea shop and something my mom calls a restaurant, where they serve the best beef strudel you have ever tasted.”
“Is it like a tavern?” he asked.
“No, the tavern and the best pub is back the way we came. Gallagher’s only serves food and watered wine. No ale, and he doesn’t put up travelers for the night. Mom says that’s a lot like human restaurants, where people go for a meal.”
“And where are we going?” Keir leaned forward, all eyes for the cooper’s yard, where all sorts of wares were for sale and in various stages of construction. “Surely you have somewhere you’re taking me?”
“Sweeny’s Pub. It’s just down this street.”
“But you said the best pub is back the way we came. Are you taking me to a substandard place?”
“Sweeny’s is my favorite because they have good cider and plenty of snacks, but they also have more privacy. And we have things to discuss, you and I.”
“We do?” The color faded from Keir’s bright red face.
“You haven’t forgotten that pesky little problem we nearly shipwrecked ourselves trying to get here to solve.” Tierney narrowed her eyes at him. He was staring and acting odder than usual.
A smile quirked his lips, and he laughed. “We did shipwreck ourselves if you remember correctly.”
“I’ve blocked it out. That was not a fun time.” Tierney tried to bite back her laughter. She was so grateful to be here with Keir right now after all they overcame to reach Iskalt. She guided them down a narrow alley until they reached an unassuming stone structure with a simple wooden sign overhead proclaiming it as Sweeny’s Pub.
“Does your father know you frequent the local pubs?” Keir slipped from his mount, looping the reins over the hitching post.
“Oh, he gave up trying to keep me away from Sweeny’s a long time ago.” She dismounted and headed for the carved wooden door. A bell rang overhead when she walked inside, blinking in the dim light until her eyes adjusted.
“There’s my favorite princess.” A big burly man with a balding head charged out from behind the bar, sweeping Tierney up in a bear hug. He whirled her around before he set her on her feet. “You can’t be leaving for unexpected trips to lands unknown without telling me first.” He stood back with his hands on his hips. “It near broke my heart to see your mother, our dear queen herself, so heartbroken at your absence.”
“I’m sorry, Sweeny. It won’t happen again. I’m swearing off the O’Shea magic for good. I’ll leave portals to my brother.” Tierney shrugged out of her cloak, leaving it to hang on the hook by the fire to dry with the others.
Keir followed her lead, his jaw dropping when yet another commoner cried out her pleasure that their favorite princess had come home at last. “Dear child!” A plump woman in a long woolen skirt scurried out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. “Poor old Sweeny was crushed when we found out you were lost. I prayed for your soul every morning and here you are, safely returned.” She took Tierney in her arms.
“And I’m so happy to be back.” Tierney let the woman mother her, returning her embrace like she wasn’t the heir to the throne but just another villager.
“Your poor father.” She clucked, fussing over Tierney’s cold hands, leading her to warm up beside the fire. “Our king just wasn’t the same without you by his side.” She turned to Keir. “Ever since she were a little girl, she was always right beside him. Two peas in a pod those two.” She left Tierney by the fire, turning her attention on Keir.
“Come, come. Any friend of our Princess Tia is a friend of ours. Come warm yourself by the fire. Frank, get them some hot cider.” She turned back to Tierney. “You’ll be wanting your favorites then? Cheese curds and freshly baked pretzels?”
Tierney groaned. “Mrs. Sweeny, you have no idea how many nights I dreamed of your pretzels and cheese curds with a hot cider to warm my belly.”
“Have a seat, lassie.” Mr. Sweeny shooed his wife off to the kitchens. “She’ll be flapping her jaws at you till tomorrow morning if you’re not careful.”
“I missed you.” Tierney lunged at the old man, wrapping her arms around his barrel-sized chest. “Now, it feels like my homecoming is complete.” Tierney grabbed Keir’s hand and led him to a corner table, where two hot ciders waited for them.
“You come here often?” Keir sat across from her.
“The Sweeneys are like my adoptive Iskaltian grandparents.” Tierney took a sip of her drink and exhaled, a dreamy smile on her face. “My grandfather Brandon lives in Gelsi, and my grandmother Faolan lives in Myrkur with her wife, Shauna. They’ve only been married for a few years though. My grandmother Tierney was killed in a war before I was born, and my father’s father was killed when he was just a child—and we don’t talk about Dad’s mother much—so the Sweenys are my surrogate grandparents.”
“Here you go.” Mrs. Sweeny set two baskets on the table. “You just let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thanks, Mrs. S, you always have the best snacks.” Tierney picked up a twisted piece of brown bread and broke it in half.
Mrs. Sweeny chuckled as she walked away. “Just like her mother.”
“This will hit the spot.” Tierney passed half of the bread to Keir.
“What is it?” He gave it a sniff and frowned. “Is this salt?” He flicked a piece of the rock salt off the bread.
“That’s the best part.” Tierney dipped the twist into a brownish yellow substance and took a big bite. “Just try it.” She rolled her eyes at him.
Keir dipped his twist and took a bite. His eyebrows shot up as he chewed. “That’s delicious. It’s not like our bread at all.”
“It’s a pretzel. It’s not bread like you’re thinking. It’s more of a snack that pairs well with ale or cider. We wouldn’t serve it with a meal.”
“You have spicy things.” He pointed at the mustard. “It’s more tangy than hot, but it’s flavorful.”
“Because we don’t have to singe our mouths to taste our food.” Tierney reached for the basket of cheese curds. “Try these. You’ll thank me later.”
Keir took a lump from the basket and dipped it in the brown substance served with it. Taking a bite, something gooey rushed out and juices ran down his fingers.
“Yeah, you kind of just need to go for it and eat the whole thing.” She giggled, popping one of the curds into her mouth.
He grinned, cleaning his fingers. “I see why you were never a fan of our hard cheese.”
“It’s just wrong.”
“See, I told you they would be here.” Toby dropped into the seat beside his sister, and Logan pulled out the last chair.
“Do you mind if we join you?”
“Of course not.” Tierney slapped her brother’s hand away from the basket of pretzels. “Order your own. I’ve been deprived for months and months.”
“No worries, dearies,” Mrs. Sweeny called from the bar. “I’ll have another round headed your way in a moment.”
“Thanks, Mrs. S!” Toby called back.
“What are you doing here?” Tierney nudged her brother playfully.
“We have things to talk about.” Toby pulled a map from his bag, spreading it across the table. “I sketched this from a map Grandfather found in the library.”
Tierney leaned in, scrunching her nose up at the map. “It looks like the four kingdoms but bigger.”
“It predates the Vatlands. This is a map of the original Lenya.”
Keir leaned in to get a better look.
“Your people once ruled over all of the fae world long before our people even existed.”
“What do you know?” Tierney turned to her brother.
“The Lenya of ancient times was destroyed by the formation of the vatlands. Your people managed to survive, but you were sealed off by the fire plains. There is a record we found that speculates your ancestors found a way to stop the spread of the fire plains.
“Over time, they receded. Grandfather believes the vatlands have expanded and receded at least one other time after that first instance. We have to find a way to destroy them, or it will happen all over again. Except, this time, it’s possible none of us will survive.”
Tierney reached for Keir’s hand. “We have to find a solution. You need your magic. We have to get you a crystal so you can practice. It’s been too long since any of you have been able to wield more than the simplest of magic.”
“I thought of that.” Logan rummaged through his pockets. “I went to the palace carpenter this morning and asked if he had any fire opals lying around. He gave me this one. I don’t know if it’s big enough for what you need, but it’s a place to start until we can get more.” Logan set the fire opal on the table. It was shaped like an icicle.
Keir just stared at it. “Your crystals are different from ours. The color is strange.”
“Is it not the right kind?” Logan asked. “I can ask for another.”
“No, it’s powerful,” Keir whispered, still not touching the crystal. “Ours are milky white, with streaks of clear blue and orange. I think they’re weaker stones. We’ve been scraping the mines for what’s left for generations. I think your fire opals must be purer.”
“Can you sense how much power this holds?” Tierney ran a fingertip down the length of the fire opal.
Keir swallowed, his throat bobbing with the motion. “I think this totem is stronger than anything of its size I’ve ever seen in Lenya. I’m afraid to touch it.”
“We’re going to need all hands on deck to drive the fire plains back.” Toby gave him a gentle nudge. “That means we’re going to need everyone performing their best. You need practice, Keir.”
“You’re right. I … don’t even know what I’m capable of with this much magic. It feels … wrong to use such a thing for practice. Like a waste.”
“You need to get over that because there are a million more where this one came from.” Logan slid it closer to Keir. “This is the first of many. As we speak, King Loch is ordering a second trunk of crystals just for your use during your time here in the four kingdoms.”
“Start with something small.” Tierney squeezed his hand, and she blew out the candle at the center of the table. “Just light the candle.”
Keir nodded, wrapping his fingers around the fire opal. He sucked in a breath, his eyes closing. A look of wonder fell across his face, and Tierney wanted to kiss him. To feel for herself all that he was feeling right now.
Keir lifted the opal. Opening his eyes, he muttered under his breath, and the candle flickered to life again. A storm blazed in his eyes as he took another breath and dropped the crystal.
“How did it feel?” Tierney whispered.
“Like I could lay waste to the entire world with just this one totem. It’s like nothing I’ve ever known.”
Toby grinned. “The vatlands don’t stand a chance against all of us together.”