Crown of Ellova, Vol. 1 (Crown of Ellova Duology)

Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

“ B arley is the only horse we have available,” the tired stable attendant informs us with a yawn. “More stables on the other side of the lake are available for trade, but they might not be open for a few hours. Most of the palace horses were taken to a nearby pasture to graze during the festivities.”

Leon and I share a glance. We don’t have time to secure a second horse.

“One horse will be fine. We can ride double,” Leon says.

We wait on the platform for the stable attendant, who returns a few minutes later with a large horse. Her pale golden coat gleams in the sun.

I take the reins with a smile. “Thank you.”

Leon wastes no time, launching himself on the back of the horse. His smile is radiant as he holds his hand out, helping me nestle myself in front of him. The tall slits of my dress reveal my bare thighs. There’s no saddle, just a thick blanket.

“Riding is one of my great passions, but I so rarely have an opportunity to indulge,” he says, excitement in every word.

I hand him the reins and try not to lean against him. I don’t want to invade his space, but his legs give a swift squeeze around Barley and she takes off, sending me flying back against him. His arms tighten around me.

“Lead the way,” he shouts over the wind into my ear, and it sends shivers down to my core. He is leaning forward, tucking his head above my shoulder.

I point in the direction of the forest that houses the spring, a well-worn riding path in front of us. After a couple of miles of swift riding, Leon slows our horse to carefully navigate the forest, and we emerge into a meadow of bright wildflowers at a leisurely pace.

“How are you feeling this morning?” he says, leaning into my ear.

“Better than I have felt in days.” I almost feel like myself. There was no pounding in my head when I awoke this morning, the crushing pressure of the magic weight lessened. I should have returned to my court sooner.

“I’m glad to hear that. This place is something special.”

“It truly is.”

“It’s breathtaking here,” Leon says wistfully, “so unlike Adreania. Everything here has a warmth to it. The fae here, the food, the architecture. It’s all around. I never realized just how cold the castle was, how lifeless it was, ’til I came here. The Iron Castle has a heaviness that claws at you, cutting deep and crawling into your bones from its neverending winters.” His arms get a little tighter around my waist. “You were the only thing that would brighten my day. A sliver of sunshine at midnight breaking through a life full of black clouds, even if it was just for a moment.”

Sorrow slices into my heart, severing it in two at his words. I squeeze my eyes shut and place my hand over his. I need to keep this perfect man at a distance, but he makes it so difficult. “Leon, I?—”

Before I can respond, he asks, “Did you spend much time here when you were growing up?”

I sigh. “Yes.” My words are breathy. “Our powers develop slowly over the course of the fifty years we are considered dewlings. There are plenty of jewelry makers in Ellova, but the gifts of a jewelsmith are rare. It wasn’t exactly something I could teach myself how to control. I would touch a necklace and it would turn into a puddle dripping silver on the floor. Hold a knife at dinner and it would turn into a snake sliding around the table. The palace lost quite a few dishes and statues to my touch, as I was unable to shift them back to their original forms. Once, Nueena and I were playing dress-up in Nyvenah’s closet and I accidentally turned her favorite crown into a golden dove. Flew right out the window, never to be seen again.”

Leon’s sudden burst of laughter echoes around the small valley we are riding through. “Was she angry?”

“No, of course not. She’s too kind for that. I went on to make her countless jewelry pieces, including many crowns, to try and make up for it. Eventually it was agreed that Nueena and I would spend a summer here when we were old enough. I trained under Lazalai, who has a similar power. Even though she was a busy Guardian, she always made time for lessons.” That familiar touch of guilt lingers at the memory and what I’m keeping from her now. “By the end of the summer, I could control my magic. I also learned to do embroidery, paint with oils, create glass mosaics, and make wine.”

He smiles. “Sounds like you had an enchanting childhood.”

“What was your childhood like?”

“Expectations were high, but my childhood was a happy one. I was especially close with my younger brother and our parents, who gave us a great life. I spent most of my time reading. When I was thirteen, my mother moved my brother, my cousin, and me from our estate to the house I had wished to send you to. We lived there for a number of years.”

“Where was your father?”

“He stayed to run the family business in the city. My mother thought country life would be best for us, plenty of room for us to run around. It was chaos in the way only three boys can make it. My brother and cousin were the wild ones. I preferred reading or spending time with the town healer, just observing. The other two got into trouble as if their lives depended on it. At seventeen, I left for the capital of Versairen for my medical training. My family were clear that a successful healer position for me would bring them great pride. I haven’t seen them since.”

“That’s a long time to be away.”

“It is, but they knew how important it was for me to be a healer.”

“So you have always wanted to help others?”

He lets out a little laugh. “I was born for it.”

“You must miss them.”

“It’s been a long time. My parents have passed, but I hope to see my brother and cousin soon. Maybe you can meet them too.”

“I’d like that.” I feel so safe with his hand tight on my hip, securing me, with him sitting so close as we ride. His warmth and the scent of wildflowers in the air make me feel like I could tell him anything and he would understand no matter what it was.

Up ahead, through the trees, I can see the Airvell River that rushes by and the small stream leading into the rocky area where the waterfall cascades down into the natural pool, thick ivy climbing up behind it.

“I loved swimming here with Nueena. Those who live in the crystal palace prefer to swim in the lake, so the spring is often empty. We would swim for hours.”

“My brother and I loved swimming when we were growing up, too.”

Finally, we arrive at the small pool of turquoise water. A few white water lilies with round leaves decorate the surface. We can see the green plants we need at the bottom. Leon slides off the back of the horse. He comes to help me down, and Barley nibbles on the surrounding shrubs. Bright greenery shades the spring; this hidden place is filled with the healing waters of the Airvell River. Lizards with bright blue heads and orange bodies lounge on rocks, soaking up the sun, while bright teal dragonflies dance over the water.

Leon lifts his shirt and slides it over his head, and I am momentarily lost in his body. His bare chest with its taut muscles, the deep vee on his hips demanding my eyes lower. When I finally look up at him, his half grin sends butterflies erupting in my chest.

“Hello.” His voice is as smooth as chocolate .

In an embarrassingly strangled voice I say, “We should get started.” At my feet, a vine is coming up through the ground to reveal my lustful thoughts. I stomp my boot on it before Leon can see it.

He starts to chuckle but it dies on his lips when I take off my dress, his eyes going to the tight, yellow band around my chest, tied with a bow in the front. The same fabric is sewn into bottoms that wrap low around on my hips.

Now it’s his turn to stare, his eyes darkening as he drinks in my body, my soft middle, and the dark places the fabric covers.

His fingers twitch at his sides.

“Ready?” I ask loudly and cackle when he is startled by the question, looking a little dazed.

I open the small box Tavien had given me and pull out one lochkiss bubble, offering the other to Leon, who takes it curiously.

“Lochkiss. It lasts for weeks, so there will be plenty of time to collect what we need and return for more if needed. It’s going to give us the ability to breathe underwater. The spring is deceptively deep; you just can’t tell with how clear the water is. We’d run out of air long before we reached the blutells, so we will need these. With these, we will also be able to speak and hear each other under the water.” I pop it in my mouth and chew. It has a gummy texture, but no taste.

“Anything else to know?" he asks, chewing cautiously.

“When you go under the water, just breathe normally. The lochkiss will turn water into air for you. You can also control buoyancy. Imagine yourself heavier or lighter to stay at the bottom or rise to the surface.”

We tread into the water, and with the heat of the bright midmorning sun above us, the cool water is a pleasant touch.

“Anything behind the waterfall?” he asks, focusing on the flowing water.

I pause for a moment. “An underwater cave.” When his eyes light up with excitement, I reluctantly add, “I can show you before we collect the blutells if you would like to see it.”

“Only if we have time.”

“Come on, and stay close.” I dive in, indulging in the freeing sensation of being weightless, the rest of the world fading away. It’s just Leon, the healing water, and me.

Leon cuts through the water at an impressive speed, swimming in a large circle around me before chasing a small school of fish. My laughter sends bubbles rising to the surface. He looks back at the sound and returns to me, offering me his hand so we can swim together.

He follows me, diving deeper. The cave opening is just to the right of us.

The entrance is wide enough for two, the tunnel only taking a few seconds to swim through, leading into a small, hidden grotto. Slats of light break through the arched rocky ceiling with moss crawling up the walls, vines hanging down. A small but beautiful waterfall comes down from the Airvell River. The grotto is damp with a hint of minerals clinging to the air, so much hidden from the sun.

This place does not hold happy memories like the spring does. I’m transported back to when I was an angry dewling seeking solace here. Unable to control my powers, mourning the loss of my parents, lost and afraid. I came here to hide, to be angry alone so no one would think I was ungrateful, my pathetic attempts not to be a burden to Nueena or her family. Guilt grabs at me. How is it possible that over a hundred years have gone by and I’m in the same place I was before?

The only difference is instead of mourning my parents, I’m mourning my own life, threatened to be cut so much shorter than I was promised with fae heritage. Mourning the inevitable loss of Leon. Mourning the loss of what could have been if things had been different.

I should have sent him in here alone.

I use my strength to sit on the rocky ledge, my legs still dangling in the water, and stare into the depths below us.

Leon swims up to me and pulls himself out of the water with far more grace than I did. He sits close, our thighs fully touching. “Are you all right? ”

Ellova’s grave, this man is always so attuned to my moods. Tears spring to my eyes.

He picks up my balled fist. He doesn’t speak, just brings it to his lips. He kisses my first knuckle and uncurls that finger, repeating the process ’til every finger has been kissed. Turning my palm up, he closes his eyes and presses his lips into the center, then my wrist and the top of my hand. Each tender kiss absorbs a piece of my anger until I sag against him.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought you into the grotto. This place holds memories I would rather forget. We should start collecting what we need.”

Before I can slide back into the water, he stops me. “What memories?”

I sigh, not wishing to expose even more of my heart to him, but wanting him to understand my fear too. “I lost my parents suddenly. One after the other. I felt utterly betrayed by my mother’s death in particular. It wasn’t until later I learned that the fae can die of broken hearts; the fae call it an enervation death. I never knew love could end so tragically. Then, on top of it, I didn’t truly understand how my magic worked. I was a grieving dewling dealing with emotions that were affecting my magic.”

“That is too much for someone so young to handle. You were a child. I’m sure your mother didn’t want to leave you alone to figure this all out by yourself,” he says, tucking me into his side, arm tight around me.

It’s easier to say the next part with my head on his shoulders, not looking into those deep green eyes. “I know now it wasn’t her fault, but I blamed her for loving someone she knew she was going to outlive. Having a child with him. Knowing I would lose my father when she would lose her husband. Knowing there was a possibility she would die from a broken heart, leaving me alone. Maybe she didn’t know that at the time; maybe she didn’t care. Maybe she didn’t think about it, but it felt like a betrayal at the time. Still does, actually, but knowing you now, I think I’m beginning to understand.”

I try to fight off the memory of her last few days. The bright white scars that spread all over her skin, like she had been struck by lightning. An enervation death is excruciating. Her grief-stricken sobs still haunt me late at night. Knowing her magic was decaying from the inside, slowly killing her, and yet her cries were not for herself. They were for my father and me. At his loss and what I was about to lose. Her.

I was left with nothing in this world but a tainted family name and an empty cottage.

The rushing waterfall echoes off the slick walls and fills our silence. Then Leon lifts my chin up, forcing me to look at him. His eyes are so soft, such understanding there.

“I can’t tell you how or when, but we will figure out this mess. Together. We will get that crown off and we will find a place to be happy. You are a treasure. Nothing will keep me from you, Izadella. Do you understand me? Our story does not end with us dead or apart. It was never going to.”

The warmth of his words pulses through my veins. I believe him. I don’t know why, but I do. “I trust you.”

He pulls me closer, and my heart stops, expecting him to kiss me, but he turns his head up and presses his lips to my forehead. It's such a tender show of affection my heart melts to a puddle of emotion as I lay my head on his chest.

We stay there for a long while, wrapped up in each other, his arms so tight around me as if he were holding the pieces of my broken heart together to keep it from shattering.

I’m already missing his warmth when I reluctantly pull away. “We have an elixir to create and a crowning ceremony to prepare for. We should probably leave.”

“We also have a ball to attend, which I’ve been assured features quite a bit of dancing, and we both know I will never turn down a chance to hold you close all night.” He slides back into the water and waits for me.

There will never be enough. I want all my days to be surrounded by our friends and nights to be alone with him. How could I live without this man? That’s exactly what I’m afraid of…that I can’t .

I follow him into the water. I might follow him anywhere.

We both kick off, swimming towards the center of the spring. The blutells sway gently and I dig my hands into the soft sand, picking up the whole plant and placing it in the bag Leon holds open. We work together, carefully pulling up the aquatic plants in the corners of the pool. After the bag is full, we swim towards the beckoning sunlight. The bag is enchanted to preserve them until we return home.

We break the surface together with a splash, Leon shaking his head and spraying me with the droplets.

“Hey!” I laugh and splash some water back at him. His eyes light up and he chases me towards the shore as we send water splattering at each other. He chases me through the water; when he gets too close, I dash away from him.

He finally catches me and grabs my arm. I let out a playful scream, trying to get out of his grip so our game will continue, when suddenly my vision spins, the water moving around me in response to the power of the crown. The crown’s magic overwhelms me and I stumble. I watch in horror as a wave forms and launches itself at Leon, who is swept under the water. It pulls him to the center of the spring. I try to command the magic back, clawing at the power pouring out of me, but it rushes out, ignoring my pleas.

Leon thrashes in the water’s vicious hold. Devastation rips through me at the realization that this might kill him, that he came to Ellova to protect me and I would have utterly failed to protect him from myself. Water swirls around his throat, tightening its grip.

“LEON!” I scream, racing after him.