Kygraw inclined his head. “Thank you for saying that, especially after my role in what happened. Confiscating Corvin’s cloak—it was a strategic misstep. I had hoped it might reinforce the importance of the feathers, remind him to practice restraint. But I fear it simply put him at risk instead. I failed to realize what should have been obvious to me from the start; that he wasn’t wasting the feathers but was using them to aid someone important to him. Forgive me. It’s a mistake I won’t make again.”
I squirmed, uncertain how I should respond or what I might be able to say to help alleviate the contrition in his voice. “I don’t blame you at all,” I finally replied, keeping my tone light.
He blinked his eyes long and slow. “I’m very glad. Would you like to see the courtyard?”
King Ravenell spoke up. “Make sure to show her Alyndra’s statue,” he instructed before falling weakly back against his pillow.
“Of course,” Kygraw replied, walking over to my side and offering me a hand out of bed.
Nix hopped off my bed and jumped up next to Corvin instead. “I’ll be here waiting for your return,” he reassured me, his gaze drifting to the winged tiger on King Ravenell’s bed. “Ajax and I have some more catching up to do,” he continued, his voice austere.
Accepting Kygraw’s hand, I swung my legs onto the floor, wobbling for a moment before finding my balance. I leaned into his side, embarrassed to find that walking on my own was still a challenge. Graciously, Kygraw offered me his hand, guiding us toward the infirmary door while supporting my weight, thoughtfully matching my slow, uneven stride. I smiled softly upat him, his gentle assistance immediately quelling any sense of intimidation I might otherwise have felt, standing in the shadow of his towering frame.
I let him guide me out of the infirmary and into a long hallway.
As we walked, I marveled at the beauty of our surroundings. The beauty of the palace itself, carved from marble. The beauty of the sky outside, visible almost everywhere. There were so many windows. As we passed another elegantly cut pane of glass, I remembered back to Corvin’s initial discomfort in my study, lamenting the lack of windows. Now, I understood. He lived somewhere you could always see the sky. No wonder he’d felt trapped at first. Here, flight and freedom were always just a wing’s reach away.
“Does everyone in the Sky Kingdom possess the ability to fly?” I asked my tour guide as we passed yet another window.
“Most do, in some capacity. However, not all of our citizens are blessed with wings. Some use different magical means to traverse the skies. There are even a few with no talent for flying at all who still manage to navigate our great kingdom. They rely upon the Pegasi mostly. We tend a large herd, cared for by Deldrach, our stablemaster. The Pegasi are refugees of the dragon’s subjugation, same as many of the citizens who have chosen to make Zroterra their home over the years.”
We exited the palace, stepping into a peaceful, grassy courtyard. Kygraw guided me toward its central focal point, an enormous statue. It was positively massive in scale, a true artistic achievement—depicting a lovely Fae woman, her expression protective and fierce. The statue was carved from marble except for the wings. The wings were cut from delicate stained glass.
It was hard not to stop and stare at the people we passed. So many different kinds of wings. I noticed a few peoplewhose wings resembled Corvin’s—feathered and expansive and singular. Others possessed pixie wings—colorful and delicate and layered. More than once, I observed someone taking flight from the street. No one was confined here. Here, the sky was always waiting. A young couple walked in front of the statue, nodding a polite greeting at us as they passed, each sporting a magnificent set of wings at their back.
“Queen Alyndra,” Kygraw said with affection, studying the intricately carved details of the statue’s face. “Corvin’s mother, whose love and labor were instrumental to the founding of this kingdom. She left the Winter Court behind as a young woman, fleeing an arranged marriage. Her path eventually crossed with King Ravenell’s, and together, they built a kingdom. A refuge. She was a force to be reckoned with—and I miss her quite dearly.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” I replied, wishing I could have met her myself.
“Thank you,” Kygraw said, touching a hand to the base of the marble statue.
“It looks like there’s an inscription,” I observed, reading it aloud. “Love will guide you home.”
“Ahh, yes. A saying of the utmost importance to our kingdom. It means that even far from home, those who love the Sky Kingdom will always be able to find their way back. A convenient truth since the kingdom isn’t fixed in one spot. You probably can’t feel it, but even now, we’re slowly floating through the sky.”
“That’s miraculous—and how exactlydoesit keep afloat?”
“Using a magic no one fully understands. The oldest magic. The magic of the land. Queen Alyndra and King Ravenell found the first landmass in the sky, already suspended, adrift without purpose. Eventually they came across four other islands and used their collective power to bind them together into theKingdom of Zroterra as it exists today: the Central Citadel and the North, East, South, and West Sky Towers. You see, the land didn’t stay the same. It began to grow right along with us. As if it could sense our need, our desire to build something worthwhile here.”
“The kingdom is constantly circumnavigating the realm? To think, all this time, that you may have been overhead and I would have never known the difference. May I ask, what directs the kingdom’s movement? Is it random or controlled?”
“Random—for now. We’re hoping that’ll change after the inauguration ceremony, that our connection to the land may strengthen and allow us to direct its movement more purposefully.”
“The inauguration will change a lot of things,” I murmured, Corvin’s face darting through my thoughts. “And how about you? How did you come to live here?”
“My people, the Roowk, were amongst the first chased from Uvrakar by the Dragon King Embenar, who feared we may one day threaten his rule or resist his domination of Uvrakar’s skies. We were a community of scholars, not warriors, and we did not stand a chance against the violence of Embenar’s assault. A small group of us survived and found our way here. I take comfort in knowing our legacy will live on, having helped build this kingdom from its earliest days onward, even if my people may never recover from those dark, dark days when we lost so many. Several of the Roowk have taken on advisory roles to the royal family; it is a duty that suits us well.”
“Thank you for sharing with me,” I said somberly, pondering the implication of his story, and whether it meant the Roowk were struggling to repopulate their numbers. For certain, it meant that Kygraw had overcome great hardship in order to rebuild a new home. I looked at him with admiration, thinking ofthe bravery that must have taken. “I think I’m ready to return to bed now,” I told him. “I’m still feeling pretty weak.”
Before we started walking, I caught a glimpse of a Pegasus landing with a rider astride her back. Her coat was standard for a horse, a dappled gray, but her mane was a shiny fuchsia pink. And although they were currently tucked tight to either side of her torso, as the rider dismounted, her wings appeared to be the same striking shade.
Kygraw patiently waited while I gleefully took in the view.
A middle-aged woman smiled at us as she swept the courtyard floor, noticing my excitement. Her wings were covered in a lovely bright blue plumage. Absentmindedly, she plucked a loose, molting feather from out of her own wing. Rather than toss the feather in the trash, she let it drop, the air quickly slowing its descent, the feather seemingly weightless as it drifted lazily toward the ground.
Under the guise of taking another break, I had Kygraw stop on our way to the door, so I could watch her work her magic. It wasn’t nearly as powerful as Corvin’s—at least, I could tell she’d only managed to summon forth a few tendrils of magic from the feather. As it disappeared, however, swallowed up by the magic, the soft sound of melodic birdsong filled the courtyard, even though there were no songbirds in sight. “Bless you, dear, bless you,” she said as we passed. “A true miracle, and by our own beloved prince.” The woman looked at me with wonder in her eyes. I gave her a warm smile, even though her words left me unsettled, inadvertently summoning a haunting image of the alleyway where Corvin found me back into my mind.
Kygraw tracked my gaze to the feather magic. “As you are well aware, the Zrocan can use feathers to perform feats of magic, both great and small. That magic makes many aspects of the Sky Kingdom possible. The royal cloak is one of our most prized possessions, adorned with powerful feathers, collectedover many years. Corvin’s mother was quite skilled at glamours, and her magic protects the cloak still, even after her passing.”
