“Alright, now get your feet planted, wings ready, and jump. But this time, try to flap a couple of times to get settled into the current and let it lower ye down.”
I plant my feet and stretch my wings out. The muscles of my back and even my core ache with the effort. I toe the edge of the rock before sucking in a deep lungful of air and jumping off the side again.
My stomach drops.
I squeeze the muscles in my shoulders, forcing my wings in and then out and up in the air.
One flap.
Cool air brushes against my face before I sink again.
My muscles seize as I try my hardest to flap again, but it’s no use.
I’m plummeting straight down again. I tuck my wings in tightly, before vanishing them away. As the ground comes nearer, I turn, crashing straight into the sand on my back. I groan at the pain that shoots through my tender muscles and stare straight up to the sky, listening to Lachlan laugh all the way down.
“Ye were so close that time. Ye got in one flap.” He clutches his stomach, trying to hold in the rest of his laughter. I don’t move or say a word. Lachlan squats down and moves a tendril of hair from my face.
“Do ye wanna swim now?”
I nod and he scoops me up from the sand. Snuggling into his chest, my feet swing with each one of his bounding strides across the sand.
“Come on, my queen, let’s get ye back where ye belong.”
Lachlan carries me to the edge of the water before setting me down gently. Before my feet hit the ground, I’m tugging the linen top up over my head.
“Excited?” Lachlan asks, his eyes darken at my bare breasts. My skin heats under his gaze and I step closer, pressing them against his bare flesh where his chest meets his abs.
“Very.” I grab the laces of his pants and tug firmly, undoing them instantly. “And you should be too.”
My back is on fire. Even after ourdipin the water. The fatigued muscles send razor-sharp spasms down my back and around my midsection. The tips of my feathers graze the sand and my stomach bottoms out. Lachlan looks at me with sympathy.
“Just vanish them away for now. We can practice again when we get to Olundy.”
I focus on the part of my wings that connect to my back and imagine them disappearing. I feel a small pop. They’re gone. Along with the weight and searing pain.
Relief floods me, easing the nausea that had churned. I sigh, relieved that the magic allowing for the wings to vanish is stronger here without the quartz. I don’t think I had enough strength without magic to put them away on my own.
“Let’s set sail for Olundy immediately. I’m ready for this to be over.”
Lachlan lifts me back onto my horse, trailing his hand down the thin fabric covering my leg before squeezing my calf. “Aye my queen. Let’s go.”
The journey back to Eridu takes half the time that the journey out here took. But the stars are winking into existence overhead by the time we reach the palace. Cardamom and jasmine float in with the breeze cooling my sun-kissed skin.
“I’ll arrange a pilot boat to take us to Dragut’s ship. Can ye pack our things and meet me at the dock?”
I stifle a yawn behind my hand and nod.
Meandering back to our room I drag a fingertip along the stucco walls. My eyes feel heavy with each step, and my skin feels tight from a whole day in the sun.
A young woman with thick black hair and white robes races towards me. “Your Majesty!”
I pause and look behind me before realizing she’s speaking to me. “Yes?”
“These came for you!” She shoves a handful of letters out to me before dropping into a low curtsy.
“Thank you,” I breathe, taking the envelopes from her.
Back in our room, I plop onto the bed and begin opening up the letters. The first one is from Mathilda about Tane. He’s doing better and has gotten out of bed. The second one is longer, as it details her reluctance to have the talk.
