“Then, who?” Kost asked, not bothering to hide his confusion.
“You four can draw straws.” She waved her hand as she made her way for the door. “That’s the safest option, anyway. I highly doubt Maddox would agree to participate, and it must be a man. Based off Jayla’s description, we’re dealing with a female. And let’s just say she’ll only descend from the heavens if a suitable mate presents itself.” Hand wrapped around the handle, she paused at the threshold. “Hence the feathers and paint. I’m going to bathe. See you soon.”
And then she left, a light laugh trailing behind her.
Calem found his words first. “She’s officially gone crazy.”
“We asked her to consider a beast for Jayla. She’s done us that courtesy. We can’t be picky about the semantics.” Kost slipped his fingers beneath his glasses and pinched his nose. “Though admittedly, I’m not keen on this.”
“Me either,” Ozias mumbled.
Chuckling, I extracted one hand and summoned a wispy shadow. I willed it to separate into four separate threads and then fisted them as they solidified, hiding their lengths. “Fair is fair.”
“So long as you’re not cheating and know which one is the shortest,” Calem hissed.
“On Zane’s blood, I wouldn’t dream of it.” I grinned. “But just to satisfy you, I’ll take whatever’s left.”
Calem lunged for the first shadow straw before anyone else could move. Ozias fidgeted for a full thirty seconds before finally caving and choosing next. Kost extracted his with much more dignity, and I opened my palm to let the final straw roll to the tips of my fingers. One by one, my brothers did the same.
With a loud gulp, Ozias palmed his face as the shortest straw rolled from his hand and clattered to the floor.
Twenty-Four
Leena
Taming the Vyprale was a relatively quick process, thanks largely to Oz’s role as bait. At first, he was as uncertain of how to behave as he was with women. Restless and fidgety, he couldn’t help but swipe at the gold paint covering his body, smearing it so badly we had to apply a second coat and reattach the vibrant, teal feathers dangling from his clothes. After that, it took nearly an hour of coaxing to get him to shimmy appropriately—a necessary tactic to draw the Vyprale’s eyes to the flashy feathers—and nearly twice as long for him to perform an acceptable birdcall. At one point, he attempted a “sexy” caw that had us all rolling on the ground in tears. But eventually, his antics worked, and the radiant beast had appeared. Oz had only suffered a few wounds, too, which I counted as a total success. The stories I’d heard of Charmers taming Vyprales almost always ended with missing limbs. But his ability to slink into the shadow realm at a moment’s notice made it possible for us to avoid that unfortunate outcome, and I was able to drop out of the sky atop Onyx and tame the confused Vyprale the second Oz disappeared.
And despite it all, he never complained.
“I think I need a drink,” he muttered for the tenth time since we’d returned to Veles. I only shook my head and smiled. He certainly deserved one, but we had more important things to worry about, like our impending return to Lendria. Maddox and Jayla had flown home ahead of us atop her beast to set everything in motion. Apparently, the moment Elianna caught sight of her daughter, she’d honored her deal and set Rhyne’s forces in motion. Ships were already readying in the harbor off the city by the time Noc, Calem, Oz, and I arrived, and troops had seemingly amassed out of nowhere. Their jade armor was intimidating. Instead of smooth lines hugging the shape of their bodies, the cuts of metal were sharp. Severe. As if their armor was a weapon in and of itself. They marched with deadly precision toward the waiting ships, and I was immediately thankful we’d gained such a promising ally.
We waited in the courtyard just inside the castle gates, while Jayla and Maddox circled above us. Her Vyprale was stunning and powerful. Its slender, snakelike body was covered in shimmery, reflective feathers that made it hard to look at directly. With a falcon’s head and lustrous mane that trailed the length of its form—not to mention a pair of wings that spanned the width of a decent-sized house—it was a beast of legend. And that was before it even unleashed its devastating attack. Channeling power from the sun, it stored energy in its wings and rained magic arrows down like hellfire on its prey.
I was only somewhat disappointed I hadn’t been able to keep the beast for myself. Large enough to fly several people at once, incredible strength… But it had to be done, and I had every faith Jayla would show it nothing but love and devotion. The Vyprale wouldn’t have agreed to join her side otherwise. They were picky like that, and I was silently relieved to tame a creature that would ease my decision in gifting a beast to a near-stranger.
Sharp steps sounded at our backs, and we turned to find Queen Elianna moving down the walkway toward us. She approached alone, save Isla at her side, and motioned to the sky for her daughter to join her. The Vyprale descended, somehow floating just an inch off the ground, and extended its wing in a makeshift slide for Jayla and Maddox to dismount. As soon as their feet hit the earth, Jayla sent her beast home and they joined Elianna.
“You’ve managed to keep your first promise,” she said, voice level.
It was hard not to be intimidated by the queen of Rhyne. She was as resolute as the army she wielded, and she stood before us without so much as blinking. But even with her stoic mask firmly in place, there was a glimmer of recognition in her faded-amber stare. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it trust, but it was something.
Noc gave a tight nod. “We’ll continue to honor our agreement. We can’t stress enough how much your support is appreciated.”
“My forces are not to be taken lightly.” She clasped her hands together. “Isla will lead them under your direction, but if at any point she feels your plan is inadequate, she will recall them to prevent inconsequential loss of life. Understood?”
“Understood,” Noc said.
“Don’t mistake this alliance for friendship…or forgiveness.” She pursed her lips. “I will always be watching you, Aleksander. And I hope my daughter will carry that same vigilance when she takes the throne.”
Noc didn’t bristle. Didn’t stiffen. Didn’t react at all, really. But when he finally spoke, his words were somber. “I’m sorry, Elianna. I know those words will never be enough, but you deserve to hear it anyway.”
She considered him for a long moment, and then turned to me. Her gaze softened. “Thank you for gifting my daughter a formidable beast. I look forward to our continued relationship. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She gave the slightest bow before turning her back on us and signaling to her daughter and Maddox. “Jayla and I have a strategy to formulate regarding her presence along our southern border. I expect weekly reports on any developments in Lendria, as they relate to our alliance and my troops.”
“Of course, my queen.” Isla bowed low, only straightening once the royal family departed. Her hands formed neat fists by her side, and she power walked right through our group, leaving us scrambling to keep up with her. “We head for the docks. Now. As it appears you came to Rhyne with few belongings, we’ve taken the liberty of stocking some things for you.”
We moved quickly down the city streets, passing opulent houses and shops that shifted in style the closer we got to the water. The quaint manors were more open, a bit larger with bay windows and wide doors to allow greater access to the sea breeze. A few locals meandered from vendor stalls to handle their morning shopping, and the scent of fresh fish collided with the salt in the air. A heavy chill rolled in off the ocean, and I rubbed my arms to try to spark warmth. Hopefully, these supplies Isla spoke of included clothing better suited to winter. The thin blouse and breeches I’d secured before taming the Vyprale were doing little to combat the weather.
When the docks came into view, Kost upped his gait to match Isla’s. “We should discuss our plans for landing once we arrive at Lendria.”
