Prologue
It is a tale as old as time that those who crave power are never meant to have it. That those who seek it in their crowns are rarely fit to rule.
The consequences of defying these laws are always dire—as dire as the current state of affairs in Medeis.
The realm had been plagued by corruption and greed for far too long. And like weeds, those who thrived on chaos spread their seeds far and wide, choking out what little purity remained.
‘The girl could be valuable,’ one of the councillors shouted over the growing uproar.
Another smashed his glass against the table to seize the floor. ‘It’s one versus millions! If Ortensia attacks Fogoya, other kingdoms will be dragged into war. The realm will fall apart. They all have too many allies.’
‘Signing off on this treaty will mean the death of the princess! She’s the only one to successfully conjure in hundreds of years!’
His opponent barked back, ‘Who needs these beasts? We’ve survived without them.’
The Elder seated in the centre cleared his throat, and silence rippled through the chamber. Turning towards thewoman accompanying a member of the Committee, he asked, ‘Is the king likely to kill her?’
All eyes shifted to the bleak-looking woman.
After a long pause, she answered softly, ‘He’s been trying to conjure for decades. I don’t think he would jeopardise this opportunity.’
The Elder’s expression hardened. ‘All of you against the treaty—raise your hands.’
Chapter One
Avari
My heartbeat climbed in a relentless crescendo, each thud echoing louder than the last, as the assistant pushed open the squeaky door to the enemy king's office. A pair of piercing amber eyes snapped to mine instantly. They were unnervingly calm, even though something vicious simmered beneath the surface, a quiet hostility hidden behind practised composure. His lips curved downward in clear distaste, as though my presence alone offended him. It still caught me off guard, despite every warning I'd heard about the king's intimidating nature.
The man reclined in a worn leather chair, far beneath the dignity of his rank, my mother would have said, and watched me intently. His gaze lingered on my throat, calculating, as though deciding whether to end the meeting with a twist.
Shivers broke out along my spine, though I couldn’t tell whether from fear or thrill. Not many had the chance to meet the prime Fogoyan monster, and the opportunity filled me with a quiet, dangerous excitement. It wasn't what I shouldbe feeling, but I couldn't contain myself; it was a chance to study and learn from the best.
Nothing suggested he shared the sentiment. My gaze drifted across his foreboding features, lingering on the perpetual scowl and the way his brows drew together over narrowed eyes. I hoped the uneasy alliance might benefit us both, but deep down I knew the king's scepticism ran too deep, and some divides were simply impossible to bridge.
While my attention remained fixed on the potential threat, my skin grew increasingly clammy, damp strands of hair clinging to my forehead. It wasn't nerves. It was him. The room was growing steadily hotter because he willed it.
‘King Dracon, you have a guest from Ortensia. Miss…’
The assistant avoided my gaze, looking towards his monarch even as I spared him several fleeting glances. The way he introduced me made me wonder whether he had intentionally omitted my royal title as a sign of disrespect. Matters of rank and decorum had never bothered me much, but my sisters would have punished him for it. That was one reason the atmosphere in the Ortensian court remained so suffocating.
‘Ava,’ I said, offering a faint smile as he hurried out, ignoring me.
Left alone in the lion's den with a beast who looked all too eager to pounce, I waited for the wave of fear that was bound to come. Hopeful or not, it was obvious that cooperation with someone who hated my kind would be nearly impossible. I was a fool for believing otherwise. Only a week ago, he'd sent two dozen of our warriors back in boxes, disfigured and dismembered, some barely recognisable as bodies. It wasn't a gesture of goodwill to reunite them with their loved ones. It was a warning, a brutal display of what he was capable of.
‘My moth—’ I caught myself. ‘Queen Harper said it’s time to begin training. I believe it was a mutual decision.’
For a long moment, his glare, heavy with silent challenge, remained his only response. He scratched at his beard as his unnaturally bright eyes assessed me, a look that would have caused heart palpitations in meeker souls. Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself that harming me wouldn't serve him politically. Not yet.
As much as it must have bothered him, he needed my help, and I intended to use that to my advantage. If only it were as easy as I hoped.
Though it was the first time I’d ever met the King of Fire in person, flashbacks of the night one of his soldiers broke into the Ortensian castle haunted me still. That cruel woman, a spy he’d sent into our court, had aimed to cause as much pain as possible. To this day, I believed it was fate that sent a guard down that corridor; otherwise, I’d never have made it out alive.
The animosity between Ortensians and Fogoyans was a living, breathing testament to eternal war and unforgivable crimes, with neither side willing to relent.
‘The mysterious Avari...’
His long fingers tapped against the scratched desk in time with my racing heartbeat. As a pure fae, his heightened senses gave him a tactical advantage. I couldn't afford to dwell on that, not when he demanded my full attention, his glare tracking even the slightest of my movements, assessing me the way a soldier would an opponent.
