Page 29 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

“It’s not a request.” I followed after him.

He halted in the doorway and turned to face me when I caught up with him.

When he opened his mouth to argue, I spoke first. “Knowing what you know now, you must understand why I want to come.” The words were low, as I didn’t want anyone in the house to overhear.

“Knowing what I know now is all the more reason why you should stay behind,” the lord countered, matching my quiet voice.

“I’m coming with you,” was all I said, staring at him. I refused to sit here and wait to find out what had transpired on the border.

With a rough exhale, he dragged a hand over his face before he turned and stepped to the side.

“After you.” He motioned for me to walk out of the library.

We found Tom and Thea in the foyer. They were arguing harshly about something, but stopped when Gray and I walked in.

“The carriage is ready. Shall we?” Tom turned to the lord. He was already garbed in a navy-blue cloak.

“Emelin is coming with us,” Gray said as he draped my cloak around my shoulders.

Tom’s gaze darted to me, and his shrewd hazel eyes narrowed.

“Not a wise choice for the princess to visit the border, given the circumstances.” The adviser’s words were meant for Gray, even though he was still looking at me.

“It’s not open to negotiation,” the lord replied, his tone final. He put on his cloak, and the three of us walked outside and loaded into the carriage.

The ride to the border was spent in miserable silence. Tom kept shooting daggers at me as I tried my best to ignore him. It was hard not to fidget under his heavy gaze, and a breath of relief almost escaped me when he finally shifted his attention to Gray sitting to my right. The lord met his gaze, and the two of them exchanged a silent message I wasn’t privy to. The unease rolling off Gray was palpable, increasing my own growing anxiety. I tried to tamp the feeling down by telling myself that there was no need to panic. The guard hadn’t said that anyone was hurt, though I wasn’t sure he had meant by a ‘sighting’. Had they seen a Fae slip through the faltering wards? I shuddered at the thought, hoping that the protective barrier hadn’t deteriorated enough to allow that to happen.

“We’re here,” Tom announced as the carriage jerked to a stop. He climbed out of the cabin first when Killian opened the door.

Gray shifted in his seat to follow him out, but hesitated. “Is there any way you would agree to wait in the carriage?” he asked me, but his tone wasn’t in the very least hopeful.

“You already know the answer to that,” I replied low.

“Your father ordered me to guard you with my life.”

“Then you had better keep me close.”

I wanted to ask him if he truly thought that I would be in danger but held my tongue to avoid giving anything away in front of Killian, who was still holding open the cabin door, watching our exchange.

“After you,” Gray finally conceded with a heavy sigh.

Killian helped me out of the carriage, and I stepped to the side, close to where Tom stood waiting for Gray. Irritation pulsed around the adviser as he gave me a side-eye. Thankfully, the lord joined us a moment later, and together we began walking toward the border. To my surprise, Killian didn’t stay behind. He fell in step on the other side of Gray instead, which I found strange until I remembered that he was trained and could defend us if need be. My heart slammed against my ribs at the thought of that possibility.

Tonight was my first time on the border after sundown, and the demarcation line between the two realms looked drastically different from how it did during the day. Lit torches stretched the length of the border, bathing the woods beyond in an orange glow. Guards were stationed evenly along the tree line, looking more tense and alert than usual. A few of them were gathered in one spot. Was that where the ‘sighting’ had occurred? When one of the guards noticed us, he separated from the group and ran up to meet us halfway. It was the same man—Briar—who had been at the manor earlier, having gotten back to the border faster on horseback.

“Lord Gray, you’re here,” he greeted the lord. “And you brought the princess,” he muttered to himself as his gaze darted to me.

Gray ignored his comment and didn’t break his stride, his eyes focused on the border ahead. The guard joined our little group, walking with us as we approached the tree line.

“What happened?” Gray demanded as soon as we halted by the guards.

A few of them stood with their backs to us but turned around and stepped out of the way when they heard the lord’s voice. Gray’s gaze slid over all the drawn faces before it fastened on the lone guard left standing directly in front of him. The man, who was as white as a sheet, quickly wiped the sweat off his brow as he stared back at the lord.

“Leland here was the one who saw it…er…him,” Briar explained.

“What did you see exactly?” Gray asked the witness, his voice calm yet sharp with urgency.

“A Fae warrior,” Leland replied in a hushed tone. My blood turned to ice as his words rang out in the cold night air, lingering long after he had uttered them. I wanted to glance at Gray but forced myself to keep my gaze on Leland. “He was lurking in the woods,” the guard continued. “At first, when I saw a flash of silver armor, I thought it was just my imagination. But then I blinked and he was closer…testing the wards, I think…”