Page 53 of Luck Be a Genie

Ihurried to the bathroom to bundle up in the clothes that Nick had blinked up for me. First, I layered on thick black joggers, then a long-sleeve shirt, then a coat that I quickly zipped up. I shoved gloves and a beanie in my pockets, not sure if I’d actually need them. I knew it would be colder—even during the summer—than what I was used to, but I didn’t think it would be hypothermia cold.

At least, I hoped not.

When I exited the bathroom, I met Nick at the front of the plane, by the exit. He’d already blinked into warmer clothes and was waiting with the pilot.

I shook the pilot’s hand again. “Thank you so much for getting us here safely.”

He looked pleased as he nodded. “It’s my honor. I’ve never flown in this part of the world before, so it’s been a treat. The King has indicated that he left a jeep here at the airstrip with the keys in it, and has given me the directions to his castle. I’ll drive you both there, if that’s okay.”

“Sounds good to me.” I glanced at Nick who nodded. He was a little on the quiet side again, but I knew why this time, so I reached for his hand and squeezed it, trying to comfort him.

I hated that this was hurting him, but it needed to happen.

It wasn’t just me and Nick I was thinking of either now. On the way over, I’d had the terrifying realization that if Nick and I kept going the way we were, eventually we would start a family.

The thought of bringing a baby anywhere near my chaos magic made me nearly lose the contents of my stomach.

I shuddered. No, just no.

I put the hood up on my coat as we left the plane. The first thing to hit me was the cold. And the cold wasn’t static. Wind rushed all around me, blowing my hair in my face, and plastering my clothes to my body.

“Woah, it’s windy here,” I said, trying to keep my hood on, and then giving up entirely when it blew right off again.

Nick nodded. “It’s the winds coming in off the Atlantic. Summers here are normally in the 40s and 50s, so we shouldn’t see much snow down here, but it will be cold.”

The airstrip we’d landed on was actually a good size. When my feet hit the ground, it crunched beneath my tennis shoes. “Black dirt?”

“Volcanic soil. Lava mostly. This whole area was shaped by the volcano,” the pilot said, pointing to an enormous mountain rising in the distance beyond the cliffs. The lower slopes looked dark and green, but the top was covered in ice and snow.

“Wow.” I was kind of speechless. Moonhaven was gorgeous, but this was next level. The landscape could only be described as brooding and powerful. Jagged basalt cliffs, green moss carpeting the ground in patches along with a few sparse wildflowers, a massive roiling ocean surrounding us... I couldn’t see the castle yet, but I was sure it would be impressive.

“He’s a storm elemental, right? King Asharien?”

Nick nodded, taking my hand again as we followed the pilot to a waiting jeep. It looked heavy-duty and tough, like my jeep back home. The jeep on Maui had been mostly for fun, but I could tell this one was built to last just from a glance.

“Yes. The elemental monarchy is set up similar to the shifter monarchy. The strongest elemental is crowned king or queen. For the last thirty years, it’s been King Asharien who has ruled over them.”

“Makes sense.” The ancient-feeling landscape certainly made it easy to believe a powerful storm elemental ruled these lands. It was the perfect setting for a gothic novel. “Is the area hidden from humans?”

“I’m sure it is. Probably using the same system that has kept Moonhaven hidden.”

We piled everything into the jeep and took off. To the side of the airstrip was a small, narrow access road. We traveled down that for a while before it started winding higher and higher, taking us toward the ocean and the cliffs rising above us.

After a while, I started seeing flashes of what must be the castle. From the lower elevations, warm light spilled from huge windows, the dark charcoal-gray foundations set into the basalt cliffs. As we climbed higher, I could see the massive scale of the castle, and the towers rising high above it.

One tower rose the highest, and I thought it looked open at the top, but it was hard to see from this distance.

When we finally reached the top, our driver parked in the circular driveway and I stared up, and up, and up.

This thing was massive.

The doors opened and a butler stopped on top of the stairs, waiting for us. We grabbed our bags and quickly hurried up the stairs to meet the butler, who took the bags from my hands and nodded to Nick and the pilot.

“I am Arthur Blankenship. I am His Majesty’s personal butler. If you will follow me, I’ll take you to your rooms first to get settled in, and then His Majesty would like to speak with you, Miss Carra. Alone, preferably, but he understands if Mister Steele wishes to join you.”

“I will be joining her,” Nick said firmly. “I can be silent, but I will be there.” He looked at me to make sure I was okay with that, and I nodded gratefully. Maybe I was being a big chicken, but I had a feeling I was well over my pay grade with the king.

“Very well. Follow me, please.” He led us through the enormous doors and into a large entryway. The room just inside was large in scale as well, with massive skylights set several floors above.