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By the time we straighten from the show of respect, our vision is blurring and we’re back on the dais once more.
“Well that was different," Bo laughs.
“They’re definitely unique,” I agree, getting to my feet. As I start to walk, I waver and nearly tumble off the stone. It seems the Spirits used my extra magic as a means to communicate with us, leaving me near empty.
Bo reaches over and scoops me up, once again knowing my needs without me having to say. “Rest now, darling. I’ll carry you to the bridge and then I’ll let you walk." I appreciate that, I’ve been carried in far too many times already and Jacob would kill me.
Somehow I fall asleep to the sound of Bowen’s strong heartbeat, not waking again until I feel something brushing against my cheek.
“Wake up, Bella. I assumed you would want to walk back into camp this time,” he whispers as he nuzzles his nose against my cheek to wake me up. I smile and wiggle for him to let me down. When he places me on my feet this time, I feel strong. It’s just a hunch, but I think his magic helped fill mine. My powers are still weak in my core, but there’s a hint of green magic there, and it feels like Bowen.
“That’s odd, I feel normal again now. It took me an entire night’s sleep last time she spoke to me.” I should have shared my theory, but I feel like I’ve dumped enough on his plate so I file it away for later.
“Didn’t you say that the Spirits said we would share powers now? That probably means I can help lend some of my magical essence to you,” he reasons with a shrug, seeing right through my secrets.
“I was afraid to admit it, but I had thought the same thing,” I say, wincing at his sharp look, eyes narrowed and mouth set in a thin line.
“How many times do I have to tell you I’m not going to just run?”
“Probably a few more,” I admitted. “I’m not used to people outside of Jacob giving a fuck about me, or sharing my thoughts so freely.” He frowns at that, but when I look away, he doesn't press it.
Honestly, there’s far too much we don’t know or understand here, and I would have to learn to give them a chance to help me figure it out. Starting with Bowen.
We link hands and walk over the wooden bridge leading to our lands. I’m relieved to see only a few people, instead of a crowd this time.
“Queenie, you did it!” Jacob yells when he spots us. He runs over and grabs my hands to dance me around, oblivious to my confusion. “My best friend is a magical badass!” He sings as he spins me. His enthusiasm has my excitement rising and I try to peek around to see if the Spirits managed to work their magic yet.
“What are you talking about? How do you know I did it?” I question, not really seeing anything new from here, though most of our view is blocked by the tall canvas tents.
He finally stopped and focused on me, eyes wide and excited still. “I was working with Tristan on designs for your new castle, when a rush of magic blasted through the camp. We thought maybe Allwyn got loose, but he was still secure. Then all of these plants sprouted up at the base of the hill, and a well just popped up out of nowhere next to it.” His arms are gesturing wildly as he explains. Eventually he gets annoyed with my lack of reaction and pulls me forward. Bo lets out a noise of distress at me being pulled away, and I can hear him following behind us.
“The queen is not your ragdoll, let her go," Emrick rumbles from a few feet away. Jacob looks at me and smirks. Clearly he isn’t scared of my guards. I giggle to myself and Jacob drags me away even faster, only making them protest more. I’ll have to talk to them soon about our relationship, so they don’t freak out every time he gets overly excited.
Jacob finally stops in the middle of camp and gestures toward the plateau. The land still thrums with the Spirit's power, and my jaw drops at the changes.
There’s a well, just as Jacob said, but it’s the garden that shocks me. It’s all growing in one plot of land, and flourishing like it had grown there for years, not minutes.
“I’ve begun the restoration process. As a reward, the Spirits of Faerie have provided us with safe water and food. We’ll need to find a crew to work on harvesting the food soon," I announce to the gathering crowd. They erupt in cheers and
a few of the older fae wipe away tears. My grin is bright as they rush forward to check it out now that they know it’s safe. The morale is higher than I’ve seen it, especially now that they have a visual of the changes happening.
“I’m going to go find Tristan and see how the plans are going. Then I’m going to speak with Gareth. We need people on this," I tell my guardian shadows as I walk away. It feels odd to have to announce my every move, but I’ll have to get used to it eventually. I have a strong feeling they won’t be giving me privacy that often.
I find Gareth and Tristan working in the same area, which makes my life easier. They pushed several camp tables together to create a large workspace. Papers and charcoal pencils are covering the table and both men are so focused they don’t even look up when I walk over.
Stopping next to Gareth first, I look over his census list. He’s marking notes down and already breaking up potential work duties.
“Apparently I found the right man for the job,” I say with a smile. He yelps and jumps at the sound of my voice, both of us cracking up as he clutches his chest. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
“A few people came over to see what we were doing and some aren’t happy about getting work duty. But I made sure as I went around to ask their preferences,” he says, frowning.
“They would have to just get over it,” I shrug. “We need everyone to contribute, and it isn’t like we’re choosing blindly. I want them to use their skills and strengths as well.”
“Well, according to my list, it seems we have a variety of skills, which will help our makeshift town run a bit smoother. People have stepped up a lot, but we’ll need more than a few,” he agrees.
When he looks back at his work, I shift over to Tristan to see what kind of progress he’s made. I’m way more excited to work on this than assigning work, but being a queen means giving the important stuff time.
“Queen Bella, we were just working on the castle design. Would you like to look it over and add anything?” Tristan asks, giving, or rather shoving, the building plans my way. With a small smirk, I pull it toward me and pluck the pencil out of his front pocket. He studies me as I glance over the blueprints and notes. Without hesitation, I make a few adjustments, like adding more windows to the council hall, and making the cafeteria an open floor plan.
