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When he and Naia got in a room with a heavy wooden door, Leah and Fel were already there. The fae had her back to him. Even then, his heart sped up. Was he imagining things?
“Ciara?” the word slipped from his lips, even though he didn’t really think his sister could be there.
* * *
Naia sawit in River’s eyes, the moment the fae turned. A spark of joy, relief, and love. He embraced the fae, sobbing, his body shaking. The girl held him tight too, tears also streaming down her eyes.
Emotion came to Naia’s chest as well. River and Ciara reminded her so much of Fel and herself.
River stepped back, pulled Naia’s hand, then told sister, “I wanted you to meet her.”
Ciara smiled. “Your life companion. I can see that.” She reached out a hand, but Naia didn’t raise her own.
“I’m an ironbringer.” As far as she knew, Ancients couldn’t touch her.
“Oh. I see.” She turned to River. “I can’t wait to get back to the Ancient City. Is everyone still alive? Anelise, Forest, our father?”
Most of the joy faded from River’s face. “Our siblings are fine. I killed our father.”
“Odd circumstances,” Naia said, trying to soften the blow. “He didn’t mean it.”
River chuckled. “Oh, I meant it. Of course I meant it. While I had an odd influence, the act is all mine.”
He was strange. Naia knew he regretted killing his father, didn’t even like to talk about it much, and yet it was as if he wanted to bear the blame for it, even though Cynon had been whispering in his mind.
Ciara took his hand. “I’m sure you had a valid reason.” She reached out her hand to his temple, and then that strange crown became visible. “See? You wouldn’t be wearing it if it wasn’t justified.” She stared at him with a sad expression. “I’m sorry for whatever happened that caused that.”
“You need to come to the Ancient City.”
“Yes, but…” She looked at Leah, who was standing away from them, with Fel. “I have debts to settle.”
Leah approached her. “I’m sorry I left…”
Ciara shook her head. “I choose to believe that you were meant to leave. But you later called us. You remember that, right?”
“For Frostlake? I don’t think we settled…”
“We didn’t, but it was a request strong enough that I was able to bring the shapers across. They helped protect Frostlake. Not perfectly, as they can’t fly. And there are still a couple of those creatures out there. The Ancients could help hunt them, depending on how things are with the humans…”
Right. Frostlake and the breach. Tzaria had told Naia about it, and now it made more sense.
Ciara continued, “The creatures from the sixth realm will need a place to live. It was the price for them to come, for them to free me. I need to take them to their new home”
Leah stared at her. “How many of them are there?”
“About five hundred.”
“There’s an island, in Frostlake waters, but far from the shore, called Lost Heart. Nobody lives there, and it should be big enough for them.”
“They feed on human emotions, though. They’ll die if they’re that isolated.”
Naia had an idea. “Can’t you just send them to Ironhold?” It wasn’t totally serious, it was just that she was fed up with that kingdom.
Leah took a deep breath. “Can they promise not to hurt humans?” She glanced at River. “Or Fae? Or dragons? Can their descendents keep the promises?”
Ciara shook her head. “They’re immortal, and yes, the promise will bind them.”
Leah turned to Fel, then to River and Naia. “What do you think? We could just let them be, could we not?”
