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“I have my mother’s ring. We can use that,” Kellen said, his voice stiff. Raven jerked her hand forward, and then back, and then forward again, taking his hand in her own. Once more, that little jolt of energy that seemed to bounce between them ran up her arm.
“I’m sorry, Kellen.” There was nothing else she could say.
“It’s just things. None of it matters if we can stop Domnu from destroying our world.” Kellen shrugged. “What does Bianca need?”
“They need to lay some sort of spell on it tonight. The others are meant to arrive in the morning, and I think they’re hoping to do the ritual in the Dark Realm.”
“Or here, even.” Bianca dropped back, having shamelessly eavesdropped. “I was thinking there’s nothing that indicates we have to do the ritual on her turf. Maybe we give it a go before we leave for battle and, who knows, perhaps we don’t have to ride into darkness.”
“I like that idea very much,” Kellen admitted. “I’ll collect her ring now.”
They’d arrived at the main square where the Air Fae milled about with varying degrees of emotion on their faces. They were all lovely, Raven realized, studying the crowd as people shifted between worry and bravado. Her eyes landed on Devlin. Well, at least most of them were lovely. She still didn’t like Kellen’s father, not that she’d made any effort to get to know him more. Living life on the fringe had taught her to read people quickly, and Devlin just wasn’t a man she was interested in interacting with.
By the time Kellen returned, a grim look on his face, her guitar at his back, the square had filled with people and Raven’s nerves were tapdancing their way through her gut.Maybe this wasn’t really my place to perform. She began edging backward. But King Callum stepped forward and raised his hands to speak.
“My mother’s ring,” Kellen said, his voice low, as he dropped a gold band into Bianca’s hand. Immediately, she tucked it away, and then surprised Kellen by giving him a fierce hug.
“Since she’s not here to hug you, I will,” Bianca said, and Raven had to look away from the tender moment, her eyes threatening to mist over. She blinked rapidly, needing to push her emotions down, or she’d never be able to perform. Callum’s speech faded into the background as Raven tried to calm herself.
In under a week, her life had changed dramatically. With that came a whole slew of new emotions she was unfamiliar with navigating, let alone the new relationships she’d formed. Was this the way of battles and warzones? Friendships were formed fast when tomorrow wasn’t promised? Love…Raven shut down the thought that struggled to surface, wanting to claw its way out of her chest. Not love. Just affection. Good old-fashioned lust, even. But not love. Raven wasn’t even sure she was capable of feeling love.
“Raven?”
Raven blinked up at the king, realizing that he’d spoken her name twice.
“Oh, right.” It was now or never.
Kellen handed Raven her guitar and she walked across the square toward a small platform. Two large pillars bookended the platform, torches burning brightly at the top. Fire ringed the battlement walls that surrounded the square, the golden light mirroring the setting sun from earlier, and Raven stepped nervously onto the stage. Luckily, the Fae were much more polite than an unruly street crowd, and nobody shouted at her while she took her time tuning her guitar and gathering her thoughts.
None of her busking staples were appropriate for this moment, Raven realized, and she paused, nerves tightening her throat. Desperate, she looked to where Kellen stood, Bianca and Lily on either side of him, all three smiling at her with encouragement. But it was a small nod from Kellen, as though promising her she couldn’t fail, much like the night before, that shook her out of her nerves.
If she was going to sing, well it would be from her heart.
Closing her eyes, Raven inhaled, and strummed a few chords, until her brain landed on the threads of a song. It was a song that often haunted her in her dreams, teasing her when she hovered between waking and sleep, and she reached for that melody now. Humming a bit, she allowed it to form, luminous and bright in her mind, until she could see the words flowing toward her like a waterfall cascading across the rocks.
Where the sunbreaks the sky,
Look for me in the light,
Darling, don’t you cry,
We still have, we still have this night.
Dance on the wind,
for tomorrow is only a wish,
Dance on the wind,
This moment starts with a kiss,
Dance on the wind,
Our magick, our magick lies in our bliss.
Raven caughtmovement in the crowd, Kellen drawing forward as she sang, and her eyes locked on his, the flames dancing between them.
Two lost souls,caught in a breeze,
