Reign of Ice (Forever Fae #4)(21)
Brayden grunted in reply while Ryder and Kalen chuckled. I sent them both a quick glance over my shoulder and said, “I guess you learned pretty quickly, huh, Ryder?”
Kalen spoke up, “I think we both had to learn. You Summer girls aren’t exactly easy to deal with.”
“Please,” I remarked incredulously. “I don’t think you Winter men are easy to deal with either. It definitely hasn’t been a walk in the park.”
“Well, technically Ryder and I are no longer Winter so you can’t include us in that,” Kalen said with a sly smile. “So that jab can only be directed at my little brother.”
Brayden scowled and clenched his jaw while gripping onto the handle of his sword. Rolling my eyes, I shook my head and kept walking. “Calm down, oh silent one. Your brother is just picking on you. Loosen up a bit and get that scowl off your face.”
“Right now is not a time of joking, angel. My brother has failed to realize what could’ve happened just now. The time for laughter has ended. We have bigger problems on our hands.”
“Yes, we do,” I agreed. “But we can’t let Alasdair suck the life out of us. I still plan on living mine just as I’ve always had. Soon it’ll all be over.”
We finally made it to the Great Room, and once the doors opened Calista and Meliantha both ran up to me while Sorcha acknowledged me with a thoughtful nod. They didn’t look surprised to see my changed skin so Brayden must’ve already had the chance to tell them before I called him up to my room.
“Did he take your power?” Calista asked quickly, embracing me tight.
I shook my head. “No, he didn’t, but he said he’d be back for me.”
She sighed and hung her head, gritting her teeth with a low sounding growl. “And unfortunately he will. So is it true that you’ll be leaving with Brayden for the Winter Court today?”
“Yes, it’s true,” I replied.
She smiled and grabbed my hand, turning it over and to the side so she could inspect my skin. “It’s so weird seeing you like this. Meliantha and I only have subtle changes, but you—”
“Yeah, I know it’s strange,” I interrupted her, spotting Durin over her shoulder. I grabbed her hand and pulled her with me toward our parents. I regretted that decision as soon as we came to my mother.
My mother gasped and tears flew out of her eyes as she ran to me. “Oh my heavens, look at you. You don’t even look like my daughter anymore.”
I rolled my eyes and bit my tongue from the comment I wanted to say. “Thanks, Mother. As if the circumstances aren’t already complicated enough,” I spouted sarcastically. “We have bigger problems to worry about and the fact that I’m a Winter Fae now can be discussed later.” Turning my head, I decided to ignore her and focus on Durin who already knew what I was going to ask.
He acknowledged me with a nod and glanced at everyone in the room before announcing, “I am assuming now that the bonding has been completed that you wish for me to forge the final weapon?”
“Yes,” I spoke up hastily over the crowd. “It needs to be done as soon as possible.”
Calista, Meliantha, and Sorcha all three joined my side as Durin came toward us. “I will get it done, Your Highnesses. What type of blade would you prefer?” he asked us all. “It needs to be something you all can wield.”
We all four studied each other, but it was clear what the weapon of choice needed to be. I would’ve suggested a sword since that was what I was good at, but a dagger would suffice. I knew for a fact that the others knew how to wield one along with their other talents. A dagger would be the easiest to drive through the dark sorcerer’s heart, if that’s what you wanted to call it. I didn’t think he’d have one, but obviously he did.
“A dagger,” I suggested to Durin. “That’s what we need.”
Elvena joined us and said, “That’s not all he will need.”
She left the room, and came back moments later with a vial in one hand and a knife in the other. “He needs your blood, children. I want you all to cut your palms and let your blood flow into the vial.” She handed Calista the knife first, who sliced her palm and clenched her fist to squeeze the blood out faster. Once she completed her part she passed the knife to Meliantha, then to Sorcha, and then to me.
I sliced the palm of my other hand, the one opposite to the one I bonded with Brayden with, and let my newly bonded essence fill up the rest of the glass vial. Once the first drop touched the others’ blood, the whole vial exploded with a burst of bright light that was stronger than the summer sun. The magic swirled around the tube and grew stronger the more blood I added to it.
“What’s happening to it?” I asked, shielding my eyes.
Elvena’s lip tilted up in a smile, but it was a sad kind of smile. Softly, she said, “It’s the power of the Four combined, child. What more can I say other than it’s the most potent and raw power this land has ever seen.”
When the vial was completely filled up with our blood, I sealed it and handed it to Durin. He wrapped the vial in a black cloth so that we wouldn’t be blinded anymore and packed it away in his bag. “I will get the dagger made as fast as I can. It’s going to take some time, but as soon as it’s finished I will deliver it myself.”
With those final words he bowed to us all and hastily retreated out of the Great Room. I could only pray to the heavens that he hurried. Now it was time to say good-bye to my parents before I had to leave and travel to my new home … the Winter Court.