Wiping at her eyes, she came over, and the three of us hugged. They were leaving. They were leaving me alone in this damned castle. I should be happy they were going somewhere safer, but all I felt right now was the weight of how much I would miss them. They weren’t even gone yet and I already missed them.
“I do know what I need though,” Molly offered.
I didn’t hesitate. “Name it.”
She laughed. “Let’s play cards and have some food brought up. For old times’ sake.”
“You want to play cards?” I asked incredulously. “Now?”
She shrugged. “I cannot possibly feel worse, so why not?”
I cocked my head and pulled back from the two of them. “Wait. Are you hoping to use the fact that I am feeling emotional about your departures from the castle to your advantage here?”
At the same time, they both answered, “Yes!”
* * *
I rolledmy neck and poured more magic into the lake that sloshed at my boots around my calves. Renna and Molly were gone. Only Gwen and Delaney remained. Nara too, I supposed. But I would likely try to kill her the next time I saw her for telling the king about the plan with the ring.
Gwen and Delaney were fine. It wasn’t like I was entirely alone. But they just were not Renna and Molly.
And the stupid lake would not turn back no matter how much magic I sent into it. I sent magic around it like a box. I sent magic within it as if one with the water itself. And I sent magic gliding across it in waves. I’d even tried wrapping my magic around objects and throwing them in the lake.
The lake remained black. As if anything other than a black lake was completely unreasonable.
I was frustrated. My mother was going to arrive sometime relatively soon for wedding preparations. The royal wedding would be in a few weeks. And though I should be happy, as I had always imagined Krew and I would bring my mother to the castle, I also hadn’t thought it would be while the king still lived.
It was putting someone I cared about most in the prettiest gilded cage in the kingdom with that beast of a man running loose in it. It was yet another thing to worry about.
And here I was, pouring more magic into the lake because I wanted more than anything for the king to be forced to rebuild those homes in Nerede.
“Dial it back,” Owen barked.
I ignored him. I didn’t particularly enjoy burnout, but if it helped the lake, if that was what it took, so be it. Also, I was having a pity party that I didn’t particularly feel like pulling myself out of.
“Love,” Krew called as he made his way over to me.
I’d known he was on the way to grab me for lunch, I just hadn’t been willing to give up yet.
“What?”
“I know you are overwhelmed,” he offered. “I feel your worry. But please do not take yourself to the edge of burnout again. Not when you already are feeling this stressed. It will only make the crash of burnout that much worse. Believe me, I’d know.”
I didn’t stop the magic flowing through my hands, but I did decrease the amount. “Why do you have to be so rational about it?”
Owen snorted a laugh.
But then Krew was there, in front of me, placing his hand on my wrist. “I know. Nothing is going as planned. The plans are changing. It’s jarring. I get it.” He paused. “It might not seem like it right now, but some of the twists to those plans might turn out to become most unexpectedly beautiful.” He placed his hand on my cheek. “They might be the things that keep you going on the hard days. The things that give you the audacity to dream again.”
With his hand on my cheek, he gathered his own magic to add to mine. Navy magic traveled up his arms and flashed in his eyes.
I understood through our bond he wanted to help. He didn’t want me to carry this burden alone. He’d help me in any way he could if only he knew how.
And with his eyes still lit up, he released his magic to join mine.
The navy and silver mixed from where our hands were inches apart, and together they poured into the lake.
I love you. Thank y—
