A short time later, I sat on a hard wooden chair, waiting for Gaea to return and considering the old female. She couldn’t have been the Aibell from the nursery tales. She would have had to be ancient. But the child was so sure.
The cottage was nothing to be attached to, if not for the obvious memories it had provided the mother and her child. A layer of dust sat along the crooked shelves, furniture was sparse, and the only things holding most of it together were crooked nails and answered prayers. There were no photographs, no plants, not even a blanket on one of the two small beds in the single room. They had lived in this home, but only just.
I looked at the dead sea fae lying on the ground. He didn’t deserve a funeral pyre, but I wasn’t sure I could leave him here either. I considered trying to bury him, but the Wind Court ground was and always would be frozen solid. I dragged him outside instead to let the animals do what they would with him. Perhaps travelers could use the house for shelter.
“Always the chivalrous one, Temir,” Gaea said, leaning against the door frame.
“Does it still count as chivalrous if I imagined his body being shredded to pieces while I moved him?”
“Yes.” She smiled “Shall we go?”
“How much farther do you think we have?” I asked, looking out of the tiny broken window as I watched the layer of dust swirl in the draft seeping through.
“We could probably still get an hour in tonight, and then we should be there by mid-morning if the storm doesn’t slow us down too much longer,” she said, looking at me pointedly.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You’re slow.”
“Your magic comes from the wind. It will never work against you. I, on the other hand, feel like I’m pushing against a mountain just to take a step. Believe me, I’m the normal one here.”
“So you say.” She walked out the door.
“Did we just have a normal conversation?”
“I think so.” She placed her hand in mine, and the moment she touched me, the storm calmed. I could still see the snowfall and visibility was still limited, but I moved easier and the wind didn’t bite into my skin.
“I knew you were cheating.”
“Just come on, you big baby.” She tugged my hand as she sped up.
Chapter 29
KING TOLERO
“Mother above, Your Grace. We’ve been searching for you everywhere,” Inok called, yanking me from a dreamless sleep.
I moved and groaned.
“Yes, I suppose sleeping on the cold hard ground next to an animal would make for a sore morning. You’re not a young boy anymore.” He put his arm under mine and helped me to my feet.
“Thank you for the gentle reminder.” I grunted as I stood.
“Long night?” he asked.
“You have no idea.”
“Loti is a mess in the kitchens. She was worried sick when I showed up without you and no one found you in your bed.”
“Best get down there and get that sorted out. It’s sure to be a long day as it is.”
“We’ve got a few hours until the start. Better get a bath as well.” He pulled away from me.
“You first.”
Though I knew it was hard, and likely he had been just as worried as Loti, he still smiled at me as we descended the steps and crossed the castle to the crowded kitchens.
“Well, by the gods,” Loti said, jamming her hands onto her hips and pursing her lips. “Where in the heavens have you been? And don’t give me that ‘I’m a king’ speech. I’ve been out of my mind. I had to prepare a feast for all the extra people, and all the while my heart was in my throat.” She grabbed a cloth and dabbed her forehead for good measure.
