“Is Penelope here too?” The question left me before I could repress it, yet Princess Keira nodded.
“I’m sure she is, but we all have our own journey to peace. Normally, souls are not able to commune with each other until they have found theirs and crossed the bridge. We will all meet on the other side.”
“So how were you with Dad?”
A small gleam of mischief entered her eyes, contradicting Brax’s confusion. “Soul Walkers enjoy certain… perks on the job. We can connect with any soul if we choose to. I knew your father would still be on this side, so as soon as I arrived, I searched for his essence and found him. Reuniting with me helped him start to find his way to peace.”
Eternal love…
Though Princess Keira had remained here without him, I was glad that Braxton and I were able to clear the Harbinger’s name. After everything he sacrificed for our cause, our world, and even his wife and child, his soul deserved rest more than anyone else’s.
After sending one last glance to Ember, Tharion, and the white Dragon, I found myself speechless. A wooden pathway was laid before us, extending along the lake, and guiding us towards an over-the-water bungalow. The modest home stood on stilts just above the surface, almost seeming to float on the endless blue. It was made of wood and straw, yet large windows formed the front wall, letting in all the light from the gorgeous sunrise of the Lake of Tranquility.
It was a sight to behold.
A paradise.
Princess Keira’s hand let go of her son’s, and she led the way to the bungalow. A couple of inches of water rolled against our boots while we advanced—with the lazy waves slightly slapping onto it. I expected it to sway and move under our feet, yet it was as sturdy as though it rested on the actual ground, and not on a bottomless lake.
For a moment, I wished my boots were gone so I could feel the water dancing against my toes. My bare feet stepped onto the wooden path the next instant, my boots disappearing and eliciting a gasp from me. They were gone.
“How did you do that, darling?” Imogen asked behind me, eyes wide with wonder.
“I just wished them away.”
Glancing down, she did it, and then her bare feet were walking among the waves. A brilliant smile curved her lips.
“Come on, then. Do it!” she urged Braxton and Kingston, who tried it. Lighthearted smiles spread along their faces.
Crossing the threshold into the house, we found ourselves in an open living room/sleeping room/kitchen combination space. White curtains whirled in the breeze next to the large doors, and over the windows and the canopy bed against the far wall. A set of four comfortable chairs outlined the living room, and she gestured for us to sit.
A few moments later, Princess Keira returned from the kitchen with a set of glasses and a pitcher that held a pinkish liquid. We each accepted a glass while she served the drinks, finally taking a sip. The juice was like nothing I had ever tasted, refreshing and light but also sweet and invigorating.
“Now, tell me, Son. You wanted to talk to me…” She took her seat at the foot of the bed, facing us all.
Braxton’s eyes held the pink liquid swirling inside his glass, contemplating what he needed to say before setting it down. The heaviness in his soul rippled through all of us, but he finally looked up at her. “I need someone to teach me how to use my Devenish magic. Is that something you can do?”
Understanding and regret fell over his mother’s features. “Have you tried using it on your own yet?”
“I have,” he conceded with an encumbered sigh. “I can heal. I assume it comes easy to me because Dad was a healer, but my Devenish magic takes that ability to completely different heights. It intensifies what I can do, letting me treat grave injuries with ease in both Dragons and Soulris. I can heal almost anything.”
“Can you bring someone back from the brink of death?” his mother asked, scooting to the edge of the bed.
“I haven’t had a chance to try.” His gaze lowered to his hands, as though the thought brought him shame. “I couldn’t get to Penelope in time.”
“Penelope’s passing was not your fault,” Kingston assured from where he sat, just as I took my mate’s hand in mine, calling his gaze to mine.
“What else can you do since your magic awakened?” Princess Keira continued.
“My ability to communicate with the Dragons has no bounds now. I can hear them as clearly as I do you. I can talk to them fluidly, I can fully feel them, and I have uncovered my place among them. There is a family tree of energy and light that connects us all, our essences, and I can see it clearly in my mind’s eye like a map to each of them. I can sense every Dragon in it and reach them through it.”
“That’s beautiful, Son,” she admitted with a smile, her admiration mirrored in all our faces.
“They performed the Rebirth of the Prince on me after Ember and Penelope were attacked, and I saw everything, Mom. Everything. From the beginning of this world until now. The birth of the Dragons and Soulris. I witnessed the Celestials form from pure energy and light. It was…” he shook his head, like the words escaped him, “so humbling.”
When my attention shifted to the princess, I found tears grazing her eyes.
“You are the rightful Devenish Prince, Baby. If the Dragons performed the rite on you, no one is ever taking that away. You are not only connected to them through blood, but you are also their prince. You have their full devotion and protection as willed by the Sky Gods.”
Tears brimmed from her eyes, but they were tears of joy. Still, Braxton stood and went to her, crouching before his mother as he wiped them away with his thumbs. “It’s okay, Mom. Don’t cry, please.”
With a shake of her head, she took his hand from her cheek and kissed it. “Your father and I fought for this. Everything we did was for you to get here. And yet, I never dared to fully hope that one day I would witness this again—the rise of a king worthy of the Dragons’ support. Not after my granddaddy was taken from me.”
We all shared her pain. She was talking about Raithian killing his own father for the throne.
Wiping the wetness from her skin, she smiled at him reassuringly. “You have their loyalty now, Son. The same loyalty that blinded them, numbed them, and made them follow my father regardless of what he did. Do you understand what I’m saying?” Urgency punctured her every word, and her eyes bored into his. “You are their prince now, Braxton, and they will do anything for you. Anything. The Dragons will follow you until the end…”
Every muscle on Braxton’s form tensed, taking in the weight of that responsibility. The Dragons would follow him until the end… whether they did it for good or evil was up to him, like it had been for every king past, even Raithian.
That was the true power of a Devenish King, and now, it was Braxton’s.
Imogen, Kingston, and I exchange a thoughtful glance.
“What else can you do with your magic?” his mother continued, bringing his attention back to her, and a heavy sigh sank my mate’s chest.
“I used it to enhance my connection to the Dragons so it would help me find my father’s rides.”
“Is it working?” she asked, the excitement about the prospect dancing like sparkles in her grey eyes.
“Yes. I found Knight today and took him back to the mountain with us. He’s well.” A small chuckle left Braxton. “He is magnificent, and stubborn. He fought me at first, but as soon as I made him feel me, and he realized who I was, he gave in.”