"I want to see her," Brighty said, slipping around a bend and weaving her way through the crowds.
"Who?"
"The queen of prophecy. She's here."
"Who?"
Brighty stopped so short he nearly barreled into her.
"The queen of prophecy?" She studied his face for a reaction. "The Queen Bred of Snow?" He remained blank. "The person we've been waiting hundreds of years for?"
Rafe shrugged. "Never heard of her."
"What did they teach you up there? Aside from how to brood?" She scowled. "Magic alive, you're like a newborn babe. You know nothing."
"What's so great about her?"
"She and the king are going to save the world."
"I didn’t realize it was in peril."
She made a disgusted sound and snatched his hand. "Just come with me."
Rafe let her pull him along, his attention wandering to his surroundings. The city was divided into various floating segments, with streets and homes and shops, all connected by an elaborate system of canals and bridges. Small boats floated along the waterways, transporting people and goods. Every so often, magic flashed in his peripheral vision—a man kneeling by a bed of plants, a woman ushering the waters of a fountain, a man casting toward a glowing lantern, a woman bending metal to patch a hole in a building. The children they passed were thin, but happy the way children were, playing with small wooden toys or chasing each other down the streets. The adults seemed…tense, weary even. Though he supposed that wasn't so unusual. Still, it irked him, like an itch at the back of his neck prompted by something he couldn't quite place.
"Do you even know where we're going?" he asked after a while, trying to ignore the unsettling feeling. "I want to be back before the captain, just in case she calls on me."
"I know these streets like the back of my hand," Brighty scoffed. "We're almost there."
"Where? How do you know where to go? How do you know this queen is even here? We’ve only been docked for a few hours, and you never even left the ship."
"A thief always has her ways." She yanked on his arm so that he stumbled through the narrow opening at the end of the alley and onto a new street. With a smug look on her face, she said, "We're here."
Rafe spun to find a courtyard filled to the brim with people, voices a hushed whisper, all their faces turned in the same direction.
"Let's find a good spot."
Brighty swerved through the throng as seamlessly as a bird through the open sky. Rafe followed boorishly after, his larger size forcing him to elbow people out of the way to keep up, leaving grumbles and hastily whispered apologies in his wake. Buildings surrounded the open space on three sides, but the fourth was edged by a wall made of stone, behind which the spires of a castle peeked through the mist. Built straight into the cliffs, the castle was imposing and imperial. A massive wooden door closed off the entrance to the public. Men and women stood along the wall, not in any uniform he could see, but the sparks at their fingertips labeled them mages, and the squared placement of their shoulders hinted at soldiers. An arch of deep green ferro'kine power sailed overhead, landing somewhere behind the wall in a spot he couldn't see.
"We made it just in time."
"In time for wh…"
The words died on his lips as a wave of gold exploded across the sky, spilling over the edge of the wall and washing over the crowd, brighter even than the sun. All at once, an excited clamor filled the air. Rafe swayed on his feet as the magic sank into his skin, so familiar, too familiar, subtly healing the aches in his bones. He'd felt this power before, the memory of it burned into his soul like a brand.
It can't be—
It can't—
The rest of the world faded away as she emerged from the mist, just as stunning as the first time he'd seen her, the sight stealing his thoughts, his words, the very breath from his chest. Her ivory wings peeked out from behind her shoulders, tucked close to her back, but there was no mistaking them—no mistaking her. Loose braids framed her face, enhancing her high cheekbones and plush lips. Those emerald eyes shone through her magic, filled with purpose, with pride, though in his memories they were filled with passion instead.
Ana.
"What? Who's Ana?" Brighty muttered, staring curiously at his gobsmacked expression. Rafe hadn’t even realized he'd spoken out loud.
"Lyana," he corrected, out of habit. Lyana—not Ana. Even in this world, she was his brother's mate, so close yet so far away.
"How do you know her name? I only just learned it this morning. Lyana Aethionus—the Queen Bred of Snow."
He wanted to laugh. He wanted to cry.
What was she doing here?
What was she doing with him?
The man by her side must have been the king he'd heard so much about. The captain had called him ruthless and shrewd, and he seemed it, staring down his nose at the crowd without a smile on his lips. He gripped Lyana's hip, and she clutched his waist. Rafe forced a tight swallow down his throat when he noticed their joined hands bursting with magic, a power the two of them clearly shared, a power he would never understand.
Pain seared his chest, and he closed his eyes against the ache. In the darkness, he saw her, with moonlight dancing on her cheeks and starlight in her eyes as they held their palms together and studied each other through the gentle glimmer of their magic. It had been deeper than a physical touch, as though their souls had kissed, and then their lips, a night he would never forget, never trade, not even for Xander. The only night of his adult life when he'd felt for a moment as though he belonged.
And now she was here—sharing her magic with someone else.
"Rafe." Brighty tugged on his arm. "Are you all right? You look ill."
"I'm—" He shook his head and stared at Lyana, at the king, at the two of them floating majestically through the fog. They came to a stop atop the wall to address the waiting crowd. "What is she doing here?"
"Do you—do you know her?"
Do I know her?
He knew the taste of her, sweet and intoxicating, like bubbling hummingbird nectar laced with the sharp pang of citrus. He knew the feel of her, smooth skin and supple muscles, thighs strong as they wrapped around his waist, her hair tickling his cheeks. He knew the sound of her, sighs like the sweetest music, his name on her lips the most wondrous song.
But did he know her?
Ten minutes ago, he would have said yes.
Now, he wasn't so sure.
Lyana was Cassi's best friend. Cassi, who cornered him in the base of the castle. Cassi, who cut off his wings. Cassi, who threw him over the edge and into the world below. Cassi, who'd been working for the king now standing with Lyana, their fingers laced together and their magic flowing, the two of them joined for the whole world to see.
Had they been working together? All three of them?
Had she only been pretending the whole time?
Blood pounded in his ears, drowning out the crowd, the magic, the city, until there was nothing but the rapid thumping of his heart. The king was giving some sort of a speech, but Rafe couldn't hear it. The man hoisted his and Lyana's joined hands over his head. The crowd around them cheered, nothing but a distant roar to Rafe's ears, as though he were sinking below the ocean and they were on land. More ferro'kine magic flared, and then they were in the air again, standing on some sort of metal disc that hovered over the crowd. Lyana spread her wings to keep her balance, and that's when he saw it.