The waterfall seemed to appear from nowhere as the two mountain peaks framing the valley abruptly gave way to rock and cliff. The many small rivers hidden among the trees merged right before the lip, hardly blending for a moment before they crashed and cascaded down three different plateaus, finally plunging a hundred feet into the deep pool below. The mist caught the dying light, turning it into a thousand twinkling stars. Half the valley was hidden in the shadows cast by the mountains, but the far stretches were bathed in a soft golden glow. The river glistened, the shaft of a burning arrow leading to a sharp point—his city, his home. Pylaeon sparkled as the glass from various windows caught the blaze of the sun, stark against the open air beyond, which was already dark with the coming night.
Lyana dove over the edge, following the path of the water.
This time, Xander followed, ignoring the chiding noise from his mother as soft laughter spilled from his lips, coaxed by the echo of glee the princess had left in her wake. He landed by her side, blinking as cool droplets of water landed on his cheeks from the towering waterfall.
“This is Taetanos’s Gate,” he shouted over the roar. “The water hides the entrance to a deep cave, and our god stone is housed within, as is our sacred nest.”
Lyana didn’t pull her gaze away from the view, but she did something else, something that made his heart lurch. She reached out and placed her hand on his arm, on his right arm, seemingly unaware that her fingers had found rounded flesh in place of a palm. She turned to him, finally finding his eyes as she said, “Show me.”
He didn’t actually hear the words, but he didn’t have to.
And though he knew his mother would not approve, he didn’t have the will to tell the princess no, not when she was looking at him like that, as though a little bit of her awe at his homeland belonged to him as well.
He gently slid his arm from her grasp and pumped his wings, flying over the pool of water toward the heart of his land, acutely aware that his mate followed. They were going to get soaked, not exactly the first impression he’d had in mind when he thought of introducing his new mate to his people, but he found he didn’t mind the splashing over his wings as they rounded the side of the falls. Xander pointed to the semicircular hole near the base of the cliff, previously hidden by the water.
“The spirit door is there,” he explained over the roar, and Lyana nodded as though she’d heard. “My people believe lost souls follow the river to the gate, and this is where they enter our god’s realm. Our sacred nest lies at the end of the passage, though we use a separate entrance to access it, one that’s a little less…wet.”
Her smile grew even wider at his words. But her attention had already shifted from the rock, turning instead to the water rushing past them and crashing into the pool below, spraying their clothes.
“Can I touch it?” she asked hesitantly as her hand extended toward the cascade.
Xander shrugged. A boyish sense of mischief bubbled in him, something he hadn’t felt in a very long time. “Go ahead.”
The princess paused as a hungry sort of gleam filled her eyes. Then she shoved both her arms into the fall, up to her elbows, releasing a yelp as the pressure of the water made her drop a solid ten feet before she was able to beat her wings and retreat. She spun to face him with a look of surprise. The front side of her body dripped wet—her leather jacket and trousers were drenched, and the fur around her neck had wilted with moisture. Just as quickly, she began to laugh, a loud, throaty sound that made her body shake.
“Did you know that would happen?” she asked.
His lips twitched. “Of course not.”
The princess lifted a brow. Before he had a chance to back further away, her hands returned to the rushing liquid, this time to throw it in his direction. Xander darted sideways, but not before a splash hit his chest.
Part of him wanted to retaliate.
Part of him couldn’t believe she’d done it.
And part of him remembered that he was a crown prince, she was a future queen, and this sort of frivolity was a luxury they didn’t have.
Before he got a chance to figure out which part of him was the strongest, a cough sounded behind him, loud despite the thunder echoing around them. Xander turned to find Rafe hovering in the shadows at the edge of the water, hands clasped behind his back as his wings flapped, nearly hidden in the folds of the coming night.
“I know, I know.” Xander spoke before Rafe had a chance to, because normally he was the one on the other side of this lecture. And if his brother’s tight brows and thin lips were any indication, the mere thought of having to do the queen’s bidding had left Rafe physically ill.
Xander turned back to the princess, noting that the grin was gone from her lips as she stared at the flowing water, the tips of her fingers grazing the stream, unwilling to be parted from it.
“I’m sorry,” he told her with sincerity. “We really should get to the castle.”
Lyana nodded.
By the time Xander swiveled, his brother was gone. And when he skirted the edge of the falls, the sun, too, had disappeared—taking all the wonder and awe and magic of the past few minutes with it. The sky was in limbo, too light for the stars, too dark for clarity—a muddled sort of indigo that only served to remind Xander that he was wet, a little cold, and looking not at all like the regal champion he ought to be upon his return.
You’re going to be a king. Xander landed beside his mother, seeing the same rebuke flash through her eyes as they noticed the wet stain on his chest. You must act like one.
Yet he didn’t regret it—this small moment of putting himself and his mate first, a luxury he could rarely ever afford. Xander noted the wrinkled, wet clothes clinging to Lyana's body, the droplets of water spilling down her hair and onto her cheeks, the way her lips moved faster than a hummingbird’s wings as she leaned over to whisper to her friend. The princess had a light all her own, vibrant and vivacious. The very sight of her brought a hopeful feeling that hadn’t been there before. Lyana would never fit the mold he’d imagined his mate would, a quiet life companion, a figure of reserved strength, a ruler more like him. She was more than a princess.
She was a force.
If anyone could bring color to a house made of black, it was she. If anyone could return laughter to streets that had grown quiet from so much misfortune, it was she. If anyone could erase the past and restore the future, it was she.
As her bright wings took to the dark air, Xander couldn’t help but wonder if, like the rushing waters of Taetanos’s Gate, she would somehow slip right between his fingers—too much for this small island to contain.
36
Cassi
Cassi was exhausted. By the voyage, yes, but mostly by Lyana. All she’d wanted to do after the ravens led them through the claustrophobic stone walls of the castle to their rooms was collapse on the bed and sleep until she couldn’t sleep any longer. Alas, Lyana had wanted to talk…and talk…and talk, until Cassi feared her ears might bleed listening to her friend.
First the trees, then the falls, then the river and the town and the castle. Just when Cassi had thought there was nothing else her friend could say, Lyana had swept aside the thick, heavy curtains blocking the balcony and charged outside, dragging Cassi with her so they could admire the view, which was, at least, magnificent.