Well…
He’s naked.
Standing on the opposite side of the water, his muscles rippling in the sun. He notices me looking and winks, then dives in the cold water. "Woo!" he yells, breaking the surface and flicking back his thick hair. "What’s wrong, Princess? Water too cold?"
I roll my eyes. Then jump in after him, letting my towel fall off. The water is freezing, and sends a shock through my entire body. It fills me with a rush, and when I break the surface, I realize I am right in front of Tavian. Our bodies almost touching.
"The Princess is braver than I thought," he teases.
I smirk. "Oh, you don’t scare me."
"I should, Princess. I should." He wraps an arm around me. Pulls me closer.
I lean forward, drawing my lips to his. And—
"Time for the feast!" someone yells. Durk. He stands on shore, holding up my towel. "Unless you’re too good to eat with us, Princess?"
"I am not a princess!" I say, my eye almost popping out of their sockets from exasperation at having to remind everyone of this.
Durk shrugs and walks away.
Tavian sighs. "We should go. It would be disrespectful to be late."
I nod, the moment between us ending too soon.
Once I’m dressed, Tavian leads me to the giant bonfire in the center of the village. Dozens of Fae sit around the flames, while others play drums and a few dance to the music. We join Madrid and watch as she passes sweets out to the children. Once she has no more to give, she wanders off, away from the fire.
"Something wrong?" I ask Tavian.
He shrugs, his gaze fixed on the dancers, who twirl blue and green ribbons through the air, their bodies in sync with the tribal beat.
I touch Tavian on the shoulder. "I’ll be back in a moment." Then I stand and look for Madrid, finding her near a gravestone.
"Are you okay?" I ask.
She nods, rubbing at her eyes. "Yes. I’m fine. Just honoring the dead in my own way."
I notice the tears in her eyes. "This person. They were important to you."
"Yes. Yes, he was. We grew apart at the end, but I still loved him."
"What happened?" I ask, hoping I’m not pressing too far, but also knowing that discussing loss can help with grief.
She sighs, leaning more on her cane than before. "He died. In the battle at Stonehill. I found his body there, on the battlefield, and I would not leave it behind to rot with the rest. So I carried him here. Paid for it too. A vampire tried to rob me, but I got him before he got me. Though, he did wound my leg." She taps her walking stick on the snow.
"I have some skill in healing. I could try to help, if you’d like?"
She chuckles. "Thank you, girl, but I have done all the healing one could on this leg. Perhaps it will get better with time, but I doubt it. Now, let us return to the feast. And honor the dead by enjoying what they fought for."
I follow her back to bonfire, and we sit together near Tavian.
"Here, let me see your palm," says Madrid, and I let her study my hand. "Your life has been short, for a Fae," she says, "but not devoid of hardship. Yet, there is much more to come." She closes her eyes, murmuring some incantation. She speaks softly, her voice low and hoarse. "I see a silver bird and a tiger, black. I see a serpent and no way back." She opens her eyes, and jolts backwards, as if startled from a dream.
"What does it mean?" I ask.
She glances at Tavian, then back at me. "I do not know. But you will see the signs."
Somehow, I feel she knows more than she says. So why not tell me? Is my future truly so grim?
I try to focus on something else. "So, how do you know Tavian?" I ask.
She smiles. "Oh, Tavian has been around a very long time. I’d be surprised if there’s someone he doesn’t know."
I look back at the sexy Fae, studying his hair and skin. He does not look like the ancient Fae I’ve seen. His hair isn’t white, and his joints and muscles are full of power. But he did mention a time before the Unraveling. A time ages ago.
"Have you seen Metsi recently?" asks Tavian.
Madrid nods somberly. "She is not as she was. And I fear, after Oren’s death, she has descended even further into madness."
"Oren?" The name sounds familiar. "The Fire Druid? He passed?"
Madrid looks away from the fire, to the darkness she had just visited. "Killed in battle." She doesn’t offer more.
"So what brought you here?" asks Tavian. The question surprises me. I’d assumed this was Madrid’s home.
Madrid glances at the children, playing and dancing by the fire. "Durk and I wanted to help those injured in the battle, and the families whose father and mothers and children never returned. This seemed like the place to start." She turns to me. "What of you, Kayla Windhelm? What brought you so far north?"
"I…" I can’t muster the words. I can’t tell her I came here to raid and pillage and murder her people. My people. No. We are still different, I tell myself. I am Shade. And they are Fae. We are not the same.
Tavian seems to notice my troubles and puts a hand on my shoulder. "It’s not where we came from, or why, that matters," he says. "What matters is where we go from here."
Madrid nods. "Wise words, Lord Tavian."
"Lord?" I ask.
He glances at Madrid, then chuckles. "Only a nickname she likes to tease me with."