The other two—the one with round cheeks and the other with a long braid down his back that settled right between his wings—pulled over chairs until our table was overflowing with the large males.
Snowflakes fluttered from their clothing, wings, and hair, but the second the flakes made contact with the floor, they fizzled out of existence, letting me know the magical wards surrounding this establishment kept the elements at bay. If only my village’s field barn had contained that kind of magic.
At the bar, Milis filled another tray with drinks and food, and the enchanted platter lifted, the heavy weight inconsequential to the magic that propelled it.
“Are your arms sore from the long flight?” Sandus asked the prince.
Prince Norivun cocked an eyebrow. “She doesn’t weigh more than eight stone. You insult me.”
But Sandus just grinned again, his smile peeking through his bushy beard.
“She give you any trouble?” Nish asked, nodding my way.
“She has a name, you know.” The words shot out of me, and all five males’ easy smiles vanished.
“And what name is that?” the round-cheeked male asked. His voice was joyful and smooth, yet he looked to be the oldest of them. He had a broad nose, light-blue eyes that were as bland as a small pond, and firm lips. Even though his features weren’t typically handsome, he was still attractive, and of all of them, his demeanor seemed the kindest.
I brought a fist to my heart in traditional Solis greeting and replied more calmly, “Ilara Seary, daughter of Mervalee Territory. And you are?”
The prince’s eyes widened slightly as a hint of a smile ghosted the guard’s lips before he also brought a fist to his chest. “Haxil Hubberline, guard to the crown prince and son of Isalee Territory.”
I sat up straighter, the mysterious words from the fae females at the harvest market over the weekend returning. “Is it true the crops are dying in Isalee?”
All movement at the table stopped. The male by Sandus, the one I hadn’t met yet who had the long braid, lowered his drink as the prince’s eyes narrowed.
“Where did you hear that?” the prince asked in a voice so cold that it sent a chill down my spine.
I resisted the urge to fidget and clasped my hands in my lap. “I overheard two fae talking about it at Firlim’s market last weekend.”
The prince’s eyes turned to slits. “What did they say?”
“That the plants are black, the soil is gray, and the fae in Isalee are starving. She said our land’s orem is failing. That the celestial events aren’t replenishing it, and we’re all going to die.”
Prince Norivun and his guards all gave one another side-eyes, and if I hadn’t already been curious about the rumors, I was definitely curious now.
“Is it true then?” For the first time, genuine alarm pulsed through me.
“How many others have spoken of this?” the prince asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Have any fae in your village or in Firlim spoken of being discontented?” Haxil asked, the earlier warmth radiating from his round cheeks gone.
My brows pinched together as all of them watched me intently. “No, not that I’m aware of.”
Haxil’s shoulders relaxed, and I wondered what in the realm was going on. “Is something amiss in Isalee? Is the orem there—”
A door burst open to the side of the lodge, and a female fairy came stumbling over the threshold. My breath sucked in when blood dripped from a long slash down her wing. She nearly fell to the floor but caught herself on a chair.
“My prince!” she called. “Please, I beg of you. Help me! He’s going to kill him tonight. I’m sure of it. He won’t stop!”
Milis rushed forward, her arms going around the female as she hushed her. “Not here, Mealow. This isn’t the place. Alert the patrol.”
The female grabbed onto Milis’s arms. “I tried, but they’re busy with a snowgum.” The female gripped the bartender tighter. “I don’t know who else to turn to. He’s full of leminai and angry tonight, Mil. So angry, and I heard the prince had come.”
The prince let out a long tired-sounding sigh.
“Want us to handle this, Nori?” the guard with the braid asked. He had angular cheekbones and looked as though he’d been crafted from a steel arrow.
“No, Ryder. It’s my duty. Not yours.” Prince Norivun rose from his seat and approached the female. Milis gave him an apologetic look, but all he said was, “What’s amiss?”
The injured female fell to his feet, blubbering and crying. “Oh, my prince. It’s my son. He’s lipped off to my husband again, and he’s got my son pinned to a wall, using his affinity to hold him. My son can’t fight back. Not even to defend himself. He’s going to kill him this time—I’m sure of it—and I’m not strong enough to stop him.”
Haxil, Nish, Sandus, and the fairy with the braid—apparently named Ryder—circled around the prince.
Prince Norivun placed his hands on his hips. “Your husband’s committed these acts?”
“Yes, her husband’s a real brute of a fae,” Milis said under her breath. “When he’s drunk on leminai, he’s dangerous and cruel.”
The female with the torn wing cried louder. “I tried to stop him, but his claws—”
“What’s his affinity?” Nish asked as a swirl of magic flowed around him.
“Ice bear.”
My stomach dropped. Of course it would be one of the large animal affinities and not something easier to contend with like a superficial affinity.
The prince muttered something under his breath, then nodded toward the door. “This’ll be messy. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 6
“Haxil?” The prince inclined his head toward me as he followed Mealow. Haxil nodded and moved to my side.
“Keep that stew warm for us, Milis,” Ryder called, throwing her a wink. His silvery white braid whipped between his wings as the prince and the two other guards headed after the female fairy.
“Thank you, my prince. Thank you!” Mealow called as she rushed toward the side door.
Their boot steps filled the room as the other patrons watched. When I just waited by the fire, Haxil gave me a sly smile. “What do you think you’re doing?”
I frowned and raised my hands. “Waiting here with you?”
Haxil cocked an eyebrow. “Where the prince goes, I go, which means you’re coming with me.”
“You’re not staying here to guard me? I thought that’s what the prince wanted.”
“No, I mean, you’re correct that he wants me to guard you, but not here. That was merely his way of telling me to stay at your side.”
“Why? I’m a magicless, wingless, defective fairy, not a precious treasure that needs to be kept within eyesight at all times. You could just go with him and leave me here.”
Haxil’s eyebrow rose higher as an amused smile split his lips. “Just do as you’re told, Ilara Seary, daughter of Mervalee Territory.”
Knowing I wouldn’t win this fight, I stood, but I couldn’t help the annoyance that prickled my skin at once again being commanded against my will, so I gave a small yet dramatic bow. “As you wish, Haxil Hubberline, guard to the crown prince and son of Isalee Territory.” I twirled my hand to add to the effect, then stood.