Along with the lands’ natural magic, I also discovered I could speed along the healing and regrowth. Just as I’d seen Dorian healing his oaks, I was able to coax the plants and trees of my kingdoms to grow again. Most of my efforts were focused on the Rowan Land, which contained more food-bearing plant life. In particular, I worked on the cherry trees since they were so plentiful. I sped them through their leaf and flowering phases, and after a few weeks, we began to see the first signs of fruit. Cherries weren’t exactly the most filling food, but they were welcome to everyone after what we’d endured.
Even though the Thorn Land wasn’t a priority for food production, I still worked to restore some of the plants and trees there. It brought hope to the land’s residents, who had gotten used to their desert kingdom. Each flower that bloomed on a cactus was a sign that we were on our way to recovery, and the land radiated its gratitude to me.
Healing the vegetation wasn’t easy or fast. I often had to spend a lot of alone time with one tree or plant, and then frequent visits were required to keep aiding each step in the process. One day, I was sitting in an orchard near the Rowan castle, painstakingly encouraging each tree to grow its fruit. The day was sunny, and the grass—which had returned quickly—was green and lush beneath me. There was less birdsong than there used to be, which was a little weird. The animals had been hit as hard as the people, but many assured me that within a year, we could expect our furry and feathered countrymen to replenish their numbers.
I rested my hand on the bark of a cherry tree, my eyes closed. I felt the pulse of the tree’s life and tried to join it with both myself and the land so that we could lend the tree our strength. A
thump
in the grass beside me snapped me out of my trance, and I looked down to see a bright red apple in the grass beside me. I smiled and picked it up.
“This isn’t one of mine,” I said as a familiar shadow fell over me.
Dorian eased himself down beside me, sitting cross-legged. He carried an apple of his own and bit into it. He swallowed and smiled back at me. “Our second harvest. I would’ve brought you some from the first, but we needed them too badly.”
“You should’ve kept these too.” I bit into the apple. It was delicious. “Second, huh? I’m behind.”
He glanced up at the cherry tree. “You seem to be doing just fine. Besides, you’ve also had to do twice as much work as me, remember? You’re not overtiring yourself, are you?”
I leaned back in the grass and swallowed another bite of apple. “Nothing I can’t handle. After that crazy journey to the Yew Land, hanging out here with trees all day feels downright lazy.”
Dorian stretched out beside me so that our shoulders touched. “Do you have plans to go back to the human world? I know you must be burning to.”
“I am,” I admitted. “We’re pushing two months. Two months, Dorian! Isaac and Ivy have to be out of the NICU now. I need them to know who I am. And I need Roland to know I’m okay too. I’m nearing a point where the lands will be okay without me, but then ... well, I’m not sure of my next move. When I last saw Kiyo, he made it clear they weren’t giving up on preventing the prophecy.”
“I feel pretty confident that Maiwenn’s preoccupied with exactly the same kinds of tasks we are in restoring our lands,” he said.
“I don’t doubt it. But I also wouldn’t be surprised if Kiyo’s out there watching and waiting. If I go to the twins, there’s a good chance I’ll compromise their location.” I sighed. This had been something I’d had a lot of time to think about while tending my lands. “I’m in the same bind as before they were born.”
“Not entirely,” said Dorian. “Before, you were a moving target because you always had to be in multiple places. Now? Your children don’t have to move around. You keep them in one place, and you keep them safe. Go to them and bring them back with you. Put them in a stronghold somewhere.”
“But will they ever have peace?” I asked sadly. “Even if they grow up surrounded in bodyguards, their identities will be known here. There’ll always be people trying to kill them—or at least trying to kill Isaac.”
Dorian was adamant. “I have no doubt they’ll be powerful once they’re older. They’ll be able to look after themselves. And until then, I swear, I’ll give you half my forces to keep them safe in whatever location you choose.”
I turned to him, unable to hide a smile. “Half? Isn’t that kind of extreme?”
His eyes, completely serious, studied me for several moments. “Not for you.”
My smile faded, and I suddenly felt confused. My heart leapt in my chest. “Why would you do that for me?”
“What wouldn’t I do for you?”
His voice was husky, and he propped himself up so that he could lean over me. I closed my eyes and felt his lips touch mine. It was a sweet kiss, a kiss as warm and lazy as the sunny day around us. It filled my body with a life and light not unlike what I felt from my kingdoms. There was a rightness to the feel of his body against mine, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, entwining my fingers in his hair and drawing him closer. His kiss picked up in intensity, and I welcomed it, parting my lips to taste more of him.
With as much caution as I’d ever seen Dorian exert in amorous affairs, his hand slid up my shirt and lightly grazed my breast. I gasped and arched my body toward his, giving him more than enough encouragement to grow bolder. He pushed my shirt up altogether and then brought his mouth down to my nipple. I gasped again, my own hands moving toward his pants. After unplanned pregnancy, childbirth, and near-starvation, I hadn’t thought my body would ever feel like this. Now, it was as though none of those things had ever happened. My body was alive again. It wanted him.
The problem was, I wasn’t sure if I did.
“No ... wait ...” With great reluctance, I gently pushed him up. He complied immediately, still hovering over me but halting in his advances. A regretful look came over his face.
“Too soon,” he guessed.
“Eh, well, not exactly ... I mean I have no problem doing
it
,” I said. “I just don’t know where we stand with ... other stuff.”
He considered this. “I assume we stand in a much better place than before.”
I almost laughed. “Well, yes, but there are things we need to figure out.”
Dorian stared at me and brushed hair from my face. “Not me. I already know everything I need to know.”
I fell into that gaze and felt something start to open in my heart. I began to reach toward him, wanting to kiss him again when—
“Your Majesty!”
The perfect, golden moment shattered as I heard voices and running feet. Well, it shattered for me, at least. From the way I had to get out from under him, it was clear that Dorian could have continued kissing through a war zone. I sat up in the grass, dazzled by the sun and my pounding heart and the myriad feelings churning within me. I fixed my shirt and hoped I didn’t look too disheveled. It took my soldiers a moment to find me, since I no longer traveled with a bodyguard at all times. They looked relieved to see me.
“Your Majesty,” exclaimed the leader, giving me a quick bow. “You have a visitor. Roland Storm Slayer is—”
“Roland!”
He was walking out across the green toward us, in no haste to keep up with the guards who had heralded his arrival. I ran to him with my arms outstretched and heard Dorian say ruefully, “A man can never compete with a woman’s father.”
Roland lifted me up and spun me around as he returned the hug. His eyes shone, and I actually think he looked more relieved to see me now than he had in Alabama.
“Eugenie, you’re alive,” he said, once he’d set me down. He still kept his arms around me. “When so much time went by without any news, I thought ... well, I thought the worst.” He glanced around at the verdant landscape. “I take it you fixed the problem.”
“We did,” I said happily. “We’ve still got a lot of recovery to do, but things are on the mend. That’s why I haven’t been able to get back to you. Plus, Volusian’s gone—banished—so I couldn’t send a message.”
That earned me raised eyebrows. “I wondered why I hadn’t heard from him. Though I can’t say I’m disappointed he’s gone.”
Dorian reached us then and gave Roland a nod of greeting. “I agree with you on that,” Dorian said. “Though, as much as I hate acknowledging it, Volusian was the reason we were able to destroy the blight in the end.”
“Well, then,” said Roland. “I guess something positive came from that fiend. I knew something had happened here when I saw the boy, but I wasn’t exactly sure if it was good or bad.”
Roland’s happy expression had dimmed a little, which I couldn’t understand. I didn’t know what his comment had meant either. “The boy?”
He nodded. “The one I met before. The one who was raiding Tucson and Phoenix.”
I exchanged puzzled glances with Dorian. “You mean Pagiel?” I asked. “What about him?”
“He’s back,” said Roland. “And since I knew you took him with you on your quest, I figured either you’d succeeded and freed him up to come back or else failed and forced him to more of the same.”
For a few moments, I was totally confused. When I was finally able to parse what Roland was saying, I nearly reeled. I was certain I’d misunderstood.
“You don’t mean ... you don’t mean Pagiel’s back in Arizona?”
Roland nodded. “Back with more people. Back for more raids.”
Chapter 24
I immediately turned to Dorian.
“I know nothing,” he said, quickly guessing my question. “This is the first time I’ve heard anything about this.” He turned to Roland. “Forgive me for any doubts ... but I have to ask: are you certain you saw him?” It was amazing how quickly Dorian had recovered from my romantic mixed signals to dealing with the task at hand. I was reminded of my discussion with Kiyo: no matter the problems between Dorian and me, we always put them aside to work as a team.
“Positive,” said Roland. “I was on the scene at one of the raids. He’s hard to miss with that hair. The others have made the news, and each time, the footage showed these crazy haboobs that just didn’t look natural. That, and we don’t generally get four of them in two weeks. The boy controls wind and air, right?”
“Right,” I said with dismay.
Dorian arched an eyebrow. “Haboob? Isn’t that slang for—”
“It’s a kind of sandstorm,” I interrupted. “They occur all over the world, and Arizona gets them every once in a while. The Thorn Land theoretically could, but I’m too in sync with its weather to let one happen.”
“Shortly after our return from the Yew Land, Pagiel left to visit the village he’d grown up in, on the far edge of my kingdom,” said Dorian thoughtfully. “You knew he lived out there before Ysabel dragged him to my court, right? He was worried that those villagers hadn’t fared as well as the people in my castle during the blight and wanted to help them rebuild. I haven’t heard from him since and just assumed he was preoccupied with the rebuilding.”
My guards were still hovering around, waiting for orders. I gestured to one of them. “Go find the Lady Jasmine and bring her here.” When he was gone, I turned back to Roland and Dorian. “There must be some mistake. Pagiel wouldn’t do this.”
“He did it before,” pointed out Roland.
“Yeah, when the land was blighted and his people were starving,” I countered. “Everything’s fixed now.”
“Well,” said Dorian reasonably, “not everything. None of us are in quite the same shape with food as we were before. My people will be eating leanly for a while, and I assume the same is true with yours.”
Roland glanced between us. “Leanly enough that the boy might get it into his head to do a little supplementing from the human world?”
I started to deny it but reconsidered. As Roland had said, Pagiel had done all this before. Maybe the Oak Land wasn’t in the same dire situation, but those Pagiel cared about were still suffering. Pagiel had made it perfectly clear he thought humans were overweight and had too much—which was true to a certain extent. Really, his feelings on the matter had never changed. He’d only stopped his actions because I’d brought him with me to the Yew Land.
Jasmine joined us shortly thereafter, not looking thrilled that she’d been summoned by a guard. Her face brightened when she saw Roland since he usually brought her little luxuries from the human world.
“Jasmine, when was the last time you talked to Pagiel?”
She looked startled by my harsh tone. “Uh, I don’t know. Not since we all got back. He was supposed to get in touch but never did.”
“You mean that?” I demanded. “You’re telling the truth?”
Hurt shone on her face, and a bit of that old dark temperament leaked through. As our relationship had grown, we’d established a lot of trust, and me asking a question like that was insulting.
“I’m sorry,” I said before she could answer. “I don’t mean to accuse you of lying. I just need to be sure you don’t know anything that’s going on with him.”
“I’m sure,” she said, looking slightly pacified. A note of bitterness laced her next words. “I wish I
had
heard from him. I don’t know what his problem is.”
“From the sounds of it,” I said, “he may actually have a few problems.”
We told her what had happened, and I studied her face carefully as she listened. Her shock was genuine; she’d been telling the truth. Unlike me, however, her initial response wasn’t a denial or insistence that there was a mistake.
“He talked about it a lot,” she said with dismay. “While we were on the road. All about the wealth humans had and how it was our legacy—you know, from when the shining ones walked the earth. He never wanted to hurt anyone, but he didn’t think it was right that we’re denied the surplus in that world.”
“A classic Storm King sympathizer,” mused Dorian. “No wonder he was so eager to serve you, Eugenie.”
I made a face, not liking the implications. “He’s a confused boy, caught up in propaganda and stories of greatness he hears from others. And, unfortunately, he’s also a boy who can easily cross worlds.”
“He’s not bad,” exclaimed Jasmine. “Or evil. Or even ... stupid. He just wants to help people, that’s all. He had to take care of his family growing up, you know. His dad died early, and the only person around to help his mom was that witchy grandmother of theirs. He had to be the man in his family. No one else would do it.”
Dorian gave her a kind smile. “Easy, there. No one’s doubting Pagiel’s bravery or devotion. I’ve heard a little about his early years too and can understand why he’d have some of these beliefs. That doesn’t make them right, however.”
I shot Dorian a questioning look. I don’t know if he just didn’t see me or if he was ignoring me, but he kept his attention on Jasmine. Before, Dorian had been rather blasé about Pagiel’s raids, and I’d kind of expected more of the same this time. I let it go because honestly, it was kind of nice to have him on my side.
“Speaking of his family life,” I said, “that’s the place to start. We need to find him, and I have a feeling he’s lying low in whichever world he’s in. Ysabel and Edria might know where he’s at.”
“And I know where they’re at since I saw them just before I left,” replied Dorian. His forehead wrinkled with a frown. “Which brings up the disturbing realization that they’ve probably known about this and weren’t telling me.” Dorian’s seemingly carefree attitude often fooled people into thinking he was a lax ruler. He wasn’t. He didn’t like having his authority undermined or people keeping secrets from him.
“I’ll go back with you to talk to them,” I said. Leaving my kingdoms wasn’t easy, and the only reason I’d imagined doing it had been because of Isaac and Ivy. A trip to the Oak Land to investigate the return of Pagiel’s Robin Hood ways had never been on the table. I turned to Roland. “You want to go?”
He shook his head. “You two are better suited for that. I’ll go back and do damage control if they strike again. There’s no real predicting where they’ll be, though, and I’m usually too late. If I do find them ...” He hesitated and studied me carefully. “What would you like me to do?”
I grimaced, but it was a question that had to be addressed. “Ideally, banish them to this world. If something happens ... I mean, if there are innocent human lives in danger ...”
I couldn’t finish, but Roland gave a curt nod. “Understood. I’ll do what I can.”
We all made preparations to leave that day. My kingdoms were back in capable hands, and it was a relatively simple affair to head over to Dorian’s—especially now that I wasn’t under the constant threat of attack. Traveling to the Yew Land had made me a pro at horseback riding, and I felt pretty confident my body had returned to its former state. Thinking of that made me think of making out with Dorian earlier. Yeah. My body was definitely recovered.
Watch it, Eugenie,
an inner voice warned me.
Look what happened the last time you did that. Besides, aren’t you mad at Dorian?
Watching him sidelong as we traveled, I really didn’t think I was anymore. My feelings for him were muddled, and I was glad that he was too preoccupied with Ysabel and Edria’s deceit to pay much attention to my pensiveness.
When we arrived, I saw that the Oak Land was well on its way to healing too. Most startling was how green everything was. It was the first time (aside from the blight) that I’d seen Dorian’s land not in the throes of a magical autumn. Instead, all the plants and trees bore the look of late summer, green and bursting with fruit.
I received a lot of curious glances from his staff as we entered the castle. I was well known to them, and the ups and downs of our alliance and romance had been a source of gossip that rivaled Hollywood starlets. People never knew what to expect when Dorian and I surfaced together. This was no exception.
He was all business and ordered his guards to bring Pagiel’s family to one of his receiving chambers immediately. Before Dorian left for his own rooms, he gave me a once-over. “Damn. Should have had you bring a dress.”
“What’s wrong with this?” I asked, gesturing to my jeans and Peter Frampton T-shirt.
“Nothing really,” he said with a small smile. “As always, I like the view of your legs. But I think it’d be better if we carried the weight of our full royal status when staring down Ysabel and Edria. You, come here.” A servant passed by and immediately came to a halt at Dorian’s command. “Take the Queen of Rowan and Thorn to someone who can dress her properly. Then bring her to the east room when she’s ready.”
“What about me?” grumbled Jasmine as she and I followed the servant. “He doesn’t care how I look, apparently.”
I patted her back. “You’re already in gentry clothes. Besides, if you want something nicer, I’m sure they can rustle a dress up.”
We were escorted to a group of maidservants who were all too eager to dress Jasmine and me. I didn’t know if they were in the service of some noblewoman in Dorian’s court or if he just always kept them on hand to beautify women passing through. I decided it wasn’t worth pondering too much.
I traded my jeans and T-shirt for a long dress with a lace-up V neckline. It had short sleeves, which I preferred to the latest gentry trend in bell sleeves, and was made of a light material perfect for summer. I kept calling the color “lightish greenish,” but Jasmine and the maids kept correcting me and saying it was “celadon.” Whatever. My hair was pinned up in a simple bun—nothing like the crazy towers of hair from the Yew Land—and I had to admit the final result was rather queenly. Jasmine wore a similar dress in dark blue.
Dorian nodded in approval when we were taken to him. “Celadon. Excellent choice.”
He was also in regal attire. He’d traded his traveling clothes for a robe of black with silver embroidery. His attire usually consisted of pants and linen shirts, paired with rich, flamboyant cloaks. Apparently, he’d been serious about throwing around his royal status.
“That’s a badass robe,” I said as I sat down. “Dorian, Slayer of Souls.”
“Well, I did tell you I was envious of that nickname,” he said, stretching back in an ornate armchair. “You two are lovely, as always.”
I glanced around. “Aren’t Ysabel and Edria here yet?”
He waved dismissively toward the door. “Oh, yes. We found them right away. I just like making them wait. Like I always say, the more you can unsettle someone, the better.”
“Oh? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that,” I remarked.
He flashed me a smile. “That’s because I’m usually practicing it on you, my dear.” Jasmine rolled her eyes, and he turned toward a sentry waiting near the room’s entrance. “All right. Go fetch them.”
The brief levity faded, and dresses and robes suddenly seemed irrelevant compared to what we had to contend with. I couldn’t believe Pagiel was back in the human world. Worse, before Roland had left, he’d told me that Pagiel’s range had actually expanded last time. He’d been spotted in New Mexico too.
Ysabel and Edria were soon ushered in, with an unhappy-looking Ansonia. Much like before, I got the impression she’d been dragged along against her will. Her mother and grandmother displayed an interesting mix of emotions. Irritation, fear, and ... a trace of guilt.
“Goddamn it,” I said, not even letting Dorian start whatever grand, intimidating speech he had planned. “You guys
do
know. You’ve known for a while.”
Ysabel gave me a tight smile. Her lips were painted as red as her hair today. “I beg your pardon? I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The fact that she was being polite convinced me even more that she was lying.
“Before you say another word,” said Dorian, with a terrifying look I’d rarely seen him wear, “you will show the proper respect to me and Queen Eugenie. The lot of you have gotten lazy and disrespectful in your time here, and you’ll be lucky if I just turn you out and don’t imprison you for treason.”
Ysabel’s smile vanished, and she and the others quickly dropped into the lowest, most respectful curtsies I’d ever seen.
“Your Majesty,” said Edria. “I don’t understand this talk of treason. We are your most loyal subjects, and you need only ask us to serve.”
Dorian rose to his feet and stormed over to Edria, leaning only a few inches from her face. “If you were my ‘most loyal servant,’ you would’ve told me immediately that Pagiel had resumed raiding humans! Now. Where is he? And I warn you, I’ll know if you lie, so save yourselves while you can.”
Ansonia was guileless and wide-eyed and probably would have spilled whatever she knew then and there. Ysabel and Edria were a different story, and I could practically see the wheels spinning in their heads as they tried to figure out what strategy would get them in the least trouble.