The Archer Queen

by Blake, Nova

  I sucked in a breath. No magic. It wasn't a huge part of our lives, but the stories of it, stories of the queens and the way they could wield the magic of their deities… The memory of the heat, the flare of magic through my fingers as I sealed Orla’s wound closed sprang into my head, vivid and sharp. My fingers tingled and I looked down at them, pressed to Farrow's chest. They were glowing, just a little.

  His smile spread slowly as he moved to grip my fingers. I felt the heat transfer between us. There was no pain there, just warmth, more than either of us could generate on our own.

  "This," he said, gently squeezing my hands, "is magic. This is what the world needs more of."

  "I'm not sure how I feel about it coming from me," I said, swallowing a lump in my throat. "The True Queen is a conduit, isn't she?"

  "You are."

  "But what if I'm not?" I looked him in the eyes then, begging him silently to understand me. "What if there are others bearing the Mark, what if we all have magic right now and it fades after… After one of us is chosen and Ascends the throne?"

  His eyes narrowed and he searched my face, seeking something I wasn't sure I could give.

  "All I know is that your touch Marked me. That magic flows in you. That you are my queen." He lowered his head, crushing his lips to mine. The kiss took my breath away.

  And it took away the stab of pain and fear from my heart.

  11

  Jaelyn

  After a good breakfast, Farrow led us back down to the ground. In the daylight I could see that there were paths through the forest, subtle in their design, crafted from the world around us, flowing with the shape of the land rather than being imposed upon it.

  I wished we could spend more time here, but the clock was ticking and we still had over half our journey to go. The quiver was light on my back – Levon had insisted I wear it – and I wondered how the bow would feel in my hands. If it would sing to me in some way.

  How would it feel to give that up?

  Thomas made his way to my side as we walked the path to the river. "Did you sleep well?"

  "No, but you did. You were snoring." I chuckled. "It was cute."

  "I do not snore."

  "I think everyone snores; we all just like to deny it." I slipped my hand into his. "I like this place, it's beautiful. Different to home."

  Thomas mulled that for a minute. "It could be your home if you wanted, you know that, right? You don't have to stay in the Court of Stone, you can do whatever you want."

  "And would you leave if I asked you to?" I raised an eyebrow at him, a grin playing on my lips.

  "You know I would." He looked ahead to where Farrow walked with his father. "Would he?"

  I pressed my lips into a line, but the only answer was the truth as I could see it. "Yes. He considers our fates intertwined now." I gripped his hand tighter. "I hope you do too."

  He pulled me to a stop and faced me, planting a kiss firm and hard on my lips. "I do."

  The words were so simple, but they held a promise I hadn't realized I'd longed to hear.

  "But," he added. "It's not fate that brought us together. I chose you, and I will choose you again and again as long as you want me."

  I kissed him again then, harder than before, crushing our bodies together. My own promise to him.

  Farrow cleared his throat. "We have a boat to catch," he said, his voice amused. "Come on you two."

  The trees parted ahead, opening up to a landing that reached into the river like wooden fingers. It was wider than I'd have imagined from way up high on the tree tops, and it flowed at a sedate pace. The boat was bigger than anything I'd seen before as we mostly relied on horses to travel in our court. I'd never travelled on anything so big, only using the occasional canoe to transport kills down the river back to court.

  More new things. A thrum of excitement moved through me and I walked faster, wanting to get on the boat and be gone.

  "We've given you some supplies for the next leg of your journey," Levon said. He clasped a hand onto my shoulder and waited until I looked him in the eyes. "Take care of my boy, will you?"

  I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. He seemed a lot like my father then, his warmth and love for his child shining through the dampness of his eyes.

  "Thank you for everything, Levon. I really appreciate your help."

  "I'm helping our queendom, and it's my solemn duty to do so." His lips cracked into a grin then. "Though I'm very pleased with the True Queen who has been chosen for this Dawning." He gave me a wink and then stepped away to hug Farrow. It was a tender moment, none of the awkward back patting, half-hugs that I so often saw between fathers and sons. These were grown men willing to express emotion, to be clear with their love and affection, and I liked that a lot. We needed more of that.

  Farrow finally stepped away, and gave his father one last nod before holding a hand out to me. "Shall we?"

  I stepped forward and put my hand in his, letting him help me up the plank and onto the boat. Thomas followed behind and then the plank was removed by the sailors on the vessel. They all wore the greens and browns of the Court of Leaves, though there was one man who stood out. His clothing was blue and looser than the others, his skin more tanned, his eyes and hair dark; I could only assume he was from the Court of Lakes.

  The boat started to move, lurching this way and that as men on shore and on the vessel moved it down to the open water. I clutched the edge of the boat, my knuckles going white, my knees locking in place as I struggled to maintain balance. Thomas wasn't faring much better. As we reached the end of the wharf his normally brown skin went pale.

  Farrow came up behind us and slung an arm around each of our shoulders.

  "You need to loosen up," he said, voice cheerful, as if he was taking pleasure in our discomfort.

  "How?" Thomas croaked.

  "Shake your limbs out, unlock everything. You need to move with the flow of the water, the motion of the boat." Farrow jostled us from side to side until we did as we were told.

  Or tried.

  It felt like I was going to fall over despite the fact that I still gripped to the edge of the boat.

  "I think I'd rather be way up in the trees," Thomas said. But he was trying to adapt, walking up and down the deck with his arms slightly out to keep his balance.

  So, I let go too. Tottered tentatively away from the edge of the boat; at least I wouldn't go over the side if I did fall.

  By now we'd made it to the center of the river and the motion seemed to have evened out. Or maybe I'd just managed to adjust. I'd heard about 'sea-legs', perhaps I was gaining river-legs, if that was even a thing.

  My heart had stopped beating so hard, and I could look up from the deck and out at the river around us. It was hard to judge how fast we were going, but already the land seemed to be changing, the huge trees were left behind, replaced by smaller trees and bushes, and even patches of land free from trees at all. Softly rolling hills beckoned ahead.

  "I don't think I've ever seen a river this big," I said, moving back to the railing.

  "No, nothing quite like this in the Court of Stone. You should see the river in Nashira to the west. It thunders down from the mountains. It's at least twice as wide as this." Farrow pointed westward.

  "Wow," I said, trying to picture that in my mind. But I couldn't. It was beyond my imagination. "Maybe one day I'll see it."

  "You could see the world if that's what you want," Farrow said.

  "I do want," I replied. "I do. I just…" I let out a long, slow breath. "I know it should be easier than this. I just…"

  "You don't have to explain it, Jae," Thomas said.

  "Jae?" Farrow asked. "I like that. May I call you Jae too?"

  I eyed him, amused. "You may."

  He gave an over-the-top bow and grinned at me. I couldn't help but return it, and even caught an echoing smile on Thomas' face.

  "I should check with our captain," Farrow said. "Excuse me, my queen."

  "I th
ought you were going to call me Jae?"

  He gave me a wink. "I'll save that for more intimate encounters. Perhaps." And with that, he was off, striding confidently across the deck towards the captain, who remained stalwartly focused on the river.

  "He’s an interesting character," Thomas said, coming to my side and leaning against the railing. His arms were crossed over the top of it, and he leaned out, looking down into the water.

  "Don't worry, my love. You're interesting too," I said, only then realizing the words that had slipped out of my mouth.

  He turned towards me, raising an eyebrow. "Your love?"

  I huffed out a breath. "Yes. You must know. You're my best friend, Thomas. My best everything. Just…" I sighed. "This is all new territory for me."

  "For both of us." He glanced over at Farrow. "Though I get the feeling not for him. I swear he was giving me a look…"

  "Like, a flirty look?" I raised an eyebrow and smirked.

  Thomas shrugged and looked back to the water. "Yeah, maybe. I don't know. I'm not that way inclined."

  "That you know of…" I nudged him with my elbow.

  "Cut it out, Jae. I don't have a problem if you want to sleep with him, but you're the only one I want."

  "Aww, you are so sweet." I moved closer to him and he slung an arm around my shoulder, drawing me into him. "I like that you're not the possessive type. Have I told you that before?"

  "No. But you didn't need to." He pressed a kiss to my head. "You are my fiery Sagittarian, I can't expect you to stay pinned down to one place or one man. I'm a simple man, and I'm happy with just you. It will work."

  "It already does."

  But I couldn't help but wonder if his words were all of the truth; if they would always be true. I wanted to believe him though, and I had to take him at face value – if I couldn't, then we didn't stand a chance. I turned abruptly, lifting my face to his and hooking an arm around his neck to draw him down to me. I needed just for this instant to remind him how much I wanted him in my life. How much he meant to me.

  Heat coursed between us and the golden arrow on my arm felt like it sparked, the line of it arcing up my arm and shooting down to my fingers. I wondered if his did too. I wanted to strip his clothes off then, to see what was happening to his body.

  Aside from the obvious.

  He pulled back from me with a groan. "Damn this boat and the lack privacy," he muttered, then kissed me once more and moved to the side with a sigh, and an attempt to flatten the front of his pants.

  I bit back a smile. There was something powerful and wonderful about knowing how quickly I could affect him. I looked forward to exerting my efforts on Farrow in the future too.

  "I should see if there is something I can help with," Thomas said. "Before I decide to hell with it and throw you down on the deck right here."

  "Ha!" I laughed. "That is not your style, love. Go on. I'm going to stay here for a bit." I watched him go, thought about doing the same, but there was no chance that Levon's men would let me work on the boat. I was more likely to get in the way than anything else. End up going over the side and drowning. I'd never swum in anything this deep, only the pools at the castle and they were all contained. Safe.

  The day seemed to slip away as the boat moved down the river. It wasn't long before I got bored and moved to the lower part of the deck where I could lie down and dangle my fingers over the edge, running them through the water as we moved.

  Now and then I could see the golden flash of a fish, or the dark black matte of an eel as they slid past the boat. I always drew my fingers back when I saw those, unsure whether they might want to take a snack on my fingers.

  The river slowed as we came out into a wider patch of water. There were no rapids here, barely a current, so the crew pulled out oars and set to work steering us down the river. Something caught my eye as we moved, something white and flowing. It moved towards me, reaching like fingers.

  They were fingers. Pale fingers in the water, pale dress, pale face with dark mournful eyes.

  "Hey!" I called over my shoulder. "Someone is down there." I leaned further, trying to reach her. My whole forearm was in the water now, and I could feel her cold, bony hand clutching mine.

  "Jaelyn, no!" Farrow's voice roared. I looked over my shoulder, saw the fear in his face.

  But it was too late.

  12

  Jaelyn

  Ice cold water shocked the air from my body and I gasped, sucking in a lung of liquid. I dragged myself to the surface, spitting and coughing. I barely managed to close my mouth before I was dragged back under.

  The water was clear, clean, so I could see the white shapes here, the lost souls. It was the only way I could think to describe them. Pale and ghostly they clutched at me, dragging at my clothes, sharp nails tearing the fabric and pulling me under.

  I could hear nothing but the movement of my thrashing limbs, and over that, the garbled voices of the others. Hands were thrust into the water, searching for me, but I couldn't get to them, couldn't breathe, could do nothing against the creatures in the water.

  Hands gripped me, tugged me, drew me face to face with the one I'd thought was a woman in the water. I'd thought she needed saving, but now I did. My forearm burned, reminding me of the arrow there. I thrust it at the creature, the water sizzling as I moved. She pushed away from me, her grip slipping, though she bared her jagged teeth at me, a mouthful of so many teeth.

  My chest burned too, but not from magic; from the need to breathe. I had to get back to the surface or I would drown. The memory of that ice water in my lungs made my brain race and I pushed again, swam as hard as I could back towards the light above me.

  Another body crashed into the water. I couldn't tell who it was until they made it down to my depth.

  Farrow.

  He reached for me, gripped my arms, and then we were moving, rushing towards the surface and being hauled back onto the deck of the boat. I sucked in a huge breath, the feel of it burning my lungs as oxygen rushed into my body.

  "Jae, are you hurt?" Thomas asked, I could feel his hands on me, checking me over. "She is, we need salve!"

  I clutched my head, pushing droplets of water from my eyes as I looked up at the sun, the sky, so pleased to see them. I was alive. Still here. My chest ached from the pressure of not breathing and I tried hard to regain control of my thoughts, my body.

  "I'm okay," I gasped. "I just…" I coughed again and river weeds came up this time. I didn't even remember swallowing them. I tried to sit, but my vision swam and I lay back on the deck, a sob wracking my body. I'd thought I was going to die. That the creature who lured me into the water would claim me and I'd never breathe air again.

  Farrow sat up beside me, and I could see him unwind the rope from around his waist.

  So, that was how they'd managed to get me out of the water so fast.

  "I didn't think they had advanced this far," Farrow said. "I'm sorry. I should have warned you."

  "What the hell are they?" Thomas growled. He glared at Farrow, as if the other man was entirely to blame for what had happened.

  But he wasn't. I'd been naive. She had looked like she needed rescuing. It was the perfect trick to capture unsuspecting prey.

  Farrow huffed out a breath and pushed wet hair back from his face. "Sirens of a sort, though they don't use their voices to lure prey. As you can see, they look like they need help and as soon as you get too close, they snatch you in. It's just lucky we got to Jaelyn in time."

  "Why didn't you warn her? Us? She could have died!" Thomas was on his feet now, thrusting a finger into Farrow's chest.

  Farrow backed up, not returning the fire that Thomas was directing at him. "We've never seen them this far up the river. I swear, if I had known, I'd have said something." Farrow raised his hands, a gesture of peace, of acceptance. "I'm sorry. These are another of the creatures that have come into our realm since the last Ascension. They used to be smaller, less vicious, but lately we've heard the rumors of
them preying on humans."

  Thomas lowered his hand, balling them into fists at his side.

  I forced myself to my feet, though my wet clothes, my fatigue from the fight, made my body feel so much heavier than it actually was. I stepped towards him and put my hand in his. "I'm fine, Thomas. Really. A few cuts, a fright. I'm okay. He didn't know. None of us could have."

  I let out a shuddering breath, the memory of those eyes, the plea in them haunting me. I had a feeling I would be dreaming about the siren and her cohort lurking within the water.

  "No one is to go near the railings," the captain commanded. "I want one man on each side protecting the oarsmen." The crew scattered. The show was over, and there was work to be done.

  There was a tension on the boat that hadn't been there before. No longer just an easy journey, it had turned into something more threatening.

  Farrow moved towards me, placed a hand on my shoulder. "They can't come out from the water, so you'll be safe here. Why don't you go below and get changed? I can wait."

  "Thank you for saving me," I said, stepping in to kiss him on the cheek.

  "I was just the first fool to offer to go into the water, Thomas and the others hauled us out." Farrow nodded towards the other man and I was impressed that he gave credit where it was due rather than taking it all for himself.

  I turned to Thomas and kissed his cheek too. "Thank you." My shoulders sagged and exhaustion threatened to claim me. All the adrenaline had left my body now and I needed to be dry, warm. I needed to sleep. Leaving them to it, I headed down the steps to the lower deck.

  * * *

  We slept in shifts for the rest of the journey. Ordinarily, I think we would have camped on the shore by night – the boat wasn't big enough for everyone to sleep on – but no one wanted to risk that until we reached our destination. The captain had assured us that at the Court of Lakes had wards in place to keep the creatures from their waters, though I sure as hell wasn't planning to test that theory out.