Page 81 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

“See, I told you.” The warm glow from the small candle to his right played across his smiling face. When the flame quivered, Finn waved his hand to make it burn bright.

“How does Fae magic work? Can you control all the elements?”

“We can. Water, fire, air, and earth.”

“In Emeraldia, we control only earth, and even then, ‘control’ is a strong word for it. We transfer our magic into the land for a plentiful harvest.”

“Here, we use magic for anything and everything. Your food was made using magic, and so was your drink. The very glass you’re holding was probably forged using magic to a certain extent. There is a drop of it in everything.” I looked down at my drink as if I could see the drop of magic Finn had mentioned. “But that’s our problem, isn’t it? We have too much of it. I have to tell you, I’m fascinated by the whole concept of you siphoning Silberium from the king. How does it work exactly? How often do you have to do it?”

I met his inquisitive gaze. “I’ve only done it once…” I stopped myself, unsure how much information I should share. My father hadn’t revealed all the specifics about me acting as the conduit to Emeraldians. How much had Adrian divulged to his people?

“Hiya, Finn!” A boyish voice interrupted our conversation as a Fae man slid onto the bench next to Finn. He immediately reached for the lord’s food and drink and began eating the stew, washing it down with the ale.

“Hiya, Cy,” Finn greeted him, not at all bothered that his meal had been stolen from him. “Vic,” he said to the Fae woman who took a seat next to me.

She displayed a toned physique, with defined muscles on her lean arms bared in the sleeveless tunic she was wearing. Medium-length dark-blonde hair framed her heart-shaped face and covered her forehead down to her heavily-coaled light-blue eyes. A small thin hoop was looped through one of her nostrils.

“Two out of three. Where’s—” Before Finn could finish the question, another man strolled up to the table. “Ethan.” The lord nodded at him.

The leather-clad newcomer didn’t reply, his face set in a serious expression as his deep-brown, nearly-black gaze took in everyone at the table.

“Are you going to drink that?” the woman next to me asked in a raspy voice.

I looked down at the drink before me. “Um…no.” When I grabbed the glass with both hands and moved it toward her, her gaze dropped to my left hand, and her eyes narrowed.

“This is Naeven,” Finn said as he covered my left hand with his, placing his thumb over my star mark. “She’s keeping me company tonight.”

“Hi, Naeven!” Cy said in between mouthfuls of food. He had an open, round face, green eyes, and a full head of shaggy light-brown hair.

“I’m Vic,” the woman introduced herself before taking a swig of the ale. “So, Naeven, where are you from?”

My panicked gaze darted to the lord.

“The Argent Province. We met during the royal wedding celebration. Wasn’t it something?” he replied with mirth in his eyes.

“Oh, it was grandiose!” Cy exclaimed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I tell you what, it’s going to be strange having a mortal queen, but she sure is pretty.”

“Pretty? Oh, I think she’s stunning!” Finn said, looking at me, and I felt my cheeks heat at the compliment.

“Well, I mean, she’s no faerie, of course, but she’s beautiful in her own right.”

“That’s enough, Cy. Naeven, what do you think of the new queen?” Vic asked me.

“Really, Vic? You’re going to put my date on the spot?” Finn chuckled.

“At this point, I’m just trying to figure out if your date can speak for herself,” she countered.

“You hear that? Music. We’re going dancing!” Finn announced a second before he glimmered us from the table. Since I hadn’t expected being whisked away, I almost landed on my behind on the floor, but he held me up before sweeping me into a lively dance. “Sorry for not giving you a warning. I figured you wanted to get out of there.” He smiled at me as we began moving through the main area of the tavern, following the path the other dancing couples were making.

“Your friend is intimidating,” I admitted, only half paying attention to the conversation as I was trying to imitate the steps of the fast-paced jig.

“Yes, Vic’s intense, but she has Cy to balance her out. They’re siblings.”

“I see. Do you have any siblings?”

“Yes, you just met them.” He grinned at me. “Though we’re not related by blood, those three are my family.”

“What about your real family?”