Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 81261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
I have no clue if he made the right decision, but it touches me that my experience has made Amell look differently at situations. It’s no small power to change a king’s mind or have influence on him.
Not that I want to influence him, but it definitely makes him more real to me. It softens his edges a little.
There are more souls to be judged, and Amell works through them swiftly. He doesn’t spare another, and when he’s finished, he turns to me. “Want to fly?”
I glance up at the dark sky, curious what it would be like to be among those stars he created. “Yes, I’d enjoy that very much.”
“Then let’s go,” he says, and that’s the only warning I get. Amell sweeps me into his arms and cradles me against his chest. Those beautiful wings unfurl and push downward, propelling us off the ground. They make hard swipes against the air, sending us higher and higher.
Up, up, up until Amell angles his body and we move forward. He flies us right over the top of the castle, and I shudder as I look down. We’re hundreds of feet in the air, and Otaxis looks so small, the Crimson River just a tiny ribbon of reddish orange winding toward the horizon.
Amell flies us east through the starry night, and despite the height, I eventually relax, safe and secure in his arms.
“That road leads to Calashte,” he points out below. It winds along rocky, barren hills devoid of travelers. While Otaxis was by no means thriving with flora and fauna, it did have trees and bushes planted along the sidewalks. Cactus-like and spiky, they would hurt if you ran into them, but some bore flowers in muted colors. The trees had ghostlike bark and silver leaves.
Below is nothing but rocks and dirt. It’s quite depressing.
“Did you change all the cities or just Otaxis?” I ask.
“All the cities,” he replies. “But the areas in between would be a waste of time. The only fae who travel between cities are nobles, and they can bend distance. Those who can’t stay within their comfort zones. The roads are rarely used.”
We fly onward until the lights of Otaxis fade and the only illumination is from the stars. But Amell created them to hang low and in such multitudes that it’s as good as the glow of a heavy, full moon.
Amell descends and alights with perfect grace atop a large butte that is more of the same I’ve seen—rocks and dirt. While the night sky is beautiful, and the faux sunrise on the horizon is dazzling, everything else is drab.
“I thought we’d have a picnic,” he says.
I glance around and wonder where and how. We have no food.
But Amell reminds me that he is the king of the Underworld with powers gifted from a god. He turns in a slow circle, holding out his hand. From the ends of his fingers pour waves of colorful light shooting over the landscape. The light bathes the rocky terrain, which shimmers and then morphs into thick green grass, large shade trees, and fragrant patches of wildflowers. Twenty yards away through a wide furrow of eroded soil, a fresh creek springs forth, babbling among boulders that rise from the ground.
Amell faces the horizon, lifts his hand, and the top of a glowing ball starts to appear.
A sunrise.
He’s actually creating a sunrise and as the light warms my face, I can’t help but smile. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed that until now.
Amell turns to me. “Do you like?”
I spin slowly, taking it all in. As far as the eye can see, beautiful rolling hills of green grass, a sparkling blue stream, trees and bushes and even birds chirping. “It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”
He seems pleased by that and motions to something behind me. A red-and-white-checked blanket is spread on the ground under a picnic basket, shaded by the sprawling, leafy branches of a large apple tree heavy with ripe fruit.
I walk over to it and kneel on the blanket, opening the basket’s wicker lid. My eyes bug out as I see fried chicken, fresh fruit, and chocolate cake.
Craning my neck, I look back at Amell. “How?”
He cocks an eyebrow at me, and yeah, that was a dumb question. There’s not anything he can’t do.
“What will everyone think about these changes?” I ask with a laugh.
Amell walks over and settles on the blanket, lounging on his side to face me. “No one can see it but us. It’s an illusion.”
I reach into the basket and pull out a chicken leg. “It sure seems real.”
He laughs. “It’s real, but it’s not permanent,” he clarifies. “And it’s only for us to see. The food Calix put together, and I summoned its appearance.”
“It’s amazing,” I say, holding the chicken up to sniff before taking a bite. I groan as I flop onto my back. “This is the best food I’ve ever had.”