The Ice Diamond Cuff (Custodian Novel #4) (23 page)

"Good luck," Jocelyn said to Faedra.

"You, too," Faedra replied, then turned to
her husband. "Okay, let's do this." She looked at the people
staring at them from around the dining table. "We'll be back
soon."

Red lights started to encircle them and
Faedra looked beside her to see green lights were now whizzing
around Jocelyn and Etyran. In the next instant, she was submerged
and sucking in lungfuls of water.

***

Panic flooded Faedra's veins as she scrabbled
around in the water, feeling for Faen. She looked around her, but
it was dark. How far under was she, and where was her husband?
Faedra cursed herself for not taking in a lungful of air before
they left. They were entering the water realm, for goodness sakes,
there was every possibility they would land in water. The tiny
amount of air that she did have in her lungs was quickly being
replaced by liquid. It was cold and suffocating. Faedra felt her
eyes grow heavy, she couldn't fight them to stay open for much
longer. As her lungs filled, her legs started to feel like lead
weights. Her arms floated out to her sides as the heaviness in her
chest pushed her deeper. Despite her best efforts, she could feel
herself slipping away.

As Faedra's eyes closed, she was marginally
aware that someone was grabbing at her. A hand slipped under each
arm, and she felt the sensation of being hauled upwards, like she
was in an elevator. Her barely functioning consciousness cheered.
Faen had found her.

She was dragged through the surface, cool air
hitting her face. Strong arms scooped her up, and she lay limp
within them Faedra tried to open her eyes, but they wouldn't
co-operate.

"She is not breathing," a deep voice
resonated above her face. Not Faen.

"She is human," another deep voice stated,
unable to hide the surprise in his tone. "Her lungs will be full.
You need to empty them," he continued with some urgency.

Faedra felt cool fingers part her lips, and
then a moist sensation covered her mouth. A second later, she could
feel her lungs being drained. Whoever held her in their arms was
now sucking all the liquid out of her lungs like a vacuum cleaner.
It was the strangest sensation she'd ever experienced, and it
wasn't particularly pleasant. As the liquid drained and
consciousness returned, Faedra felt her eyes scrunch up at the
feeling.

The moist sensation left her lips as Faedra
shuddered from its touch. She dragged in a breath, ragged and
desperate at first, until every alveolus was filled with life
sustaining air.

Her eyes opened and were greeted by the
concerned translucent gaze of a handsome Umorian. He cocked his
head, considering the unusual package he was holding in his
arms.

"Um...You can put me down now," Faedra
said.

"I do not believe that would be wise," the
man responded.

Faedra's brow pinched at his words, then she
looked around to take in her surroundings and promptly flung her
arms around the man's neck and held on tight.

He smiled. They were standing on water, no
land to be seen. Faedra rolled her eyes at her stupidity. Of
course, there wasn't. This was the water realm.

As full awareness slammed into her, panic
filled her heart. "Faen!" she called, looking around her as best
she could without letting go of the man holding her. "Faen!"

"You are not alone?" the man asked.

"No. My husband is with me. Faen!" she called
again.

They heard barking to their left.

The man turned towards the sound. Faedra
could see Faen in his dog form swimming towards them, the ruby
staff held firmly in his mouth. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Oh, thank God," Faedra whispered.

The other man leaned over and held his palms
flat over the surface of the water. A small area stopped rippling
and took on the appearance of glass. As Faen approached, he was
grabbed by his front legs and pulled out of the water.

He let the ruby staff roll out from his
opened jaw and lay still for a moment, panting. Then he hauled his
shaggy white form to standing and shook, spraying them all with
water. Not that it mattered, the two men were made of the stuff,
and Faedra was already soaked, anyway. In the next second, Faen
shifted to his fae form, which caused the second man to take a step
back. Faen gave his wings a flutter to shake off any excess
moisture.

"Much obliged," Faen said, inclining his
head.

"Guardian?" the man said in surprise.

"Correct."

The man holding Faedra looked down at her.
"That must mean you are the Princess of Azran."

Faedra sighed. "I wish that were still true,"
she replied, heavyhearted. "Unfortunately, I am now queen. We need
to speak to your king with a matter of urgency."

The man's features scrunched in obvious
confusion.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Much to Faedra's relief, a city loomed up on
the horizon. The two men who found them had formed a boat to travel
in. Faedra ran her fingers over the smooth, cool surface of the
boat. How did they do that? It was almost as though they could turn
the water to glass to form a solid structure. Then with the flick
of a hand, turn the glass to liquid, like someone popping a balloon
full of water.

"It is pretty, is it not?" Faen leaned over
and whispered into Faedra's ear.

Faedra drew her attention back to the tall
columns of the glass-like buildings that towered into the clear
blue sky. The sun reflected off the various surfaces, making the
whole city shimmer and twinkle.

"Yes, it is," Faedra responded. "How do they
make water solid without freezing it though?"

"That, my dearest wife, is something I cannot
answer."

The boat pulled up to a dock, and both of the
men hopped out. Keeping one hand on the boat, they each held out
their other hand for Faedra and Faen. Faedra accepted the steadying
grip that was offered her and stepped from the boat onto the dock.
When Faen was also safely standing on the dock the two men let go
of the boat. With a flick of one man's hand, the boat turned to
water and made a splash as it hit the surface surrounding it.

That was just beyond weird, Faedra thought.
Freezing water to form solid structures, she could comprehend. They
made ice hotels back in the World of Men, so there wasn't anything
mysterious about that, but she just couldn't get her mind around
how this realm functioned.

"This way," one of the men announced,
gesturing down a lane that led away from the dock.

Faedra took hold of Faen's hand and gave the
man a small smile before striding along beside him.

As they walked through the streets, they
received lots of attention from the water people. Children pointed.
Adults regarded them with a mixture of curiosity, sometimes fear.
Faedra smiled at anyone who would make eye contact with her. She
didn't feel threatened by these people, but she wasn't about to let
her guard down, especially that now she was powerless.
Subconsciously, her grip tightened around Faen's hand, prompting
him to look down at her. He offered her a reassuring smile and gave
her hand a squeeze in return. They were still caught in each others
eyes as they rounded a corner. A loud whoosh of water distracted
them. They looked up to see a waterfall cascading down the entire
length of the tallest building in the city, tumbling into a deep
pool where they eventually came to a stop.

Faedra stared up at the imposing building and
supposed that one could call it a castle, albeit a very modern,
clean cut castle. It was devoid of turrets and battlements but
there was no mistaking that this regal building would be where the
king and queen resided.

She cast her eyes along the wall of the
building. There was one thing missing, though. Faedra could see no
way of gaining entry to the impressive structure. She didn't have
to wonder about it for long. One of the men crouched down and laid
his palm against the water splashing in the pool. Before Faedra's
eyes, a bridge formed, rising out of the pool creating a walkway
above the water. The wall of water then parted like a pair of
curtains to reveal an archway that was hidden behind it. The man
stood and gestured for them to continue forward.

Faedra put a tentative foot on the bridge and
tested her weight on it. Though, why would she worry that the
bridge would carry her weight after everything else she had seen in
this realm so far? Deciding that the water bridge was strong
enough, she accepted Faen's encouragement to continue across. Once
they were safely on the other side, one of the men touched the
bridge and it dissolved into liquid and splashed into the pool. As
they continued on, Faedra looked over her shoulder as the curtains
of water closed behind them, sealing off the entrance to the castle
once more.

***

Derian was leaning over the end of the long
table in his great hall talking with one of his guards as Faedra
and Faen were escorted into the room and announced.

He pulled his attention from what he was
studying on the table and looked up. The flicker of annoyance that
shone in his eyes was quickly replaced by surprise and
confusion.

"Princess?" he said, as he stood and rounded
the table to make his way towards his new guests. As he reached
them, he took hold of Faedra's hand and brushed a kiss to her
knuckles. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

The touch of Derian's hand on her skin
prompted the memory of when he had cooled the fire within her not
more than a couple of weeks before. She closed her eyes for a brief
moment and drew in a breath in an attempt to steady her nerves and
give her the strength to explain her predicament in a controlled
manner. Something she wasn't sure she would be able to hold onto
when she thought about telling the water king what had
happened.

"Zaven has killed my father and taken over
Azran," Faedra blurted, trying to get it out in the most succinct
way possible. "And we have come here because we need your
help."

Derian took a step back, his expression
stunned. He turned it on Faen who nodded as he released a deep
sigh. The water king turned his gaze back to Faedra. "What
happened? We were there just a few days ago." He kept hold of
Faedra's hand and led her to a chair towards the top of the immense
table that ran the length of the room, and pulled it out for her.
He gestured for Faen to take a chair on the opposite side while he
seated himself at the end. When all three were seated, Derian
rested his forearms on the table and looked at Faedra. She had her
eyes focused on Faen's feet that she could see through the water
making up the table, it may as well have been glass. After getting
her thoughts together, she looked up into the concerned eyes of the
king.

"It looks like he was plotting this for a
long time. Apparently, he kept making excuses as to why his
contingent for the tournament was being delayed in leaving. He was,
in fact, waiting for everyone to go so that he could attack."
Faedra looked down at her hands that were clasped loosely on her
lap. She twiddled her thumbs around themselves.

"But, why...?" Derian started to ask.

Faedra looked up again. "He wants the World
of Men. Azran was the only thing standing in his way."

Derian locked his fingers together and
brought his hands up to rest his chin on them. "Hmm," he murmured.
"I knew he was up to something, but I thought it was our realm he
was going to attack. I never dreamed he would go after the World of
Men."

"Father!" a voice shouted from along the
corridor. "One of the guards said Princess Faedra had entered
the..." as Eadlin rounded the corner into the hall, her eyes grew
wide and she stopped mid-sentence.

Faedra gave the princess a small smile.

Eadlin curtsied and bowed her head. If the
young woman could flush, Faedra knew her cheeks would be crimson.
"Forgive me," she said, looking up again. "I did not realize you
were already in the castle."

Faedra's smile widened, and she couldn't help
but let out a giggle at the girl's awkward apology. "No forgiveness
needed," Faedra said.

"Eadlin," the king interjected. "Run and
fetch your mother, will you?"

Eadlin curtsied once more. "Yes, father." She
turned and scooted out of the hall.

Derian turned his attention back to Faedra
and rested his chin on his clasped hands once more, his eyes
shining with interest. "So, Your Highness. How may I be of
assistance?"

Faedra felt her shoulders relax. This was her
first official duty as queen, she mustn't mess it up. She briefly
glanced across the table at Faen, who responded with a warm smile
that said 'you've got this'. Faedra steadied her nerves and
proceeded to tell Derian her plan.

***

"Faedra?" Jalia's soft caressing voice
interrupted the three plotters. They all turned to see Derian's
wife sweep into the hall alongside her daughter, a concerned
expression clouding her features. "Eadlin told me you were here. Is
everything well?"

"Kenreth was slaughtered by Zaven," Derian
explained as Jalia continued towards them. "He has overthrown Azran
and has plans to take the World of Men." He paused a moment,
considering his words. "He also disabled her powers."

His news stopped Jalia for a second. She
brought her hand to her mouth. Her eyes sought Faedra's. "Oh, my
dear child," she whispered. The sadness in her eyes mirrored the
tone in her voice. She reached the Custodian in another few strides
and pulled Faedra up from her chair, tugging her into a loving
embrace. An embrace that emulated the hug Janessa had given the day
before. All protocol was, again, thrown out of the window, but
Faedra didn't mind. Jalia pulled back a little and placed her hands
on Faedra's shoulders, searching her eyes. "Are you hurt?" she
asked, quickly scanning Faedra's body before bringing her gaze back
to the stunned Custodian's.