increased. With just the three of us, we'd managed to keep our mounts through the Pass and were now so very close to our Court and our way back to the human realm. Sweat slicked the back of my neck as my mind rolled with thoughts, possibilities, and plans.
How long had Tyr been preparing for this betrayal? His treachery didn't come as a surprise, but … my gaze slid to Orion on the other side of Roan. Cold fury burned hot inside my core. He would regret his deception, that much I would make sure of.
The front gates of the Court of Crimson opened and I slowed as Roan passed through first, then Orion, and I brought up the back. Roan rode towards the stables and we followed. I slipped from the saddle, handing the reins over to a stable hand without a second thought.
"The Lanuaet," I said as I turned towards the castle's front entrance. Orion and Roan followed behind as we made our way into the front corridor.
"Your majesties!" a familiar voice called out.
"Groffet." Roan stepped forward as the short dwarf hobbled towards us.
"How—" The old man stopped and adjusted the spectacles at the end of his bulbous nose, glancing behind us. "Where is the Changeling?"
"She has been stolen," Orion stated, his voice lowering. I cut a look towards him as the scent of ash and doom intensified in the immediate area.
Groffet's eyes widened and he glanced back over his shoulder as if waiting for something to appear. "Should I tell the..." He let his sentence trail off, but we knew who he meant. Cressida's human friend.
I gritted my teeth. "No," I said with a shake of my head. "We will be moving the castle today. Make sure she remains with you. Do not let the girl out of your sight."
Groffet nodded but remained right where he was. "Do you have the energy to move the castle?" he asked a moment later.
I saw Roan's back stiffen before I felt mine do the same. My jaw clenched. The answer was not an easy one. Truth be told, I wasn't sure if we could or if we did, what the results of the strain on our bodies would be. It didn't matter. We had to get back. We had to find her. Though we'd cut our trip short by traveling with just the three of us on horseback—it had still taken us nearly a day and a half to return. Added to the fact that none of us had slept or eaten much since the Changeling had been taken … we were not at our most powerful.
"It will happen," Roan stated before pushing past the dwarf. "We will find a way."
With that, he took off. Orion didn't hesitate to follow him, and I was left standing between their retreating backs and Groffet's knowing look. I leveled him with a glare when still he hadn't said anything. "Speak your piece," I commanded. "And then be gone."
He sighed, shaking his head. "If you overexert your strengths—even between the three of you—it may damage your magic abilities," he stated. "You're all still young. You are powerful, but none of you have yet come into your full potential. If you damage your bodies now, you may never reach it."
I knew he was right, loathe as I was to admit it, but it no longer mattered. I would push my body to the brink of death if it meant saving that damn Changeling. She had weaseled her way into our Court, into my throne brothers' beds, and into our lives. When I didn't respond, he heaved another great sigh and turned around to waddle away.
My feet carried me to the Lanuaet chamber where Orion and Roan were already waiting. As soon as I stepped inside, their heads lifted and their eyes met mine.
"We will need replenishment when we get there," I stated as we gathered around the orb above us. It buzzed with barely repressed magical energy. The feel of it was like lightning grazing my skin as I moved closer.
"You may take a lover," Roan grunted as he lifted his arms, "but I will not."
"No." The word barked out of my mouth, harsh and violent. Roan's arms paused and his head turned towards me. He arched one singular brow. "I will take matters into my own hands as I suspect you will as well."
"It will not be enough," Orion said.
No, it wouldn't. Masturbation only did so much for the healing of sexual energy, but