“I know how much your dragons meant to you,” Rada said, still watching me. “When you created them anew.”
Only for them to be destroyed once more. A sad smile lifted my lips. “They meant a lot to you, too.”
Rada’s gaze dropped to her drink. “They were so clever,” she murmured. “Maybe even more so than some mortals.”
I sat up, suddenly alert. There was something strange in her tone.
She continued to avoid my gaze, idly tracing the rim of her cup. “If someone had told them to hide,” she said slowly, “I believe they would have.”
Could she possibly mean…? Hope awakened within me, almost painfully intense. “I’m certain they would have,” I replied, striving to keep my voice steady. “Sharith has always been a place of endless underground tunnels and impenetrable shadows.”
Her lips curled slightly. “The Council never unearthed all its secrets.”
She had saved my dragons. Somehow, my fierce little queen had achieved the impossible and saved my dragons. Although she might not wish to reveal it directly, perhaps not trusting me entirely yet, it was clear she had outwitted the Council.
The temptation to ask her, to find out more, was close to overwhelming. But I chose not to press her for answers. Not tonight.
We were both silent then, exhaustion and heartache stealing our words. It wasn’t an awkward silence; rather, we found comfort in each other’s presence, in the soothing atmosphere of sharing a cup of tea in front of a warm fire.
When Rada finally fell asleep, still curled up under her blanket, I caught her mug before it could tumble from her hands. I lay down on my pallet beside her and watched her face until the fire burned down to embers, guarding her sleep.
CHAPTER
34
THE GOLDEN DAYS OF LYRHEIM
1800 years after the founding of Aron-Lyr
Rada
Lies only gave birth to more lies. A harsh lesson I learned all too quickly. Even the ones I convinced myself I was only telling for the good of others. Perhaps those most of all. Deep down, I knew what I was doing was wrong, a new sense of caution creeping into my every interaction with Aramaz. I feared it was only a matter of time before he uncovered the truth, and I dreaded his reaction.
Ironically, it wasn’t my behavior that aroused suspicion, though. It was Belekoroz’s. But then, given his usual prickly nature, the mere absence of his constant glares and barbed comments was unusual. Especially to the one who knew him best—his brother.
“I’ve never seen Belekoroz as content as he is since working together with you,” Aramaz commented one day, when we were alone in his study after a Council meeting. The room was bathed in the warm, golden light of the afternoon sun, casting long shadows on the polished wooden floor. “My love, you are an enchantress. Who would have thought my brother would be so taken with you?”
“It was as you said,” I forced out, the words catching in my suddenly dry throat. “He appreciated someone giving him a chance.” My voice sounded strained, even to my own ears.
My betrothed’s blue eyes twinkled good-naturedly as he handed me a glass of wine. It was a new drink, made by the Elves from the sweet grapes growing on the hills of southern Lyrheim. I took a gulp of the crimson liquid to gather my thoughts. It tasted delicious, like the essence of summer tingling on my tongue.
“Indeed. But then, who could resist your charms for long?” Aramaz’s smile deepened as he stepped around his desk, reaching for a lock of my hair and twirling it around his finger. The gesture was intimate, almost possessive, and sent a shiver down my spine. “I must ask you to employ them once more. He seemed a bit reluctant to share the remaining locations of the gates to the Other with us.”
“They are in the north. He considers it his domain,” I answered softly, setting down my wineglass. My stomach was churning with sudden unease, a cold knot forming in its pit.
“Mmm.” Aramaz’s hand trailed down my arm, pulling me to him. My head came to rest against his chest.
At other times, I had cherished the solid, reassuring warmth of him against me. Today, a sickening feeling overcame me of being trapped like a bird in a cage, with no possibility of escape. His scent, a mix of pine and something crisper, like the bite in the air before a storm, enveloped me.
“Perhaps you need to be more convincing. He won’t be able to deny you.”
Panic swelled within me. He could not mean…
I tensed in his embrace, my muscles tightening in an involuntary urge to flee. “I don’t think he really…” I started, my voice trembling as I wondered what exactly Aramaz suspected.
The king’s next words made my heart seize painfully, as if gripped by an iron fist.
“Oh, I know he desires you.”
