Cedric, however, couldn’t stop replaying the events of last night in his mind. The attack, the commotion, the wicked surge of his power...Elyria’s mind-boggling beauty. The feel of her skin under his palm, the hitch of her breath.
He’d had to take another shower—a cold one, this time—to get himself to stop replaying the latter.
Regardless, Cedric wasn’t put out by the change in plans. Hewasa bit surprised by it, though, given the way he and Lord Church had left things the previous night. Just as he was also surprised—pleasantly so—to see the Arcanians already seated when he arrived.
Though he recognized Barcroff and several additional members of the king’s council, not to mention Lord Church, Cedric’s gaze skipped over them entirely. Rather, his attention immediately went to the fae sitting halfway down the table, long fingers drumming on the tabletop. Elyria’s periwinkle hair was braided down her back, and though she did not turn to look at him, it was impossible not to notice the tension in her shoulders, the straight path of her spine. She was not happy.
Cedric’s chest throbbed.
To her left, Kit had her arms folded over her chest. To her right, Dentarius’ expression was neutral, but tense. Cedric had noted the two fae standing amongst the royal guards in the hall outside the council chamber, but there was no sign of Thraigg, Nox, or the sylvan guard Cedric had heard was making fast friends with some of his fellow knights in the barracks. Perhaps after the events of last night, the delegation had decided to have their most visually Arcanian members keep a low profile.
The thought rankled Cedric.
Kit and Dentarius both nodded cordially as Cedric stepped farther into the room, though that was the extent of the welcome. He had the distinct feeling his arrival had interrupted something.
“Ah, Sir Thorne.” King Callum’s voice was warm as he gestured from his seat at the head of the table, beckoning Cedric forward. “I am delighted you could finally join us.”
Cedric bowed low. “Your Majesty. My deepest apologies. Am I late?My summons bade me report here at midday.”
From his seat to the king’s right, Lord Church raised steepled fingers to his chin. “I’m quite sure it said to be here mid-morning, but I suppose late is always preferable to never.”
Cedric smothered the protest that wanted to burst from his mouth. It most certainly hadnotsaid that, but he wasn’t about to argue with the lord. Not in front of the king.
Lord Church’s lips quivered at the edge, as though he couldn’t contain his satisfaction over Cedric’s decision not to contradict him. And Cedric wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but then the king was gesturing again, urging Cedric forward with evident impatience. He slid into an open seat at the table, directly across from Elyria.
She still wouldn’t look at him.
Cedric nervously twirled his ring around his finger. He wasn’t entirely sure why he hadn’t put it away after last night. He was typically so protective of it. He hadn’t even been willing to wear it into the Sanctum. Still, there was something comforting about its presence now. At least it gave him something to do with his hands.
Barcroff cleared his throat. “Shall we continue?”
Kit leaned forward, blowing her silver hair out of her face as she released a long sigh. “Has the council changed their minds so quickly? If not, I do not see how we are to continue, nor where we are to go from here.”
“Do not be unreasonable?—”
“Forgive my directness, Your Majesty, but I do not understand the council’s reticence in allowing us leave to search for Varyth Malchior. The agreement struck with my unc—with King Lachlandris gives you access to the mana of the Midlands in exchange for your cooperation here.”
“And as we have already explained, Lady Ravenswing, there are additional factors that must be considered,” answered Lord Church.
The king hummed in agreement, fingers tapping along the armrest of his chair as though he was greatly entertained by the erupting argument.
“What factors?” Kit’s jaw was so tight, Cedric suspected she could have cracked a walnut between her teeth. “If you were truly committed to stopping the Cult of Malakar, you would not be making this sodifficult for us. We have patiently awaited the opportunity to speak with you today. Now you tell us we must wait longer yet, when each day we delay is another day Malchior—and the Crown of Concord—grows farther from reach. Last night’s attack was nothing if not a sign that we have already fallen behind.”
Several council members exchanged uneasy glances, shifting in their high-backed chairs. Cedric’s mind was working overtime to catch up on the parts of this discussion he had so clearly missed.
“What happened at the ball was proof that things are far more tenuous than we’d previously assumed,” said Lord Church. “There are many logistics still to work through. The local constabularies in the towns you wish to investigate must be given proper notice of your presence. These things take time. Surely, you wouldn’t want any misunderstandings resulting inmoreoccurrences like last night, would you?”
Kit’s mismatched eyes narrowed, just a fraction, before she turned to address King Callum directly. “So, give us your seal. A writ. A permit. Something to show anyone who might ‘misunderstand’ our presence. Surely, overcoming this obstacle is as easy as that, Your Majesty.”
The king frowned thoughtfully as he considered the suggestion, but Cedric’s gut twisted. Something about these delays didn’t sit right with him. He knew for a fact that missives had already gone out weeks ago, informing the towns bordering the Chasm of the Arcanians’ impending arrival. Every constable in Havensreach should already be aware of the terms of the accords.
So why was Lord Church pretending otherwise?
“We can’t just have you gallivanting off and risking your own safety on some wild goose chase through the realm,” finished the lord.
Elyria, seated beside Kit, leaned back in her chair with a sharp exhale. “Correct me if I’m wrong,” she said, “but was that not the entire stars-damned point of inviting us here?”
Cedric fought the twitch at the corner of his mouth.
