Cienaand I parted ways shortly after the bottle was gone. Though I’d sought solitude, she was good company, and it was nice getting to know her a bit more. She offered to walk me to my rooms, but I declined. Not only because of the absolute disaster they were in, but because there was somewhere else I wanted to go.
I’d sobered up enough to know walking toward Illara’s bedroom was a horrible idea. It didn’t deter me, though. Even if there was a significant chance of making things worse. I simply didn’t want to be alone, and I had no one to turn to. I’d driven away the one person who always had my back.
I knocked on Illara’s door, but there was no answer. Perhaps she was asleep, but something stopped me from turning away. I needed to look inside to know for sure, because that feeling grew with each second that passed.
I pushed open the door, peeking my head around to see inside.
A figure stood in the middle of the room clad in all black, their face hidden by their hood. Dagger-like nails peeked out of their sleeves, a thick substance dripping to the floor. Thick black and white candles stood in a semicircle, their flames higher than any I’d seen before.
I covered my nose, trying to ignore the thick incense filling the room. It was mixed with something sharp. Coppery. It was enough to make me sick.
They had their back to me, mumbling something under their breath that I couldn’t catch. I scanned the room, Illara nowhere to be found. Drawing my dagger, I stepped forward cautiously. “Who the fuck are you? How did you get in here? What have you done with Illara?”
The figure reached up, their talons brushing the edge of the hood before pulling it down. Wild, inky hair came into view, and as they turned around, I stopped breathing completely.
“Hello, Kalen.”
And then everything went dark.
Chapter28
Eva
The sun streamed in from an open window, birdsong carrying on the wind. My head rested on Matthew’s bare chest, the gentle rhythm of his breathing causing me to drift in and out of sleep all morning.
For the first time in so long, I woke up feeling rested. The fate of my kingdom was not resting on my shoulders alone—I had more than my fair share of assistance from allies, friends, and family.
I reached up, resting my chin on my arm, and running my other hand over the slight smattering of hair across his torso. He twitched, a small smile cresting his lips as his eyes fluttered open. Those green jewels I loved so much stared up at me, shining as brightly as the sun in the sky.
Matthew had made love to me unhurriedly the rest of the evening and well into the morning, taking his time to worship and devour every inch of my body. And when he had wrung every ounce of pleasure he could from me, only then did he seek his own.
After so much suffering, this felt like a fresh start for the both of us. It was a way to put the past behind us and move forward—even if neither of us knew what the future held in store. But as long as I had him by my side, I knew I could face it.
This morning I was deliciously sore, my skin tender where he’d marked it with small bites. When I’d scolded him over it, he’d simply shrugged and told me it was a map for both of our pleasures. Never mind the fact that he was a territorial bastard and wanted to ensure the entire world knew he satisfied me and our relationship was officially consummated. Even if I thought the tradition was irrelevant, seeing as we’d bedded each other constantly since we met.
Once he’d woken up, we made our way to the council room with Luka, while he profusely apologized for interrupting ouralone timeto drag us off on political matters. I could not shake the unease which sat low in my stomach. Lachlan had gone too long without making a move.
I studied the maps before us. The council room was a mess of disarray. High-ranking sentries came and went, each receiving orders for their battalions. There’d been a makeshift aviary set up in the back for ravens to fly in and out, carrying messages to our allies across Aethion.
“What am I looking at?” I asked. Luka and my father stood opposite of Matthew and I, the map below littered with black markers designated to show The Horde’s movements. “This doesn’t look any different from the last time I studied it.”
Luka and my father shared a glance. “That’s because it isn’t,” Luka said, clearing his throat. “None of the camps have moved in nearly five days. From the patterns we’ve seen, most move out after two days—three if they took significant casualties. King Magnus has been putting up a significant patrol around Angoria’s borders, and his soldiers have been giving Lachlan hell. The same can be said for most of our allies, in fact.”
Matthew’s brows furrowed. “So why aren’t they moving now? What’s stopping them?”
“That is worrisome,” my father interjected. “It would seem they’re waiting on orders or else they would have kept up with the same movements as before.”
“Lachlan is biding his time,” I agreed. “But the question is, for what?”
Luka gestured around at the chaos. “That’s what we’ve been trying to figure out. We’ve sent scouts out, and ravens, too, but nothing has come back with any answers.” He dropped his gaze to the map and lowered his voice. “In fact, some haven’t come back at all.”
“Lachlan is not a stupid man,” Matthew said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he realized we were tracking him, or if someone in his inner circle did. Either way, they would’ve put a stop to it. He’s obviously planning something, but we have no way of knowing where his attack will land.” He looked over at me. “Has Ciena finished the elixir?”
I shook my head. “It is not finished yet. When I spoke to them the other day, they said it was progressing well. I’ve seen them working on it constantly, but perhaps I should pay them a visit? See if there is anything we can do to speed the process along?”
“I think that would be best,” my father said, clearing his throat. “Enough time has passed that anything Damien knows may be obsolete, but it’s our best chance for information at the moment.”
We all understood how difficult it was for him to admit that Damien might be our saving grace. War was no time to let personal conflicts stand in the way of help, though.
