“Meaning you?”
Our lips came shy of meeting before someone burst through our door unannounced.
It was Drystan with a rather irate look on his face. “I would apologize but you two have the rest of us waiting around downstairs, promptly by sunrise, despite the disturbances to our rest you caused.”
I almost choked at his bold proclamation. We’d been as careful and quiet as we could have been last night… hadn’t we?
I met Nyte’s stare with a blush fanning my face when Drystan left after that announcement, but Nyte wasn’t fazed. In fact, I thought he was delighting in it.
“I warned you to be quiet,” he said, standing and reaching for my cloak. He used any excuse to touch me, fitting it around me and clasping it at my shoulder. I was too focused on what the mischief in his eyes suggested he was going to say next. “I can’t wait to inflict your punishment.”
I scowled, pushing him lightly. “You weren’t silent either.”
“Impossible with you.”
Everyone was downstairs; they all sat around a dining table with empty bowls of porridge. Their irritation wasn’t subtle, and I kept my head down sheepishly, sitting opposite Zathrian.
Drystan marched over with a large map, pausing expectantly to look over the table. Nadir waved a hand, and the bowls vanished for him to lay the map down.
“We should probably split up. There are fifteen temples left since we’ve freed Athebyne and Edasich. Athebyne was at the temple in Alisus, and there are no others in the kingdom. The blue dragon, Edasich, was in Vesitire, which leaves two more temples here. One in Astrinus in the north. One each in Fesaris, Arania, and Pyxtia, so that makes three to the west. Leaving most of them, nine, to the east, seven of which are scattered past Althenia borders beyond the Sterling Mountains,” Drystan finished explaining, folding his arms and pondering the map.
Glancing over to the side of the room, he found something of interest, stalked toward it, and returned with chess pieces gathered in his arms. He started setting them on the map to give us visuals on the temple locations.
“Lilith and I can cover the three in the west,” Davina said, sipping her tea. Lilith smiled at her in agreement.
Zath said, “Rose and I should take the two here in Vesitire.”
The scent of warm cinnamon and honey filled my nostrils before Nyte slipped a bowl in front of me. My smile broke out at such a simple pleasure as porridge. A greater pleasure was Nyte’s grin in response, and my heart fluttered at the sight of it, not taking a single treasured moment for granted.
“Enough of your flirtations. Silent or otherwise,” Drystan muttered sourly. “We have work to do.”
“Said work needs sustenance,” Nyte countered, slipping onto the bench beside me with his own bowl.
“If you had been prompt, we’d have already covered that.”
“I wouldn’t mind second breakfast,” Zath cut in.
Drystan ignored us all to say, “I’ll go north to Astrinus myself; then I can cover the two outside Althenia borders to the east.”
“You’re not going alone,” Nyte said firmly.
“I wasn’t asking, brother.”
Their standoff hummed with tension. Then I scanned the room.
“Where’s Nadia?” I asked.
My inquiry twitched a muscle in Drystan’s jaw. “Her allegiance was always elsewhere,” he said flatly, not elaborating.
Nyte met my eyes, explaining to me through our bond,“She’s been my father’s eyes and ears this whole time.”
Denial was my first instinct, but from Drystan’s reaction…Oh gods.
“I can go with Drystan,” Elliot offered. He leaned at the side of the room like he didn’t know how to integrate himself into this group of new and unlikely friends after losing those he’d bonded with over centuries in the Golden Guard.
“No offense, but I’d rather go myself,” Drystan said.
“Not an option,” Nyte repeated. “You travel with Elliot, or you’ll come with Astraea and me. Elliot can accompany Zath and Rose. No one goes alone; it’s too dangerous.”
