Vana hides behind another sip of water, then sets the glass down. “The bloodbond has been strengthening for a while, now that I think about it. My hangover after Naoko’s welcome party.”
“I remember.”
“I didn’t actually drink that much,” Vana says. “Certainly the headache shouldn’t have hurt enough for you to feel it. I also felt slightly sore after your workout the other day.”
Daromir doesn’t like this. He had hoped for an anomaly, not a chronic problem. “This isn’t normal, though. Nobody in Kaiskara ever had this—or if they did, they didn’t say so. What caused the change? The cause could be anything we’ve encountered in the past few weeks. Could it be deliberate sabotage?”
“Nobody in Kaiskara,” Vana repeats, frowning. “Maybe that’s it. I don’t know of any other bloodguard and ward that have lived this long in Draskora.”
“Scalestone,” Daromir says, following Vana’s thoughts.
“It’s a possibility. I should ask Her Majesty.”
Daromir winces. “I’d rather you didn’t.”
“I’ll make up another excuse to ask about scalestone and magic bonds. I won’t give herdetails.But she knows more than most people about the effects of scalestone.”
“If you think it’s best.” Daromir still isn’t thrilled about Vana’s royal mother being part of this conversation.
“Trust me.” Vana’s slight smile tells Daromir everything’s going to be okay. They’ll get through this. “I’ll talk to her, and we can try to think of other leads. In the meantime, until we fix this, let’s not…”
His smile falters, and reality slams back into them both. Vana’s unspoken words thunder relentlessly through the silence:
Let’s not touch ourselves.
“Well,” Vana says. “Great talk! Good night!”
Daromir stays in the parlor, reluctant for the first time to follow Vana into the bedroom. When he thinks he can walk steadily, he goes to Vana’s office. He takes out an inkwell and parchment and begins penning a letter to the messenger.
If scalestone is affecting their bond, Daromir needs to get Vana out of Draskora soon. Before anything else happens. Before it gets even worse.
?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Vana
Even living in the same palace, arranging a meal alone with Aliza Dire requires several days’ notice. She either surrounds herself with courtiers or secludes herself, without a middle ground. Vana arrives for a late breakfast several days afterthe incident, and for the first time in his life, he’s relieved when a door closes with Daromir on the other side of it.
Tradition says bloodguards can separate from their wards when alone with family, in private quarters. Vana usually resents that distance or brings Daromir anyway, but today he’s grateful for it.
The past few days have been stilted. Awkward. Daromir has been distant too, and Vana can’t tell whose fault that is. Stupidly, Vana hates it, even though he’s the one who pulled away first. Because the worst part isn’t the change in the bloodbond. What truly haunts Vana is the horror in Daromir’s eyes.
Vana never dared to hope Daromir might want him. But hope must have hooked its claws into him nonetheless, and he knows it by its sudden absence. The ragged wounds where those claws ripped out.
Aliza keeps quarters separate from her husband, presumably because she needs more room for her collections. This combined parlor and dining room is structurally spacious but cramped with all manner of screens and statues and fancy chairs. One wall is completely covered in masks for theater and ritual, celebration and war, from cultures across Alantha.
Her face painted so flawlessly it might as well be another mask, Aliza sweeps towards Vana. Long black skirts barely avoid catching on a floor lamp’s claws. Her hair is knotted low at her neck today, saved from looking casual by the diamond netting.
“Darling, it’s so good to see you out of court!” Aliza clasps Vana’s hands and kisses his cheek. “Your timing is perfect. Kazia and I have just finished reviewing his studies.”
Which is when Vana notices his youngest brother, slouched at the table with one foot up on his seat. Kazia rolls a berry between his fingers, barely glancing at Vana. A stack of notebooks appears untouched in front of him.
Aliza swans towards the table. “Kazia, dear, won’t you stay for breakfast?”
Kazia straightens up with a sugar-sweet smile. “Of course, Mother. I so rarely get to spend time with my brother.”
Aliza beams at both of them. “Yes, you spend far too much time at Sabora, Vana. We should spend more time together as a family.”
