“Dedra. Look at me!” Theo yelled, shaking his sister. Dedra’s eyes shifted toward his, and they appeared to be vacant. “Look where you are, Dedra, look at what you are doing,” Theo whispered. He was being gentle with her, and her eyes seemed to refocus.
Dedra seemed to come back to herself, her eyes widening as her magic winked out. The skies settled and a mournful sob ripped past her lips as she tore out of Theo’s hold and ran.
Theo lunged to go after her, but Cynthia stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head and whispering something to him I couldn’t hear. Theo stopped, his shoulders slumping as he turned toward Aria, who nodded and sprinted after her. Her red hair disappeared into the parting crowd, and I took one step forward, about to follow, but Gunnar stepped into my path.
I had seen him only briefly when I brought Julian to him after the attack. He had only woken up that day and had already been put to work. Guilt churned in my stomach at the thought, but I knew there was nothing that could have been done about that.
Gunnar was wearing a thick black robe, his gray beard covering the emerald embroidery at its front. Gunner smiled sadly up at me, his wrinkled face pinching as he said, “You need to finish the funeral. Dedra can wait.”
I stared into his blue eyes and glanced over his shoulder at where Dedra had disappeared.
“Your Majesty, your people are waiting,” Gunnar said again, more softly, and I met his gaze again, nodding before turning and walking back through the crowd with Jaxon to the pyre.
*
The tavern was packed, and Cam and Elida were rushing between tables, passing food and drinks around the room. They needn’t do it, but they couldn’t help themselves. I’m sure they wanted to stay busy, keep their minds off Dedra, and I sighed heavily again at the thought of her.
Aria had found Dedra in the woods and brought her back to her room. They haven’t been down since. But that was okay. Dedra needed to sober up and I would deal with her another time. Who I really needed to speak with was Jaxon, but he ran off after the funeral and hasn’t been back since.
There were so many things we needed to discuss, and I wasn’t sure where to start. All I knew was that I couldn’t hold on to this secret any longer.
“Want to talk about it?”
I turned my head and found Gunnar sitting next to me at the table. His black robes reflected the light in the room, and his beard finally moved enough that I spotted an emerald dragon embroidered on the front of it. I was used to seeing him in blues and yellows, and the sight of him in black was odd. I scanned his face and once again noticed his age, how much older he looked. The wrinkles around his sunken eyes, the way his arm shook slightly as he raised his glass to his lips.
“I wish I could,” I said, taking a long sip from my cup. Gunnar looked confused at that but didn’t push. Gunnar shakily put down his glass and I watched him nervously. “How are you feeling?”
Gunnar snorted, his eyes sparkling with their usual mischief. “I know I gave you all a fright, but you do not have to worry about me. I am fine. I just needed some rest.”
A disapproving noise sounded deep in my throat, and Gunnar rolled his eyes at me. He shook his head, his beard swaying across his robes.
“I asked too much of you,” I started, but Gunnar stopped me by laughing, his stomach shaking with the motion.
“You did not force me to do anything, son. I am an old man, and my age unfortunately finally caught up to me. That is all that happened.” Gunnar’s smile dropped as I frowned at him, and he rested his hand on my shoulder, leaning in. “You are doing everything you can, and we are all just trying to do our part as well. You couldn’t have stopped me even if you tried.” Gunnar leaned back in his chair, his wrinkled hand falling away. He chuckled again, lifting his glass to his lips. “But as it turns out, you didn’t even need me to figure it out.” He grinned, knocking me on the shoulder.
I huffed out a breath, and we both glanced over at Theo, who for once wasn’t drinking or eating anything. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he seemed to be glaring at that girl. Cynthia.
Cynthia sat beside him, shoveling food into her mouth as if it were about to be snatched away. She was laughing with the villagers at their table, while Theo watched her, mesmerized, as she took bite after bite. A small smile touched my lips as I glanced at Gunnar.
“That boy’s in trouble,” Gunnar smirked, following my gaze.
We watched as the stew from Cynthia’s spoon flew up and splattered Theo’s face. Theo let out a curse as Cynthia feigned apologies, but we both saw the secret smile playing on her lips. Theo batted away her attempts to wipe his face, standing and glaring down at her. Cynthia winked in our direction, andGunnar and I burst out laughing. Theo snapped his gaze toward us, but that only made us laugh harder.
A nasally cough sounded beside me, cutting through our laughter, and my stomach dropped. “Your Majesty, may I have a word?” Slowly turning, my gaze landed upon an ashen-haired man with a long, pointed nose. Soren’s nasally voice rang in my ears, but my attention went straight for his eyes. The tension in my shoulders relaxed a fraction as I met his usual black and beady stare.
I stood up from the table, towering over him, as I folded my arms tightly across my chest. “Soren.” I nodded, having much more respect for him now that I knew a fucking god inhabited his body.
Soren didn't bow, but instead held my gaze, waiting for my reply. My eyes drifted to his outfit, and I raised a brow in surprise. He was dressed entirely in black, with long, sheer, shimmering ribbons cascading from his shoulders that tied at his waist. His shirt was matte black, with a thin V-cut that plunged to his mid-chest. His black pants appeared lumpy at first, but a closer look revealed embroidered black rosebuds stitched onto them. It was one of his less flashy ensembles, and it almost looked normal.
“Now isn’t a good time, Soren.”
I was being gentler than usual with him, and he noticed. I waved my arm to indicate the room, the wake, and then Soren's eyes flashed blue for the briefest moment, making me stiffen.
“I think now is exactly the right time, don’t you think?”
I blinked. Had I imagined that? I shook my head. Soren then angled his body, allowing me to pass. I hesitated and thensighed, “I'm assuming you'd like to go to my study to discuss whatever matter this is?”
“Privacy is preferred, yes. This is a delicate matter, Your Majesty,” Soren lowered his head a fraction, and I glanced over my shoulder, meeting Gunnar’s inquisitive gaze.
