Page 95 of Winter Gods & Serpents

Kilian crossed his arms. “Something else to say, princess?” he questioned in his stuffed arse voice of a prick.

A giggle escaped my lungs, he still dared to challenge me. “Please, if I did, I would most certainly not spare you my thoughts. Right now however rather than words a few actions requiring a dagger do seem more appropriate.”

He held his stern features and that dimple made show. “Let's meet at the training courts sometimes, I might have to show you how to actually point the sharp end at the one you want to hurt.”

I narrowed my eyes at his teasing remark. “Oh, I hurt you. I am after all your precious sweet little pawn. You want me back in Adriata shining and polished, right?”

“You forgot to mention devious. Precious, sweet, little devious pawn.”

He was in for a sweet ride, I will show him just how devious I could get pretty soon. “Miniscule detail, darling.”

We were sneering and glaring at one another and the others had halted sharing glances between myself and the silver eyed snake.

“They have bonded,” Mal said gleefully, planting a hand atop his brother’s shoulder. “A promising start to an eternal friendship.”

“Shut up, Malik,” both his brother and I said in unison startling ourselves.

Mal’s smirk grew. “The bond is really deep, can you two read thoughts now, is that what the glaring is about?

“Glaring?” Cai asked, not pausing as he chewed on a piece of bread. “It looks something on the lines of love at first sight.”

“Look again,” Nia chimed in. “I think it’s a staring competition. Five silver dar she wins.”

“My bet is on her too,” Mal leaned in.

“No, no,” Cai added. “Mine is on him. Two summers ago, a little girl threw a pine at her catching an eye, ever since she keeps double blinking at times.”

Kilian’s attention snapped away from me to them. “Has she not had it looked at?”

Instead of answering, they brought out five silver dar handing it to Cai who jollily counted his victory before pocketing it.

“You did that on purpose,” Nia accused. “She would have ate that little girl if such thing had happened.”

Cai shrugged. “He kept asking me during the duty we shared about her paleness, the limp on her left foot, why she stretches her back after horse-riding, if she slept or ate or rested. It was a random try, never thought it would work.”

I peeked over at him, still dour faced and unbothered staring at some random wall ahead. Was he afraid I’d suddenly drop dead before the agreement?

“What can this much Isjordian money buy me, Nia?”

“A proper haircut?”

“Hey, my hair is almost the same as his,” Mal leaned in, wearing a frown of offense.

“I can spare enough for your poor self too.”

I tried to laugh but everything was fogging, and I felt hot and cold and feverish. An arm wrapped around my waist holding me up. “Come cakes, that was enough entertainment for today, the healer is waiting.”

* * *

The medi-healer examined my wound carefully. “Burning Hemera, you should be more careful, the dagger had nearly pierced a large vessel.”

I knew not to have done that; I drove it there particularly to avoid any major damage, I was angry not a fool.

She rose a glowing palm over my wound. The feel of magic stitching my flesh shut sizzled like oil over heat. Solaryans were blessed by the goddess Cyra of sun, light, and healing. Medi-healers were one of the three Solaryan Aura. They were the best and quickest healers in the continent. Through their magic, medi-healers mended the flesh from within, stitching all of it to the previous state. Solarya also had Aura that healed magical abilities, restore, and amplify them, called magi-healers. As tempting as many found that to be, it came at an excruciating cost for the magi-healer, some had turned to dust after not being trained enough that they had channelled their own mana by mistake. Magi-healers were rare, highly trained and usually went through decade long apprenticeships. Probably why many were said to be reluctant to even go through the route. Knowing my fathers greed, he probably had a stash load of them hidden in a safe house for him to use.

She gave me a scalding look. “I have seen you more often in a couple of weeks than any soldiers in all their service.”

“You’ve fallen into my trap of seducing you,” I said, giving her a wink.