Page 119 of Spring Guardians & Songbirds

What was he doing? Were we not here to make an alliance?

The Sun King cleared his throat and rested back on his seat. “So, you married the Winter Princess.”

“How long does the sun stay up?” I asked, tired of this already. The heat made me irritable.

Cora blinked confused. “Why do you ask?”

I gave them both a saccharine smile. “Since you find time to waste on obvious matters, it might stay up longer than I thought.”

Moriko’s mouth twitched just a little and Nia nudged her foot a little before saying, “Pardon our enthusiasm, but I am afraid we are in a race against a time we are not even aware of.”

The sun ruler eyed us all with suspicion, the umber stare setting on me with some unease. “I find it hard to go into straight conversation considering your husband is the first Night King to make contact with us when our kingdoms have disputed since the time gods stepped into Numen.” He then pointed to Moriko. “She is the first Autumn ruler to want to join an alliance.” He stopped and raised a brow at me. “And you are the daughter of the man who wants the realm in ashes. The same man who created you not long ago to turn this realm to ashes. And now Night Queen. Isn’t that so convenient for Silas?”

“Precious concern,” I said with boredom. “But twice you have stood by silent when my father was doing more than attempting to raid this realm. And you’re just now expressing concern? You are quick to judge us when you took the long route to judge my father. I thought now that he stole from you, you would have grown a pair.”

He blanched. Not at my harsh words, but at the mention of stealing. “And what do you know, girl?” he growled all red and malice, enough to make the heat from the sun turn scorching on my skin. Was the summer sun supposed to burn like this?

His tone was grating my nerves and a low rumble of thunder rolled somewhere in the distance drawing everyone’s attention to the clear skies.

“Careful, Magnus,” Kilian warned.

“Playing knight for your young wife?” The Sun King almost mocked, tilting his head to the side to give the two of us one long doubting perusal.

My whole body was already preparing for fight and my magic pushed at the gates, loaded and ready to unleash at the scent of scorching threat lingering in the air. This was a mistake. Negotiations had never been my best trait. Not unless I had whoever I was negotiating with in chains.

Kilian gave my shoulder a squeeze as if knowing what went through my head. “It is not her I am worried about.”

The air became too humid and wherever light touched us, it burned. Magnus’s jaw ticked. “Was that a threat? In my land and under my sun?”

The spill of magic leaking out of Kilian rose gooseflesh all over me and memory called for me to run—to hide. Suddenly, the day dulled, and onyx crawled over blue, altering the day skies into night. Our surroundings dimmed, too, and we were enshrouded in total darkness.

“Should it be a threat?” Kilian echoed back. He’d done this without lifting a finger. He’d done everything without lifting a finger—only with a thought. It still terrified me the same way it first did.

“Let the sun return,” Magnus's voice was low and deadly.

“The sun returns when I tell it to,” Kilian said with utter calm. “Now, Magnus, should it be a threat?”

“No, Obscur Asteri, it shouldn’t,” he gritted out.

The veil of night slowly retracted bit by bit till the heaven of Cyra illuminated overhead again. When the light returned, I noticed the shake of my limbs and one of my hands tightly clutching the one he had rested on my shoulder. With a jerk, I let go. His skin was marked red and scarred from how hard I’d held him.

He leaned to my ear and whispered, “Forgive me, please. Forgive me. I shouldn't have done that. Forgive me.”

“Your hand,” I whispered back, trying to distract myself from it all—from the way nightmares just flashed before my eyes in broad daylight.

He planted a long kiss on my temple. “It is fine, love. As long as you are.” He lifted my chin to him. “Tell me you are.”

“I am.”

Like that, with two words, his shoulders lifted, his breathing and pulse evened, and his silver eyes settled.

Magnus huffed and leaned back in his chair, studying the two of us intently. “Odd, very odd.” He turned to me. “Word spreads fast in a world like ours. I’ve heard of your reputation.”

“All of the good stuff I hope.”

“Interesting…stuff.”

“I’ve heard of interesting stuff about you, too, quite recently actually. The little set up you got on the north of Isjord for example,” I said, and waited to see Magnus’s face morph into discomfort. “Adorable attempt, but father won’t certainly let a bunch of criminals get their hands on the sceptre piece before him.”