Page 29 of Destiny of a King

“Aye, my king,” Broccan said.

“Good. Keep all warriors on alert. I do not trust Tharne. He would be foolish to cross the rough winter seas of the Sea of Shadows to strike Scotara, and though Tharne is no fool, he has been known to be unpredictable.”

Broccan bowed. “I will see to it, my king.”

Dravic waited until the heavy door closed behind his Master of Arms.

“The plans for war go well,” Tavish said.

“They had better.”

Tavish remained silent for a moment before glancing around the chamber. “Adira is not with you.”

Dravic turned a slow look on him. “Your eyes work well.”

“I have noticed you have given her more freedom of late.”

“She does not require my constant attention.”

“Nay?”

“I do not need her around me all the time, Tavish.”

The words came easily enough. The lie did not.

He had noticed her absence almost as soon as he entered the council chamber. He had caught himself glancing toward the door more than once, expecting to see her standing there, watching him with those expressive eyes of hers. Even though he had told Feena that Adira was free to spend the day with her. The older woman had been delighted, though Adira had sent him a strange look when she learned of it.

He briefly wondered if she preferred to stay with him. A foolish thought he had chased away shortly after it came to him.

However, he did miss talking with her.

The thought irritated him, though there was no denying it. Somehow, without words, they had begun to understand one another. A small movement of her hand, a lift of her brow, the slightest change in her expression often told him what she thought. Even her touch spoke to him.

Her hand pressed against his chest softly or with strength. The way her fingers curled around his when he took hold of her hand. Or even the brush of her arm against him.

Each had told him something and, somehow, he had understood.

Dravic scowled at his own thoughts.

“I see,” Tavish said.

Dravic’s eyes narrowed. “What do you see?”

Tavish wisely shook his head. “Nothing, my king.”

Adira sat at the small table in Feena’s cottage with her fingers tucked inside the pocket of her new wool skirt. She had thought about the contents more than once since Bria had gifted her with the piece that made her necklace whole. Feena was the only person who knew about her necklace. She had not told or shown the piece to anyone else. She kept it hidden away in her bedchamber where she hardly spent any time.

She did not know why she kept it a secret. She just did. But today when she learned she would be spending the day with Feena, she thought it was a good time to show her that the missing piece had been found.

Feena glanced her way when Adira pulled the small pouch free and placed it on the table. She watched Adira loosen the tie and slip out the piece of a necklace.

Feena smiled. “It is the only thing you had when I found you.”

She gestured best she could along with her words and Adira nodded and smiled, understanding.

Feena held up one finger, then pointed to where another piece would slide easily into the other, uniting the two and forming one necklace.

Adira understood what Feena gestured. It looked as if another piece was meant to join with her piece. She smiled and slowly removed the piece Bria had given her from the pouch.