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“I did,” King Rainier said. “He’s pleased with your progress in such a short time. Nylah tells me you’re an outstanding student, too.”
Relief washed over me. “I didn’t think it would show so soon. I’m in way over my head.”
The King smiled, and his eyes were gentle.
“It takes time, but you have the potential. If you believe in yourself, it will be a killer combination to unlock something truly powerful.”
I blinked at him. “That’s very kind of you to say.”
The King lifted his hand to my face and carefully brushed strands of wet hair from my cheek. He’d combed back his black hair. It accentuated his features—high cheekbones, a straight nose, and those blue eyes that bore into my soul.
When his fingertips touched my skin, warmth blossomed there. It translated into heat, rushing through my body.
My breath caught in my throat, and I looked into King Rainier’s icy eyes. They seemed to melt, turning darker. Not the color of a glacier, but the color of the ocean it ran into.
The atmosphere shifted between us, and tension lay beneath the surface, thick and wanting. I leaned toward the King without knowing what I was doing.
He cleared his throat, and I snapped out of the spell. I stepped back.
“Well done,” he said and clasped his hands behind his back. “At this rate, you might join the war.”
War? Is Jasfin going to war?I wanted to ask, but I kept the question to myself.
I felt how closed off he was, where a moment ago he’d been wide open so that whatever had passed between us had happened without a thought. Now, reaching him was impossible.
“I have business to attend to,” he said and turned away from me. “After lunch, Nylah will expect you.” He spoke as he walked away, his words blowing away in the breeze that had picked up.
I stood in the arena, my head spinning. My skin still hummed where he’d touched me.
* * *
Lunch consistedof freshly baked bread, cold cuts of meat, thick butter, and soup to go with it. I’d heard from the warriors that we ate like peasants, but to me, the food was fit for a king. The meals at the tavern were mediocre at best. The food made for the elite guard was better than anything I’d ever tasted.
Once I’d eaten my fill, showered, and dressed in a dress rather than training leathers, I made my way to the cathedral. Nylah was at her desk, scribbling with a furrowed brow.
When I walked in, she looked up and replaced her frustration with a smile.
“There you are. I have something I want you to look at.”
She walked to the bookcase and grabbed a thick book, leather-bound with yellow pages that looked centuries old.
“What is it?”
“It’s a history book,” she said. She walked to the couches and sat down, gesturing for me to do the same. I collapsed onto the couch with a groan. My muscles ached after training. “I figured if you’re going to fight with us, it will help if you know what you’re fighting for.”
She handed me the thick book. I sat up and took it from her. It was heavy, and my aching muscles complained when I hoisted it onto my lap.
I paged through the book. It was all handwritten, with maps drawn and descriptions explaining the lay of the land and how the countries had come to be.
“Speaking of fighting…” I closed the book and looked at Nylah. “The King came to see me after training.”
“He’s pleased,” she said.
I nodded. “I hope so. But he mentioned being ready to fight in the war. What was he talking about?”
Nylah sighed. “War is a waste of time and resources, if you ask me. It sacrifices innocent lives for power control. War would never take place if everyone had the mind to sit down and be reasonable.”
I waited for her to work through her thought process.
