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“Lanas, Lioness.”
“Ah, named after the old king. What a noble name. I’m sure your parents had high hopes for you.”
“They did Lioness.”
“Not much chance of those hopes being fulfilled in this world though, is there? My father had high hopes for me as well. It was one of his failings. Don’t you think that we deserve more Lanas?”
“I… think we deserve exactly what we earn.”
She narrowed her eyes and nodded. She walked away from me and went to sit on a long, comfortable seat, draping herself across it to accentuate every one of her curves. It was impossible for me to take my eyes off her.
“Go and fetch me a drink,” she commanded. I went to the jug and poured out a drink for her into a cup, bowing before her as I handed it to her.
“So, Lanas, if you are to be my mate then you must not only prove your physical prowess, but also your mental capabilities as well. What are your views on the future of the pride and this land we inhabit?”
I took a moment to consider the matter, having to weigh my words carefully because I knew that one wrong answer could condemn my chances.
“I believe that the gods will provide us with a chance to flourish again. I think this is a test for us to show how much we can endure, but our rewards will be commensurate with our suffering, and one day soon this will all become clear.”
I could tell by the look in her eyes that it was the wrong answer. “So, you think all this has a reason for happening then? That there’s some kind of plan behind it?”
“I like to think that, yes.”
“My father thought that too, and he was a fool.”
I bowed my head. If any of us had ever spoken with such disrespect about a former King then we would have been flayed. It rankled me how she spoke with such disdain about someone who should have been respected, but if I said anything about the matter then I would have shown her disrespect, so I remained silent.
“So, you believe that we should simply stay here and keep trying all the same things we have tried before? That if we do the same thing over and over again eventually something will be different?”
“I’m not sure what else there is to do Lioness, apart from give up, and we’re not the kind of people who give up.”
Her eyebrow arched slightly. Perhaps there was hope for me yet.
She took a long sip of her drink. Dark liquid stained her full lips. Her tongue darted out to wipe the remnants away. She then swung her legs down from the chair and leaned towards me. Her hair fell across her face like a veil and the air was alive with her sweet scent. It played havoc with my mind, and I could feel that something desperate was happening within me.
“I can respect that, I think,” she said. “Now, what if I told you that there was another way to live, a way for us to escape this place and find refuge elsewhere?”
“Where else is there?” I asked, frowning, not entirely sure where this line of questioning was going to lead.
“Orestes?”
A laugh burst out of me. I did not intend it, and quickly clamped my mouth shut before it lasted for too long, but one moment was enough. She drew back and narrowed her eyes at me, wearing a vicious stare. I could see now why people did not long to face her in combat. Her glare was enough to make anyone wilt, and she had not even struck a blow yet.
“You think this is a joke?”
“No, Lioness. It’s just that, well… isn’t Orestes just a place in stories?”
“There is truth to every story Lanas. But just imagine for a moment that Orestes is a real place that we could visit, where our ancestors live freely, in a world that is like ours used to be. Do you not think we have a duty to explore that possibility, that we should try everything we can to find it because it might be the only thing that offers our pride a chance at a future?”
There was real passion in her voice, so much so that it shook like rumbling thunder.
“I want you to think about this question, and when you do I want you to give me your true opinion, not what you think I wish to hear. I need you to be honest with me. Can you do that?”
“I can,” I swore, my words as good as an oath. This must have been the question she asked all the others, but I had to put that out of my mind. If I was to be her mate then I was going to need to do as she asked and be honest about it. I bowed my head and thought about the matter quietly, searching my heart for the truth, and then I told her, knowing that I might be forced to march back outside like all the others, but in my mind, there was only one possibility.
Chapter Three
Ava
