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Arianna couldn’t see the male as clearly, though he carried Rion’s strong jaw. Something in the shape of his eyes told Arianna this was his father, not his elder brother.
A memory. A memory of Rion’s parents. Of his mother.
Arianna’s head turned toward the blurry image of a child running down the aisle all the way into his mother’s arms. His face came into focus for a moment and Arianna’s heart pulled hard at the emerald green eyes and the same colored hair. The smile on his face spoke of a childhood full of love and admiration.
And the way the lady of Nàdiar looked at her son. Arianna’s heart swelled.
“She’s beautiful,” Arianna said a bit breathless. “Rion,” she squeezed his hand. “Your mother is beautiful.” Something hit her chest hard, some long buried pain that had Arianna clutching the area. The vision vanished suddenly and left her gripping the sides of the bench for balance.
“Are you all right, My Lady?” Niall made to reach for her again, but one glance at Rion had him stopping. But Rion wasn’t watching Niall. His gaze was locked on her, full of anguish and longing.
“I’m fine,” she promised. “Nothing to worry about.” She took a slow breath and Rion averted his gaze. She thought she saw his throat bob and the swell that shot down the bond had tears pricking the corners of her eyes.
“Are you sure?”
She blinked them away quickly and gave Niall a pleasant smile. “That was incredible.” She wished she could be alone with her mate right now, give him some space. She hadn’t realized voicing it would hit him so hard. Instead, Arianna tried to divert Niall’s attention.
“Can everyone with the ability to glamor do that?”
“Gods, no. Showing a memory only comes with decades of training. The mind is an easily distracted thing. It takes an incredible amount of focus. Most would only be able to shift the environment around you into something of less or equal value.” He thought for a moment. “They could change someone’s face or clothing for instance. Or whether a weapon is present.”
She glanced over his clothing. “And how do I know you aren’t casting a glamor right now?”
He smiled again. “I guess you wouldn’t, though one can usually feel some sort of twist in reality. Some describe it as a brush or even a light breeze that seems to float past their mental barriers.” She’d felt something like that when he’d showed her the vision, but she’d also felt it upon entering Ruadhán. The veil that kept them hidden from the world, she realized.
“Shall we continue the tour?”
Arianna nodded and Rion helped her stand. She cast a quick glance at her mate and he seemed to have reeled in his emotions. He’d mentioned her not tiptoeing around the subject and had thought that meant he’d come to terms with his mother’s disappearance, but it clearly still bothered him a great deal.
Niall guided them back up the path and down another that led toward a series of unmarked structures. More immaculate gardens. More statues. More extravagance.
He spoke about each in turn. She learned the locations of the royal vaults, the temple, and the training barracks for their elite warriors.
He pointed. “And if you head down that path, you’ll find the market. There are a number of shops, as I’m sure you saw when you first arrived, but if you can’t find what you’re looking for, we can arrange to have it brought in from outside.”
“I’m surprised you have shops at all.”
“Did you think we were simply a floating castle in the sky?” Her face heated. “Ruadhán is self-sustaining. It’s been that way for centuries.”
Centuries.
“How old are you?”
Niall cocked his head. “I’ve lived for seven hundred thirty-nine years, though I’ve spent the last five hundred here.”
Arianna almost tripped. Seven hundred? Holy gods, she was a child.
“Don’t let it bother you,” he said, brow furrowed. “The fact remains if we’d found you when your powers first emerged, you would have come to us younger than you are now.”
“And you’d still have let me sit on a throne?”
Niall chuckled. “We’d have had rules for you until you came of age, of course, but yes, your input would still have been seriously considered. You are the one blessed by the gods, after all.”
Arianna tilted her head toward the manor. “Are we going to tour the inside?”
Niall smiled. “I thought to let you discover that part on your own. If you wish to join the council meeting tomorrow, I’ll have someone ready to escort you.” He paused. “Unless you prefer not to attend.”
Arianna shook her head. “No, I’d like to go.” She needed to learn as much as she could about this city and those who ran it.
