She shook her head, glancing again at the mural of Celestria.
The Goddess had blessed Vargah with so much and left places like Novaria and the Outpost behind. If it weren’t for Piscis Spring, Novaria would cease to exist. The water the spring provided had kept their small kingdom alive and running but it also brought them so much death.
Greed would do that, she supposed. It could make men like Desmond’s father turn a blind eye on what is right and only see what they want to see. What they think is theirs.
“So, I have a new proposal," Raffe said. "One that involves just you and me.”
She tore her eyes away from the mural and looked up at him. “And that is?”
Raffe ran a hand through his dark hair. His linen pants and matching red tunic were bold against the muted bronze of the temple and when he turned his head to a certain angle, she could see the similarities he shared with Desmond. The dark hair and brows. The strong nose. “After a month, if Desmond doesn’t how, you accept my marriage proposal–”
“I–”
“Let me finish.” His hand found hers again, smooth and gentle. “You accept my proposal, but you continue your search. We make the council see that Vargah and Novaria are still aligned, the treaty is still intact, that war is unnecessary. But between you and I, that’s all it will be. A show.”
“An appearance of unity,” she said under her breath.
“Exactly.”
She let the thought mull over as they walked back through the temple. The stained glass of the domed room cut distorted shadows across the stone floor. “And what if Desmond shows? What if he comes home?”
Raffe slid his hand to her back and escorted her through the arched doorways, where Nev was still waiting. “Then we void our marriage. I step down, step back. As long as a Vargahian heir is on the throne alongside you, the council will not question it.”
It wasn’t a perfect plan, there were so many unknowns and moving parts, but it wassomething. The bit of hope she’d been searching for.
It would keep the council off her back and give more time to find Desmond. “Thank you, Lord Raffe.” She dipped her chin. “I’ll consider your offer.”
“That's all I ask.”
Kamari flicked on theastralamp on her side table and cracked open Desmond’s journal. She scanned the page, finding where she left off earlier but the words blurred together. She was too distracted by her encounter with Raffe. His sudden change in demeanor was certainly unexpected and it swirled in her head all day.
A fake marriage, essentially, to hold the treaty together until Desmond came home. But what was in it for Raffe? Appeasing his family and keeping war from Vargah, she supposed. She snapped the journal shut. She was too tired, too confused, to try and decipher any more of Desmond’s notes.
Darkness settled over her room as she switched the lamp off. Sleep hadn’t come easily since Desmond left but with how overwhelmed her head was feeling, it was the only thing she thought she could actually do.
Besides, when she slept, she dreamt of him.
She sank into bed and closed her eyes. She could feel his hands on hers. The warmth of his breath on the back of her neck. Sheimagined the outline of his dark eyes and the thickness of his black hair as it ran between her fingers. She could see the markings that lined his forearms. She remembered tracing each one with the tip of her tongue.
She rolled onto her back, her fingers gripping the sheets, as she pictured him again. She could see him kissing her neck, her chest. Could feel his lips brush against her pulse and then her ear. Heat pooled in her stomach, her fingers tightening around the silk sheets. She pressed her eyes shut tighter, focusing her energy on the only thing she still had control of. Her own body. She trailed her fingers over her nightgown, lifting the soft fabric until it pooled around her middle and she thought of him. Her skin heated, her legs rubbed together.
Desmond.
Desmond.
Desmond.
Her eyes flew open as six bells chimed from the port in quick, succinct bursts.
Six chimes.
Something was approaching the wall.
Before she could fully cover herself, Nev was in her room. “Your Majesty, you need to get to the keep.” Nev’s gaze dipped to where Kamari was still sprawled atop her blanket, nightgown bunch, cheeks flushed. She quickly looked away.
There wasn’t any time for embarrassment as Kamari sprinted from the bed and threw on her silk robe. “What’s on the other side of the wall?”
Nev escorted her from her room and into the hall where three other knights were waiting. “We aren’t sure yet,” she said. “Only whatever it is, it’s moving fast. As must you.”
