“If she returns every twelve days, for the time being, staying for a couple of days at a time after we complete her Ascension, will that suffice your people?” I asked the old-timer.
Edda’s gaze, filled with unreachable shadows, looked me over. It was void of any warmth. The daring edge of the darkness that seemed to surround her reminded me of the warnings about the Bavadrin race. She nodded in agreement before finally turning her attention back to Ariana, who scolded her for her behavior.
They had a strange relationship.
“That’s going to be a lot of traveling,” Kole said under his breath.
I nodded absentmindedly. “If that is what’s needed to gain easy control of the Bavadrin forces, then that is what we will do.”
“Your brothers won’t like this,” he mumbled before turning his attention towards two quickly approaching Bavadrin guards. Kole advanced, placing himself between us and the strangers, baring his teeth in warning.
“Wait.” Ariana reached for Kole’s arm. She was lucky he didn’t react aggressively to her touch. Typically, when Lysians were on edge and alert to potential threats, they functioned on instinct. Harmless distractions could easily lead to amplified hostile responses.
Kole only looked at her hand before meeting her eyes.
“Please, they are my friends.” Her green gaze then turned to me. “I would like to greet them.”
I only had to nod once, and she was running towards them, throwing her arms around their necks. It was not the first time I had seen either of them. Each of the men at some point worked as guards in the dungeons, both allowing Ariana to have access to me. One of them, Landin, would have been burned out of existence were it not for Ariana giving up her father to save him. And the other left me with scars on my back.
As Landin wrapped his arms around her, his hate-filled stare found me in the background.
“Thank the Spirit you are unharmed,” the guard murmured before releasing her.
Ariana caught him eyeing me. “Don’t look at them, look at me.” She grabbed his chin, turning it to better view a healing scar near his jaw. “I’m glad that you both are alright. I was so scared. If something had happened to either of you . . .” Her head shook as if she couldn’t handle even the thought.
The guard with the hateful gaze pulled her in for another embrace. “Don’t, we are fine. Because of you, we survived.”Though his voice had dropped incredibly low, my hearing easily caught the words, along with Ariana’s small sob.
Edda stood beside me, watching the encounter from the distance.
“Are they lovers?” I asked, earning a quiet glance from Kole.
It would have been valuable to know such a thing. Despite the days Ariana had spent on our lands, under the same roof, much remained a mystery. Whatever of her past and present, I wished to know it.
Edda released an irritating laugh as if she were not laughing at the question but at my asking of it. “When Ariana and Landin were little, there was talk of possibly arranging a marriage between the two. They were best friends, both attractive, and he came from a prominent family.”
“Such a prominent upbringing didn’t spare him from being my prison guard in a dungy, dark, smelly prison?” I asked. I had imagined he came from a less fortunate upbringing.
“Fate was not the most kind to him. Ariana has protected him. She is the reason he and Willis had the positions they did. Now, with her ascending to become the Leader Superior, they will rise with her.” The old bat didn’t exactly answer my question.
“What did she protect them from?”
“It is the reason she and Landin could never be more than what they are. Ariana and Landin love one another. That is true. But they do not love each other in that way.” Edda turned, viewing me with a thoughtful expression.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“It is not my place to say more.” She smirked.
“Does she wish to be with him?”
Edda laughed again. “Landin and Willis are both like brothers to her. There is absolutely nothing romantic between them.”
My attention turned back to Ariana and the two men.
“I saw Shay when we approached the city,” Ariana said to the large Bavadrin with dark amber skin.
His golden eyes met with mine before turning back to Ariana. “How did she seem?”
“Fine, healthy.”
