Kole looked up at us, his blond hair a mess on his head as if he just lived through a battle. The only thing lacking was blood, which would have stained his hands and sword.
“Ashes, I never thought you would return,” he growled at Ariana.
Before I could ask what was going on, Edda marched out of Ariana’s room.
“It’s about time!” She placed her hands on her hips. The balcony was open in Ariana’s room, and a fall scent mixed with fresh green grass wafted through the space.
“Seriously,” Kole mumbled under his breath.
Edda ignored him. “We have so much to discuss. Your Ascension is coming up!”
“I told you I was going to eat with Erik, that I would get you once I returned.” Ariana made her way across the small space towards her bizarre friend.
“There’s no time to waste, child.” Edda stepped aside, waving her into the room. Ariana glanced back apologetically to Kole and me before disappearing into her chamber. Edda closed the door without ever acknowledging my presence.
“She is a viper,” Kole mumbled.
“She is an old woman,” I commented.
He just shook his head, looking as if he were in an exhausted daze.
I did not intend to stay.
But Ariana’s balcony door stood open, and my hearing was quite good.
I entered my quarters and made my way to my balcony, cracking the door.
22
ARIANA
As soon as Edda followed me into my room, she began asking a series of questions.
“What were the two of you laughing about when you walked in?” Her eyes narrowed as if accusing me of something. Coldness emitted from her, which had never been present before, at least never directed at me.
“I was trying to convince Erik to try my favorite dish,” I informed her, confused as to why she carried such negative air around her.
“Try it? You mean you plan on cooking for him, like aservant?” Her words nipped at me.
I straightened, startled by her demeanor. “No. It is more a show of friendship.”
“You think that Lysian King is your friend?” she asked smugly, folding her hands over her chest.
I expected Bavadrins to be wary of Lysians, especially after what happened in our city and to Fraser. I knew it would be a challenge to move past everything. But Edda was partially the reason I now found myself in this position. Though she wantedme to play nice with the Lysians, Edda was bound to question them and their intentions. However, I never expected to feel as though she questionedme.
The room we stood in was charged with an air of anger and distaste, all of it stemming from Edda. None of it made much sense.
I looked at the open balcony door, thankful for the warm breeze wafting in. However, it did little to warm Edda’s icy demeanor.
“I think he would prefer us to be friends rather than enemies. I don’t think they wish me or our people harm,” I said. Erik was many things. Sometimes he clearly tried to make me uncomfortable, which was infuriating, but there was also a kindness to him. Were the circumstances different, I believed that we could have been friends. The more time I spent with him, the more I found the raw power oozing from him less threatening.
“Don’t be stupid,” Edda spat angrily. “They are using you. Any ounce of friendship you see in them is a false picture they paint to control you better so that they get what they want in the end. They carenothingfor you.”
The way she spoke, her eyes rimmed with judgment, wounded me.
Why? Why are you saying this?
I was not someone easily hurt by words. My upbringing made certain of that. But Edda was my weakness. She was never anything other than a pillar of strength for me to draw upon, until that moment. The pillar cracked, crumbling, and the weight that I was left supporting was crushing. Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet trembled, and my knees threatened to buckle.
