The Nitesh.
She’d never seen power exude from a person as it did from her. The golden streaks in her ebony skin stood out when the sun peeked through a cloud and landed on her. And when Draven removed her cloak, Nyssa had to squint to see the shadowed dress over her petite body.
The Honest parted ways as Draven escorted her through.
But despite Nyssa being mesmerized by the sight of this woman, she couldn’t stop herself from meeting the eyes of the one who hadn’t stopped staring at her since he’d found a place in line. She tore her eyes away from him when the Nitesh left Draven’s side and walked up the steps. Aydra bowed, and Nyssa followed.
The conversation and introduction was brief, and Nyssa couldn’t stop staring in awe at the woman. Hearing her speak to Aydra with such pride, the proud looks on both Draven and Nadir’s faces when she spoke, and the way Aydra’s face lit up. And when the Nitesh snapped at Rhaif, Nyssa fought the urge to smile.
The doors opened a final time, allowing Bala inside, escorting an older gentleman with a cane. Nyssa didn’t have to have an introduction to know who this man was. She’d read the stories about him in the old texts, let the tales of all he’d done for Haerland in her early days play out in her mind with vivid pictures.
Lovi Piathos. She wondered why he even used the cane, as she was sure he didn’t need it. But she supposed it helped the illusion of who he was trying to be after so many years in the world.
Aydra seemed comfortable enough with him as she walked down the steps in his direction and gave him a hug without thinking twice, even joking with him, and Nyssa’s chest swelled at the look Lovi gave her sister.
“Belwarks,” Aydra announced once she’d released Lovi. “You’ll show our guests to their chambers so they can take rest before the celebration tonight.”
“Have the Blackhands arrived?” Nadir asked.
“This morning,” she answered.
A crooked grin spread on his stupidly alluring lips, and Nadir clapped Draven’s shoulder hard. Draven huffed, smiling at his friend as Nadir said, “You know where I’ll be,” and winked at him.
Nadir’s gaze swept back up to the thrones as he started stepping backwards, arms swinging slighly in front of him, fists snapping—a smug, yet leering move that had her shifting her own weight and holding her chin higher, resisting a smile by biting her bottom lip. His eyes poured over her, and she had to swallow as her heart skipped. She couldn’t help her chest rising sharply as she leered back, and he shook his head just slightly before finally turning on his heel.
She didn’t notice her palms were sweating and her thighs were clenched until he was wrapping his arm around Corbin’s shoulders, asking him to show him where the Blackhands were, and then Nyssa finally remembered to breathe.
Aydra motioned for she and Dorian to join them after a minute, and as her sister introduced the pair to the rest of the world, Nyssa found herself feeling smaller and smaller by the second.
Dorian, of course, conversed easily and without a skip. With grand laughter and his loud voice, he was obviously enjoying himself as he was eager to impress.
But Nyssa’s heart had never pounded in her chest as it did then. Being at the center of attention and not able to observe, instead having questions asked to her and needing to ask how their journeys were and such. And when Aydra and Draven stepped to the side to let them converse on their own, Nyssa felt her chest and neck break out in heated spots, nervous laughter with every word she spoke, but she kept up and pulled a smile to her lips to get through it and push herself out of her comfort zone.
She was happy, albeit embarrassed, that the Nitesh seemed to notice her anxiety, and the woman held her hands a moment and reminded Nyssa to take a breath.
“Close your eyes,” the Nitesh told her after introducing herself.
“What—“
“Eyes closed,” she repeated, and Nyssa didn’t argue when the woman’s cold fingers squeezed her clammy ones.
Nyssa hesitantly closed them, hating that she was in the middle of a crowded room and not watching everything.
“Hear,” the Nitesh said.
Nyssa frowned. “What—“
“You rely on sight for warning, do you not?” the Nitesh asked.
“I do,” Nyssa answered.
“Hear,” she repeated.
Nyssa exhaled a heavy breath, realizing it was the first deep breath she’d taken in a few minutes, and she tried to do as the Nitesh instructed.
“Find your ocean,” the Nitesh said.
Nyssa shifted, straining to listen for the ocean waves over the sound of the loud talking going on all around her. She didn’t like it. She wanted to hear the individual voices, not try and listen for the ocean. That meant not tuning in to whatever might be happening.
