Alaric lifted his chin in a haughty way only a prince could. “I'd prefer to marry for love, not duty.”
“Well, we aren’t afforded that right because of our station. Our duty is not to ourselves, but to the kingdoms.”
“He’s right,” the King said.
“I understand what I have to do, it’s just not what I want to do,” Alaric replied coolly.
“If you don’t want her, I’ll take them both. I’ve never been with twins. Maybe there is something to the obsession with us. They can both service me.” Arkyn glanced over at me with a smirk.
My stomach turned.
“Enough,” the King said. “You cannot have both. The treaty does not work that way. Nyx will make sure Faolan and Calytrix are not alone in their training and duties, and she will obviously be assigned to a Flight here at the palace, but I cannot see a problem with her being trained in compliance with the law. We uphold it for all others. It would be wrong to not uphold it when it comes to our own.”
Arkyn slammed his fist down on the table. “I will not allow it.”
“She is a ryder, blessed by the Goddess. It’s the law,” the King said. not raising his voice. He was very clearly used to Arkyn’s outbursts.
“That can be fixed.” Arkyn locked eyes with his father.
“You will not put your own jealousy over the good of the Kingdom. My word is final.”
Arkyn’s words echoed in my head. Fixed how? My gut told me not to even wonder—I was in enough turmoil.
After our dismissal, Arkyn escorted me back to my rooms. He was deadly silent.My head was spinning. Were they really goingto let Faolan and I fly together? I hadn’t thought of it as even a possibility. I wanted Faolan to get free, and I still did. I hoped he had, and that was why I hadn’t heard from him.
I stepped into my room and expected to be locked away there again, but Arkyn followed me in. “Don’t put faith in this lasting. I will not allow it.”
“It’s just a working relationship, nothing more,” I tried.
“Don’t take me for a fool. It’s written all over both of you.” His lip curled in disgust.
“I promise to be true to you. Please just leave him alone. I have more magic than any of my ancestors. Our younglings will be strong.” It was the only bargaining chip I had.
He cocked his head and reassessed me. “If that’s not true, I will make you watch me kill him myself for the sole pleasure of making you watch him die, and then I will make you suffer for all your transgressions.”
“It’s true. I swear it to you.”It was a gamble, a huge one, but for Faolan, I took it.
I blinked myself out of existence and brought myself back right behind him. “See?”
He gasped, spinning around, but his eyes lit up, and I knew my gamble paid off. “You little fucking vixen. My father said you’d have interesting magic, but I never expected it to be old magic. How naive I was.”
“I need him for my powers to grow stronger,” I hedged.
“That you do.” He put his hand to his mouth, thinking it through. “But how much of him you need, I will have to find out.”
“We need to be tested for a full meld before it can be known.” It was the truth, but I didn’t know how much time it would buy me. At least enough to try and find him.
I just needed to find him. He had to be close by still, if Arkyn was so sure of himself.
“I’ll arrange it.” He turned but paused. “If you so much as step foot out of the sight of your attendants, I’ll void the treaty with your Kingdom and kill every one of you Sun worshipers. The name of Light will be cursed in this and all lands,” he warned.
I swallowed hard. I didn’t think he had the power to do such things yet, but who knew what he was capable of? Maybe I could stop him before he got that far?
“But don’t think that’s the only leverage I have. You will be nothing more than my broodmare, and if you so much as step a toe out of line I will do the same to your sister. If you move against me, I will put your dragon and your sister in an arena with a pack of rabid Aqrabuamelu and let you pick who they tear apart and devour first. You will watch them both be eaten alive, mouthful by mouthful, until they are nothing but bone and sinew, and that will just be the start of your suffering.”
I bit back tears. He would not see me cry.
“Do you understand me?”he demanded.
