“Promise me you won’t do anything stupid out there,” Liane said against his chest.
“I’m always careful, aren’t I?”Mathias said against the top of her head.
“Says the man who frequently got caught stealing sweets from the kitchen.”
“My stealth has much improved since I was six.”
She snorted, and they pulled apart as she grasped his large, calloused hands, which swallowed hers whole.
“You’re allowed to be happy, Liane. You don’t have to hold on to the past anymore.” He nodded his head toward Erich, who stood back a few feet with the guards and the horses.
“I am happy.”
“He’s a good man, and he’d be good for you if you’d give him a chance.” She resisted the urge to look back at Erich. It wasn’t as if she could tell Mathias it was fake. She didn’t want him to worry.
“Never thought I’d be getting relationship advice from my little brother.” She punched him lightly on the arm.
“I have a lot of sage advice to dispense. Next, we meet, I’ll impart even more wisdom upon you.” He tussled her hair, and she swiped at him, but he dodged her easily. When they were together again, she’d tell him the truth, and they’d laugh about it together.And she must believe he’d return; her fears for him were just that: fear.
In the stillness of the early morning, even the birds dared not make a sound. Mathias mounted his horse once more.
“Until we meet again,”Mathias said with a half wave, and a crooked smile.
“I’m proud of you, Mathias!” Liane shouted as he rode away.
“How could you not? I’m rather impressive.” He tossed over his shoulder.
She kept waving even as his back was turned, while he trotted down the road, growing smaller and smaller until he disappeared over another rise. Long after he was gone, she stayed rooted to that spot watching as the sun rose up on the horizon. After a while, Erich joined her, and they stood comfortably in silence together.
“I’m glad you decided to say goodbye. At times it seems easier not to, but it never is; it only gets harder the more time passes…” Erich said.
“Who did you leave behind? Family... or a lover?” Her skin flushed as soon as she asked. It was none of her business, but she couldn’t help but be curious.
“My uncle, the man who raised me.”
“Is he beyond the veil…?”
Erich shook his head. “Alive, but I haven’t seen him in more than six years. We had a disagreement…”
There was more to the story he wasn’t telling, but she thought she understood as her mind inevitably turned to Elias. She’d been so mad at him before he died, and by the time she’d come to her senses, it was too late to say goodbye. At times she wondered if the regret over that fueled her more than her thirst for vengeance.
From the corner of her eye, Liane studied Erich. Sunlight illuminated his tanned skin, catching the flecks of gold in his brown eyes and turning them molten. She should tell him about Mother’s proposed treaty and end their fake relationship before it got out of hand. But the truth was, she still needed him. With Ludwig injured and assassins closing in, she was afraid to go alone.
Her investigation inside the palace had stalled, and there were answers to be found in the city. Mother wouldn’t let her leave without cause, and seeing how they reacted the night before, finding evidence of Heinrich’s plotting wasn’t enough.
But she had the arrow, and if she could prove Heinrich had hired the killer, maybe then they’d believe her.
“I have a favor to ask,” Liane said.
“And what’s that?”
“Come with me to the guild district.”
“Fancy doing some shopping?”
“No. There’s someone I need to talk to.”
18
