Not to mention the point that resurrecting the dead would take a dark, forbidden power. A power that the king did not possess. A power that was only discussed in legends and nightmares.
I tossed and turned between the silk bedsheets. The sun would be up in an hour, maybe less. And I hadn’t slept a damn minute.
My mind wandered to Jessiah. Time and goddess-cursed time again, I pictured the way he’d watched those people.
He hadn’t grown up in Midgrave like I had. As the son of the mighty archangel, he’d been surrounded in luxuries. But he had seen death. He had seen decay, just as I had.
Only, he had been on the other side of it all.
My chest tightened. We’d only begun to learn about what was really happening in Pericius, but so far, it didn’t look like a rebellion at all. The streets were full of children. Of women begging for food. Men who could do nothing but plead for help.
I’d be the first to admit that my heart was cold, but damn it all, what I witnessed last night had brought tears to my eyes.
When we left the healer, we’d crept back into this warm, cozy castle, where there was plenty of food and wine, where the multiple wardrobes in my room alone were stuffed full of glamorous dresses, where we’d have to pretend like our lives were all great and fine.
It made me fucking sick.
There was no way I could sleep with all this on my mind. So I pulled myself out of bed and threw on a fresh pair of trousers and a loose top. Many of the women here wore dresses, but I was still not used to the luxury. It had been a fun change of routine for dinner last night, but that was a fantasy. An illusion.
Today, I was back to being plain old Rummy. There was nothing special about me. Nothing luxurious.
I pulled my black boots onto my feet and made my way to the door. When I flung it open, a figure loomed on the other side, scaring the life out of me.
“King Cornelius!” I reined in my reaction quickly and plastered what I hoped was a warm smile onto my face.
To my surprise, he seemed equally flustered. His hand was raised like he’d been ready to knock, but he quickly dropped it, clasping his hands behind his back, and took a step back.
“Rummy, good morning.”
“Good morning to you, too.” The tension in my shoulders eased a bit. “To what do I owe this surprise?”
His eyes met mine, and I could have sworn he looked… almost shy.
“I hoped you would accompany me on a morning walk.” He ducked his head nervously. “The castle is beautiful this time of the day. We have the perfect view of the sun rising over the horizon, but I know it is early and I wasn’t sure I should disturb you, so?—”
“Please.” I stepped into the hall, pulling my door shut behind me. “I would absolutely love a walk. My attempts at sleep are getting me nowhere. You’d actually be helping me.”
My racing heart slowly calmed itself. I couldn’t imagine he’d found out about our escape last night. If he had, I couldn’t imagine he’d behave so congenially.
“I’m happy to help.” He held his arm out to me, and I swiftly accepted.
He led me through the main halls of the castle, but soon, we were heading outside, guards pulling open a set of doors that took us to a terrace with stone steps that led to the grounds. He was right. The view from here was incredible. The sun rose over a garden that spanned the horizon as far as I could see, the sky painted pink and orange and purple. Flowers in colors I had never even seen before lined the path. Butterflies and other insects fluttered around, bringing the castle to life.
After what I’d seen last night, I needed this. A reminder that beautiful things still existed in the world.
“I must say,” Cornelius said as we walked side by side. “I quite enjoyed your company last night. More so than I would like to admit, actually.”
I smiled softly as we strolled lazily. “Is that a bad thing?”
“Bad?” he repeated. “No. Surprising? Yes.”
I ducked my head, playing coy. “Oh, please. Don’t try to tell me you don’t have a plethora of beautiful women here to keep you company. I’m sure a king as good-looking as you spends many evenings charming and dining with company.”
He put his free hand over his chest and inhaled. “You must think some truly heinous things of me, if that is what you picture my free time looking like.”
We came to an intersecting garden path and stopped walking. I slipped my arm from his and turned to meet his gaze. “I suppose I don’t know you well enough to picture how you spend your time at all.”
His smile widened. “Then I suppose we’ll have to change that, won’t we?”
