“I’m going off to the toilet,” Vi declared.
“Me too,” Taavin said eagerly. Perhaps a little too eagerly. It had been a long ride, so Vi hoped his enthusiasm wasn’t conspicuous.
As they left, their companion told Marcus about the soldiers they left behind on the road. Vi closed the door firmly behind her and started through a tunnel that connected to another large hallway. Voices could be heard behind several doors and Vi paused, looking to Taavin.
“What now?”
“We’ve done all we need to.”
Vi leaned against the wall, scrutinizing him. “We went to war. We raced across the continent, keeping him alive—not healing him, to get back here and do… nothing.”
“The magical Bond your parents form is a stone in the river.”
“A Bond…” Vi murmured. Bonds were legendary things—two sorcerers whose lives were wholly intertwined in such a profound way that they could never do harm to one another. A Bond could even keep one sorcerer alive while the other was mortally wounded. “I suppose something that powerfulwouldbe a stone in the river.”
“Even knowing it was a stone—or,believingit is—I was worried there. Things are changing and I admit to wondering if Aldrik could actually die.”
“I don’t like that thought.” Vi pushed her soaking hair away from her face, slicking it back. “I’d always assumed Aldrik and Vhalla’s lives were stones in the river.”
“As have I,” Taavin said hastily. “But uncharted territory has my nerves aflame.”
Vi nodded, looking in the direction where commotion echoed in the hall. “Should we go oversee things?”
“I don’t think we should risk it. He’s here and the library staff has been summoned. It’s best not to muddle fate further with our presence.”
“Then our focus becomes finding and replacing the crown.” Vi pushed off the wall and began to wander aimlessly away from the voices and commotion as she focused on their new task. Taavin followed her into narrow and narrower corridors. Her mind was leading her in a specific direction, some map or blueprint in the far recesses telling her where to go. Vi trusted her subconscious self.
“That will be work for the morning,” Taavin said eventually.
“What do we do tonight?”
“Whatever we want.” Taavin took a step closer to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. “You’re a hard woman to get alone these days.”
Laughter sprang forth, tired and airy. “All this was a long ploy to get me alone, Taavin?”
“I’ll say it was worth it.” Two strong arms closed around her. In one deft motion, Taavin hoisted her upward. Vi immediately sank into the cradle of his arms, resting her head against his shoulder limply.
“You seem happy,” she murmured.
“No. Just relieved.” He pressed his lips against her forehead. “Where are we headed?”
“I don’t know,” she murmured. “Somewhere quiet.” Sure enough, they’d ended up in the bowels of the palace, deep enough that no sorcerers even maintained the candles or torches on the walls.
“I think you’ve achieved that.” Taavin paused at an open doorway. A dust-covered bed stood stubbornly against time. “Does this look good to you?”
She hummed as she assessed their option. Vi murmured “Kot sorre” and pushed the dust from the bed with a glyph that also bunched the threadbare blanket. “Better.”
“Good.” Taavin carried her to the bed and laid her down. Vi caught his shirt as he pulled away. She used what strength she still had left in her to yank him forward. Taavin stumbled, catching himself with a hand on the pillow by her head. Dust filled her nose, nearly making her cough, but Vi suppressed it as his lips met hers.
She would not allow anything to break this kiss.
His fingertips smoothed over her cheek and, despite the exhaustion he must be feeling too, he kissed her hungrily. His tongue probed hers gently, eliciting a soft sigh from her. When he finally pulled away, he stayed close enough for their noses to touch.
“Thank you,” Vi whispered. She wanted to get the words out before sleep claimed her. “Thank you for being here no matter what.”
“There’s nowhere else, notimeelse, I would ever want to be.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
