Theron nodded. "Elucian blood is strong. Even when it's as diluted as yours, it has a way of calling to its own."
Surprisingly, he seemed to approve of us, and for the first time since arriving at the bar, I was hopeful that Codric and I might one day feel like we belonged here—that we really deserved to become riders.
11
KAILIN
"A tongue loosened by ale speaks truth of one's heart's desire, while wisdom waits in silence til passion's flames expire."
—Elucian Proverb
As I walked into the bar flanked by Shovia and Morek, its warmth washed over me.
I took a moment to defrost and scan the crowd.
It had been over a year since I'd last been to the pilgrims' bar, and I had forgotten how packed and loud it got right before the pilgrimage. It was filled to the brim with out-of-towners and locals who came to check out the pilgrims. The air was thick with the smell of alcohol and the tang of excitement.
Shovia's grip on my arm tightened suddenly. "There they are." She pointed with her chin.
I followed her gaze, and that's when I saw him.
A prince.
That was my instinctive impression of him, and it wasn't because of the fine clothing he was wearing or the aristocratic bearing that he was trying to hide by assuming a casual pose.
The guy just looked like a prince.
It was in the quiet confidence and natural aura of authority he exuded. His hair was wavy, just long enough to be gathered in a ponytail, light brown with some darker and lighter strands woven through it. It was left loose to frame a face that was all sharp angles, softened only by a neatly trimmed beard in the Elurian style. But it was his eyes that caught and held my attention. Sharp intelligence shone from the piercing blue that seemed to glow in the dim light of the bar.
A small voice in the back of my head taunted that the handsome stranger's eyes were not midnight dark with golden flakes swirling in the irises, but I pushed the annoying voice aside.
Why was I still thinking about those drakking eyes that I'd gazed upon for mere moments five years ago?
According to Shovia, the best way to get over my obsession was to find a new hot guy to bed, and although I had laughed every time she'd said that, I was suddenly struck by the thought that the Elurian noble fit the bill.
My cheeks heated just from having such indecent musings about the stranger, and I was grateful for the dim light that hopefully hid my reaction.
The Elurian held a drink in one hand, but unlike many of the other patrons, he appeared sober and serious.
His friend, on the other hand, looked quite plastered. He was no less handsome, with beautiful green eyes and hair that was a little darker and shorter than the prince's, but he lacked his companion's aura of authority.
"Typical Elurians," Morek said from behind us. "They look almost feminine with their fancy clothes and long hair."
I stifled an eye roll. There was nothing feminine about either of them. On the contrary, they were not as heavily muscled as Morek, but the way they held themselves, even the one who seemed a little drunk, hinted that they could take care of themselves.
They were also older than the typical Elucian pilgrims.
As if to prove my assessment of his inebriation, the green-eyed one threw his head back and began to sing an Elucian ballad, his voice carrying over the din of the bar.
"The dragon soars so high,
Its scales gleaming against the sky,
But I'd trade a bond of wing and fury
For a romp of dazzling flurry."
As the bar erupted in cheers and laughter at the suggestive lyrics, my overactive mind immediately began associating images with the words, causing my cheeks to flush even deeper.
