Teryn held her gaze for several silent moments. Finally, he gave her a nod and turned away. She watched his back until he was out of sight. Fresh tears trailed down her cheeks.
It killedTeryn to do as Cora had bid and leave her behind. To think only hours ago she’d requested a kiss that he’d been all too eager to deliver. Now she was asking for space.
Every step that took him farther from the tower room made him question whether he was doing the right thing. He wanted to trust her. Believe in her strength. But seeing her like that, her cheeks glistening with tears, her shoulders hunched with grief…it nearly cleaved his heart in two. He knew she was capable of combating dark energies, of using her magic to accomplish incredible feats.
But what the bloody hell had made her cry?
Rage sparked in his blood, and his fists closed around air. He wished he held his hunting spear right now. If he did, he would chase down the source of Cora’s distress and destroy it.
What if I’m the source?
The question sank his gut, but he had to consider if it was true. Had he pushed her too far? Had she changed her mind about him? Aboutthem? If so, he couldn’t force his presence upon her. The best thing he could do was let her work through it. And if she had changed her mind…
He found himself outside the door to the guest bedroom he’d been given. With a sigh, he pressed his forehead to it.
If she’s changed her mind, I have to respect that.
Telling her about his feelings had already been a risk. He’d known she could have rejected him, and he’d been prepared for that. But to lose her now, lose the small, beautiful thing that had begun to bloom between them, tore him up inside.
Feeling as if his feet were made of lead, he opened his bedroom door and dragged himself inside, stopping only when he reached one of the windows. There was no balcony, no balustrade to lean upon, so the windowsill would have to do. He opened the glass pane, relishing the fresh air pouring in, and gathered lungfuls to counteract the tightening in his chest.
His eyes were unfocused, but not enough to miss the feathered shape darting from the trees outside the castle wall. Berol landed beside Teryn on the windowsill, giving his forearm an affectionate nibble. He reached into his pocket in search of the dried meat he always kept on hand for his falcon, only to realize he wasn’t wearing his traveling vest but an elegant frock coat.
He’d changed his clothing before his audience with King Dimetreus, during which the king had granted him permission to dine privately with Cora instead of attending the meal in the dining hall. After that, he’d changed again, outfitting himself in the finest ensemble he’d brought. He didn’t have the heart to join the main feast now, to sit amongst the king and his council, trying to pretend there wasn’t somewhere else he’d rather be.
He was about to fetch his leather vest from where it was draped at the foot of his bed, when his hand brushed over a lump in his waistcoat. Had he tucked some treats in there after all and simply forgotten? He reached inside the pocket to extract what he expected to be a strip of meat…but came away with an amber crystal.
He blinked at it a few times, confusion blanketing his mind. Why did he have this? Was this…no. It couldn’t be.
Yet the color, shape, and size were hauntingly familiar. There was no denying what this was. The last time he’d seen it, it had been attached to the dagger that had opened his father’s throat.
Wait, that wasn’t true.
The last time he’d seen it had been…
A memory snapped into place, of him changing his clothing and finding the crystal in his trouser pocket. The same confusion had struck him then. He hadn’t understood why he had it or where he’d gotten it until—like now—his memories returned.
Now he remembered it all.
He recalled Cora standing frozen in the tower room, her fingers clutched around the crystal. She hadn’t moved, hadn’t responded to the sound of her name or the feel of his touch. Not until he’d wrenched the crystal from her hand and shook her by the shoulders once more. He must have tucked it in his pocket to free his hands then. And when he’d found the crystal while he’d been getting changed, he’d moved it to his waistcoat pocket with the intention of returning it to the tower.
But…he’d forgotten. Twice now.
The thought chilled his bones.
With a screech, Berol nipped at his fingers, then raked a talon over the back of his hand. He winced and dropped the crystal to the ground. It rolled toward the bed, and he watched it settle at the corner of the rug. Berol screeched from the windowsill again, wings splayed.
“Hush, Berol,” he said to her, tone soothing. His eyes remained locked on the crystal. He still couldn’t fathom how he’d forgotten about it. Sure, he had his reasons for being distracted, but forgetting that he’d tucked a strange object into his pocket? It had to be enchanted. Possibly triggered by touch.
He frowned, stepping closer to it. Berol screeched once more, but he held out a hand to quiet her. “I know, Berol. It’s dangerous. I won’t touch it. I just need to tuck it somewhere safe until I can tell Cora about it.”
Saying Cora’s name wrenched his heart, but he was too preoccupied with the mysterious crystal to linger over his pain. Instead, he kept his attention on the stone, afraid to blink lest it somehow flee his memory like it did before. Inch by inch, he crept toward the crystal as if he were stalking prey on a hunt. He untied his white silk cravat from around his neck and stooped over the stone. Careful not to let his skin touch the object, he lifted it with the cloth.
He faced the window, ready to fold his cravat fully around the crystal, when shards of light exploded around him. The light from the setting sun had caught upon one of the facets. The glittering effect was…beautiful. He’d never seen that happen when the duke had carried it atop his cane.
His fear and trepidation fled his mind. What had he been so worried about a moment before? Entranced by the dance of amber light, he lifted the crystal higher, let the waning sunlight catch more of its facets…
Berol let out a sharp cry, startling him as she launched off the sill and into the room.
