Quite. We saw many,manymore ships than she has now in the Castle Island harbor with more on the way.
Yes.
Will her people allow you to assist her?
I don’t know.
Are you in shackles currently? That might be a clue.
Vorik snorted softly.She didn’t let them shackle me. I am in a prison cell, but it’s quite posh.
A posh prison cell?
There’s a bed, a chamber pot, a porthole, and someone brought me a meal as we sailed away. There were even apples and pears.
I will not be able to assist you on Castle Island.
I know. You should… I’m not sure what you should do, Agrevlari.Vorik had to swallow a lump in this throat at the idea of sending his bonded dragon of many years back to his people, possibly never to see him again. But the stormer-allied dragons had always made it clear that they’d joined with his people because of their mutual goal to gain access to the bounteous Kingdom islands, and if Vorik wouldn’t be working toward that end…
Currently, I am speaking with Wreylith,Agrevlari informed him.
Is she talking to you again?
She said she regretted that the barrier didn’t give us an opportunity to engage in battle last night, as she would have enjoyed a vigorous engagement with a spirited foe. Though she is willing to assist the queen, she finds fighting only puny humans to be unsatisfying. I invited her to fly away from the death launcher and engage in a physical altercation with me now, but she says she must prepare to aid the queen in reclaiming her throne.
Is a physicalaltercationwhat you want with her?
As I learn more about her, I believe that a fierce and challenging battle might lead her to desire to mate—more so than my singing.
I think that’s likely too.
A lock turned in the door, and Vorik sensed Syla in the corridor. A guard with a crossbow stepped in first, looking suspiciously at Vorik and waving for him to back to the wall before he would allow Syla to enter. Other guards, including some of her Royal Protectors, lurked in the corridor.
“Thank you, Sergeant,” Syla murmured politely while shooing him back outside with one hand. She held a small circular pan in the other, something that smelled of apples and cinnamon and other spices he couldn’t name.
Vorik’s mouth watered.
“Are yousureyou want to be alone with him, Your Majesty?” the guard asked. “We’ve heard that you have, uhm, powers now, but he’s dangerous.”
“Not when he has baked goods in his mouth.” She showed the pan to the guard.
The man’s brow furrowed as if he didn’t know if that was a joke or not.
“It’s true,” Vorik offered. “I hardly ever threaten people who give me delicious food.”
“I’ll be fine.” After succeeding in shooing the man out, Syla closed the door, then lifted the apple dessert toward Vorik. “The palace and barracks kitchens on Bogberry Island are in a shambles—most of the city is—so this isn’t fresh, but I had a bite of another one. It’s still tasty.”
“It smells wonderful.” Vorik accepted the dessert but set it aside so that he could envelop her in a hug. “You do too.”
“I haven’t bathed yet, except in salty lake water.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Vorik rested his cheek against her hair, inhaling her scent and appreciating the warmth of her body against his. And that she returned his hug without reservation.
“I’m sorry that you lost so much,” she whispered into his shoulder. “When I came up with the idea… I didn’t think through all the ramifications. I certainly didn’t realize half the shorelineand all those boats would be pulled under. And I meant to flood the minebeforeyour people arrived.” The distressed tightness in her voice didn’t surprise him, and he knew that she wouldn’t have willingly chosen a path that had killed so many. But he also knew she would always do what had to be done to protect her people. “And I’m sorry that you lost your brother.”
“That was because of my choice, nothing you did.” The aunt might be the reason Jhiton’s wound had ultimately been fatal, but Vorik had run his brother through with his sword. That would haunt him for the rest of his life, but as he held Syla in his arms—warm, beautiful, and determined Syla—he couldn’t bring himself to wish he hadn’t done it. If Jhiton had been with Lesva at the shielder chamber, Syla wouldn’t have survived the encounter. Jhiton may have humored Vorik more than he should have in regard to their relationship, and he might have even respected Syla, but he wouldn’t have hesitated to kill her. Not if she stood between him and his goal.
“You only made that choice because of me,” she said. “If I didn’t exist, you never would have pitted yourself against your brother.”
