Von chuckled and shook his head. His role as commander aside, he secretly liked that they found time to be boys.
With the receding daylight at his back, Von slipped into the woods on the outskirts of the camp and followed the sound of water trickling to a creek. A basket rested by the bank, full of freshly washed uniforms.
“Yavi?” he whispered.
A hand slipped in his as she appeared at his side, giving him a sly smile. “Did anyone see you come?”
He wound his hand around her hip and drew her close as he brushed his lips over her cheek to her lips. “No.”
Her mouth opened against his, and he instinctively answered with a slip of his tongue. Since he promised to do better by her, he attempted to make these moments more frequent. No matter how tired he was, Von stole away with her into the wilderness where no one could see to be together. To be present, to converse and love her, to be the man she needed. It was the only time when nothing else mattered, and he saw the difference it made. Yavi looked happier. She smiled and laughed more.
But in the back of his mind, he knew this was merely a morsel of what she deserved.
Yavi tugged him along, and he followed her deeper into the trees. She led him to a ridge where a blanket was stretched out on the grass with another folded on top. It overlooked what he thought was the sea until he realized it was a valley of crushed sapphires. They were near the mines. With the rays of the sunset, the blue valley created an illusion of a vast, glittering ocean.
They sat, and Yavi nestled in between his legs, leaning against his chest as they watched the sun slowly descend into the horizon. It bathed her in soft, warm hues, illuminating her hazel eyes and freckles. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a perfect moment like this.
“When I lived in the United Crown, we’d only heard stories of the sapphire sea in the Azure Kingdom,” Yavi said. “I thought it would be bigger.”
He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ll write a letter to the Azure King recounting that you were disappointed by one of the kingdom’s wonders.”
She snorted. “The Hashell Ruins of Harromog Modos, now those are a wonder. The structures rise like jagged dragons of stone, and when the wind passes through, it creates a haunting song that touches your soul. It’s guarded by the Desert Fae so no one can get close, but they say that at the center of the ruins lies the Lost Well. It’s a well that carries no water, only the wishes it was given.”
“Why is it called the Lost Well?”
“You lose that which you love most to gain your wish.”
He laughed. “What an awful trade. Who would do that for a wish?”
“The desperate?” Yavi shrugged. “Those who have nothing else to lose. Otherwise, why guard it?”
He had to agree she had a point.
Twilight fell as the last of the rays faded, painting the sky in rich blues and pinks. Yavi reached for a lantern he hadn’t noticed by the folded blanket and lit a match to light the wick. She yelped, dropping the match, and clutched her fingers. Von yanked her hand open, and an echo of dread passed through him at the pink blister.
With each passing day, his worry grew, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell Yavi about the Seer’s divination. He hadn’t told her about the ending of slavery in Azure, either. Yavi wouldn’t understand his reason to remain a life-servant, nor would she understand the wrath of the fates.
Once before, he had dared to turn his back on a holy vow, and it had resulted in a catastrophe that changed everything. The fates had punished him severely, and he bore the weight of it on his shoulders. The thought of disobeying again sent a wave of dread through him.
He knew what the punishment would be.
Yavi.
The blister, every flicker of flame, was a warning. A reminder of how easily she could be taken from him if he defied the God of Urn again. With her death, it wouldn’t matter if the fates damned him. Without Yavi, he would be.
Von pressed his trembling lips to her fingers. “If one day it was all devoured in flames, I would give up everything to wish for you back.”
She cocked her heat at the dejection he couldn’t mask in his voice. “What are you saying?”
“Only that I love you with all that I am.” He cupped her face, stroking his thumbs over her cheeks. Yavi’s satin lips curved. He brushed the hair from her cheek and pressed a kiss to her temple. “You’re never more beautiful than when you smile.”
A pink flush colored her cheeks. “Stop it. I’m already yours. No need to whisper sweet nothings in my ear.”
Von smiled against her fluttering pulse and grazed his lips along her neck. “Then do you prefer wicked nothings?”
Her fingers coiled through his hair as she exposed more of her throat to him. “Perhaps.”
“Hmm.”
