“I was terrified for you too,” she finally said.
Our eyes held. My chest felt tight. Walking a few paces back, I grabbed her, pressing another hard kiss to her lips, one she returned eagerly.
Then with a small curse, I left because I knew if I didn’t, I might never again.
Closing the door behind me, with her taste still on my tongue, I turned my sights toward Grymia, knowing there was much to be done. And though my heart was still with Amaia, I needed to be calm and focused for my people, bracing myself for the work ahead.
Halfway down the main road, I heard a rush of voices ahead. A few guardsmen were arguing in front of…
Fuck.
“What’s happened?” I growled, stalking toward them, fearing I already knew.
Jirin was the brave one to meet me, to break the news, his expression braced, his jaw tight.
“I’m sorry,Karath,” Jirin said, meeting my eyes. The dwelling behind him was dark, the door busted in by brute force, hanging off its hinge. “He’s gone.”
I could see it play out in my mind. When the Elthika had attacked, the priority had been Grymia. Not guarding a prisoner. They’d made a choice. They’d left their post to join in on the fight.
And I couldn’t even say I blamed them.
“Ryak is gone,” Jirin told me. “And we can’t find Nevin either.”
Chapter 32
AMAIA
The summons to Grymia’s council—made up of Alaryk’s riders and a couple trusted advisors—felt daunting, a gnawing of worry deep in my gut as I followed the road down the rebuilding village.
The fresh morning still smelled like smoke and burning wood. The scent of death—from the two wild Elthika that had been brought down by Grymia’s riders—permeated the air, though their bodies had been disposed of, laid to rest in the forest beyond the village’s borders.
Dresnar followed behind me, his booted feet making me tense. After the Elthika attack, I’d slept the day and night solidly, only waking to discover that Ryak and Nevin had disappeared.
I hadn’t seen Alaryk since he’d brought me back to his dwelling. Though, judging by the imprint of his body and the rumpled furs on his side of the bed, I assumed he’d returned to me at some point in the night.
This morning, instead of waking to Alaryk, Dresnar had been outside, informing me that the “Dakkari prisoner” had escaped, Nevin with him, and that my presence was requested among the council.
Worry and dread had made me nearly sick.
But as I walked through the village, what surprised me most was the reception I received from near strangers. People who even recently had whispered as I passed or simply ignored me.
Now I got the inclining of heads, greetings of the morning, well wishes that I’d recovered. There was an older Karag female who I’d once seen Ethrisha speaking with, who pressed a fresh-baked loaf of bread into my palm as I passed, saying that it was mixed withnaroseeds, which would help me find my strength again.
It was a strange contrast—the warm reception of Grymia, while also feeling like I was about to be sick.
Did they know? Had they found Ryak and Nevin? Did they uncover what theDothikkarhad sent us here to do? To spy on the people I called my friends? My…lover?
“Through here,” Dresnar’s voice came from behind, leading me to a tall dwelling, an oil lantern installed in the roughened stone near the steel door. I’d seen it in passing, considering its close proximity with the landing field.
Before I entered the dwelling, I noticed there was a blue-scaled dragon, the color like midnight, nearly inky black, on the landing field. One I’d never seen before. And another black dragon, with eyes as gold as the sun. Had more representatives from Elysom come? There was a group of Grymian villagers gathered, breaking in their duties, to stare at the two Elthika.
Dresnar led me inside. Down one of the hallways, I could hear the low murmuring of deep voices.
The room that I entered was rounded in shape, a high circular table in the center, a map of what I assumed was the Arsadia spread out, the edges of the parchment frayed and curling inward. There were no chairs in the room and so the inhabitants were all standing.
My eyes found Alaryk’s immediately. His expression was unreadable, so unlike the rawness in the bathing pool yesterday,the tremble of his hand against me, the sheer relief that I was alive palpable and pouring from him. He cared for me.Deeply.
The only thing more frightening than that was that my own feelings mirrored his. I thought it surprised the both of us what yesterday had revealed.
