The growl that leaves him is inhuman. “End you. Do what must be done to sever this godscursed—”
He cuts off abruptly, breathing harshly and counting audibly as if those breaths are the only things holding him together, but all I hear on repeat are the first two words—everything else is noise.
End. You. End. You. End. You.
Thunder rushes between my ears, my magic crashing violently against a castle of bone and blood, the bracers flaring in response. Sands, I want them to break. I need this raging wildfire to demolish its target—him—the biggest threat in the room. Runic patterns scroll to my elbow, but eventually the glow wanes and dims as my magic is forcibly restrained. For once, I’m grateful for the cursed cuffs. I never would have been able to control this much power.
When the king stays put and doesn’t explain himself further, I gather myself and gingerly stand, smoothing the wrinkled skirts of my gown. I hold my head high with as much dignity as I can muster as I cross the room to the doors, hoping he’ll keep whatever is tearing him up inside at bay, at least long enough for me to leave.
I push one open and tense, but all he does is breathe and count.
Chapter Seventeen
The king has a job for you,” Ziba announces, bustling into my chamber. She opens the drapes wide, and I whine at the onslaught of sunlight, throwing an arm over my eyes. I flop back down onto my pillows and mutter a curse at the throbbing of my head. I’ve barely slept. And on top of that, my restlessness veered between dreaming about the king’s heated touch and wondering if that darkness seething within him would eventually snap.
I’ve witnessed those shadows kill a grown man.
But the memory of them caressing my body in the heat of the moment is searing. A vision of those night-dark eyes filled with the flames of passion flashes through my brain. Stars, I’d been so close to doing something utterly unforgivable, and from his reaction, he’d been just as close, too. Until he’d torn himself away, visibly striving for control.
And then said he wanted to end me.
With effort, given my sleepless night, I rise from the bed and perform my morning ablutions. Ziba has put out a fresh set of leathers for me. No dresses then. What kind of labor am I meant to be doing? If I’m lucky, it will be in the castle forge.
“What is this job?” I ask, after Ziba sets a tray down with fresh, warm buttered bread, along with a pot of tea.
“You’re to head to the stables,” she replies. “Princess Anahima will accompany you.”
“Princess?”I echo. I suppose if she’s the king’s sister, as Maxur had told me, she’d be Everlean royalty. “She told me to call her Ani. Is that allowed?”
Ziba moves to the bed and begins to refresh the bedding while I eat. “I suppose so, if she gave you leave.”
“She seems kind,” I say.Unlike her volatile brother.
“She’s an eccentric one,” Ziba says, her face ruddy with exertion. “Always studying and reading. I honestly don’t know where she puts all that knowledge. You can ask her anything about Everlea, and she will know the answer. I believe she has read almost every single textbook in the royal library.”
I’m assuming the library is large since this is a palace, after all—which means my friend has read an impressive amount of books. I smile. Somehow, Ani’s thirst for knowledge doesn’t surprise me one bit. I finish my breakfast and drain the last of my tea, wondering if I can plead my case to her to go to the forge instead. It’s worth a shot.
“Sura!” Ani greets me warmly from the bottom of the steps in the luxurious entrance hall. With her loose black hair and twinkling, intelligent blue eyes, once more I note the obvious differences between the siblings, but I can see the resemblance now. They have the same strong nose and high cheekbones, but Ani’s mouth is fuller and her jawline much softer.
“Hello, Ani,” I say.
“Good to see you up and about. I’m sorry I haven’t visited you. I’ve been busy with urgent court business. How are you feeling?”
I stop beside her. “I understand. I’m much better now, thank you for asking. Everything’s on the mend.”
“And your memories?” she asks.
“Getting there.”
We walk in companionable silence through some manicured gardens blooming with multicolored rosebushes that smell divine. As we start to descend a hill beyond the gardens, noises of clashing steel and loud grunts pierce the air.
Across the grounds below us, multiple warriors are dueling, using swords, axes, spears, and bare hands. An obstacle course takes up nearly half the space, and soldiers run through the hurdles with stunning grace and agility. I stare in fascination as two opponents battle with magical strikes of fire and ice, while another pair fights using lightning and metal manipulation.
“Those two are incredible,” I murmur. “He created a blade in midair!”
Ani follows the direction of my gaze. “She’s a mestial electrokinetic and he’s a dominant ferrokinetic.”
That kind of talent would be so useful in a forge!
