He raised a questioning brow.
I sighed. “Sorry. I’m…I’m just exhausted, Tarrin.” If my body weren’t already taxed, I would have cried at the admission—emptiness filled me instead.
“I know,” he soothed and pulled me into his side, making sure tomind my injuries—both knowing I’d been exhausted for much longer than this past week.
Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right.
I repeated the words in my head as I focused on the forest floor just in front of my steps. I’d noticed a while back that I’d somehow gotten off tempo, and my right foot went forward as I thoughtleft, while my left foot went forward as I thoughtright. Correcting it would take too much effort, so I continued letting the off-kilter chant move me forward.
We were now on our fourth day of traveling, and I’d long since given up thinking beyond basic needs, or talking. I only focused on the chant and my aching feet. I was poorly dressed for the woods, and the bottom of my skirt was tattered by the first nightfall. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been afforded the rest and nourishment required to heal, and my bruises felt like angry welts, but the ache paled in comparison to my blistering feet.
I’d silently cursed my powers for throwing us so far without providing appropriate provisions. Then again, the spark had probably saved my life even though I’d recklessly given her up again, so I figured we were even. Too afraid of what I’d find, I hadn’t dared reach for my powers since the incident.
Right. Left. Right. Left.The hard, uneven, pine-needle-covered surface of the forest gave way to a soft, comfy, almost padded texture that felt like divinity itself beneath my aching soles, and I hoped it would last for a while.
Left. Right. Left. Ri—A gush of air left me as I was forced to halt, avoiding a stilled Tarrin. I lifted my gaze to find him facing me with a stoic expression.
“Why are we stopping?” I asked, my voice weak.
His forehead crinkled, and he let out a small sound, as if sad for me. “Ny, we’re here.”
No, that couldn’t be. I blinked, forcing myself to take in my surroundings through the haze, but it was like trying to see clearlyunderwater. I focused on what lay just beyond my aching feet. Grass, vibrant and tended. The gardens. The grounds.
We’d made it.
A guttural sob of relief escaped me as my knees buckled, throwing me forward. Tarrin was ready, most likely waiting for me to collapse. He caught me, then shifted my body so he could fully cradle me in his arms.
Nestled in his protective embrace, he walked us forward. Panic hit me as I realized what we were walking toward.Heremeant Thaddeus.
I grabbed at Tarrin’s shirt frantically. He halted and looked down at me, startled. “I can’t see him. Please, Tarrin. Not yet.”
“I know,” he said, jaw set, and continued to walk across the familiar grounds.
Someone shouted from a distance, but I couldn’t tell who it was. Tarrin tensed, and I knew Thaddeus had spotted us.
“Nevander and Thaddeus are coming,” Tarrin informed me, his words even. I cowered into him. “You’re okay, Ny. I’ve got you.”
Nevander reached us first, and Tarrin carefully transferred me to his arms. “Take her to her room and get Ava. Nobody else goes in unless I say so.” I couldn’t see the look Nevander gave him, but Tarrin stopped and squared his shoulders. “Take her. Now,” he ordered, and it was the first time I’d ever heard Tarrin wield the commanding voice of Thaddeus’ second.
Nevander’s grip was firm, his body warmer than Tarrin’s had been.
Tarrin strode off, heading for Thaddeus. Nevander kept his pace slow as he carried me toward the palace while attempting to observe what was about to happen. His face taut, he glanced down at me. I must have been a sight, as anger flashed in his eyes, but he blinked it away quickly before focusing again on the scene about to unfold. I did the same.
Tarrin didn’t slow his long gait as he approached Thaddeus.Without a hint of what he was about to do, Tarrin decked the king squarely in the jaw, stopping him dead in his tracks. I jolted in surprise, and Nevander’s grip tightened on me as he tensed. Tarrin threw another blow, and it struck true, Thaddeus still stunned from the first hit.
Nevander paused as we came up next to them.
“Get her inside. Now,” Tarrin barked, breathing heavily and readying himself for the next blow.
Nevander did as ordered, and as we walked away, an all-out brawl broke out between the two men. We turned to go up the stairs, and Nevander’s body blocked my view of what happened next.
Ava met us at the threshold, gasping when she saw me. “By the stars!” Her glare was hard. Anger visibly bubbled within her, and she directed every bit of it at Nevander as she said, “What have the lot of you done to the poor girl this time?”
Without allowing him to answer, she pivoted in the opposite direction, and with seething rage, her footsteps echoed down the long corridor.
“In here,” Ava barked, and I could already smell the aroma of citrus in the air. “Place her in the bath.”
Nevander halted as if unsure if I should be deposited into a filled tub fully clothed. Ava narrowed her eyes at him, and he relented, gently releasing me into the water. The warm, citrusy embrace enveloped me. I sank deep and tilted my head back, letting the water carry my burdens.
