Lora positioned herself in a stance to keep steady and pulled the rope until it stretched tightly. Then Eyden started climbing down a few steps before he kicked off the wall as Lora tried to hold her ground. The first impact almost made her stumble but the rope was pulled tight, hindering Eyden’s fall.
Lora loosened the rope bit by bit, enabling Eyden’s slow descent. He looked untroubled by his uneven descent and soon enough his feet hit the ground.
“See, that didn’t even take that long,” Eyden said as he pulled on the knots that secured the rope around him.
“You have to admit my help did speed up the process.” She looked him up and down, searching for the small bag he’d planned to fill with arentae.
“I would’ve been absolutely fine without you,” Eyden replied as he shifted to look at her at the same time as the last knot unraveled quicker than expected. The movement pushed Eyden back a step and he lost his balance.
Time seemed to slow down. Lora watched Eyden blindly swing his arms to steady himself as he fell backwards, towards the cliff’s edge. On instinct, she grabbed his outstretched hand to stop his fall. Both their arms stretched as far as possible and Lora stumbled forward until the rope that was still tied around her pulled tight, halting both of them in place.
Her right arm screamed in protest but before she knew it, Eyden had grabbed the rope with his free hand and pulled himself upright again. The movement brought them chest to chest. Lora’s hand still clasped Eyden’s as they both tried to catch their breath.
Eyden dipped his head and if she had to guess, she would say she saw gratitude flicker over his face, mixed with something like confusion. She couldn’t look away; she was drowning in blue, the wave sweeping everything else away.
Then a thought popped into her mind. “Tell me you didn’t lose the herbs,” Lora said, still breathless but not entirely from the fall.
Amusement lightened his eyes even more. “I still have it.” Eyden patted his pocket with his free hand and the movement made Lora all too aware of their joined hands.
She pulled back out of her trance and untied her own rope once Eyden stepped back from the edge. He quickly packed up their stuff.
When she met his gaze again, Lora recalled their last interaction and the corner of her mouth pulled up. “The expert climber trips over his own feet. Guess it was a good thing I stayed after all, wasn’t it?”
She didn’t wait for a reply. Instead she grinned, turned around, and started walking downhill, assuming he’d follow. When Lora heard his footsteps and nothing else, her grin widened.
Eyden didn’t have a smart comeback for that one.
Chapter24
Amira
Walking through damp secret passages underneath the temple, Karwyn and Amira finally reached a heavily locked door. One of the guards who had escorted them took out a heavy bunch of shiny keys and began unlocking the door while the others stood guard around them.
Amira took a step closer to her fiancé and forced a smile. She wanted to ease the tension of their last conversation.
“Do not bother,” Karwyn said without moving. “Spare me whatever you were about to say.”
“Is this really how it’s going to be until one of us dies?” Amira asked.
Karwyn’s smile was savage. “I am doing you a favour, dear fiancée. Better to ignore someone than to tell them what you really think of them, no? Or do you want me to keep bruising your fragile little ego?”
Waves of annoyance raced through Amira’s mind. “I’m sorry about the ceremony. But I really am trying my best.”
“At seducing my best friend?”
Amira was shocked by Karwyn’s accusations. She opened her mouth to reply but Karwyn kept talking. “You are aware that I am the one you have to marry, right? And that the contest heavily relies on my image.Youare now part of that image. I cannot have you fooling around with Rhay.”
She would never. She was only looking for friendliness, a pure connection, something her fiancé had been denying her. Was it so inconceivable for her to be friends with a man? Her intentions were pure, she was sure of it.
She was about to cast Karwyn’s jealousy aside by telling him just that when a loud creaking noise assaulted her ears. The door was finally open.
As if he had practiced multiple times, Karwyn took Amira’s limp hand and intertwined their fingers before stepping into the light.
The sun blinded her for a moment and she blinked a few times, trying to get used to being outside again. Her eyes were eventually able to grasp the size of the plaza and the crowd that was filling it. The houses surrounding them were three storeys high with flat rooftops and turquoise walls. Most of the buildings had stained glass windows representing Falea and Caelo, floating in the sky or looking over the kingdom.
The few guards who had accompanied them spread out around the wooden platform. One of them, a young, brown-haired fae, looked around the crowd, his lazuli-blue eyes searching for someone. Amira followed his gaze, intrigued by his attitude, but a veil fell over the guard’s eyes and he became completely stone-faced. A true professional, committed to his duty.
The crowd was buzzing with anticipation and Amira could see it in their eyes. Fae of all ages were staring at Karwyn and her as they walked on top of the platform. A metal gate was keeping the crowd away and alongside it, guards were posted. Amira wasn’t sure if it was the gate or the menacing looks of the guards that were keeping the crowd at bay.
