Emotion thickened my throat. If he truly meant it, then maybe now was time to toss out hints of my own plan, as I’d promised Heraphia I would do. “What about ending the war?”
“That is exactly what I’m trying to do, little fugitive.” His gaze was steady, unwavering. The devotion in his expression made me want to melt further into his embrace. “You want peace? There will be peace.”
“But how? How can you possibly achieve that alone?” I managed to choke out.
He curled further down so his mouth brushed against my ear. “I am not alone.”
Air stuttered in my lungs. Could he possibly be working with Lyriasthe, with the Elessarum? Had Heraphia Seen something and not told me before our first treasonous conversation? If Vaeron was already weaving himself in with the rebel group, perhaps the Goddess had truly tied our fates for change—this change.
Before I could ask another question, he pressed a finger to my lips.“Not now. Not out loud. I do not know where Iaoth has spies. And she has been watching you closely. As have the rest of the nobles. Even the city knows of your power now. We must tread with the utmost care.”
I swallowed hard and nodded. He retreated, then slipped his hand around mine. We resumed our walk, my head spinning with the new revelations.
“Breathe,”he murmured, and I forced myself to slow the rise and fall of my chest.
Focusing on the sights, sounds, and smells around me, I halted my inner spiral and drifted back to an easy center.
“That’s it,”he crooned, guiding us around a smaller tree and onto a thicker thoroughfare in the garden. In the distance, Ispotted a few females tending to fruit trees, picking up the pieces that had fallen on the ground and placing them in wicker baskets attached to their hips.
“Do you want one?” Vaeron asked me, following my gaze.
“What are they?” I hadn’t seen a fruit like that before, and curiosity got the better of me.
With a tug on my hand, we approached the group. “Herr Räviel,” one female squeaked when she noted our approach. Dipping into a quick curtsey, she offered him, then me, pleasantries. “Herra Räviel, what can I get for you?”
I blinked for a moment, confusion knitting my brows.
I am Herra Räviel.
The thought slammed sense back into me. Everyone in the palace knew about us now, and that I was a Seer. And that Seers got whatever they wanted.
Except for freedom, but I was trying to be less bitter about that fact.
“What kind of fruit is that?” I asked, gesturing to the red, puckered skin. It wasn’t round and robust like an orange. Instead, it was almost almond shaped, closer to the size of a goose egg.
“Goddess fruit,” she replied, attention repeatedly flicking to Vaeron. Of course, she was probably thinking about the trial. That was all anyone could talk about.
And every time it was mentioned, my stomach knotted tighter.
Using two hands, she peeled its flesh away, revealing a firm, white center, almost like an apple.
She held it out to me, and I accepted, turning it over as my appetite waned.
“Go on, try a bite,” Vaeron encouraged, but the velvet in his voice had turned to steel. I wasn’t exactly hiding my thoughts and feelings behind a thick barrier.
I nibbled on one end. Flavor exploded in my mouth. Sweet and tangy, the fruit tore easily. I chewed, savoring the complex combination. A sour aftertaste lingered after I swallowed. “That is…”
“Unlike anything you’ve tasted before?” my mate finished for me.
“Yes,” I laughed, and the female helping us did too.
“That is why it is called Goddess fruit. Only a dozen trees grow in the realm. It was one of the reasons Thalvireth Palace was built here,” Vaeron explained.
That hadn’t been in our history lessons.
“So eat the entire orb, we don’t want it to go to waste,” the female said.
She didn’t have to twist my arm. I took another bite, then offered the rest to Vaeron. He only sank his teeth in once, chewing slowly, before handing it back to me. “I’ve had plenty before. Enjoy it.”
