“He’s not fire-born,” she says. “Whatever his habits are, he keeps them quiet. He doesn’t let many people get close enough to know.”
Everyone says that about him, but he let me be in a room alone with him after thinking about killing him.
Why?
Zara’s waiting for me to say something. “Kerensa save me from the fire-born,” I say. It’s a common saying in Nithyria.
Zara nods sagely. “A prayer truly worth praying.”
We chat for a time, mostly about how she came from Eki specifically to join the Guild and how it’s renowned around the world after the alchemy breakthrough.
“Of course, there are some issues here we didn’t have back home.”
“Like?”
She scratches her fingernails on the ledge of stone behind us, tension growing in her arms. “There are types of magic we aren’t allowed to research.”
“Aren’t allowed?” Who could possibly tell the head of the Guild what they can research? The Guild is on an equal footing with the temples within the church. I thought they governed themselves.
“What’s the Selaran saying? ‘Speak of Vahlo, and he appears’?” she says, glancing at a group of men entering the room as we’re getting out of the water. They aren’t the first men we’ve seen. It was difficult not to stare at first; I haven’t seen a man naked in some time, and some of the men at court are in excellent shape.
But the men who enter now are like gods, I can tell even from a distance. Perfectly chiseled bodies of pure muscle in shades of tan and brown. It’s a pity they’re wrapped in their towels, but maybe they’ll get in the water so I can have a better look.
I sigh in appreciation.
“He is very beautiful, isn’t he? Too bad he doesn’t deign to bathe with the rest of us. And too bad he’s…him,” says Zara, and I suddenly realize who they are.
It’s Ronan, walking with Taran and another guard I’ve seen before but don’t know by name. I hadn’t recognized them at this distance with their hair wet and slicked back.
Stupid sexy God-King. His body is literally as perfect as I imagined it. No, not imagined it. I didn’timagineit; I just could fill in the blanks from the glimpses I got.
And the parts of it I felt when Soren touched me.
I feel the heat rising in my faceagain, andoh gods, I’m naked.
Zara drops a golden bangle on the ground as she puts it back on, and the clinking noise makes them turn.
Ronan spots me, and I want the ground to swallow me up and eat me. I try not to think about him looking at my body. I know I’m meant to seduce him, but not like this. I don’t want to be the vulnerable one. I wrap my towel around me as quickly as I can.
He's all the way across the cave so I can’t see him clearly, but I could swear he fucking winks.
I’m going to rip that eyeball right out of its socket.
“Slippery when wet,” says Zara, holding up her bangle to show it has returned safely to her wrist.
I smile. She seems genuine enough. Maybe she picked up on my “attraction” to the king and was trying to help me out as a friend.
Or maybe she has some other purpose in encouraging our relationship.
I’m feeling crazy again. This place is making me crazy. I don’t need to second-guess everything every single person does.
Or do I?
Chapter Eleven
The beginning of the Festival of Sport comes with all of the over-the-top pomp and ceremony that I could have asked for.
The Sacred Flame of Sai is borne down from his temple near the northern wall of Faros to the great arena across the river by fire-born runners, with chariots of the courtiers trailing behind.
