But the two of them were dead now, their ashes lost to time and grief, and shadows had risen in their wake, devouring the land and everything they had fought for.
If that wasn’t a cautionary tale against love and soul-bonds, I didn’t know what was.
Still,I thought, circling around a particularly dense cloud and heading back to the castle, I’d made a deal with Adara. And while I refused to claim her as my mate, I couldn’t deny the deep-seated need inside me to see this thing through, to unearth the truths hidden between the cracks and crevices of Adara’s past, and the chance to confront the fae responsible for Daryan’s death.
I was convinced that Aolis had orchestrated Daryan’s murder. He had been madly in love with Olette, and the two had been engaged before she’d given herself to the dragon prince instead. If anyone had been motivated to kill my best friend at his own wedding feast, it was the general-turned-king.
I just needed to be careful not to get myself killed, or the sacrifice I’d made all those years ago would be for nothing.
The castle came back into view, and I coasted over to the roof of the south tower, not quite ready to head back into my room yet. Tucking my wings behind me, I sank into a crouch as I carefully surveyed my surroundings. The pulsing, reddish-black vines that covered the walls of the castle clung to the roof tiles as well, and I eyed it warily. The scales covering my feet and hands ensured I wouldn’t get poisoned if I accidentally stepped on one, but the plants could still touch my exposed skin, and I didn’t like being so close to them.
Still, a fresh breeze was blowing up here, so I tilted my head back and sucked in a deep breath, then slowly let the icy air out. My body relaxed as I allowed the current to carry my worries and negative emotions away. The sting in my heart eased, my mind finally clearing.
It was a good thing that Adara pushed me away,I decided. In fact, I was thankful for it. Of the two of us, she clearly had better control over her emotions, and I shuddered to think what might have happened if I’d given in to the mating bond. Aside from the fact that I didn’t want it, Adara wasn’t even aware of it. She would be furious if she ended up being mated to me with no foreknowledge on the matter.
Putting Adara out of my mind, I let my gaze wander over the castle grounds, noting where the guards were stationed and any potential escape routes. As I did, voices drifted to me on the wind, and I caught snippets of what sounded like urgent conversation.
Curious, I spread my wings and then leapt from the roof, catching another current. I glided down to a balcony several stories below, just above what looked to be the armory. The voices were coming from inside, and my ears quivered as I strained to hear what they were saying.
“…coming tomorrow,” a male complained. “Apparently there’s a prisoner he’s supposed to be taking back to the king.”
“A prisoner?” another voice asked, sounding puzzled. “The only one in the dungeons is Jiffry, and I don’t see what the king would want with him seeing as how he’s only been charged with public nudity.”
“No, not Jiffry.” I could practically hear the other fae rolling his eyes. “That little bastard is in and out every other month for some stupid infraction or other. I’m amazed the captain hasn’t ordered him to be executed out of sheer annoyance. But anyway, it’s that blue-haired girl, the one staying in the north tower. Apparently the king’s taken such an interest in her, he’s willing to trade Lady Avani back for her.”
“Really?” The second fae’s voice rose in surprise. “I didn’t realize she was so important.”
The two fae continued talking, but I could no longer hear them above of the roaring in my ears. Blue-haired girl. Prisoner. A trade.
Lady Mossi wasn’t holding Adara here to keep her safe. She was planning on using her as a bargaining chip, and if she had her way, Adara would be back in enemy handstomorrow.
16
Adara
The door slammed as Einar stormed out of the room, leaving a cloud of anger and hurt in his wake. Shocked, I stared at the white door, my hand lifting to touch my lips in the spot where his finger had just been. My lower lip was still tingling at the contact, my mind whirling as I tried to process what had just happened.
I hadn’t been able to help my reaction. I wasn’t prepared for Einar to touch me the way he had, wasn’t ready for the surge of emotions that had overwhelmed me. Something wicked and wanton had risen inside me, and I’d nearly darted my tongue out to lick his skin. I’d wanted to taste him, to feel him, to pull him closer so I could press his powerful body pressed against mine.
The intense carnal need had shocked me so badly that I’d recoiled instinctively, not sure how to handle it. And judging by the way Einar had stormed out, I’d obviously hurt his feelings.
That’s a little ridiculous,a voice in my head said.You’re not obligated to accept his advances, and there’s no need for him to have a tantrum just because you rejected him.
Right. I shook my head a little, jostling myself out of my stupor, and began to pace. Truthfully, I didn’t know what Einar had been thinking, touching me like that. Half the time he acted like he hated me, so what was he playing at with such intimacy?
I’d already tried to give my heart to someone who clearly didn’t love me back, and I had no intention of being manipulated like that again. I didn’t know what kind of game Einar was playing, but I had no intention of getting caught up in it. My only goal was to find my mother, and I couldn’t let him distract me.
Still,I thought as I paused by the window, looking out at the last rays of sunlight as they kissed the horizon.Einar has a point.I hadn’t seen Lady Mossi since the initial welcome feast she’d given us on our first day in the palace, and that had been nearly three days ago. I’d thought the two of us would come up with a plan to rescue Mother together, but instead she’d told me to leave it to her and focus on honing my magic instead.
That’s what I’d been doing these past couple of days, cooped up in the north tower with no one but Einar and the guards for company. We were escorted by guards everywhere we went, and so far, my requests to speak to Lady Mossi had been rebuffed.
With every day that passed with no news of my mother, my anxiety rose a little higher. I’d done my best so far to give Lady Mossi the benefit of the doubt, but I couldn’t afford to do so any longer.
I needed to confront her, and find out what was really going on.
I considered my options for a moment, then strode to the door of my chambers and opened it. A winding staircase awaited at the end of a short landing, and I followed it down to the bottom of the tower, passing Einar’s room along the way.
Part of me wondered if I should knock on his door and at least tell him I was meeting with Lady Mossi.
