Rakel, recalling the protocol of a proper hug, reluctantly slid her arms around Farrin’s waist. The tension in his body seemed to drain away, and his stance became more lax.
Satisfied her idea had done him some good, she patted his back the same way she patted Frigid—her giant, bull reindeer. Farrin exhaled a faint trace of a chuckle, and his breath tickled her ear.
The longer the embrace stretched on, the more embarrassed Rakel felt. Her cheeks and even her toes grew warm as Farrin draped his arms around her. When her fingertips began to heat up, she cleared her throat and dropped her arms from Farrin’s torso.
He took a step back, his reluctance to let go clear in the slow way he disengaged from her. “Thank you,” he said.
Rakel busied herself with settling her cloak so she wouldn’t have to look him in the face. “You’re welcome.”He seems improved. Good. Though I do not share his affection, he is…whatishe to me?She frowned, perplexed by the question. Farrin wasnother companion or comrade, but she wouldn’t call him her enemy anymore, either.
“Have you found the mirror yet?” Farrin’s question shattered her thoughts.
“No. Nor do any of the texts in the royal library contain a reference to it.” Rakel gratefully dove into the safer, less emotionally charged subject.
“But you still believe me?”
“Yes.”
A calculating light entered his eyes. “Ahh, so you have Kavon’s chip of the mirror, then?”
They did. Phile had given it to Rakel when she first joined their motley crew. But she wasn’t going to confirm it for his knowledge. “What?” she asked instead.
“I didn’t find out about the mirror shards until recently. Tenebris has one, as does Sunnira—she was the one you encountered in the Palace gardens.”
“What a lovely woman.” Bitterness dripped from Rakel’s words. Sunnira was one of Farrin’s healers, the one who had made it her mission to kill Rakel. She had slapped a curse—one crafted by Tenebris—on Rakel during the Ostfold invasion.
“You might be able to use the mirror shard to find the mirror—though I don’t know how,” Farrin said.
“Magical artifacts are not your forte?”
He shifted, the long lines of his body betraying no signs of fright or nerves. “That, and I am supposed to know nothing of the mirror. No one but Tenebris’s oldest friends seem to have any knowledge of it.”
“And you are not?”
“I am trusted, but I’ve only known Tenebris for a few years. Sunnira is his childhood friend.”
“I see.” Rakel stored away the fact to ponder later. “Why are you telling me this?”
The corners of Farrin’s lips quirked down. “Because you asked.”
“No, I mean the mirror. Telling me about it because you respect me is unlikely, but believable. Suggesting ways for me to find it due to respect is out of the question. Unless…” Rakel squinted up at him, struggling to judge the situation.Knowing that he likes me, I don’t think he would set a trap for me…and the mirror is supposed to be north—which we hold.
Farrin sighed. “It is not a plot against you.”
Rakel blinked in surprise. “I didn’t say it was.”
“No, but you had that accusing edge to your eyes. I’m informing you because I know you will not use the mirror for your own gains. You will destroy it.”
“Why do you believe that?”
Farrin rested his hands on his sword belt. “You are content with your powers. If you longed for more, you would eye your brother’s throne, but you haven’t—in spite of the zealots in your resistance movement.”
Rakel drew back her shoulders and studied Farrin with newfound respect.I always respected his combat abilities, but even some of my friends and self-professed followers haven’t realized how little use I have for power.Is he that observant of everyone, or is it just a result of his…feelings?
Farrin’s voice was soft. “Have I sufficiently satisfied your curiosity, Your Highness?”
“No.” Rakel knit her hands together. “If you know I will destroy it, why tell me? Your leaders are seeking it—and we have already established that you respect Tenebris in spite of his horrible actions.”
“Sometimes, it is best if the people you respect—even the people you follow—do not face temptations they may be unable to overcome.” He looked beyond Rakel, at her ice dam, and in that moment, Rakel felt sorry for him.
