“Report,” Ereon says as he sits at the head of the table, the only seat here.
“Thekukhehave advanced and are trying to take the northern camp. We left a small troop of the men behind, bringing the majority of soldiers here with us. We are urging you to return to the palace.”
“I thought thekukhehad been relatively quiet this season, what has changed?”Ereon asks.
“Unsure, Prince … they were quiet … until they weren’t. We don’t know how far behind us they are, as every scout that I sent out has yet to return.”
“Fuck.” Ereon runs a hand down his beard. “We need your men to travel with us to Antalis and Midaeliea. They need to help fight the deluc, thekhind,and the madness that is happening.”
“Of course, we are at your command. We will gather our resources and speak when we arrive in Shaston,” Reph says smugly. He just effectively told Ereon that they will help after he gets permission from Atlas. There is no reason to stop, they could go now. Ereon doesn’t miss the insinuation as he stands up.
“You all are dismissed.”
forty-two
Carnaxa
“Tell me what you know — right now.” Stomping into Thylas’ tent, I already know Anara will be here, her lack of clothing this morning showing her recent whereabouts. “And none of the cryptic talk you and apparently my mother and every other female around me likes to use.”
Anara jumps in surprise from the corner of the tent. She’s in the middle of braiding her hair, but at least she’s wearing clothes this time. Her shackles are no longer on her wrists and that is another topic I want to talk about. Having all my memories back, I recall the vow I made to myself.And I will keep that promise, to never be helpless again. I hold my mother’s journal between my fingers and I toss it on the bed. “I saw you — every time you were in my room — looking at this. What do you know?”
“Princess —” She stops walking towards me. “You woke up … Truthfully, this time.”
She finishes braiding her long dark hair as she smiles at me. When she finishes, she turns to the fire pit in the center of the room, letting flames shoot from her fingertips and igniting the wood there.
“You have the madness,” I state. It’s not a question, and she doesn’t deny it.
“Magic. I have magic.” She tilts her head in a birdlike manner. “And so do you, do you not?”
I can feel it vibrating through my veins as she speaks, like water flowing in a river. It’s not strong like I thought it would be, after witnessing outbursts of the madness, but it’s there.
“Daughter of prophecy,” she says with a bow, “it’s nice to officially meet you. You met Drahenå?”
Our attention turns abruptly to someone bursting through the tent’s door. Thylas enters, with a furrowed brow. I turn to him quickly. “Thy.” He stops instantly.
He once glowed with happiness, but now seems sad and overwhelmed. I know it’s my fault — my fault for not remembering. No, not my fault because I couldn’t control what happened anymore than he could, but I still feel responsible that I didn’t trust him after everything we’ve beenthrough.
I reach out to touch his face, but he steps away from me. I let my hand drop. “I remember, Thy.”
He leans his head out of the tent, murmuring to someone before stepping back in. His hands tremble at his side and his voice wavers as he tries to be strong. “What do you remember?”
“Everything.” I look up at him, blush heating my cheeks as I recall his warmth against my naked flesh.
“Someone’s going to get Ereon. He said he wanted to have a talk after the meeting, so he’ll be here soon.” He walks toward me and for a moment I think he’s going to walk around me, but then he stops inches away from me.
“Noh?.” He pulls me towards him, his arms encircling me tightly. I melt into his embrace, my arms instinctively wrapping around his waist, and my fingers gently caressing the faded scars beneath his tunic. His sage and sandalwood scent takes over all my senses as I let him pull me closer. My head is on his chest where I can hear his heartbeat that sounds like the tune of home, but it doesn’t beat to the same rhythm as mine.
“Theneni?” Crystal tears brim my eyes as I lean away from him and look up. “Why?”
He lightly moves the strands of blue from my face and kisses my forehead, whispering, “To be your safety — always for you.” He leans away from me before continuing, “Before we left for Shaston, I made an oath to your father. But after you were abducted — I broke that promise because I had to have you. I just wanted you to remember.” He lets his thumb wipe away the tear that falls down my cheek. “It worked.”
I shake my head. “No, Thylas ... it has nothing to do with what you did.” I step away from his embrace, looking at Anara, who now twists the end of her braid in her fingers.
“When Ereon gets here, we are fixing this. All of us. Keeping secrets, arguing. It stops now.”
Ereon takes what feels like forever to arrive at Thylas’ tent, and the silence has been tense. Anara sits on the floor near the fire. Thylas is beside me on the bed, his fingers intertwined with mine. Ereon walks in with Siphonie and Rhenor. He makes a beeline straight to me, his gaze scanning down, noticing mine and Thylas’ hands linked.
“Ryehro” — he smiles at me — “are you ... better?”
