Her brow furrowed, deepening with each word as she read her brother’s note.
General Holtstrom,and my dearest sister, whom I assume is reading over your shoulder,
All fares well in Aeramere.Midsummer has brought an abundance of marriage proposals, some more well received than others. Caelian will be happy to know Nyxian’s marriage to Lady Aria Skyhelm will take place at the end of the season, despite his many grievances on the matter. Should the two of you wish to attend, your presence would be most welcome.
Respectfully (to Kjeld)and with love (to Caelian)
Ariesian Starstorm Celestine
Caelian scowled at the letter,then read it twice more, trying to make sense of Ariesian’s rather abrupt reply. He mentioned nothing at all about Brackroth or their visit with Queen Viktoria, and he hadn’t even acknowledged the fact that they were in Wenfyre with the Druids. He’d glossed over that matter entirely, mentioning only Nyxian’s upcoming nuptials, as though her brother’s disdain toward his impending marriage was the only thing worthy of discussion.
“Is something wrong?” Lira asked, her melodic voice pulling Caelian from her thoughts. “You’ve been so patient in waiting for his reply, I thought I should bring it to you with haste.”
“And I am so grateful to you for it. You are correct in your assumption, I’ve been very eager in waiting for my brother’sresponse.” Caelian folded it, snapping the parchment in half. She rubbed the center of her brow in an attempt to smooth away the lines of worry. “It was just not at all what I expected. For some reason, I thought there would be more.”
“More, what?”
Kjeld’s rough, resonating voice sounded from behind Caelian, and she turned to him.
His hair was a disheveled mess, the braids and strands twisted back into a knot. The blue of his eyes was bright, they always seemed to glow more whenever he was with the dragons. He scrubbed his face and wiped his hands on a gray towel before slinging it over his shoulder. She pretended not to notice the way his golden chest gleamed with a sheen of sweat, making him look like a god of war upon an altar.
She licked her lips and offered him Ariesian’s letter as a means of distraction. “It’s from Aries. I was expecting more information from him, but he was very brief in his response.”
“I see.” Kjeld skimmed the note, bending over to place an absentminded kiss upon Caelian’s forehead. “He wants us to come back.”
She tipped her head to look up at him. “What? How can you be sure? It all reads very indifferent to me.”
Another distracted peck of his lips, except this one was accompanied by a smirk. “That’s because you are not well-versed in the art of treachery, darling wife.”
Caelian’s mouth ran dry, and she gripped her hands together. “Treachery?”
“Fear not, your brother is exceedingly talented.” He tucked the letter into his back pocket. “You and I both know Ariesian cares nothing for marriages outside of the ones that have a direct impact on his own family. He’s implying something else, likely information pertaining to Queen Elowyn. Mentioning you by name means he’s acknowledging your whereabouts but likelydoesn’t want anyone else to know where you are, hence the formal disregard. I would assume if the queen were to learn you were here, she would grow highly suspicious, which is why Ariesian mentioned nothing of it, in case his letter was intercepted before reaching us.”
Caelian blinked, dumbfounded.
He’d gathered all of that from a few haphazard lines about weddings? Somehow, Kjeld’s overabundant knowledge of treasonous affairs made him infinitely more attractive.
“Then we should go.” It pained her to say it, just speaking the words was like ripping her heart from her chest.
“Go?” Lira’s turquoise gaze darted between them, and she shoved a lock of rosy pink hair from her face. Sadness haunted the delicate planes of her face, and the array of flowers blooming around her withered, the petals curling in on themselves. “But you just got here.”
Caelian took Lira’s hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. “We’ll come back. I promise we’ll come back.”
She spared a pleading look in Kjeld’s direction, silently searching for his confirmation, and found it in the warmth of his eyes as he watched her. Kjeld nodded once and she held Lira’s hands tighter.
“Might I come with you?” Lira asked, looking past Caelian to the sea beyond. “I can do more than make flowers grow. I can be useful.”
“You are already plenty useful.”
Caelian hated to believe Lira thought of herself as anything less, but then she remembered the Druid’s wish upon the beach, how she longed to leave Wenfyre in search of something more. Caelian had granted it, because if Lira truly wished to leave the safe haven of the Myrkwild, then who was she to stop her? Maybe she’d been waiting for an opportunity, and a reason not to go alone.
“Odryss can only carry myself and Kjeld to Aeramere,” Caelian ventured, “and the whelps are not yet large enough for such a long flight?—”
“I have a boat.” Lira pulled from Caelian’s grasp and pointed toward the far end of the beach, where the crescent tip of sand jutted out into the bay. “It’s not much, but it’s capable of seafaring, and the whelps could sail with me.”
“Not to sound disparaging, my lady.” Kjeld tucked his hands behind his back, considering her. “But sailing to Aeramere is no easy feat. And the whelps are not yet fully trained.”
Lira’s back straightened and she rolled her shoulders. “I assure you, my skill level is more than proficient. I am one of the few to have successfully navigated the Drowned Veil.”
