Carus thinned his lips, unnerved, but Morgen only said flatly, “Except you couldn’t reach them, could you? And on the off chance you manage to at this distance, it won’t matter. I will not be divulging the exact details of our location to you, and it’s not common knowledge, even to your parents. We are going inside.Now.”
A few flashes of bright crimson lightning in the distance suddenly cut across the sky, and the low rumble of thunder vibrated the stone. The quiet was all at once disturbed, and the smell of rain hit her nose. It was as if one moment, the valley was gray and still, and the next, it was seconds away from chaos. Carus rubbed at his forehead, surveying the coming storm, then shrugged once and headed for the cave entrance.
Morgen glanced at her, but this time, she looked away immediately, following Carus. They appeared to be right about the storm, and as much as she didn’t want to do anything either of them said, this was Arcadia. Perhaps they weren’t bluffing when they insisted they needed to take shelter.
As they ducked into the dark, cool tunnel, Morgen murmured in a low voice, “I will say this only once, Nya: do not try to run. You won’t make it far, not alive.”
Her breath caught at the delicate feel of his breath brushing against the shell of her ear. “Is that a threat?”
“It’s a warning. We are in a dangerous place. There’s a reason even the principals do not come here. Not anymore.”
“And yet,youare here.”
Ahead, Carus yawned. “Not much choice when you don’t want to be skewered, or burned alive, or eaten up by an endlessnight. Though,” he glanced back at her, expression thoughtful, “I suppose you can probably do at least two of those things.”
“Did I make myself clear about running?” Morgen pushed, ignoring Carus.
She swallowed against the tightness in her throat. “Quite.” Then, quieter, she added, “Why am I here, Morgen?”
He didn’t reply, and she cursed herself for expecting him to just be honest with her. She didn’t want to accept that the years between them were just a falsity and a clever ploy on his end, but that kind of ignorant thinking had gotten her into this mess in the first place.
The narrow, damp tunnel soon opened into a large cavern that appeared to be functioning as some sort of mess hall. Nya stiffened, her steps slowing as she saw the sheer number of mortals, demi-gods, and godlings gathered there, eating and drinking at rows of roughly hewn wooden tables that lined the floor. There were…so many. They were all wearing variations of leather or metal armor, and weapons seemed to be in abundance as well, slung over their backs or lying atop the tables next to their plates of food. Even from a distance, it wasn’t difficult to notice most were physically strong. She might have been sheltered from the realities of war, but not so much that she couldn’t recognize this for what it was.
An army.
Heads turned their way within seconds, and a hush fell over the expansive space, only broken by the occasional dripping of water from stalactites above and a few waves of low whispers across the long tables. As eyes slipped over her, a tremble ran up her spine, and she curled her hands into tight fists to keep her body from shaking too visibly. Some of them merely looked curious, but others—mostly the men—were already exchanging obviously interested glances and grinning at each other.
Morgen sighed, rolling his jaw. “As you were,” he said, raising his voice as he swept his gaze around the room.
Throats cleared, and for a moment, the entire room relaxed, everyone tucking back into their drinks and settling once more against the benches.
“But be aware.” Morgen paused, sweeping his burning amber eyes over the entirety of the room. “If anyone decides to try and lay a finger on my betrothed, I will take your hand. If, of course, I’m feeling forgiving. If not…” He shrugged. “Well, you know me. Dislocating a spine will do on most days.”
Nya’s breath caught loudly before she could stop it, and not from the threat of violence he had just promised.
Betrothed.
Her mind emptied out. The tense silence turned into a roar in her ears, and she could not stop herself from looking at Morgen with wide eyes.
Why would he want to marry her? Why now, when for all the years they met in the vast, empty forests in Mise, he had been so insistent on not touching her? Until hehad,and she’d left without a trace. He hadn’t sought her out, not after what had happened, what they had bothrealized that day.
Perhaps that was it, though. He knew who she was: the daughter of two heirs to principal gods. Seeing the army before her, it suddenly clicked, what he wanted.
In all technicality, as Kronos’ only living child, the throne of Arcadia was his birthright.
The room fell into a tense silence for a moment, and then Carus bellowed, “You heard your king! Leave the girl alone, and get on with your night.Fates!You’d think he just threatened to de-spine you or something.”
It took half a second before chuckles began to drift around the room, and then everyone was roaring with laughter and banging their mugs on the tables. Her stomach turned as shestared at the sudden shift in mood. These soldiers might fear Morgen to an extent, but they quite obviously also respected him. This wasn’t an army created with threats or even payment. They were here out of choice.
“What?” Morgen said, leaning down to her. “Did you expect them to be afraid of me? You might not believe me, but I don’t make a habit of threatening them unless necessary.”
She stepped away from him. Fates damn her for being so short and him so tall. “Who are they?”
“Demi-gods and their children, mostly, and a handful of mortals and godlings.”
“I canseethat.”
He snorted, his head tilting to the side. His hair had come loose, the deep-red strands now falling down his back, and since they had walked into the cavern, he had visibly started to relax. Not wholly, but she knew his tells well enough to know he wasn’t about to snap anymore.
