The hallsof the Vathan palace were as opulent as its throne room.
The king—Nik—led them down winding, sunlit corridors and across open-aired bridges that swayed beneath the canopy. Just like the city, the palace was built into and around the trees themselves. The earth was everywhere, a physical thing that could be felt and touched and tasted.
Ydros left them when Nik had taken Ciana’s hand, and while the silence from the god was a little disconcerting, he at least hadn’t said anything against their arrival.
“And here,” Nik said, guiding her around a corner, “is one of our guest wings. These four rooms are yours, for as long as you need them.”
Like all the others, the corridor was bright and well-lit. Vines wove around the paneled glass ceiling, giving it the effect of standing in a greenhouse. Nik gestured to the two rooms on the left.
“Those two are well-suited to the Armature.” He gave Sebastian and Quentin a slight nod. Quentin returned it, an entertained grin wide across his face. Sebastian remained stoic and silent, gaze flicking around the halls.
To an observer, he appeared to be surveying the wing for threats. Seeking vulnerabilities that could be exploited to harm his charges.
Ciana knew why he really refused to meet her gaze.
She swallowed past the lump in her throat and turned to the king, finding him watching her. He moved to the nearest door on the right, wood carved with a beautiful image of a deep-rooted tree. The symbol of Vatha.
With a click, the king opened the door. “I hope this room is to your liking, Lady Ciana,” he said warmly, gesturing inside.
Rubbing her dampened palms on her travel leathers, Ciana followed the king into the room. But not before pinning Sebastian with a glare that said all she needed it to.
Especially since he’d already taken the first few steps to follow.
Wait outside, her glare told him.We have to show the king we trust him, right? So he can trust us in return.
He froze, that same cold, hardened look falling across his face. But he didn’t follow, turning away as the door closed behind her.
Leaving just her and the king in the room.
Ciana gulped. This was good. This was the plan.
She forced herself to look around and gasped.
“I take it, then, that you are pleased?”
Speechless, Ciana could only nod. Nik chuckled, the sound warm and rich like syrup tapped from a tree.
The room was like a magnificent, glorified treehouse. There was a solid table near the door, set with cushioned chairs and place settings. Earth-tones filled the space: deep blush couches, warm chairs and settees, chaises facing the bay windows lining the far wall.
In the center of the room rose the great trunk of a tree, rich mahogany bark fitted with hanging lights, branches arching above and disappearing into the ceiling. There were two doors off either side of the room, which Ciana assumed led to the sleeping and bathing chambers.
She cleared her throat, barely finding her voice. “It’s…it is beautiful. Truly.” She brushed past the king, cocking her head at one of the light fixtures. Her fingers traced the glass, eyes burning against the glare. Inside, she could just make out what looked like tiny metal filaments coiled together like a loose spring.
Ciana’s lips parted, the question on the tip of her tongue, but Nik was already there with the answer.
“We call it electricity. It’s an energy we pull and harness from the earth itself.” He stepped closer, the light refracting off his bronze crown. “I’m no specialist, but there are metals and minerals that are particularly conducive to it. We mine a substance—coal—found in the deep caves beneath the southern jungles. Burning it releases this energy, and we use it to provide light and power through Vatha.”
“It’s like ourallumein Onita,” Ciana said, unable to keep the wonder from her voice.
Nik turned. “Is it?”
She nodded. “Without the filaments in the middle. And we uselunestairto house it. But I think the concept is the same.” She turned her head, her breath catching when she realized how close the king now stood. Close enough for her to clearly see that his eyes were a deep, mossy hazel, that there were dark freckles spotting the bridge of his nose.
Ciana had to admit it; the Vathan king was handsome. For some reason, she’d braced herself for a pudgy and spoiled man, with an entitlement that didn’t match his appearance.
Nik wasnotthat. Not by a long shot.
It was a terrifying relief to see him now, leaning so close to her. The sort of relief that would make her task both easier andsomuch more difficult.
