I laugh and wipe my eyes and nose with the cloth, only afterward seeing theKmonogram embroidered on one corner. “I’m afraid I got your fancy handkerchief dirty.”
He brushes my hair back from my face. “We’ll have to get one for you with anS, Solitude Grace. It’s a beautiful name.”
My face feels like it might crack in two from the huge smile I can’t control. “Thank you. My mother said the rare solitude she managed was her favorite thing in the world until she had me, and then I became
her moment of grace. So, Solitude—Soli—Grace.”
“Beautiful,” he repeats, his violet eyes intent on my face. “Almost as beautiful as you.”
I duck my head and focus on carefully re-rolling the parchment and placing it inside the waterproof tube. My other prized possessions—the wooden snow leopard and the few precious pages fromCaptain Wynona Wavedancer and the Battle of the Krakens—fit in there, too, and I pad the top with my small leather pouch of parchment scraps. Then I tuck the tube into the deep pocket on my pants leg, wanting it close so I can pull the proclamation out and read it over and over and over.
I’m free.Forever. From now until the end of my days.
My stomach twists at an unpleasant thought trying to slither its way to the forefront of my mind: The end of my days could come at any time.
It could have been today, if the wolves had been hungrier.
It could be tomorrow, when we enter the Barrows to find the first key.
“What a fine joke the king will have, if my freedom only lasts a fortnight, and for most of it I didn’t even know,” I say, angry at how quickly delirious joy can turn to bitter regret.
“Elianna should have remembered to tell you sooner.”
There’s more anger in his voice than seems warranted, and I decide I have nothing to lose by asking. “Kaelen, you and Elianna … There’s some tension there.”
“She should have told you. You could have been celebrating your freedom from the first day of this journey,” he says hotly.
“I know, but before that. Back in the palace. What is it?” I take a deep breath. “Is it something I need to know? Anything that could interfere with our quest?”
“No. I—No.” He shoves a hand through his hair. “All right. It’s not terribly important for our journey, but Elianna insists my sister should go to the Sorcerers’ Guild for training. She says Karrina has magical potential. Major potential. I forbade her to do any official tests, but … she says that informal observation tells her that Karrina could be the most powerful sorcerer Altarra has seen in centuries, with the proper training.”
I can see that he’s completely resistant to this—both the magic and the training. “What happens if she doesn’t? Will the magic just go away?”
“No. That’s the problem. If she doesn’t learn how to control her magic, Karrina could seriously harm herself or others. And her heart is too tender to survive hurting someone.”
“And instead of being there for her, the king forced you to come along and babysit me.”
“No!” He turns back to me and touches my arm. “Soli, it’s my privilege to be part of this mission. If we don’t restore Artemisen and the balance in Altarra, all of us are lost. I worry about my sister, though. I’ve protected her from the plots of courtiers, and the queen truly loves her. But King Pallan has floated the idea of marrying her off for political gain to the Khyrran prince. The man is older than me and a terrible drunkard. Karrina is only ten and eight!”
My heart wrenches at the anguish so plain on his face. “The queen is powerful. I’m sure she’ll protect Karrina until you get back.”
If we live through this.
“If we live through this,” he says, an eerie echo of my thoughts. He strides to the fire and stands staring down at it, his face in profile a mask of hard lines, every inch of his muscular body held rigid with unspoken tension.
Then he swears beneath his breath and whirls to face me. “Soli. Solitude Grace. May I kiss you in celebration of your new freedom?”
“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate,” I whisper, even though I know better. “But which Kaelen are you? The feral warrior who wants to eat me alive, or the honorable prince who wants nothing to do with me?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes, I feel like I’m splitting in two,” he confesses harshly, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t understand it, unless trying to live a fake life as a courtier in Pallan’s court has broken my mind and personality in half.”
“But—”
“Eat you alive, definitely,” he suddenly says, his eyes lighting up with wicked glee.
“I—What?” This mood change was too quick. I feel lost.
“I absolutely pick option one. I want to eat you alive. I want to put my mouth on every inch of your body. I want to taste your skin and lick the honey from your sweet, sweet—”
