“The King of Fire ruthlessly ran a flaming sword through King Garic’s belly. The scream that tore out of Queen Mirana’s throat pierced Ilma. She fell to her knees, holding on to her daughter. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she told her.
“ ‘I’m afraid the Fire’s Promise sets after you uphold your end of the bargain. Oh, and you said nothing about enslavement or imprisonment.’
“ ‘Why are you doing this?’ the young girl cried, voice brave. The immortal king tilted his head.
“ ‘Because visions, Princess,’ King Arden answered, before running his sword of flames along the embracing necks of mother and daughter. The thud of their fallen heads echoed throughout the Land. Then he burned their bodies, turning them into charred ashes. They took everyone as prisoner-hostages, even the Water Priestesses. And, well, you all know the rest.”
“Chills. I’m in the desert, yet each time you give me the chills,” Ismail said, excitement in his voice.
To have to choose between your daughter and your people.
Some called Queen Mirana a horrible mother, some called her a horrible queen. I am not the one to judge the love of a mother and daughter, I have experienced neither, but I’m sure it would be an impossible decision to make. And those who called her a good queen often got the reply that a good queen would have bargained better. She may have saved them from their deaths but she still doomed them, forsaken them, somewhere on the other side of the continent. Everyone else seemed to give in to the peace treaty. Even Silch did nothing. Although a few years later, the Queen and King of Silch passed on, leaving King Ryvar Hailin on the throne.
CHAPTER 29
Iwas beyond thrilled when Aegir asked me to join him for the Graind Races. To be his servant, of course, but still, I wore my white dress and carefully braided my hair. As I weaved, I remembered the frustration I had felt when I was locked in the laundry room during the last two Graind Races. It made me appreciate today even more.
The setup was exactly as I remembered. I had almost forgotten how striking the seating areas were, carved—or rather wielded—directly into the rocky sandstone, surrounding half of the racetrack. At its middle were twenty-five skyboxes, five atop of five, for royals and other important people. I gleamed when Aegir told me that we would soon be seated in one of those.
From afar, I caught the sight of Eldric and the rest of the Vanguard lounging in two of the royal cubicles. They drank ale while eyeing the ladies, especially the three princesses of Lady Nadania, of course.
To our right was a long wooden table piled with all kinds of food and beverages. To our left was an overly crowded betting stall. I must admit that the betting part of it was just as thrilling. And the Graind prizes were no joke. Those who bet on the right horses in all four categories were rewarded handsomely.
Aegir wanted us to walk for a while, so I followed him around, imitating his shadow’s behaviour. I asked if he wanted me to get him anything from the food station.
“No, I’m all right, but if you want, you can go get something for yourself.”
“I cannot,” I told him, showing him my brown cup filled with water. “Servants can only drink one of these and we are not allowed to eat anything from the tables.” Then I whispered, “That’s why I had a good breakfast this morning.”
“Then get me a pint of ale,” he ordered.
I went near the drinks station and reached for a tankard.
“Delia!?” a familiar voice called from the opposite side of the stall. “I thought that was you. I haven’t seen you in—in forever! You look…wow. You look great. How—how have you been?”
Well, I certainly hoped that I looked great. I had been stuffing myself thrice a day, training for long hours, and riding my mare for the past month.
“Ismail, hi. Yes, it’s been long. I’ve been quite busy. How about you? Are the horses treating you all right?”
He flashed a dimpled smile, then said, “Ruckson is still as you often called him, a sweetheart, but you should see Illy”—Illy, the once tiniest, cutest little foal in all of Lyrantheia. I forced myself not to grimace at the reminder of that night—“he thinks he’s the boss of everyone now and he eatseverything. But on the whole, I’m doing pretty good.”
I forced a laugh, then let it break into a weak chuckle. “Good to hear you’re doing all right.”
Ismail leaned over the stand that separated us. “Well, I’m notthatall right. Delia, I—I often think about how we left things. You should come by the stables sometime, we could talk and perhaps…straighten things out. Oh, and I’m sure the horses would remember you, especially Ruckson. I’m certain he had a soft spot for you. In fact, if you’d like, perhaps if you’re not too busy, you could maybe come by…uh…uh…whenever you want.” His smile faded with every stuttered word, and he straightenedhimself, taking a step back. “I have to go, it was really nice to see you.”
I didn’t have to turn around to know who stood at my back. The slight drop in temperature confirmed it.
“You scared him away.” It came out as a soft comment.
“Who’s he?”
“A stableman,” I replied, turning around to hand him his pint.
“I could see that from his attire. Who is he…to you?”
“He’s an old friend I met at the main stables.”
“A friend?”
