Whisper of War and Storms (Heirs of Elydor #1)

Chapter 24

24

KAEL

The frustrated look she’d given me outside seemed long forgotten as she rushed to the tub. The room was well appointed, but the tub was its crowning glory. It was made of crystal fibers, and the light reflected from the hearth and candles throughout the room made the water appear iridescent. Having seen human equivalents, I had no doubt Mev would be enchanted by its unique design, and she was.

“How? I mean, what the heck is this made of? It’s beautiful. Oh my God, I never thought I’d be so excited about a hot bath in my life.”

“Aetherians, you should know, very often make bathing a ritual.”

“I would think that was a Thalassari thing?”

“I believe,” I said, approaching her, “the custom originated from them and spread.”

“But skipped Gyoria?”

Instead of answering, attempting to mitigate my speech in the hall and being unable to resist touching her, I lifted Mev’s chin. “Thank you.”

I expected Mev to ask why I’d thanked her, but she already knew. We could never communicate the way she and Lyra had, but there was something between us that was just as strong.

A knock at the door interrupted us, which was probably a good thing. “This best be urgent.”

“Kael.” Lyra’s tone penetrated. I quickly unlocked and pulled open the door. “We need to talk. Immediately.”

I refused to take this night away from Mev. She might be angry at me for not including her—Mev’s continued insistence on not being shielded hadn’t gone unnoticed—but I would make it up to her.

I turned from Lyra. “Enjoy your bath. I will just be a moment.”

“Is everything okay?” she asked, peering around me and asking both Lyra and me the question.

“Yes. Go on, while it’s hot. I won’t be long.”

Mev was torn, clearly, but the hot bath won out. Stepping into the hall, I closed the door behind me.

“She will want to hear this.”

“I’ll tell her. What?”

Lyra made the same frowning face she had whenever a newcomer had come through the Gate and we’d disagreed on whether they should be allowed to enter Elydor fully. Which was to say, often.

“Salvia knows Elydorian artifacts better than anyone. She said something that concerned me.”

I crossed my arms and waited for Lyra to continue.

“We were speaking of Mev, and she made a comment. That it felt, to her, the Wind Crystal stirred in a way it hasn’t ever before.”

“She can sense it from here?”

Lyra nodded. That was quite a skill, and not one any Gyorian could claim.

“Why is that concerning? Likely it’s due to Mev’s presence.”

“No, I don’t think so. The Wind Crystal’s disturbances are often a sign of turbulence in the realm. The air carries whispers of unrest, and when the balance is threatened, it can be a harbinger of darker forces at play. It’s not just the Crystal—it’s what it’s trying to tell us. I think Mev’s presence would cause just the opposite.”

“What are you thinking?” I asked, not able to completely follow Lyra’s logic.

“Salvia said she first felt it around the same time Mev came through the portal, but that the stirring dissipated, as if there was no longer a threat. But then, as we sat around the table, I could sense a shift in her demeanor. She admitted the same stirring had once again begun.”

This time, I understood more clearly. “You believe I was the original threat to Mev, and now there is a new one?”

She nodded. “I do.”

This was not welcome news.

“Rowan is going to lead a contingency of Salvia’s choosing to scout the area. If all is clear, we should leave when he returns in a few hours. Perhaps allow Mev to rest until then. She will be the only one unused to the pace we will need to set.”

A good plan, except… “Do you trust him?”

“Rowan? I do. His reputation as a royal emissary and a man of honor precedes him. If I did not trust the man, he’d not already be traveling with us,” she added.

I hated all of it. Mev being in danger. Having to rely on an Aetherian and human to help protect her. If we were in Gyoria, I would be the one to scout. But here, my presence would do nothing but hinder the efforts.

“Very well. Keep us apprised on the situation.”

“We will. Have her rest in the meantime, Kael.” As I headed back into the room, Lyra called out, “Rest, in case you are uncertain, means sleep.”

One look at Mev in that tub, and I knew why Lyra had called out that particular piece of advice.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I’ll explain later.”

Though she was hidden from view, the top of Mev’s breasts were visible, and it was enough to have me re-thinking asking to join her in that tub.

Instead, summoning what little self-control I had remaining, I reached for a stool and sat on it beside the tub.

“You’re planning to watch me bathe?” she asked, Mev’s earlier modesty seeming to have dissipated, though not completely disappearing as she lowered into the bubbles that hid her from my view.

“I’m planning to discuss this thing between us.”

“Thing?” she asked, the picture of innocence. “That was Lyra, at the door?”

“Us first.”

“Oh look. High-handed Kael is back. Or more likely, he never left.”

Ignoring the sarcasm, and re-thinking my decision to talk to Mev while she lay in the tub, I made it quick.

“I may be high-handed?—”

“ May be?”

“But I am not one to toy with others’ emotions. The urge to kiss you, to do a hell of a lot more than that, is strong.”

“I told you once and will say it again. Prove it.”

Ohhh. This woman. I could not, would not, be baited into doing something I would regret. “I could do that, but it would not end well.”

“How, exactly, would it end?” she pushed.

Time to be blunt. “With broken hearts when I am forced to choose between you and my clan.”

I thought that would enrage her. Or shut Mev down so she would stop looking at me that way, with the same longing in her eyes as I probably had for her. Instead, she seemed to take my words as a challenge.

“Hearts? Plural? Yours included? You’d have to have one first.”

I felt a tug on the corner of my lips but tamped it down. “I do have one. It is just buried very, very deep inside my chest.”

“Good to know.”

What the hell did that mean?

“Are we done discussing us? Because I’d love to wash without worrying about my boobs popping out of the water.”

She had such a way with words. Also, the thought of said “boobs” just beneath the bubbles was too much for me to take.

“Finish your bath,” I said, standing. “I will be just outside the door. Let me know when you are done.”

With that, I stalked to the door, recognizing the ease with which Mev could enflame my otherwise even-keeled emotions, and closed it behind me. Leaning against it, I wasn’t certain, but it seemed as if the sound of moving water was laced with laughter.

Well done, Mev.

My princess had won that round.

I was determined to win the next one.