Chapter 15 Lily
LILY
I was dead asleep when Zehemoth’s words came into my mind.
A missive has arrived from King Ithaca. He asks for an audience.
My eyes remained shut, and it took me a moment to process the words that exploded in my head. Sorry, what?
King Ithaca asks you to return to the Empire Colonies so he can speak with you.
When did this missive arrive?
My father just informed me, so I assume within the hour.
I was irritated that he didn’t seek my audience in person, but because I could traverse enormous distances in a fraction of the time compared to a ship, it made sense for me to go to him. Tell your dad we’ll head there in a few hours.
I will.
Did he say anything about my parents?
Uncle Talon is still unresponsive. Aunt Calista hasn’t left his side.
The small reprieves I felt were when I was asleep…
or when I was with Callum. The rest of my life was stress and despair.
Let Hawk know we’re leaving as soon as we pack up.
I got out of bed and threw everything together before I got dressed.
I hoped Callum would come to me, would impart something comforting to me.
But he couldn’t hear conversations in my head, so he didn’t know the information just relayed to me.
I met Hawk outside an hour later, and we approached our dragons.
“What do you think that asshole wants?” Hawk asked.
“I have no idea.”
“You don’t think it’s a trap?”
“I doubt he’d be that foolish,” I said. “And if he wants to be that foolish, I’d be happy to cut him in half with my sword.” I climbed up Zehemoth’s side until I made it into the saddle and strapped my legs down.
Hawk climbed up Movack then gripped the horn in front of him. “This is our last stop, and then we’ll be home. Finally.”
“Yeah, but don’t expect a vacation.”
“I just want my bed. I miss that thing.”
We launched into the air and then began the long journey to the southeast, cutting across the Great Sea and then the narrow channel where the sea was squeezed into a large river.
“It’s almost dark!” Hawk yelled from Movack as he flew beside me, the wind making his hair dance wildly. “We should camp for the night.”
“I just want this to be done. We’ve been away from home long enough.”
“Then we’ll be flying through the night or making camp in the dark. The dragons didn’t get to hunt in the winter storm, so they’ll need to eat.”
“True. Let’s make camp.”
We landed in an isolated clearing that seemed far away from civilization. The second we landed, the dragons left to hunt before it got too dark. Hawk and I set up camp in silence, both of us used to our duties at this point.
I got the fire going, and then we sat on logs and ate from our packs.
“What did Aunt Eldinar say to you?” Hawk asked as he sat across from me at the campfire.
I didn’t want to lie to my brother, but there was no way I could tell him the truth.
That Aunt Eldinar discovered my secret, but she was kind enough not to out me to everyone.
“Wanted to check in. Have a pep talk—ruler-to-ruler.” It was the best I could come up with on the spot and the only explanation as to why Hawk wasn’t included.
He continued to eat his dried meat, seemingly placated by that answer. He stared at the smoke rising from the top of the campfire, his eyes glazing over as he focused on nothing in particular.
I leaned against the log, knees pulled to my chest, the smell of the smoke making me think of campfires my father and I had sat in front of when I was little.
We would go on all kinds of adventures when I was young.
He taught me how to fish with nets and traps and taught me how to hunt with a bow and arrow.
Raised me to be completely self-sufficient.
I always marched to the beat of my own drum, never needed anyone for anything.
But once I met Callum…I felt utterly dependent.
Now I needed him for every ounce of happiness and peace, needed his strength in my muscles to defeat my enemies, needed his power to raise an army to fight in my name on a whim, needed his heat to keep my bed warm while I slept.
I didn’t recognize myself anymore.
“What could he possibly want that couldn’t have been stated a week ago?
” Hawk asked as his eyes remained on the fire.
“I fear this will be an ambush. While our dragons are mighty, we don’t have soldiers at our backs to guard our flanks.
He sent a missive to invite us to his doorstep.
Why not address his needs in the same letter? ”
A tightness began in my chest, the sensation of another presence within my core. My eyes flicked to where he appeared near the fire, cast in the glow of the flames, tall and hard like a statue.
If Hawk could see him, he’d jerk away in terror.
“I agree with your general,” he said. “Assume it’s a trap.”
I wished I could respond, but all I could do was stare.
“Always assume it’s a trap.”
We sat together in front of the fire until the darkest part of the night arrived, and then we crawled into our bedrolls inside our closed tents.
I lay there alone at the very edge of the bedroll because I expected him to appear beside me, big muscles under hot skin, with eyes that could caress my soul with just a stare.
But instead of his joining me, I was pulled away. In a twisted blur, I was yanked from one place and thrown into another. My body fell in free fall for a second before I was in another bed, the sound of the waves outside noticeable immediately.
Then he was there, my leg hiked over his hip, his hand deep in my hair, before I took my next breath. His mouth kissed mine like he’d been thinking about my lips the entire time he’d stood at the campfire.
When he had his fill of my lips, he pulled away to look at me, fingers still deep in my hair, regarding me like I was a brand-new painting every time he saw me, like there was a new detail he hadn’t noticed before.
I was used to getting the attention of men whenever I walked into a room, but that attention was fleeting.
Another woman could replace that fascination so quickly.
Men I brought home for the night were sometimes enthralled with me, but it was never at this level of deep adoration.
“Xivin.” That was all he said, the single word encompassing everything he felt.
I’d never seen a more beautiful man, but he looked at me like I was the special one. We continued to stare at each other with eyes that never tired. Like we’d been separated for days when we hadn’t been separated at all. “Should I reject King Ithaca’s invitation?”
“No. But be prepared for the worst.”
“You think he will ambush me?”
“His intentions are unclear. Perhaps he simply wants something from you. Or perhaps he thinks he sees an opportunity to take advantage of a vulnerable situation. In either case, you’ll be prepared to show him how uninformed he was.”
“You have a lot of faith in me.”
His fingers slid a little deeper into my hair, almost possessively. “I believed in you the moment I laid eyes on you, Xivin.”
It was midafternoon when we arrived at the Empire Colonies.
The stone of the castle reflected the bright sunlight cast down from the heavens.
The spires looked magnificent as they reached toward the sky.
A kingdom rich in many resources, they could easily rival the Southern Isles if we hadn’t had dragons in our ranks.
We made our way down to the grounds of the castle, acres of land surrounding it before the village began. Remain aware. Burn anyone who draws too close.
Same with you, Sunieth. I will rip that castle apart piece by piece if the king lays a hand upon you.
Like I’d ever give him the opportunity to get that close to me.
We came in for a landing in the courtyard like we did before, and Movack released a mighty roar to announce our arrival. “Rooooaaaaaarrrrr!”
Zehemoth landed with a heavy thud against the stone, but I was used to these harsh landings, and I gripped the horn and kept my spine straight so I wouldn’t roll forward down his neck.
Hawk handled himself just as gracefully and hopped down effortlessly in the heavy armor that he wore.
I joined him, and the lines of soldiers that protected the courtyard didn’t move—like they anticipated our arrival this time.
The commander we’d met before was there, and he came forward to receive us.
“Queen Lily Rothschild of the Southern Isles, we thank you for your return to the Empire Colonies.”
From my brief scan of the area, I didn’t recognize any dangers. No archers on the roof above, no cannons in the courtyard, no signs of imminent battle.
“King Ithaca is expecting your arrival. Please, come this way.” He escorted us into the castle and into the throne room where we’d met with the king before.
There were two soldiers on either side of the throne, along with a few placed along the walls, identical to before.
The glass ceiling showered the floor with sunshine.
King Ithaca was seated when we stepped into the room, wearing his uniform like before—except he wore his battle armor on top of it.
He possessed no sword from what I could see, and when Hawk shared a quick look with me, I knew he’d noticed the same.
It wasn’t exactly hostile, but it wasn’t inviting either.
After King Ithaca stared at me for several seconds, he rose to his feet and moved down the steps toward me. “Thank you for your quick return, Queen Rothschild. I’d only sent that missive a few days ago, and you’re already here.”
“My dragons informed me,” I said vaguely.
“I thought our previous conversation was finished, King Ithaca. What other matters need to be discussed that couldn’t have been disclosed in a royal missive?
” It wasn’t my intent to sound hostile, but it was hard to conduct myself in any other way.
My father wouldn’t appreciate another sovereign wasting his time, so I shouldn’t appreciate it either.