Chapter 31
Chapter thirty-one
We only had to last until midnight before we could make our way back to the castle, but it didn’t look like anyone was ready to start preparing for our return.
Avalyn and Cedric had passed out by the fire not long after our unspoken truce.
I’d slept through the entire first day, but I didn’t imagine the same was true for them.
Their exhaustion spoke for itself as Avalyn snored loudly and deeply while Cedric was as quiet as a mouse. They’d likely been on the move ever since the event began; it was no wonder Avalyn had been prepared to fight to the death to claim a shelter.
I leaned against the cave wall, my boots warmed by the fire as my body slowly started to feel like my own again. The pressure in my head finally started to die down, but I wasn’t sure if it was from my fever coming down or the release of tension that came from taming Avalyn.
The jungle princess was still far from being my friend, but seeing her feel safe enough to sleep in front of me gave me hope that I had one less enemy to worry about.
“How are you feeling?” Atlas asked, handing me a fresh flask of boiled snow to sip from. I took a cautious sip, bracing myself for the earthy taste but finding that the fresh powder melted down much cleaner than the last batch.
“Better than I was,” I answered. “Though I’m still not quite ready to duel anyone.”
“Pity.” Atlas smirked, taking the flask back after I’d had all I could stomach. “I miss our little sparring matches.”
“You and Lochlan both, I’m sure.” I laughed softly, keeping my voice low so the others could rest. I fiddled with the sash I’d knotted into a sling earlier, subconsciously adjusting the noose so it was the perfect length to toss a stone.
I didn’t feel threatened by Avalyn’s presence anymore, but I knew she wasn’t the only competitor out there who would love to take a stab at me.
“Speaking of sparring, I’ve been meaning to ask. Why do you always fight with a slingshot?” Atlas asked, sliding down the wall to sit next to me as he eyed my makeshift weapon. “Or any sling, for that matter. Compared to other long-range weapons, it’s rather unconventional and not very powerful.”
“Just like me.” I gave him a small smile.
“For a prince, I was severely lacking in strength and power, so I had to train harder than anyone to make up for it.” I raised the sling, allowing the stone I’d loaded it with to dangle above my lap like a pendulum.
“One night, when I was too sore from training to sleep, I read this story about a young boy who faced a terrifying giant with only a sling and five rocks in his hand. He was so small. No one expected him to win, but a mighty king believed in him and gave him the courage to take down the giant with one shot.”
I plucked the stone out of the sling, turning it over in my hands as its dark surface made the glittering jasper ring on my finger stand out. The difference between the stone in a ring and the stone in a weapon were so stark, yet they both dealt so much pain.
“The boy went on to become a king himself,” I continued.
“And for a small girl looking to inherit a mighty throne, I guess his weapon looked more powerful to me than it was. There was nothing I wanted to master more. I would take down every giant in my path.” I wrapped my fingers around the stone, imagining it taking down my enemy like I had with every stone before it.
“Do you know why the boy brought five stones for one giant?”
“I’d imagine because he planned to take more than one shot,” Atlas suggested, his attention fully immersed in my story.
“It was because the giant had four brothers.” I smiled. “He brought one stone for each of them, and no more. He didn’t intend to miss. I want to be a queen whose people can count the stones that she carries and be assured that she’s anticipated every enemy.”
“How many stones do you carry now?” Atlas asked, his eyes lingering on the rock.
I looked around the cave, at Avalyn and Cedric, then back at Atlas. They’d all been my enemy at one point or another, but today…
“None,” I said, letting the stone slip from my fingers and fall to the ground. “I’m not among giants right now.”
He shifted closer, his guarded expression lowering the moment I dropped my last weapon. “Neither am I,” he whispered, his voice tickling my ears as our faces drifted close enough to read each other’s eyes like a map. “But I am in the presence of a queen.”
He reached for my hand, and I was more than ready to give it to him. His palm was so much softer than that jagged stone.
“I meant what I said, Diaspro.” He sounded almost like he was in pain, his hand squeezing mine enough to take the edge off of whatever was ailing him. “I should have married you when I had the chance.”
My chest tightened, my heart beating like a drum as the pressure in my palm eclipsed all other feelings. “Atlas…”
“Let me speak,” he breathed, and I did just that.
“I was foolish, prideful, and admittedly too afraid to let a woman hold any power over me… But you held so much power over me. At every turn, you proved to me that you could outlast my father, something that not even I felt capable of doing most days. I should have married you the moment you opened that pretty little mouth to put Lochlan in his place.” His hand found my cheek, sliding around the nape of my neck, where his fingers buried themselves in my hair.
“All I could ever tell you was how much I hated you…” He leaned closer and I held my breath.
“I’m such a liar. I don’t hate you at all. ”
I’d finally done it. I had won a prince.
“I don’t hate you either,” I whispered, unable to draw breath.
And no victory had ever tasted sweeter.
He pulled me into a heart-pounding kiss, my lips burning as I craved even more of his heat. I fit perfectly into his arms as he pulled me closer. Sparks lit up my veins, popping like oil thrown on a fire as I felt the remnants of my fever being smothered under his kiss. I could have