CHAPTER 13 #2
“To surviving the Mortal Trials,” she said.
“To surviving.”
I lifted the cup and drank deeply. The cocktail was deliciously cool, and tasted of fruit and summer.
It did something wonderful to my insides, turning them warm and fuzzy.
The music no longer felt as loud as it had when we had entered the tavern and Lana, beautiful Lana, fractured into a kaleidoscope of colors before me.
Before long, Lana ordered a second round.
“I’m so sorry.” I clasped her hand after she had placed our order.
“For being such a shitty friend. I was wrong about Septimus. He’s a decent elven.
” I meant it, too. The drink, as much as it had made my insides fuzzy, had given me alarming mental clarity.
Septimus had been the only one to actually tell me the true purpose of the Mortal Trials.
Lana beamed at me. “I knew you’d like him once you got to know him. And, oh my gods, Lirah, can he kiss! I swear I nearly collapsed the first time.”
“The first time?” I squealed. I felt so blissfully free, talking to Lana about trivial things. Worries had escaped me, the weight of the Trials, Anama’s death and Kilian’s secrets a distant memory. It was just me and my friend.
I sipped on the sweet liquid, savoring the taste of the alcohol on my tongue. “What was it like?”
Lana cupped a hand beneath her chin, a dreamy look on her face. “You know when you’re asleep and you have that dream where you’re falling but then you suddenly wake up?”
“Ye-es,” I dragged the word out. “That’s a bit of a scary dream, though.”
She nodded. “It feels scary. Because I’m not waking up, I’m just falling.”
I stared at my friend in astonishment. “You’re falling in love with him?”
Lana scrubbed her face with her hands and then took another deep drink of her cocktail.
“I know it’s crazy. He’s elven and I’ll probably die before the Rite.
But gods, it just feels right. It’s fucking pathetic, and don’t ever let Moric get wind of this, but I want to smush my face against his all day. ”
I tipped my head back and laughed. For the first time in nearly two weeks. And it was like a burden lifted off my shoulders. I raised my second drink toward her in cheers, because, gods, it took courage to admit what you felt. “To Solana, the bravest person I know.”
She blushed, angling her glass toward me. “To Lirahna, the kindest, most loyal friend I’ve ever had.”
The next few hours were a blur of drinks and laughter, tears from Lana as she explained how painful Anama’s death had been for her, and tears from me as I apologized profusely for accusing her of not caring.
Lana had leaned across the table then to hug me tightly, her cornsilk hair smelling of strawberries and pine.
She slid out of the booth afterward, dabbing at the corners of her eyes.
She proclaimed that this was all entirely too heavy for a girl’s day out, and that as soon as she returned from the bathroom, we were going to try another drink.
I grinned as I watched her retreating figure swaying toward the bathroom.
I had barely turned back to my drink when the seat beside me dipped.
I looked to my left to find an elven male seated beside me, recognizing his forest green eyes immediately.
He was Moric’s instructor. He looked me up and down, ran his hand through his dark hair and blew out a low breath.
“Kilian’s going to be pissed when he finds out you’re here. ”
“I don’t give a shit what Kilian thinks,” I responded coolly, taking another sip of my drink.
“Is that so?” His gaze tracked the curve of my lips around the straw. “I’m Ayden.”
“Lirahna.”
“Oh, I know who you are. Your reputation in the first challenge precedes you.”
I scoffed. “I nearly died.”
“‘Nearly’ being the key word. You killed the monster.”
“I had help.”
“Are you always this modest?” He winked. Winked. Was he flirting with me?
Three drinks in, and I was too buzzed to care. “Do you make it a habit of flirting with mortal women?”
He blinked, and I could tell the question threw him. Good. “No. In fact, I’ve never met one as striking as you before. The most exquisite females of Dalhur could not compare.”
I rolled my eyes. “Does that line actually work?”
He grinned, flashing perfect white teeth, his lips inching closer to mine. “You tell me.”
I was being reckless and stupid, and with how I felt toward Kilian… I was so fucking hurt. I did not think. I pressed my lips against Ayden’s.
He did not hesitate before sweeping his hands across my waist, dragging me closer. He nudged my mouth open, his warm lips moving against mine. His tongue traced the seam of my mouth, tentatively brushing against my own.
It felt… weird. Not good. Not bad. But definitely wrong.
Those were not Kilian’s hands brushing along my collarbone, and it was not Kilian’s lips against mine. But those were Kilian’s eyes that I saw two seconds before Ayden was ripped away from me and thrown across the room, the loud music coming to an abrupt halt.
“Touch her again and I’ll fucking kill you.” Anger was too light of a word for the expression on Kilian’s face. He looked positively murderous.
Septimus stood behind him, observing the bar with disgust written plainly on his face.
Lana chose that exact moment to step out of the bathroom.
I could have heard a pin drop in the silence.
It only lasted a second, though, before Septimus groaned at her.
“I asked you so nicely not to come here alone.”
“I’m not alone,” Lana muttered, and Septimus rolled his eyes.
Ayden clicked his jaw, rising to his feet. “I don’t understand what the problem is, Kilian. You said you didn’t want her.”
If my metaphorical wounds hadn’t already been bleeding, that would have cut them right open again.
Septimus winced in Ayden’s direction. “I’d go back to the house if I were you, buddy. This is not a fight you want to pick.”
“Whatever.” Ayden shrugged. He picked up his own cloak and left the tavern without a backward glance.
I chanced a look at Kilian again and instantly regretted it. He was so beautiful it made my heart ache. Even angry as he was, lightning skittering off his forearms, I only wanted him. But I hated him, didn’t I? He would use me and hurt me before I died in the Trials, if I let him.
Kilian reached across the table for my drink. He lifted it to his nose, scenting it. “This is tainsberry leaf. Who the fuck put tainsberry leaf in your drink?”
Lana’s eyes flickered to the bartender, who had slunk so far behind the counter he was barely visible.
Septimus leaned casually against the bar, the ever-present amusement in his tone unwavering. “Do you like your life, good sir?”
“I – I’m sorry. The girls… they wanted to have a good time,” the male stammered.
“That’s not what I asked,” Septimus drawled. “The mortals in Lomask are under the protection of the Mortal Trials, surely you know this. By giving them tainsberry leaf, you’ve broken the sacred oath of protection.”
“No harm can come from giving them tainsberry leaf,” the male protested. “It’s completely harmless.”
“For elven,” Septimus corrected. “It’s harmless for elven. For mortals, it can cause hallucinations, the bending and warping of light and color, and extreme lightheadedness.”
That explained why Lana had looked like a colorful rainbow.
I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it, but a thin, golden rope of light flowed from Septimus’ index finger, snaking through the air and wrapping around the bartender’s wrists. “Someone will be along to collect you to stand trial.”
“It’s not his fault,” I said. “We’re perfectly fine.”
“I’d like to see you both walk in a straight line first and then still tell me you’re fine,” Septimus muttered sternly. “He should know better.”
With the bartender taken care of, Kilian’s attention returned to me.
“What are you–” He crouched down before me, eye level with the table, and I had a sudden, extreme urge to run my fingers through his hair.
It looked silky and soft, and I wanted to hear what sounds he would make if I tugged gently at his curls. “What are you wearing, Lirah?”
His voice was a teasing murmur, and I knew the question was meant only for my ears. He ran a finger along the seam of my gear, over each clasp, and my breath hitched.
“I have a cloak,” I said defensively, unsure why it mattered to him what I wore. “What are you even doing here?” I snapped, keeping my hands firmly at my sides. “You’re supposed to be in Greyhaven.”
“Yes, I was in Greyhaven.” His voice returned to that commanding tone. “But Septimus informed me that you and Lana had been missing since the morning. I came back to find you.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “You mean, you came to hunt down your candidate to ensure she didn’t desert before the second challenge.”
Confusion flashed briefly in his eyes before being replaced with stony anger. “You don’t know what you’re saying. You need to sleep the tainsberry off. Come on, we’re leaving.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No. I’m having a nice time out with my friend. You’ve found me. You can go back to Greyhaven now. Oh, but before you go, would you let Ayden know he can come back? We have unfinished business.”
Rage slammed into my chest with so much force I couldn’t breathe. Kilian’s eyes shone with pure menace. “Not a chance. You’re coming back. Now.”
I brought my tainsberry-infused drink toward me and slowly raised it to my lips, draining the remaining liquid in the only act of defiance I could think of. Then I slid along the booth, rising to my feet. “Fine, Lord Kilian. Is there anything else you’d like me to do?”
He rose to his full height, towering above me. He grabbed my cloak from the booth and threw it over my shoulders. “Cover yourself up. I’d rather not hurt anyone else tonight.”