Chapter 42 Erik
ERIK
We did not have to wait long before catching sight of Ariana and the others on horseback.
It brought me an odd sense of pleasure to see that she still rode Rain and that the horse continued to favor her.
The animal did not bond quickly with riders, yet she had formed a steady one with the Bavadrin Leader Superior.
It was enough that the horse remained with Ariana instead of following the rest of the Lysians home.
Seeing Ariana on the white night was startling.
I could not deny that it was good to be near her.
With that defiant look in her eyes, refusing to fear the things she should.
Never had I imagined seeing her at the border on a night such as that.
Still, she continued to act recklessly bold, even for a conjuror.
What if Hedrek had come down from the mountain with a pack of Lysians and attacked her?
It was as if that possibility never crossed her mind.
The entire time, she just assumed that if she encountered any Lysian it would be me, and even that should not have been a comfort to her.
She had grown too comfortable around us.
Ariana did not arrive at the meeting alone. Landin, Edda, and two other Bavadrin men I never noticed before accompanied her. Wolves approached from the distance, keeping a large berth between themselves and the Bavadrins, though it was apparent they followed them.
The Bavadrins all dismounted, joining us on foot.
Ariana stood with an air of unintentional allure, her riding leathers hugging her body in ways that made it impossible not to notice every curve.
The fitted shirt accentuated her frame, while the pants followed the lines of her legs with maddening precision.
Her cloak, clasped at her throat, billowed slightly in the wind, offering glimpses of the figure beneath as it moved.
The fabric framed her like a shadow, the hood hanging loose against her shoulders, exposing the windswept strands of her hair that tumbled in defiance over her shoulder.
While the other half of her hair remained intertwined with stones and gems as was custom for their Leader Superior.
“Thank you for meeting with us. There is something I wanted you to see,” Ariana greeted us briefly before holding out a sheet of paper. There was none of the warmth coming from her that was present the other night. Her entire demeanor was rigid.
I took the paper from her, noticing the blood on the bottom first. By the smell, I knew it was hers mixed with someone else’s.
My eyes glided over the words, and I could not keep the growl from my throat.
Handing the letter to the nearest of my brothers, I then looked into the unwavering green eyes staring at me.
“When did it come?” I asked.
“Morning of the white night,” she answered. That left just a few days until she needed to leave if she intended to go.
“You plan on meeting with him?” Iver’s eyes drifted over the letter in his hands.
“It’s an opportunity to get a better understanding of Clause and much-needed information. Our knowledge of the Sidhe is dangerously limited. Most of it is ancient or collected from Seers over the years,” Ariana pointed out.
“We know he can take a conjuror’s powers,” Edmond stated. “Seeing as he’s also someone to play tricks, you don’t want to spend much time around him, for obvious reasons.” Edmond paused then. “We also know he’s an ancient conjuror, hundreds of years old.”
Jorn shrugged before voicing his thoughts. “I don’t see what the problem is. I say let her go. If she dies, it’s no skin off our backs, but if she returns, then she may have useful information.”
A growl rippled through me.
Edda smiled wickedly. “Clause does not take the powers of a conjuror. He just mutes them. Conjurors do not affect him, but he in return has a lot of power over them,” she corrected Edmond, who narrowed his gaze on her.
“How do you know such things?” Iver asked.
“She is a Seer,” Ariana answered, as if that was enough of a reason. “Well, I have said everything I needed to.” She reached for the letter as if preparing to take it and leave.
My voice stilled her before the paper touched her fingertips. “That’s it?” I could not believe that was all. She dropped this in our laps, and then wished to leave without sharing her plans. That would not cut it.
“What more is there?” Her gaze sliced towards us, hand falling to her side, and I realized she was angry, though I was not sure exactly about what. “I wished to keep you apprised, as this may affect your future plans. That is all.”
I took a deliberate step towards her, gaining her full attention, ignoring the way Landin inched forward as if prepared to shield her if I were to attack. “You are just going to march into this Sidhe Kingdom and hope he will allow you to leave?”
“Does it look like I march anywhere? I was thinking of taking more of a strolling pace,” she replied flippantly, and Iver’s lips twisted into a smirk.
Another rumble traveled up my throat. This was not a joke.
“Clause is a man of his word,” Edda stated, “Though he is indeed dangerous, he will uphold his promise. She will be released unscathed as long as he is not threatened.” The old woman’s willingness to agree to such a thing only further infuriated me.
Being a Seer, shouldn’t she know the immense danger Ariana would be in by being within reach of the Sidhe King?
“The ancient stories told of him painted him as cruel, powerful enough that even time could not touch him, for age never wore him down. Years of life only hardened him, and he had lived long enough for several life spans.” I warned of the little we knew.
My attention turned to the old bat. “You said you would protect her. That you would not allow harm to come to her.”
Edda’s lips flattened into a straight line.
“I am capable of protecting myself,” Ariana stated curtly.
“She certainly is. After all, she bested you, didn’t she, Erik?” Edmond smiled bitterly. Still cross with the choice of releasing her and the Bavadrins from our control, choosing to see it as a weak decision on my part.
Iver surprised me with the caution in his voice when he asked Ariana, “You are certain you wish to do this?”
Her gaze shifted to him, as stubborn as it had been when viewing me. “Not at all. But it is the choice I made. I only hope to come back with some answers for both you and me.”
“You think he’ll provide you with answers? That he’ll just come out and say he’s abducting Lysians?” Jorn folded his arms across his chest.
“If we assume that he is a collector of conjurors, what makes you think he won’t add you to his collection?
” I asked. Unease held me in its grimy grip, and I did not seem able to shake it off.
She was willingly placing herself in danger, just as she had when she stepped into my cell after Fraser’s lashings.
But not every caged beast responds identically.
Just because I spared her did not mean that the next would do the same.
She was gambling with her life as if it were nothing.
Ariana leveled her green gaze at me. “Careful, you almost sound worried about a Bavadrin.”
Iver snorted. “He worries, alright.”
Her delicate jaw clenched at Iver’s comment, and she turned to him, taking back the note, folding it, and placing it in a pocket.
“There is nothing to deliberate. I am going. As a sign of respect and hope that we can form some sort of cooperation with one another, I decided to share this information with you.” She walked over to stand beside Rain, running a hand down the side of the horse’s neck.
“I will come to your city before you are to leave, and I will stay there until you return from the Sidhe,” I informed her. There would be no budging from this.
Her gaze narrowed. “Why?”
“To know as soon as possible what this invitation means.” My hands curled into fists at my side.
“And to make sure you do not betray him,” Edda added.
Ariana waited for me to deny the Seer’s comment.
I didn’t. Not because I did not trust Ariana, but because this was how I was going to ensure that I got my way.
Ariana threw her horse’s reins down. Anger radiated from her.
She stomped towards us until she stood nearly toe to toe with me.
Though she had to look up to meet my eyes, the anger mixed with raw willfulness somehow made her seem taller.
“After everything, you still do not trust me? I did not need to share any of this with you.” Her voice was a soft snarl, breath becoming uneven.
Jorn stepped towards us with open palms, as if that would placate her.
“Listen, it doesn’t have to be Erik to go.
I will go in his place if you prefer. We realize that it is not exactly only my brother’s decision.
It is yours as well. But if we are to work together moving forward, this is what we need.
Good faith alone is not enough. My sister’s life hangs in the balance.
We’ve never had this kind of an opportunity before.
” He was trying to play to her kindness.
“But if you refuse, we will assume that you have sided with Clause. You will be an enemy,” Edmond stated, offering a different incentive. We were pressuring her.
I did not deny his words. Though I did not know how much I agreed with them. The one thing I did know was that I would be there when Ariana left her city and when she returned. One way or another.
“You cannot be serious.” She turned to me with wide eyes.
“I very much am.” My tone was final. Were she a Lysian, she would have agreed at once and perhaps even asked forgiveness for denying me my wishes. Instead, she stared right at me defiantly, fury swirling magnificently in those green eyes.
Landin joined the conversation for the first time. “You do not have the authority to tell her what to do.”
Iver answered his comment with a relaxed smile. “We are only offering options. Cause and effect. Allow for our involvement, and the bond between our nations can begin to form. Keep us at bay, and some will be left to assume the worst and prepare for that outcome as well.”
Ariana’s face was reddening. “Fine. Erik is welcome to come stay in the city for a short time.” Her gaze pinned me.
“And one other Lysian of your choosing can accompany you, but that is it. Be aware that while in my home, you will have no say in anything. You will follow my lead. Are these terms agreeable?”
I restrained a smile at the victory. “Yes.”
Her gaze narrowed as if doubting I could follow those terms. “Very well.” She mounted her horse, and the other Bavadrins did as well.
“You know the way to the city,” she stated, letting me know we would not get an escort from the border, not that we needed one.
Ariana did not wait for a response before they all took off.
A minute later, we began heading in the opposite direction.