CHAPTER 10 #3
“Remind me,” Riesh says to my uncle, “who was your brother’s wife?”
“She was called Thaliana.”
Felias had indeed lost his sister-in-law during childbirth, and I know that there is no pretense in the sad smile that slips onto his face when her name passes his lips.
It was the rarest of couplings when his very human brother took one of them for his bride.
Though I can’t stop the twinge of pain in my heart over Felias’s loss, I will never understand why any mortal would willingly bind themselves to a feyn.
“That’s right,” the male says. And I’m not sure his brow can furrow any deeper, and then it does when he asks, “Ungifted?”
“She was, yes,” Felias says with a series of short nods.
I debate making my exit when the siblings exchange a troubled look, and it becomes clear that there is something outside of my understanding taking place.
My mind rushes to piece together every facet of my brief interaction with them, struggling to make sense of it.
I’ve never been strong in the delicate art of social grace, much less the tactical scheming and manipulation that comes with those who are proficient.
Awri leaves her brother to come along side me, hooking her elbow with mine. “Will you show me the grounds, Shivaria?”
Felias nods his approval before I answer, “Of course.”
I force a smile and let her lead me into the quiet seclusion of the outdoors.
It’s a calm night with a full moon that blankets the earth in a pale, shimmering light.
Star flowers litter the grounds, their pearlescent white petals unfurled.
They reach toward the sky, refracting the moonlight, glowing like a multitude of stars fallen to settle upon the surface of Terr.
“Are you enjoying A’kori?” she asks absently as she turns us down a narrow path, rounding a bushy maple.
“I really haven’t had much time to explore, but what I have seen is exceptionally grand.”
She glances at me with a sly smile and sweet chuckle.
“You certainly haven’t seen enough of the capital if grand is the only word you use to describe it. I insist you let me enhance your view of the city. I’ll have a carriage sent in the morning if you like?”
I nearly lose my footing on the perfectly flat, well-groomed path beneath my feet when she asks, and she suppresses a small laugh.
I only hesitate for a moment. Despite my uncomfortable introduction to the siblings, Felias seemed pleased enough by their presence.
And I don’t want to risk giving up an opportunity that might prove beneficial.
I plaster a grateful smile onto my face as I regain my stride. “Thank you. That would be—”
“Awri!” The general’s voice booms into the night and I suppress a cringe when I glance up and find him on the path before us.
“Thank the stars. What did I say about running off when I… What are you doing with her?” he barks, pointing a long finger at me.
Leveling me with a menacing glare, he tromps toward us.
I am at least happy to see his demeanor hasn’t changed around someone he’s obviously familiar with. I’m beginning to think there is a good chance the male is simply grumpy all the time.
“You’ve met?” Awri’s brows creep up her forehead before drawing down in confusion as she notes his determined stride and the crease in his brow.
Or maybe it is just me.
“Oh, yes. Xeyvian and I are old friends,” I say sweetly, with an obnoxiously innocent smile.
“Xeyvian?” Her eyebrows rise once more, thrown by my lack of formality when I exclude the general’s title.
He inserts himself between us, parting Awri’s arm from my own as he does. Crossing his arms dramatically, he glares down at the top of my head.
Stars, he is tall.
I lean to the side, peering around him until I catch Awri’s eyes, noting the confusion on her face. I smile. My annoyance at his rudeness and his unreasonable disdain for me is overwhelming, and I can’t help but let a little of my natural sarcasm slip.
“The general and I like to play a little game called ‘who’s the more sullen child.’” I sigh exaggeratedly and thank the stars when Awri smiles at my quip, choking back a laugh. I continue, “I’m extremely competitive and I hate to admit that I’ve yet to beat him at the game.”
“Do not speak to me like that,” he hisses.
“I wasn’t. I was speaking with Awri before you interrupted. We were just discussing our plans for tomorrow.”
He turns a delicious shade of red when I deliver the news, and I smile up at him. The male is far too easy to rile. The smile quickly falls from my face when I consider exactly who it is I’m vexing and just how much of an impediment he could be to my introduction to his king.
His lips quirk up at the edges like he can tell exactly what I’m thinking, and I decide that I don’t really care to be in his presence, not now or ever again.
“General, perhaps you could give us a little privacy,” Awri says sweetly, and I wish I knew how to make my voice as placating as she so easily can.
I make a mental note to practice her exact tone and the gentle flutter of her lashes.
“I think I’ll stay,” he says through gritted teeth.
“I’m not asking, General. I will be with you shortly.” She tips her chin toward the end of the garden path, and just like that, he puts twenty paces between us without so much as a harrumph. Though, he does seem like the harrumphing type.
“I didn’t realize you could command the general,” I whisper, making sure to lock eyes with the male just to irritate him, before reminding myself again why I do not want to annoy him any further. “That might come in handy.”
“Only if you intend to start a war,” she laughs, and I join in, hoping it doesn’t seem forced.
Awri is quick to set a time for us to meet in the morning, before appeasing the general by allowing him to escort her back to her brother’s side.
I catch her smiling at me throughout the evening, just as often as I catch her brother and the general brooding with their heads together, casting occasional sideways glances in my direction.
My uncle does his duty well, spending the rest of the evening making important introductions.
Though he informs me that he is set on me fostering a friendship with the siblings above all others.
It isn’t until late in the evening that I realize there are a handful of beautiful young women scattered throughout the party, their singular task to make similar connections.
I wonder how many of them have traveled to A’kori for the same purpose I have—a moment alone with the king.
I imagine, should they succeed, their plans with the male differ greatly from my own.