Chapter 8
—Kienna—
Kienna sat on the navy velvet couch in their new apartment with Moira, shocked that Moira secured this place and the furniture in it. Though Kienna pressed, Moira wouldn’t tell where it all came from, only that she accepted help from around the city so they could live comfortably.
It was Tislin, Ruva howled as she gnawed on a bone on the floor. You know it was Tislin.
Probably, but I’m fine with letting them pretend they’re a secret.
Ruva hummed to that. Like you. And your triad of men.
Kienna peered over the couch and rested her arm on the golden crest. What are you talking about?
The wolf laughed but didn’t elaborate.
Kienna sat back. She’d done her best to replace the planks that protruded from the floor, but there were still a few here and there. A splintered one jutted out close to Ruva, reminding her that she needed to go to the sawmill to get more oak wood cut.
Moira was on her fifth read through of the book she borrowed from Elowen.
It must have been one hell of a story. Curiosity sparked Kienna’s interest more than once, tempted to sneak into Moira’s room and find the book when she slept, but she withheld.
This was a secret Moira needed to hold onto, and Kienna was building a trust with her she didn’t want to break.
“I’m starving,” Moira said, closing the pages and running her hand over her stomach. “Should we prepare something?”
Kienna curled her knees to her chest to cozy up, realizing she’d never made her own meals. Everything was prepared for her most of the time. She couldn’t tell if that made her privileged or poorly prepared. “Honestly, I have no idea how to.”
Moira laughed. “It’s easy. You can…cut things. You know how to cut things.”
“We don’t even have food here.”
The wolf sneezed in the air behind them. It’s a travesty.
Hush, Ru.
Ruva growled, her humming turning into a whimper. Incoming.
Kienna’s head snapped toward the wolf, but before she could react, images crashed through her mind.
Of Connak. Danek. Flashes of movement, combat, and pain.
Shadows grasped her skull like a vice, followed by torment.
They taunted her. The vision shot through her, sending her to the floor as she gasped for air.
Moira sat up immediately. “Are you okay?”
What the fuck happened, Ruva?
Something that probably shouldn’t have happened. You haven’t had a true vision in ages.
Kienna grasped her charm to ensure it remained strapped to her wrist. It was still there, and she couldn’t draw magic to her fingertips. How did she have a vision? She shook as Moira pulled her to her feet, steady and wide-eyed when a knock came at the door and startled them.
Moira helped Kienna sit, brushing her cheek gently.
Kienna reveled in the motherly touch of safety and warmth.
Then guilt flooded her as she thought about Maren.
She hadn’t thought deeply of her mother in River Storm since before the war.
She kept Maren in her heart always, continuing the quest she’d given her, but she’d lost track of keeping Maren safe.
She would never be certain whether her mother—or Jacob, for that matter—was alive. The pit in her stomach grew.
“What are you doing here?” Moira chirped like a bird.
Kienna sprang from the sofa, brushing her clothes as if she’d realized she could be impossibly dirty from her day’s work at the workshop.
Connak and Danek were at the door, one wearing a devilish grin and the other a new…
face? Danek was different. Sharper. Like the last traces of boyhood had burned off overnight.
He stood straighter, more certain—or maybe not, but damn, it didn’t matter.
He was dangerously easy to look at. Kienna wondered if it was at all connected to the violent vision.
“We’re on our way to the Malintale,” Danek answered. “We couldn’t pass through Dove Port and not see you. They sent Broan to the mountains!”
Kienna met Connak’s stare, and her heart lurched again. His striking green eyes held hers for a moment too long before he stepped past Moira with a faint smile. “In truth,” he said, voice low and smooth, “we missed Ruva.”
Men at your feet.
Kienna bit her lip. Heat rose to the tips of her ears as she shoved Connak’s shoulder. “Well, Ruva is right there. Go say hello, then.” She moved past Connak as the gleam hit his eye and walked to Danek as Moira shut the door. “What happened to you?”
Danek shrugged. His expression was steady and unreadable, like a storm behind calm eyes. “The forest is mysterious.”
“We were about to find food!” Moira squealed. “We can all go together!”
Kienna tucked her hair behind her ear and gave a faint smile, but seeing Connak and Danek together after a vision that sent her to the floor unnerved her.
Her visions were never clear. Part of that had to do with Vaerin’s curse on her magic, but that’s not what concerned her.
If she were having visions, even with the charm on, what else could this mean?
“So, where’s Tislin if he’s not with you?” Moira asked Connak while they strolled the Dove Port markets near the beach, left of the shipyards and The Elarent House. Vendors manned booths that lined the paths, offering different grains and vegetables. Some sold fine clothes and shoes.
“Tislin has been checking on rumors of River Storm for me,” Connak said. “He should slow down now that I’ve recruited Danek.”
Kienna flinched at the sound of River Storm.
Connak said they were safe. Was he withholding information?
Awareness tugged at her. Would it be so bold to think King Vaerin could sneak into the city?
She stilled her chest and forced herself to admire a ruffled shirt made of linen and lace.
To Danek, she asked, “You’re a Blade now? ”
Danek ran his fingers along the shirt and hummed with approval. “This would look nice on you. You wear your tunic and pants like you’re about to go to battle at any moment. You should enjoy yourself.”
Kienna looked around. Surely Danek, the man who had her back in war and followed her around like a lost puppy, wasn’t talking to her like he thought about the things she wore.
It was infuriating how charming it was and further so that Connak was up ahead, and he so easily brushed past the River Storm rumors.
It didn’t help that he paid more attention to Moira than he did to Kienna.
You complicate things, Ruva whispered as she prowled in the alleyways to keep hidden.
I shouldn’t worry about men. I’m sure these thoughts will go away in time.
I won’t pretend to understand your species’ affairs, but I’ve heard enough. You are smitten with many men. And them with you.
Kienna peered at the tag hanging from the shirt sleeve. “It’s too expensive. I’d have to work two weeks to afford this.” Kienna sighed. “Let’s catch up with the others.”
“Lead on, then.” Danek stepped aside, letting Kienna go first. “Listen, now that I’m in training, Connak wants me to focus on my speed.
” He reached for her hands and guided them gently around his arm as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Before we leave tomorrow, I was hoping you’d be willing to run with me.
You’ve always been fast, and I’d like a fair comparison to see how much work I have left to do. ”
Kienna’s heartbeat stuttered, but she walked like it was nothing to her. “I haven’t run since the war or done any sort of training. I may be a bit out of commission.”
“Doubt it,” Danek laughed.
They passed a vendor selling lavender sky plums, the most delicate and tart fruit that Dove Port offered.
They bloomed on trees under the moonlight.
Danek plucked one and gave the man more coins than the fruit was worth.
Kienna noted it, wondering how Danek was making money.
Unless Connak was paying him…which was uncomfortable.
The Elvish didn’t appear to rely on monetary facets. Their city contained everything they needed, and she rarely saw any of the forest dwellers outside of Trinity, though Connak and the Blades were the rare instance. They would need money, but how were they making it?
The two caught up with Moira and Connak. Danek bit into the fruit. “Anyway,” He closed his eyes, as if savoring the sweetness. “First thing in the morning?”
The question pulled Kienna out of her thoughts. “Oh, sure.”
Danek caught another vendor selling more sky plums. He tipped his chin to Kienna, eyes warm, and strolled away. Moira shook her head with a quiet laugh. “I’d better follow him so he doesn’t get lost. He thinks he’s something special with those new ears of his.”
Moira trailed off and left Kienna and Connak alone.
Connak stretched lazily. “So, Danek’s got a thing for you.”
Please tell me he’s not just catching onto that one. Ruva laughed.
Kienna bumped Connak with her shoulder as they walked. Her stomach growled loudly. “Are you going to tell me about River Storm?”
“Do you want to talk about the nightmares?”
Kienna stopped in her tracks, staring at the ground for far too long.
She’d only been getting nightmares this bad since Dalelry.
They were nothing serious and did not last long before she forced herself awake.
Even so, she couldn’t deny she was losing sleep, not eating well, and her nails were already mangled again.
She didn’t realize Connak sensed them, too.
“Everything’s fine.” She bit her tongue, but her voice was barely more than a whisper.
“I hoped I was the person you trusted enough to admit it wasn’t fine.” Connak’s fingers drummed against the side of his leg.
Kienna didn’t know why she was even lying to him. The man lived in her head, for fuck’s sake. Apparently, he’d already seen the nightmares. “I don’t want to admit they’re real,” she said. “If I ignore it, then maybe I’ll start feeling normal again.”