Chapter 35
thirty-five
Hand in hand, Vade’s palm began to sweat against Orelia’s.
“Your Majesty,” he said, bowing slightly.
Orelia dipped into a curtsy, never having imagined she’d ever meet royalty.
“Your Majesty,” she repeated, losing her balance slightly as she tried to keep her spine straight and knees bent.
No one had ever taught her how to properly execute a curtsy.
She nervously waited for the king to acknowledge them.
“Rise,” the king said, lifting his hand. He nodded politely to them both, then turned his attention to Vade. “I would like to speak with you privately.”
“Where I go, she goes.”
Orelia stopped breathing, shooting Vade a side-eye. To demand anything of the king was insubordination.
To her surprise, King Aradonis only tipped his head. “Very well. Marquin, please come with us.” He gestured to one of his High Guard batalins waiting by the carriage. The man sneered at Vade before motioning for a few more guards to join him.
“The gardens are lovely here, so why don’t we walk and talk,” Aradonis said.
“As you wish,” Vade responded.
Orelia stayed behind Vade as he walked side by side with the king, a handful of the High Guard trailing behind her.
She noted two swords with the most intricately carved hilts she’d ever seen on the king’s hips.
Gemstones of every kind Nivina offered were encrusted into the silver hilts, but she didn’t spot any fire opals.
She smirked, knowing she had the rarest and most expensive jewels in her possession. She could almost hear the gemstone crown clinking in her pack.
Aradonis walked with his hands behind his back like the man at his side was no threat. He may have been relaxed in his posture, but Orelia had no doubt he was fully aware of everything in his surroundings.
“I received your message about wanting out. I was hoping to dissuade you from doing so.”
To attack him would be foolish on Vade’s part, but Orelia wondered if the king had ever seen the fae’s cruelty firsthand to know what he was truly capable of.
“You’ve done excellent work for me over the years. What made you want to leave?”
Vade was quiet for a moment. “My priorities have changed.”
Aradonis glanced over his shoulder at Orelia, who quickly looked away. To have the attention of the most powerful man in Nivinia made her heart beat faster. She didn’t know how this conversation was going to go and she began fidgeting with her shirt.
“And these new priorities, they are more important to you than being one of the wealthiest people to work for the kingdom?”
When they came to a split in the path, the king stopped.
The High Guard fanned out around the garden, covering each path and every exit.
A glint of something made her squint and she looked up to see two batalins standing atop the far wall.
Their steel arrows glistened in the sun, set in the bows resting in front of them.
Half relaxed, half ready to fire at a moment’s notice.
Vade faced the king. “You have made me a very rich man, I will admit that, Your Majesty. But I have been your loyal emissary for many years and I now wish for my life to be my own.”
Orelia wasn’t sure where she should stand or what she should do, so she smelled some pink roses growing on bushes bordering an eight-tiered fountain.
The feeling of someone watching her made Orelia turn.
The batalin the king had ordered to come with them, Marquin, was homed in on Vade.
His mouth was twisted in disgust, a lilac hand squeezing the hilt of his sword so fiercely that his knuckles had gone white.
She didn’t know what his problem was, but the contempt for Vade was clear.
“I see,” the king said. “Is there nothing I can do to convince you to stay? A raise, perhaps?”
Vade gave a curt shake of his head. “I’m afraid my mind is made up, Your Majesty.”
The king lifted his chin, looking Vade over. “I’m assuming you wouldn’t request to leave my service without the payment we discussed?” He smirked beneath his well-groomed mustache.
On the way to Axelton, Vade had told her the astronomical payment the king required for him to leave.
She’d been dumbstruck he’d acquired the amount, but he assured her it wasn’t all from killing.
Vade said he stole from many wealthy people when he was younger, particularly those who lived around Goldbottom.
He told her he would never be a slave to someone else, so he made sure to save up the money as quickly as he could in case he ever wanted out.
Vade stuck a hand in his pocket and every member of the High Guard readied their glaives. The batalins atop the wall pointed their bows at him.
The fae had the nerve to smirk.
The king lifted a hand and the guards slowly lowered their weapons, Marquin being the last to concede.
Vade fished out a coin purse and handed it to the king.
He’d said the bank condensed his payment into larger coins she’d never seen nor even heard of before.
The two coins were half the size of his palm, pure white as they were made of dragon bone.
A sharply drawn black dragon head with its mouth open graced each side—the symbol of Nivinia.
The king opened the pouch and looked inside. A quick frown graced his face, like he was surprised Vade had actually acquired the money, but it was gone a second later. Seeming satisfied, he handed the pouch to Marquin.
“As per our conditions, I need your tracking stone and weapons as well.”
Marquin practically jumped at the opportunity to disarm him.
Vade put his arms out at his side to acquiesce but glared at the batalin with his best don’t fuck with me face as he was relieved of the two seidr blades on his back.
Orelia thought there may have been a history between the two of them and made a mental note to ask Vade about it later.
“Where’s the stone?” Marquin asked in a deep, booming voice.
“Right pocket.” Vade’s fingers twitched at his sides and Orelia wanted to scream at him not to do anything stupid.
Thankfully, Marquin retrieved the stone and rejoined the rest of the guards without incident.
Orelia released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Vade gave her a quick mischievous glance.
“I can’t say I’m pleased about you leaving, but I am a man of my word,” the king said. “Didn’t think you’d ever save up enough money, but I see you’ve been busy doing just that.”
Vade half-smiled. “Thank you for trusting me to get your jobs done, but it’s time I find something else to center my life around.” He looked at Orelia.
The king looked at her like he knew the look of love all too well.
His eyes were kind, and he had been surprisingly understanding about the situation.
Though Orelia knew he was the one who had hired Vade to kill people he deemed “unworthy”, she was finding it difficult to see him as some heartless being who gave execution orders on a whim.
“I wish you the best of luck,” Aradonis said. The two men shook hands, then the High Guard surrounded the king as they headed back in the direction of the carriage. When everyone was out of earshot, Orelia jumped into Vade’s arms.
“You’re free!”
He buried his face in her neck and breathed her in. “Gods, it feels so good to be able to do whatever I want.” He chuckled. “I almost don’t know what to do now.” He set her on the ground and smiled down at her.
“I could think of something,” Orelia drawled.
“I’m sure you could, but first, let’s eat. I’m starving, and now that I’m poor, this may be my last good meal.”
She laughed at the absurdity of it.
Vade slipped an arm around her waist. “Come, my love. Let’s go sink our teeth into something delicious.” He winked. “Then I can have you for dessert.”
After their bellies were full and they’d topped off their waterskins outside the tavern, the pair left Axelton and ventured into the woods. The pines welcomed them back and offered bountiful shade.
In the beginning, Orelia’s legs had barked in pain from hours of walking, despite her natural healing. Now, she tromped through the forest at Vade’s pace and her breathing came easier. Every muscle in her body was stronger and she no longer felt like the weak little lamb he’d first called her.
Looking at him now, she found it almost impossible to remember how brutish he’d seemed when she’d first met him.
Orelia knew his cruelty was a reaction to never having been shown love, and she hadn’t been sure he’d ever accept hers.
But the man beside her was changed, as was she, and both for the better.
After hearing Elshar talk about how fae claimed their companions, Orelia had tried to work up the courage to tell Vade she wanted him to claim her. She debated waiting until they reached Minro, but her eagerness had her grabbing his arm and stopping him.
“Can I ask you something?”
Vade wiped his sweaty brow. “Of course.”
“I was just wondering if—”
His eyes went over her shoulder and blew wide. Vade tackled her to the ground, his wings shielding her in an instant.
As quickly as he had covered her, he was up, running away.
Orelia scrambled to stand, but she was thrown against a tree by an invisible force. Bands of white light pinned her against a tree, wrapping around her. Her eyes darted around, landing on Vade who was shooting shadows across the clearing.
The recipient of his shadows was bathed in bright light, so much so that Orelia couldn’t see who it was. She squirmed, trying to get free, but she was stuck to the tree. The seidr bands began to burn, not harshly enough to melt her skin, but causing enough discomfort for her healing to nullify.
An agonized bellow pierced the air. Beams of light punctured Vade’s wings, tearing them to pieces.
“Vade!” she screamed.
He threw an arm out, and shadows shot from his fingers, but a band of seidr light coiled around his neck and pushed him to the ground.