Chapter Sixty Riela
Chapter Sixty
Riela
It was strange having someone else’s feelings in my head. I instinctively knew they weren’t mine, and I could ignore them
if I wanted to, but they were always there in the background. Even when we parted to get cleaned up separately—because our
first bath together had just resulted in more sex—I could still feel my connection to Garrick.
I waffled between feeling exposed and comforted, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it because today was my last day in the
Silver Court. I had to arrive at the Blood Court tomorrow or Feylan would declare war.
Garrick was waiting for me when I emerged from the bathroom dressed in a silver tunic and black trousers. His eyes lit, and
I could feel his pleasure spark across the bond. “I like you dressed in my colors,” he murmured.
“Lucky for you, I happen to like silver.”
He kissed me, lingering for a long moment, before drawing away with a sigh. His emotions flattened along with his expression
as he shifted into work mode. “If you are sure this is the path you want to take, then Vastien and I need to spend the day
preparing.”
“I refuse to trap you in marriage,” I told him, raising my hand to cut off the argument he was going to make. “And you don’t
have to go with me. You can stay here.”
Furious emotion echoed through our bond. Oh, he didn’t like that at all.
“If you’re going, then I’m going.” The emotion echoing across the bond told me that he was deadly serious. “Bria has offered
to teach you what she can about Etheri customs, so you’re better equipped for Feylan’s court.”
I wrinkled my nose, and he smiled before dropping a kiss on it. “I know,” he said. “But I think it’s a good idea.”
“Fine,” I allowed. “I do appreciate her help, but I think I’m going to be a terrible student.”
“Just do your best. That’s all any of us can do.” He let me go and stepped back. “Vastien and I will spend most of the day
here, but I would like you and Bria to go to Edea with us later. Then you and I will stay there tonight and travel to the
Blood Court tomorrow morning. That will give us time to investigate what is happening with the human villages on Feylan’s
side of the forest.”
I nodded even as nervous anticipation soured my stomach. He caught my hand and squeezed it carefully. “I’ll be right beside
you, and I won’t let anything happen to you, I swear it.”
I smiled, but it wobbled. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“Watch me,” he vowed.
Bria and Vastien were waiting for us in the restricted library with two extra plates of food. Bria looked angry and exhausted,
and Vastien looked glum and murderous, but they both smiled when Garrick and I appeared.
Vastien was the first to grin. “I see you two had a fun night, unlike the rest of us. How’s the bond treating you?”
“It’s strange,” I said, then shook my head. “Not bad, just weird.” I slanted a glance at the Silver King beside me. “And Garrick
was very concerned about that answer.”
Bria chuckled. “He’s a softy under all of those scowls. He just wants you to be happy.”
“I am,” I assured her, and I was surprised to realize it was the truth. For the first time in far too long, I was happy—and even a looming visit to an enemy court couldn’t dim that happiness.
We ate breakfast, then Vastien and Garrick disappeared to talk about troops or alliances or whatever it was that was needed
to run a court for three weeks while we were gone.
Or much longer, if we didn’t make it back. I pushed the worry aside as I felt the resulting worry echo from Garrick’s side of the bond. I tried to send him soothing emotions to let him know I was okay.
“So, Etheri etiquette,” Bria started, then paused when I groaned. She laughed. “It’s not as bad as that, but there is a power
hierarchy, and people will fight to keep their position. They’ll fight harder if they think they can rise higher with your
fall.”
“What’s the basis?”
“Strength, though that doesn’t necessarily mean physical strength. Magical power, intelligence, cunning, and kindness are
all varieties of strength, though the last one can be a harder path.”
“How does kindness translate into power in an Etheri court?”
“Allies,” she replied at once. “Most Etheri live in an innate, perpetual dance of favors and vows and careful political maneuvering.
Kindness can slash straight through that, if it’s true. It’s rare to get something for nothing in an Etheri court, but it’s
all the more memorable because of it. Do it enough, and people will begin to trust you. Honor their trust, and they will help
you.”
My nose wrinkled again. “But that’s not kindness. That’s buying favor in a very sneaky way.”
Bria smiled. “It’s a fine line, but true kindness falls on the right side of it. If you helped someone, would you expect them to help you in return?”
“Of course not.”
“It’s that lack of expectation that marks true kindness. You helped them because you could, not because you were buying their
favor. That’s the difference. Like Viktor. You offered him food and drink and practically forced him to demand your help if
he needed it because you were worried about him, not because you wanted to gain favor. That’s why he offered to be your guard.”
“How do you know about that?”
“He’s told half the castle,” she said with a tinkling laugh. “I think you get saintlier with every retelling.”
I buried my face in my hands. “I just didn’t want him to be uncomfortable standing in the hall all evening.”
“Exactly.”
“How can I use that in the Blood Court?”
Bria bit her lip. “Feylan is not a well-loved king. But he is powerful: politically, magically, and personally. In single combat, Garrick would easily defeat him, but nothing is ever that easy
with Feylan. He is the very definition of cunning—clever and ruthless. His hold on his court is absolute.”
“Fantastic, thank you so much for this rallying pep talk,” I grumbled.
“I’m not done,” she chided. “You are a variable he doesn’t control. His court will be watching you closely. Win them, and your path will be easier.”
“They won’t trust me.”
“No,” she agreed. “But even the tiniest doubt or hesitation on their part will help you.”
“What are the odds that we can make it through the entire three weeks without breaking the rules of hospitality?”
“Basically zero,” she said, then laughed when I scowled at her. “I’m not here to lie to you, I’m here to prepare you.”
I sighed and slumped into my chair. “Very well. Prepare me.”
By the time we left for Edea, my brain was spinning, trying to store all of the information Bria had crammed into it in the
past eight hours. I now knew the names and faces of a handful of the Blood Court’s Upper Court. I knew how to respond politely,
neutrally, and insultingly to most general questions.
I knew that no matter what happened, I could not raise a hand against anyone in the court unless they had attacked first or
I was prepared to lose both the hand and my life. The rules of hospitality could only keep us safe if I remained passive,
which I hated.
That was proven when Bria had decided to get hands-on with the training. She’d snarled and threatened and attacked to within a hair of actually touching me until I’d stopped reacting on instinct.
When I’d accidentally leaned into her claws, she’d sliced a thin cut across my cheek. Her magic had healed it before it’d even really bled, but then her face
had turned contemplative. “Do that as a last resort,” she’d said. “If you can force them into attacking first, then you are
allowed to defend yourself. But be wary, because they can do the same.”
I wasn’t sure a single afternoon of training could overcome a lifetime of habit, but at least I had a better idea of what
to expect.
Which was good, because during dinner, when Bria and Vastien and Garrick were all laughing about some incident from their
childhood, I realized I couldn’t take Garrick with me.
The realization cut, and Garrick glanced at me in concern, no doubt catching the edge of my emotions. I smiled and shook my
head. Sneaking away when he could literally feel when I was trying to be sneaky was going to be a problem.
Garrick had entered the kitchen with tension lining his face, and even the laughter hadn’t completely erased it. His emotions
were still locked down, which was a handy skill, but it was clear that he was worried about his court. He’d only been back
for a week, and now he was planning to leave again for nearly a month.
I couldn’t ask him to do it. More importantly, I couldn’t let him do it. His people needed him, and I would never forgive myself if he was hurt because of me.
When we finished dinner, Bria and Vastien headed for rooms in the guest wing. I silently hoped they were able to clean with
magic or they were going to be in for a dusty night.
Garrick caught my hand and drew me close. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m worried about tomorrow,” I told him, hiding the truth with a different truth. Perhaps I was more Etheri than I’d thought.
“I will keep you safe,” he whispered. “Don’t worry.”
I nodded and said nothing.