27. Mare
Mare
I’d thought Reese had looked frightening when he faced down a dragon, conjuring walls of flame and hails of swords.
Apparently, his battle rage was nothing compared to the sheer fury emanating from his clenched jaw when Ferris explained he slipped away to see a girl.
I took a step back while the prince finished his story, in case Reese erupted. Shifting my gaze, I studied Diar, the woman I’d crossed paths with briefly in Kentoro. She and I had brushed hands, and something inexplicable had followed.
Her turquoise blue eyes met mine, and a similar curiosity shone within them.
Ferris took a breath once he finished talking. Rubbing his forehead, Reese exhaled like a disappointed father.
This cramped old inn had grown several degrees hotter during Ferris’ story. I felt the cold return as Reese calmed down. The fire in the mantle flickered.
“That doesn't make any sense,” he said, leaning on the back of my chair. “Solhearts control the Paragons. Why would they steal their weapons?”
I looked up at him. “Why steal them at all?”
Ferris interrupted. “To control who inherits them, no?”
“There has to be more to it than that,” Reese said. “Maybe Bláth can find out.”
Scrunching up my nose, I pictured my brother scurrying the back roads with Bláth. The orphan and a Solheart woman. What an odd pair they made.
I trusted her to protect him, though. She’d seen his odd behavior in Gwynford and kept mum.
Ferris pulled out a chair to sit, but Diar slammed her palms into the table, startling him. “What do you propose we do?”
Reese glanced into the fire, thinking. “If it's true that Siotha resonated with you, then . . . ” He chuckled. “Oh, Yuudai isn’t going to like this.”
Diar shook her head. “He won’t accept it.” She glanced at me. “Or her.”
“I didn’t expect Tsuyan to give me a warm welcome,” I said. “Your father is a general, no? Surely he knows we don’t have time for this.”
“We don’t,” Reese agreed. "Ishii’s funeral is tomorrow. They’ll start looking for Siotha’s heir the moment it ends. I could announce you both there. With so many people as witnesses, he won’t be able to sweep it under the rug.” He paused. “But it’ll paint a target on your backs.”
Diar stepped back, dazed. “I still don’t believe it.”
I felt the same. Like this was all some terrible dream. Cierthine had been the center of so many legends I’d read as a child. How had it fallen into my hands? And why?
“We’ll find out the truth tomorrow,” Reese said. His voice sharpened. “Ferris. Sending Diar home to her father would be a death sentence. Stay with her tonight. Guard her.”
Ferris’ back straightened. “I can do that,” he said, eager.
“Slip away again, though . . . ” Reese warned.
A confident swagger entered Ferris' step as he waltzed up to Reese and peered into his eyes. “And what? You won’t hurt me, so what exactly are you threatening me with?”
Reese’s mouth twitched as he held back a smile. I’d gotten the impression these two had history, a fondness for one another. The Paragon looked at the prince like a little brother.
Reese had only said he'd healed Ferris years ago. Maybe I could wrest the full story from him tonight.
“I’m sure I can think of something,” Reese said, turning to Diar. “Are you alright with this?"
“Believe me,” she said. “I have no interest in returning home tonight.”
Reese touched my shoulder. “You two can share. Ferris and I will be in the next room over.”
“Ah,” Ferris loudly protested, planting a hand on his hip. “Next door could be too far, should assassins strike. We should each stay with our charges.”
I bit my lip, trying not to laugh. “I don’t think unmarried women are allowed to share with men.”
“True, but . . . ” Ferris glanced over his shoulder at the drunk slumped over a table. “I don’t think the people in this backwater place care.”
Reese watched Diar, looking for signs she was uncomfortable. To my eyes, she didn't seem to care. The woman had participated in bar fights and grappled with assassins. Scandals did not give her pause.
Sighing, Reese leaned off his chair. “Alright. Mare and I should get some training in. Don’t leave the inn—it isn’t safe,” he said sharply, motioning for me to follow.
“Ferris,” I advised, standing. “Your brother is a gentleman. I hope you’ve learned a thing or two from him.”
“I have no idea what you’re implying,” Ferris said, wearing a grin that informed me he knew exactly what I meant.
“Solathair be with you, Diar,” I said. “You’re going to need it.”
The younger woman nodded, mind a thousand years away.
Grabbing Cierthine from where it leaned against the table, I followed Reese out the back door into the inn’s little yard. My hand quivered on the hilt as I stepped out into the frigid air.
Would he want to train my magic? What if I created shadows again?
I’d had no time to slip away and practice alone. To see if it happened again. To learn if I could control it.
I needed an excuse—a reason why magic wouldn’t be possible tonight.
Reese drew his blade and turned around. “I’d like more space, but we don’t have many options.”
A flurry of snow blew through the yard. I was freezing. Our encounter with those Solhearts had left me shaken.
Maybe that was excuse enough to avoid training.
No. I’d resolved not to let Reese see my weakness, lest he decide I was not worth the effort.
Drawing Cierthine, I stood opposite him.
He didn’t give me any time to speak. The next moment, he flew across the yard and brought his sword down toward my head. I blocked it, throwing my focus behind training, behind this moment, to shut out the rest.
Reese attacked me with a newfound fervor. My stiff limbs protested, and my knees buckled under his relentless assaults. Magic was woven into his attacks, flurries from a twin blade of golden light that swirled at Reese's side, as though brandished by a ghostly master.
I could hardly keep up. I’d block one blade, and the other would strike my back, throwing me to the ground. Ice sank into my clothes, numbing my body. Then he’d tell me to get up, and we’d do it again.
For a while, I pushed through. I envisioned Galasvar and the people I’d watched be torn apart, powerless to aid them. I thought back to our brush with the Solhearts, how they'd nearly killed Liam, and how close I'd come to being raped.
My voice had failed me. I had not fought back.
Never in my life had I questioned the way things were.
Solhearts reigned because they were our betters.
Women waited on the sidelines to support their men.
I’d been born into society ruled by the sun god and his priests, and never considered if it was right.
Frustration boiled up within me. It had been all too easy to look away and pretend when my father had sheltered me from the worst. A better woman would never have allowed them to hurt Liam, would have ripped from the lecher’s grip.
I fell to the ground again when Reese's golden blade slapped across my arm. Stinging pangs rang through my bones, and I gritted my teeth. When I rose to my feet, my vision blurred.
I saw the dragon with butterfly wings. Its head bowed, as though beckoning me to stroke its neck.
It nuzzled me, affectionate and warm, moments before I murdered it.
This time, I didn’t even move when Reese attacked me. He noticed my frozen stance and pulled back on his assaults. The golden rapier whizzed past my chin, narrowly missing.
My legs gave out, and I dropped to my knees. Driving Cierthine into the snow, I grabbed its hilt to steady myself.
Reese knelt beside me. “I know you’re exhausted. But coddling you will get you killed.”
I nodded. My enemies would not stop to let me breathe.
Inhaling, I strained to picture the monsters as the mindless killers they were—and not the gentle dragon who’d approached me like an old friend.
My hatred turned inward, toward myself. For letting that brute hurt Liam. For allowing everyone to believe I’d saved them, when I was welcomed among the shadows that hunted them.
Wrapping my hands tightly around Cierthine’s hilt, I swung upward at Reese. My blade clashed against his. A grin flashed across his face—exhilaration—and pride.
He had no idea who I really was.
I threw myself at him until my limbs had fully numbed and my mind had gone blank. The training became a blur, instinct taking over thought.
The adrenaline fled my body when we finally stopped. Exhaustion slammed into me like a charging elk, and I doubled over, breathing heavily.
Reese sheathed his sword. “Why aren’t you using magic?”
“I’m . . . too cold,” I lied. “My catalyst involves flourishes, and we don’t have the space for them.”
“Let’s thaw you, then.” He gave me a hand and helped me limp back into the inn.
The tiny, threadbare inn with a dying hearth and frigid floorboards. No one was around, least of all someone I could ask to relight the fire.
Shivering, I walked down the hall to my room and stepped inside.
It was even colder here. The dirty cot might as well have been a block of ice with no hearth to warm it. Wincing, I examined the stained room.
Why did Solhearts have to show up and steal the nice inn from me?
Reese touched my back as he slipped past me. Warmth wrapped around me like an embrace, and I audibly gasped in relief.
“Isn’t this cozy?” Reese said sarcastically. He trailed a hand over the dresser, picking up a layer of dirt and dust. “I’ve spent my fair share of nights in the wild. You can have it to yourself—I’ll keep watch outside.”
“If I sleep in that bed.” I nodded at it. “I will contract god-knows-how-many diseases, and then freeze to death.”
“It's dirt, Sunshine. It won’t hurt you.”
“I beg to differ.”
“Digging graves in the mud didn’t acclimate you?” Reese arched a brow. “Sleep on the floor, then.” He moved to leave the room.
“Wait!” I blocked his path, teeth chattering. “If you leave, I’ll freeze to death.” Swallowing, I leaned against the doorframe and regained some of my dignity. “Surely a lady of Aenir deserves a Solheart’s warmth?”