Chapter 29
“Idon’t like this, Faron.” Tal argued with him the entire walk back to the tunnels. “The bastard helped the mages find and torture me. They killed Eddard!”
He reached for her hand, but she pulled away. “I know. I’m sorry, I know! But my allies in the palace are in the dark. I need someone the other members trust.”
“But we can’t trust him!”
“He values his duty and his reputation more than anything. The council convinced him I did nothing but waste the kingdom’s resources.
If he realizes we’re trying to fix things, he’ll do as I say.
And if he tries anything, I’ll have his title publicly stripped and leave him in the stocks for a week before hanging him.
” He pleaded with Tal. He knew she would rather gut the prick.
“We need to know what the council is planning, and he’s going to tell us. ”
“He knows about my magic, Faron. What if he tells them?” Tal cursed herself for revealing her secret.
“Jens and a number of soldiers are fiercely loyal to me. They will keep the captain in line.”
They argued the whole way back to the tunnels, and the peace that surrounded them for the last two days shattered.
They joined everyone for dinner in the tunnel common area, sitting side-by-side, but not speaking.
She knew her friends noticed the change between her and the king, but no one asked.
She wanted to get the attention off the new distance between them.
“I don’t think he knew what magic I have. ”
All heads snapped to where she sat in the corner eating a roasted potato with bone broth. Faron tensed beside her.
“He kept telling me to reveal my gift, but he never said fire, or even fury, for that matter.”
Unease hung in the air, but it was no surprise that Rain responded first. “So, it’s possible they’re only after you based on mere suspicion of your ability. That could be good or bad news.”
“Why is that?” Sybil asked her brother.
“It’s good that fewer people know about her fury. Otherwise more than just mages would be after her. It’s no secret that anyone with power would go to any lengths to have a fire fury in their arsenal.”
“I’d never let that happen,” Faron said darkly.
This whole possessive side of him was new to Tal.
She was so used to the carefree noble who followed excitement wherever it went.
She didn’t know how to respond to the sudden change.
Part of her wanted to slap it out of him and tell him she belonged to no one.
But a small part of her liked his protectiveness.
Carrick felt a similar responsibility for Tal, a familial bond, but with Faron, it bordered on territorial.
The idea of the king—disheveled and out of breath—standing above her with lust in his gaze—lust for her—sent a heat through Tal that made her shift in her seat. Faron noticed.
“There are more powerful kingdoms and more morally corrupt kings out there, your majesty,” Sybil warned.
Faron narrowed his eyes, but didn’t argue. Meladair’s weakness was no secret. His council continued pushing the issue of marriage for that reason. An alliance with a powerful kingdom could ensure their safety for a whole generation.
“The bad news,” Rain continued, “is that they pursued you so vigorously without even knowing you have control over the fire element. If they ever find out, we’ll be in a world of trouble.
Let’s not forget we still haven’t figured out Sybil’s vision.
” He turned his attention on Faron. “I’m assuming you know which room her vision is referring to? ”
Faron swallowed and turned his gaze to the floor. “The council chambers, by your description.”
Tal didn’t want to address the matter of him withholding this information, but Carrick did so anyway. “Rain has been asking for the significance of this room for over a month, and you knew all along?”
“It would have raised the wrong suspicions and wouldn’t have changed anything.”
Faron’s apologetic tone did little to appease Carrick’s irritation. He pressed his lips into a thin line before opening his mouth to respond, but Sybil interrupted.
“I had another vision while Tal was missing,” Sybil revealed.
Tal tensed. Out of the corner of her eye, Faron clenched his jaw. Rain stared at the floor, but Carrick and Egan both braced for more information.
“A letter, with your signature.” She nodded to the king. “It was addressed to a Lord Niktovaz. Something about regret.”
Faron hung his head. “Lord Niktovaz is the father of the woman my own father arranged for me to marry when he took the throne. I wrote that letter last winter to end my betrothal.”
“Why would you have a vision of the letter now?” Tal ignored the unease in her stomach at the mention of Faron’s betrothal.
Sybil bit her lip and locked eyes with her brother before returning Tal’s gaze. “When the vision of the letter faded, I saw Pochette’s deal with the mage, then my vision with the Pyrie again.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Egan asked.
“I think,” Rain concluded, “that the ending of the marriage contract caught the attention of someone powerful.”
“So? What does that have to do with Tal?” Carrick stood with his arms crossed, fists clenched. The muscle in his jaw flexed, and Tal wondered if he’d ground his teeth to nothing with all the anger he’d harbored since her capture.
Rain opened his mouth to speak, but Faron interrupted. “I foolishly thought there would be no consequences. I was wrong. Of course her father would be furious. Of course he would demand retribution.” He clenched his fist and tapped his foot restlessly.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Rain said. “I’ve heard whispers from traders that foreign powers have turned their eyes to our kingdom, wondering why you have no need of an alliance. But more importantly, there’s talk of other alliances your council is making that the others view as a threat.”
“The mage claimed to be working with a woman,” Tal offered. Perhaps this woman was in talks with the council. Or perhaps she was one of the curious rivals hoping to discover Meladair’s secrets. Rain asked for more information, but Tal had none to give. Silence hung within the small tunnel room.
“Maybe we should go somewhere safer. People are already moving to the mountains in droves. We could move out there.” Egan surprised everyone with his suggestion, but no one spoke against him.
Tal scowled. They had to know that she would never leave the docks. “Absolutely not. I will not let them drive us from our home.”
“Even if it costs us everything?”
There were no words to say to Egan that could explain why Tal wouldn’t leave. Even she didn’t understand it herself. With Faron by her side, Tal watched each of her friends, knowing they wouldn’t leave her, wondering which of them she would eventually get killed.
Egan had started to come into his own this summer.
The once quiet teenager now spoke his mind.
Rainier had become more of a leader than Tal in the months since the mages showed up.
Sybil’s adolescent sense of humor had gotten her into trouble plenty of times, but she was learning how to balance it with the maturity of someone her own age.
And Carrick, her enforcer, her rock, remained unchanging.
Just as he did from the first day when she had been a sickly child; he saved her day in and day out.
He helped her when she made stupid decisions and put herself in harm's way, when she was too stubborn to make the right decision, and when she became too hard on herself, he saved her. She remembered that he found her first. She recalled how he came barreling into the room like not even a wall could stop him from getting to her. She wouldn’t have expected any less, and she couldn’t have thanked the gods enough for bringing them together.
At some point, Faron had reached his arm around her, and she relaxed into him.
He rubbed his thumb on her shoulder, lost in thought, staring at a slit on the ground a few paces ahead of them.
She knew he must be thinking of what Rain and Egan had said.
Danger lurked within his kingdom, and he had a responsibility to fight it.
He couldn’t run away. He would stay here until his death.
And if that threat happened to be mages or kingdoms searching for more power, that time may come sooner than they all knew.
Tal stood and pretended to yawn. She excused herself and walked a few paces toward her room.
She stopped and turned around when Faron didn’t follow.
He hesitated, and it hurt something within her that he didn’t automatically think to join her.
She tilted her head and looked meaningfully in the direction of her room, waiting for him to catch on.
Almost comically, when he did catch on, he jumped to his feet and bid everyone goodnight.
Back in her room, Faron stood by the hanging curtain, a wariness creasing his brow.
Tal removed her boots, socks, and her weapons belt, then hesitated at her trousers for a moment before letting them fall to the ground, the hem of her shirt falling to her upper thighs.
Faron quickly apologized and tried to step outside to give her privacy.
“Faron,” she said, her tone full of admonishment.
He stopped and turned around hesitantly.
Tal rolled her eyes. “You’ve slept beside me for two days now. And you've held me stark naked.”
He rubbed a spot on the back of his neck and appeared embarrassed. “Well, yes, but you were clothed the last two days and before that we weren’t in your bedroom.”
She chuckled. “That didn’t stop you before. Stop being such a gentleman.” She left her shirt on and climbed into her bed. She closed her eyes as she hid under the covers. When he didn't join her, she opened them and huffed. Pulling the blanket down, she said, “Are you coming or not?”