Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
N eve awoke to a strong, rhythmic heartbeat beneath her palm.
Frowning in confusion, she attempted to move her hand, only to find another, much larger hand on top of hers. Her body was pressed against Eleksi’s, her head resting on his muscular shoulder. His slow and steady breathing indicated that he was asleep, to Neve’s relief. Perhaps she could disentangle herself before he awoke.
Lemony sunlight speared through the curtains, and she heard people moving around the inn. The fire in the hearth had gone out, leaving dormant black coals. She and Eleksi had slept through the night and well into the morning.
Despite the lack of fire and lying on top of the blankets, Neve was warm and comfortable. Eleksi’s body radiated heat.
Without making any sudden movements, she wondered how she could wrest herself from him. Not only was her palm on his chest, she’d slipped her hand inside the neck of his shirt. Her palm rested on his bare skin.
If not for his definite heartbeat, she would have worried she’d drained him of life while she slept. At what point had she curved her body against his? With any luck, he’d be none the wiser that she’d slept indecently close to him.
Wincing in concentration, Neve slowly began drawing away from his sleeping form. Removing her hand would be a more difficult process—his hand was far heavier than hers, clamping her firmly to his chest. She strove to focus on extricating herself from the situation, and not how much she enjoyed the sensation of his hot, hard body.
Hardly daring to breathe, she started pulling her hand from his chest. She glanced up to ensure that her movement hadn’t disturbed him, only to find him wide awake, gazing down at her with a smirk. His light gray eyes were clear and bright, which meant he’d been awake for some time.
“Oh!” she cried in horror, wrenching her hand away and scooting her whole body backward.
Too late, she realized she’d pushed herself right across the bed. A jolt of panic shot through her as she began falling off the other side. Eleksi reached out, as quick as a viper, and yanked her to him by the fabric of her dress.
“Sleep well?” he asked, arching his eyebrow.
He let his hand linger for a moment on her waist before taking it away.
Her face flamed. “I’m very sorry.”
She sat up, smoothing her hair while maintaining a sensible distance from him. It was far too late for sensible, of course, but she could hardly continue lying against his body. Even if it did feel strangely safe and warm and wonderful—which wasn’t logical, because the man was a killer.
“I’m not,” he replied with a sly smile.
Cringing, she put her hands over her face. “I’m so embarrassed. How long have you been awake?”
“A while.”
She parted her fingers and chanced a look at him. “How are you feeling?”
“I believe all the pieces of my soul are back where they’re supposed to be. How are you?”
“I’m glad. I feel much better, too.”
Sleep had indeed restored Neve. Magic flowed through her blood, as familiar as her own pulse. She always felt incomplete and vulnerable when she was depleted of it.
“It still doesn’t feel real, though,” she said, staring at the empty fireplace. “That the king is my father. The king .”
Eleksi sat up, stretching his arms over his head. “He’s just a person. All royals are.”
“Then why do they live in a palace and we don’t?”
“Because they make the rules.”
“So, he’s not just a person then. He has power.”
Eleksi shrugged. “And you have power he doesn’t. Your magic is the reason Meliohr feels so threatened by you. She’s deathly afraid of mages, like the rest of the Garstangs, however genially she might behave in public.”
Neve was nonplussed. “The Garstangs aren’t afraid of us. They hate us.”
“They hate you because they’re afraid.”
“Well, the result is the same. If King Reynard has his way, Zermes will start burning mages at the stake, like his own godsforsaken kingdom.”
“The good news is that you can stop them.”
“Right.” Neve paused. “And how would I do that, again?”
“I’ve been thinking about it, while you were sweetly slumbering on my chest. First, we need to convince Meliohr that you’re dead. Once she believes she’s done away with you, we’ll be free to collude against her. Bring her down.”
“That sounds very nice. But how do we achieve these things?”
Eleksi rose from the bed, sliding the golden dagger from under his pillow. “We could fake your death by dousing you in sheep’s blood?”
“That’s disgusting,” she replied, wrinkling her nose. “Although, that does give me an idea. I could cast a Glamour on myself, to make myself appear dead. You would carry my body to her and once she’s satisfied, you take me away again. Look.”
Neve held up her hand and willed her flesh to appear gray and decayed. Within moments, her hand seemed like it belonged to a corpse, even though she felt blood pumping through her veins.
Eleksi swore under his breath. “That’s . . . incredible. And you can make your whole body that way?”
“Yes. I think so.” She waved her dead-looking hand like a queen. “I’ve never used a Glamour to appear dead before, but there’s no reason I couldn’t.”
He nodded slowly. “This could work. It’s not as if she’ll wish to give you a burial—she won’t care if I take your body away after she confirms your death. For how long can you hold a Glamour?”
Neve gave her hand a shake, removing the Glamour and revealing her living flesh. “Glamours are simple enough spells. But they can become tricky if there are any interruptions, because the spell depends on imposing the illusion on other people.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s more difficult when those you’re hoodwinking are somehow impaired, like if they’re drunk. Being drunk or delusional or even enraged means the person’s mind is already commandeered, which is exactly what the Glamour seeks to do.”
“Alright.” He put his hands on his hips, thinking. “I’m meeting Meliohr at dusk, so I doubt she’ll be drunk. And she’s not delusional. Gods willing, she’ll have no reason to be enraged. But to be safe, we’ll be as quick as possible. It’ll be the Harvest Festival and she’ll have royal duties, so surely she won’t wish to linger.”
Neve allowed herself a measure of relief at having a plan. “The darker and more shadowy our surroundings, the better for the Glamour. It’s also best if the onlookers have never met me before. Unfortunately, Queen Meliohr conversed with me herself during her tour of Starlight Gardens. Plus, she has a strong personal interest in me being dead. Her eyes won’t slide over me as easily as a casual observer’s might.”
“But can you do it?”
“Yes. I can do it.”
Not that she had much choice, she thought. It was either pretend to be dead, or end up actually dead.
“And then, what? I go into hiding? I can hardly return to Starlight Gardens, can I?”
Eleksi sat on the chair by the hearth and put on his boots. “Keeping you hidden is easy. I live in the shadows as a rule. I can help you lie low.”
“For how long?”
“That depends on how long Meliohr remains a threat.” He stood. “Have you thought more about whether you’d like to meet your father?”
She wrapped her arms around herself. “Forgive me, but why do you care?”
“I thought it might be important to you.” His shrugged and looked away. “It would be to me.”
“Oh. I suppose the first thing is to make Meliohr believe I am dead. If we can manage that, then I’ll worry about whether or not I might try to meet Leonid. I mean, the king. My father.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the notion.”
“Do you believe your mother would’ve told him about you?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea. I would love to ask her.”
“She lives in Klatos?”
Neve nodded.
“Then, you might get the chance.” Eleksi shrugged on his jacket and draped his cloak over his shoulders, his spider ring catching the light. “I’ll pick up some food for the road from the tavern while you dress. We should continue to our next destination.”
Once he left the room, Neve washed her face and pulled on her boots, before putting a traveling cloak over her dress. Eleksi had packed it in her bag.
She found him in the foyer, passing more gold coins to the innkeeper in gratitude for supplying the suite. Neve bade the woman farewell and stepped out into the village square with Eleksi. By then, it was high noon, the sun lending a glaring starkness to the streets and buildings.
The stableboy had saddled up a sleek black stallion for Neve. She patted the horse’s soft muzzle and pulled herself onto his back. Beside her, Eleksi greeted his rested and refreshed gray mount.
While she knew they’d be more comfortable riding separately, she was privately a little bit disappointed they’d no longer have to share.