Chapter 21
I slept fitfully that morning, waking as the light shifted behind the curtains. I blinked my eyes open, watching as the colors puddling on the floor faded from scarlet to gold.
I shot up, pressing the heels of my hands to my eyes. When I opened my eyes again, it was still there.
Sunlight.
Careful not to disturb Mordric, whose chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm beside me, I crept toward the window. Wrapping my fingers around the curtains, I peeled them back until the spring breeze tickled my nose. Sunlight had broken through the milky clouds, bathing the grounds in its glow.
I didn’t miss much about home, but I could count on one hand how many times I had walked in the sunlight since arriving in the capital.
Grinning, I threw on a dress and coat and took off in the direction of the courtyard. I wasn’t due to meet Enhart for hours, and I wanted nothing more than to soak up the warmth for as long as I could.
The grounds came alive in the sunlight. Bluebirds trilled merrily above my head, dancing an airborne jig. Purple crocuses popped their heads cautiously out of the dirt to the delight of the little brown hares taking their first steps out of the burrow.
By the time I arrived in the courtyard, I was wrapped in warmth like a swaddled babe and just as pleased.
I unclasped my coat, draping it over the table.
Dropping into a chair, I smiled, breathing in the scent of sun-soaked stone.
My eyelids grew heavy as I tilted my chin in the direction of the rays.
You look blissful, came a voice. Like a housecat in a pool of sunlight.
You should join me, I replied, peeking through my lashes. The prince stood still beneath the shadows of the cloisters. Perhaps seeing you floundering in sunlight will help me forget about being treated like a child last night.
“Tan doesn’t suit me.”
I doubted that. In fact, I had a feeling a bit of sun would make him look something like one of the muscled gods in the portraits that hung in the great hall, bronzed skin accentuating the gold flecks in his eyes, offsetting the silky jet-black hair.
I shook my head. Maybe it was time to get out of the sun.
“What are you doing out here at this time of day?” I asked.
“You’ve been summoned to the throne room for an audience with the King.”
“An audience?” I parroted, frowning. “What for?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.” His face was unreadable. “Although I suggest you enjoy the warmth while you can.”
“Are we going somewhere?”
“If you get a move on, you’ll find out soon enough.”
I rose and hurried after Enhart, who was already leading the way back to the palace.
I fell into step behind him, maintaining a healthy distance after the thoughts that had just weaseled their way into my sun-drunk brain.
We wound our way down the uneven steps and into the castle in silence.
When we arrived at the doors of the throne room, Enhart stopped short.
“You’re not coming with me?” I asked.
He shook his head, turning on one heel. “The King wanted to speak to you alone. I have preparations to make.”
The doors creaked open, revealing a massive chamber.
Guards flanked the exits and windows, which were covered from floor to ceiling with black curtains that blocked out all light.
Mordric perched atop his throne, conversing with Lord Volorthen in hushed tones.
Valen’s seat of power looked awfully uncomfortable, I thought, straight-backed and made entirely of silver from what I could see.
Two wyvern heads were carved into the armrests.
They glared at me, fangs bared, as I dawdled awkwardly before the dais.
Mordric waved a hand, quickly dismissing his chief adviser. The old vampire cast me a curious look before shuffling away. I bit the inside of my cheek, unsure of what to expect.
“I’m sorry to tear you away from your training,” said Mordric, beckoning me forward. “But I have something important to ask you.”
I shifted nervously, my thoughts drifting to our argument in the early hours of the morning. “Is everything alright?”
He nodded. “My brother tells me that you may have a gift for the Ealdorfyre.”
My breath caught in my throat. Enhart and I hadn’t spoken of it in months. Not since I’d shown him my memory of the day I fled Wealdstone. “That’s what you wanted to speak with me about?”
“It is. I admit that I am not overly familiar with the flame, however he tells me that it is the mark of an incredibly powerful witch. He also tells me that you are reluctant to use it.”
I cursed the prince silently. “It’s dangerous, Mordric.”
“From what I hear, it would be more dangerous not to use it. The summer solstice will be upon us in two months, and I want to ensure that you have full mastery of your powers before that date arrives. Therefore, I’m sending you to confer with a renowned expert on the subject.
You’re familiar with Hollybrook, are you not? ”
“The university?” I asked.
“Indeed. It’s located about a fortnight’s ride north across some decidedly rough terrain,” he confirmed. “The faculty there are skilled not just in the seven liberal arts, but also in the arcane. The Chancellor has agreed to support your training. You and Enhart leave in the morning.”
“Is this because of last night?” I blurted, unable to stop myself.
Mordric’s gaze softened. He rose, closing the gap between us. When he reached me, he brushed his fingers against the curve of my cheek. “No. I wrote to the Chancellor of Hollybrook as soon as Enhart informed me of what he’d seen in your memories.”
“That was months ago,” I reminded him.
He nodded. “The Chancellor and I agreed that this could wait until the end of term so that he could devote all of his time to your training. I’m sorry to have kept it from you.
Enhart told me that it brought you a good deal of pain to relive what you’d done, and I don’t want to cause you any undue stress, but it’s time now. ”
I hadn’t left Valnar since I first arrived from the Outlands three years ago.
The city was the furthest north I had ever been.
Nothing but barren mountains and snow awaited me on the long journey ahead of me.
Well, other than mountains, snow, and the Ealdorfyre.
My fingers twitched. “How long will I have to stay?” I asked.
“You’ll remain at Hollybrook until you’re able to conjure the Ealdorfyre.”
“And if I can’t?”
Mordric tucked his thumb under my chin, tilting my face up to meet his gaze. “You will,” he assured me. “I have full faith in you.”
Mordric held me close that evening. Anxious about the prospect of spending time apart after our months together, we spent the early hours of the evening in bed with little rest. I wanted to memorize every inch of him.
The sensation of his hair spilling through my fingers, his pillowy lips pressed against mine, the scent of dried ink and roses that lingered on his naked skin.
A nightjar’s trill drifted in through the open window as we lay in a puddle of sheets and tangled limbs. I smiled. “That reminds me of the night of the solstice.”
“What does?” he asked, running his fingers through my hair.
“The bird making that funny sound. It’s called a nightjar.”
“I can’t say I’m familiar.”
“We had them in Wealdstone. Well, one. It made its nest in the woods behind our cottage. Before the solstice, I didn’t even realize that there were any in Valnar.”
“It was a lovely night.”
“It was. I asked you why you’d chosen to escort me to the ball.”
His fingers stilled. “Have I proven myself yet?”
“I suppose, although sometimes I still can’t believe it. You could’ve had anyone.”
I gasped, startled as he rolled me into his lap, locking me in his gaze. Nose to nose, I could nearly drown in it. “I didn’t want anyone, Finn,” he growled. “I still don’t. I knew from the moment I first saw you that you were special. That I wanted to make you mine.”
My lips parted, but he shook his head, silencing me.
“When I first saw you in the library, trailing behind that raggedy broom, your pretty nose buried in a book, I couldn’t believe it.
There had been no witch sightings in Valnar in a decade, and I had longed for one to sit on my council, but that wasn’t all.
I almost convinced myself then and there that you had cast a spell on me.
I wish I could have spoken to you then, that our first conversation had taken place anywhere other than where it did.
But I could sense your fear, and I didn’t want to be the cause of it. And so I left you in peace.”
My heart thudded against my ribcage, remembering the surprise that rolled off of him when our eyes first met.
“When I caught your scent down in Valnar later that evening, and then when I heard what that animal was trying to do to you, I couldn’t think straight. Perhaps I acted too rashly, but I knew that I had to protect you, no matter the cost.”
“He would have killed me,” I whispered. “I don’t blame you.”
“You’ve occupied my thoughts all these months like no one else because there is no one else.” He paused, pressing his forehead to mine. “Because I love you, Finn.”
My breath escaped me in a gasp, as if all the air had been swept from my lungs. No one had ever told me they loved me outside my own family. “You do?”
His grip tightened around my waist. “I know we’ve only known each other for a few months,” he continued, “and if it’s too much—”
Tangling my fingers in his hair, I pressed my lips to his, stealing the words from his tongue. “It’s not,” I said when we parted, my breathing shallow. “I promise you that it’s not.”
My skin prickled as his expression grew grave.
He ran a hand through my hair, gathering the strands in his fist at the nape of my neck.
I gasped, allowing him to draw my head back, exposing my throat to him.
The strap of my flimsy nightdress slipped off one shoulder, exposing my bare chest to the cool air.
He palmed my breast, squeezing the sensitive nub of skin at its center until it stood at attention.