Chapter 32
Cethin
He didn’t sleep.
He should have. He needed to.
After expending so much magic on the nagasky and then drawing out the draining of the two who had touched Kailia, his magic was down to the dregs.
It’d been reckless to let it get so low.
Razik or Tybalt could have handled the two Elder Clan members, but that hadn’t been an option.
From the moment he turned to see Kailia thrashing, saw the panic and agony clear on her face as she twisted and kicked and fought, he’d claimed those deaths.
He’d enjoyed every second as he’d squeezed their life forces, feeling their hearts stuttering as if he held them in his fist. He’d debated drawing closer.
Touching them so his darkness could seep into their blood and let death circulate until it touched every part of their souls and marked them for Arius when they crossed the Veil.
Then he’d seen Kailia huddled on the ground at his feet, a puddle of vomit to the side and her tiny frame trembling. The burn marks on her face. The still present panic as she rocked herself back and forth, certain she didn’t realize she was doing so.
He’d ended them far sooner than they’d deserved, but she was more important than their deaths.
He’d brought her home. They’d both cleaned up. She’d slept, and he’d watched her do so. Watched as the imprint of another’s hand that had silenced her slowly faded from a blistering red until only her warm brown skin remained.
It was fascinating to him she was so still even in her sleep.
Maybe that was the response to whatever she’d experienced while being touched today though.
The other two times he’d shared a bed with her, she’d at least rolled to her side or stretched her arm out.
Tonight, there had been nothing but the steady rise and fall of her chest.
He was seated, propped against the headboard as he watched her. Her unbound hair was fanned across the pillow, and her long eyelashes fluttered as she dreamed. He wished he knew what she was dreaming of. Were they peaceful and calm, or were they nightmares of tonight?
The sun was rising when she stirred earlier than he’d anticipated. She peered out through bleary eyes until she saw him. Then her eyes snapped open, and she lurched upright.
“You are still here?” she rasped, sleep clinging to her voice and making it a little huskier in a way that sent a shiver down his spine.
“Avonleya still sleeps,” he answered. “The sun has barely breached the horizon.”
“I know, but you never stay,” she said, toying with the ends of her hair. “I assumed you would have left once I fell asleep.”
“Do you wish I had?”
“No. I mean…” Her hands dropped to her lap. “I’m surprised is all. I’m used to waking alone.”
He nodded, bending a knee and propping his arm atop it.
“You didn’t sleep,” she observed, peering at him a little closer. “You should have slept. You used a lot of power.”
“I’m aware,” he murmured.
“Then why didn’t you sleep?”
He shrugged before he said, “The burns on your face are gone, but I didn’t check the others…”
Cethin trailed off as she shoved the blankets back to examine her torso. She hadn’t worn one of the nightdresses last night, instead opting for loose pants and a short top that left her middle exposed. He assumed it was to not irritate the burns.
Her hands slid across her skin, and he followed their path with his gaze. A breath of relief came from her when she found her torso as healed as her cheeks.
“I’m sorry I didn’t prevent that from happening,” he said gruffly, gaze fixed on her middle where her fingers lingered. She may have healed, but the image of those burns was imprinted on his mind.
“Why are you apologizing for that? You didn’t burn me,” she said, shifting so she sat against the headboard now too.
“I should have anticipated members of the Elder Clan being there.”
“You were fighting a serpent in the sky,” she deadpanned. “I think we were all a little distracted.”
“That’s not an excuse,” he retorted, the words sharper than he’d intended.
She studied him before she said, “You are upset?”
“With myself,” he affirmed.
She nodded, pulling her hair over her shoulder. “Can you tell me of the sky serpent?”
“The nagasky are some of the creatures of old. They are believed to have been here since the realm was created,” he answered.
“For the most part they slumber, guarding sacred places from when the realm was born. It is part of our accords with the Elder Clans that they monitor the creatures of old and help keep them under control, and in return, we leave them be. It’s a tenuous arrangement, and it has gotten more so in the last century. ”
“Why?”
“The Elder Clans keep traditions of old. Traditions from before the Sutara bloodline took the throne. The creatures of old fought in wars more ancient than this realm, and the Elder Clans fought alongside Avonleya in the Great War.”
“If the creatures of old have been here since the realm was created, why aren’t there any on the other continents?” Kailia asked.
She’d shifted closer as he spoke, and he was certain she hadn’t realized it yet.
There was no pillow barrier between them this time, and he could feel her.
So could his magic. And despite him having nothing left, it stirred, as if trying to seek her out.
It only added to his restlessness at not having any magic reserves.
A gnawing in his soul that he knew would become unbearable soon enough.
“At one point in time, the entire realm was ruled under one. Avonleya was the central continent, and a High Queen resided here,” he answered.
“In Elshira? The original capital?” Kailia asked.
Cethin shook his head. “No, the original capital was not Elshira. When the realm was created, there was another city. They say it was built into the sides of the mountains. We don’t know where it is. Some believe it never existed at all and is a myth of old.”
“And you?” she asked, facing him fully now.
“I’ve spent many decades searching for the Runic Lands and have never found them,” he admitted. “But the creatures of old guard sacred sites, and I’ve seen them, so I’m inclined to believe the Runic Lands exist as well.”
“You believe these creatures remain in Avonleya out of duty then? Not because the Wards trap them here?” she asked, absentmindedly braiding her hair, then unbraiding it before repeating the action.
“Not much is known about the creatures of old,” he admitted. “Only that they are powerful. For a long time, only the Elder Clans could contain them. It is why the accords were struck.”
“What changed?”
“I was born.”
She stilled, her hair partially braided and fingers wound among the strands.
“They were stirring before then,” he clarified. “My parents had kept them subdued, but when I was born, they woke. It has been a struggle to keep them contained since then. While it takes an entire faction of the Elder Clan to contain a creature of old, I am able to do so with my power alone.”
“The Elder Clans feel threatened,” Kailia said in understanding.
“Yes,” he answered. “They have been trying to have more say in policies, and I’ve been attempting to include them. But they rely heavily on signs and prophecy, and basing all decisions on those things alone is not in the best interest for anyone.”
She nodded, unwinding her hair again before shaking out her hands.
“But enough history for one morning. It’s far too early. How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Well,” she answered. Then she gave him a dubious look. “I slept.”
“Physically well, yes,” he replied, stretching his leg back out and ignoring her pointed words. “But external wounds heal differently than internal ones.”
“That is true,” she murmured, looking away from him.
“Did you learn the dances, then?”
Her eyes snapped back to his. “What?”
“The dances. Did you learn them for the Union Ceremony?”
“They weren’t overly complicated,” she admitted. “But the dances aren’t the real issue.”
“The touching,” he supplied, already knowing the answer. It was why he’d gone to the dance studio after running into Bram. He would have gone anyway, of course, but at least he’d had a valid excuse for stalking her around Aimonway.
“I don’t want to react unfavorably during the Union Celebration,” Kailia said. “I don’t think stabbing people at the event would bode well for me.”
He huffed a laugh. “I prefer you save your stabbings for me anyway, tiny fiend.”
She blinked at him. “That was the plan.”
Another huff of laughter rumbled from his chest, and he slowly reached over to tuck her hair behind her ear. “I wish you had come to me first.”
“We already discussed why I didn’t,” she said, sitting perfectly still until he withdrew his hand.
“Yes, but if you had, I would have told you I already had plans in place regarding you and dancing.”
Her head tilted, the hair he’d tucked back slipping free again. “You do?”
He nodded, settling back against the headboard and stacking his hands on his abdomen. “We will have to dance. More than once. As for others, we can limit that.”
“We can?” she asked, a hopefulness ringing in her tone.
“We are the king and queen, Kailia. More than that, it is well known there is a possessiveness associated with partners. No one will be surprised if I’m…particular about who touches you,” he answered.
Her own huff of laughter sounded. “Surely I’ll be expected to dance with more than you. Won’t you be dancing with others?”
“Not if you don’t wish me to.”
She studied him, clearly unsure whether he was jesting or not. “How are these things usually handled?”
“That doesn’t matter. We can handle them however we wish,” he answered simply.
“I really don’t need to give people more of a reason not to trust me. Won’t refusing to dance with others make me appear…pretentious?” she asked, worrying her bottom lip.
“Again, I do not care what others think, but if it worries you, how many people do you think you could dance with before it becomes too much?”