Page 28 of Ocean of Silver

I was about ready to travel to Tennebris when I found her in that cage and saw the state she was in. I wanted to murder the Prince myself for letting it happen. How could he leave his supposed lover to that fate? How could he do absolutely fucking nothing to help her? I could sense she was feeling the same conflicting emotions toward him, that she was questioning everything. I didn’t care to defend the Dark Prince, but I wanted to give her some of the clarity she sought. “For what it’s worth, he did care for you.”

“How do you know that?” she asked. A bit of her wet hair hit my shoulder as she whipped her head in my direction.

“I was there in Tennebris the day Lux brought you here,” I admitted.

“I don’t remember seeing you though?”

“You wouldn’t.” I tensed as I remembered the state she was in even then. I briefly saw her being transported from the castle to the underwater transport. She was in shackles, covered in dirt, and barely alive. I knew the Tennebrisians guards treated her like shit. I just didn’t account for the Luxian soldiers being worse. The King, I didn’t doubt, but not the soldiers. “You were starved and out of it. Plus, they sedated you after the broadcast. I would be surprised if you remembered anything from that day.”

She shook her head as if trying to wipe away the memory. “What does that have to do with you knowing that Sie cared about me?”

I fiddled with the crinkled piece of paper I kept in my pocket before deciding to give it to her. Her eyes widened as she took in the two wordshold on.

“How did you get this?” She reached up and snatched the paper like it was the most important thing to her.

“It was found on you the day you were captured. One of the soldiers gave it to me.”

“You kept it?” She looked up to meet my gaze, her blue eyes swimming with tears. “Why?”

“Sie must have slipped this into your pocket the day you were taken,” I said instead of answering her questions because I had no idea why I decided to keep the ratty paper this whole time. I had it before I even interacted with her.

The tears finally fell from her eyes as she wiped her cheeks. “This note wasn’t from Sie.”

“Who’s it from then?” I asked, puzzled.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I won’t ever see him again.”

That made me even more confused as to who she was referring to. “Regardless, he still cares about you.”

“Right,” she half laughed. “That’s why he left me in the dungeons and sent me away.”

“I could smell the emotions that were fuming off of him that day,” I admitted. “He was pissed that you were being taken to Lux. I still think he should’ve done something though. It doesn’t excuse his actions for allowing you to be treated that way. He was even more pissed when he saw all the Luxian Royals escorting you out.”

Her eyes flared to life. “The Fire Prince was there?”

“The Fire Prince?” I chuckled at the nickname. But my laugh stopped short as soon as I saw her face. She was scared. My eyes trailed down her thighs and halted at the mangled flesh of her calf. It made me wonder what other horrors she faced.

“Yes, he was there. What do you know of him?” I asked, genuinely wanting to know. It was surprising how little she knew of Lux.

“Just that he’s powerful. Sie told me that he’s the Commander of the Luxian army and that I should stay away from him and everyone in his army.”

“Well, you’re doing a terrible job at that. I am in the Luxian army, after all,” I grinned, thinking about all the time we had spent together. I caught her eyes darting toward the scar across my cheek.

“First off, me spending my days glued to your side is not my doing. But I’m serious, Tezya. Why would I be warned about the army? Are they really that bad? Is the Fire Prince really that bad? Have you met him?”

“I guess it depends on who you’re asking. Everyone in the army is strong and dangerous to some degree. It’s harder to qualify for than the Tennebrisian Guard. They only allow rank four or fives in. But I am dangerous, Rumor. Sie wasn’t far off in warning you to stay clear of me, the army in general, I mean. I’ve been alive for a long time, and I’ve been in the army almost as long. I’ve seen a lot, done a lot, killed a lot. But I also think that Sie’s warning wasn’t just about Lux’s soldiers. I think it has to do with my reputation. He wanted you to stay clear of me, probably of every Luxian male.”

“What do you mean? Stay clear ofyou? Why would Sie warn me about you? Does he know you?”

“I didn’t mean me specifically. All the men in the army, hell, all the men in Lux for that matter.”

“And why would he be worried about a soldier’s reputation? You lost me.”

I sighed, contemplating how much I wanted to tell her. “I’ve been alive a lot longer than Sie. Most of the soldiers that make up our armies are the same. So I’ve had more years to do what should have happened on your wedding night. I’m assuming that is part of why Sie warned you away. He’s probably jealous as hell, thinking of another male being with you.”

“Oh,” she whispered, turning bright red. “How old are you?” She looked me up and down as if just now wondering about our age gap.

“Rumor, I’m old enough to be your father or grandfather, maybe even your great-grandfather if it was during Lakimi,” I said, flashing her a wide smile.

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