Page 56 of Under the Lion Star

The food was good, the ceremony went perfectly, and even Orin seemed to enjoy himself. Even before everything, he’d never been one for idle chatter, so no one appeared to notice that anything was amiss with the prince.

“Are the council meetings as boring as they sound?” Zialda asked around a bite of food.

“Even more so,” I smirked. “But necessary, especially the next few. We’ll be preparing to meet with the human king in Keldsfen.”

“I’m excited,” Z smiled. “I don’t think I’ve ever met a human.”

“They’re just short elves with round ears, truly,” I shrugged. “We’re more alike than we are different.”

“Liras asked me to bring him back something called a morning star,” Zialda frowned.

“I can help with that,” I chuckled. “He’s always had a fondness for human weaponry.”

“Men,” she scoffed. “Does Orin attend the council meetings?”

“He hasn’t been, but I’ve been thinking we should include him.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Zialda nodded.

The dread I usually felt when thinking of the next time I had to try and play king in front of a table of lords didn’t come. Knowing that Zialda would be with me from now on made the situation seem more bearable. Marrying her might have been the best decision I ever made for my peace of mind, for my family, and for Fjorn, but the heart beating in my chest, that I assumed was cold and dead, might end up being the collateral damage of this entire plan.

Sanna was screaming, but my feet wouldn’t move, as if they were affixed to the ground. With all my strength, I pushed against the dirt, nearly stumbling as I made my way toward my sister’s anguished cries.

“Help me, Leor,” she called, finally seeing me.

She lay on the ground, her body stretched along the dirt, but her arms hung off the edge of the bridge. Her delicate fingers were scraped and bloodied from where she grabbed onto Orin’s forearm.

He looked so young. His face awash in terror as my sister clung to him, the only lifeline that was keeping him from falling into the black void below.

I kept trudging forward, needing to reach them. Sanna was strong but not strong enough to pull Orin up and away from the abyss.

My feet tried to propel me forward, desperate to cover the ground between us, but shadowy hands pulled at my calves and ankles. I did my best to fight them off, furiously swiping at them with the old ceremonial sword. The blade shattered, the pieces falling amongst the ephemeral arms that tried to halt my progression.

“Leor!” Sanna screamed as Orin’s weight pulled her over the edge with him.

They both fell, their desperate cries of my name fading as they sunk deeper into the darkness. I’d failed them.

My knees hit the ground, the phantom arms now gripping my shoulders and pulling me down into nothingness. I made no move to fight. What was the point when my family was gone?

“Leor!” Their voices cried out, so distant that it was barely audible.

“Leor!”

My eyes snapped open, and I tried to fight against the weight that pinned my hips.

“Leor,” Zialda said quietly, holding my face in her palms.

My wide eyes studied her as my room came into focus. The silk sheets of my bed clung to my sweat-soaked skin.

“You were shouting,” Zialda whispered.

She shifted off my lap, moving to sit on the bed beside me as I scrubbed my face with my hands.

“Fuck,” I grumbled; my voice sounded raw, as if my throat had been scraped with shards of glass.

“Do you have nightmares often?” Zialda asked, pushing the damp strands of hair off my forehead.

“No,” I rasped out, turning my head to watch as Zialda slid under the covers and lay facing me.

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