“Lies. All lies,” sang the khareek. “Beautiful, tasty lies.”
It felt strange to hear Arrow call me by my childhood name when the one he’d given me finally felt so right. Only hours ago, I’d railed against it. But never again. Not now that I knew for certain how he felt about me.
“I think I may have overindulged,” said a khareek, releasing a loud burp as it began to sink down into the moat.
“Wait,” their leader commanded, holding its companion up by an armpit. “We must ask what the king and queen wish from us in return for feeding us so well.”
“Oh, I’m not a qu—” I began to correct, Arrow’s glare silencing me.
His wings manifested, flaring high above his shoulders, the right one lowering and embracing my body, drawing me closer. “With respect, ancient Khareek,” Arrow said, “all we wish for is the gift of privacy.”
“A lovers’ concealment?”
“Yes,” he replied. “We’ve been apart long weeks and wish to speak to each other without risk of others overhearing us. And I promise we mean no harm to the realms and seek only to restore balance.”
The creature’s black eyes burned through my skull. “Does the Storm King speak for you?” it asked, its left shoulder collapsing and melting into the moat.
“In this case, yes. Most definitely.”
The khareek yawned. “What you have said is true. Your wish is granted.”
The fire creatures opened their mouths and jets of lava spewed out, spraying our bodies. I flinched, expecting pain, but felt none.
As the khareek sank under the moat, one said, “Whenever you come here together, no being will be able to see or hear you, not even through magical means.”
A semi-translucent globe of flames cast by the khareek burst around us, waves of heat billowing off its walls, a little too warm for comfort.
Arrow took my hands, pulled me close, and kissed me tenderly. Too quickly, he drew back, his palms framing my face. “Being unseen by others was a nice addition. We’ll meet here whenever we need to discuss… delicate matters.”
I laughed. “Hm. I suppose that doesn’t include partaking in frivolous matters, such as kissing.”
“I wouldn’t rush to that conclusion.”
I flapped the neck of my tunic away from my chest. “It’s quite hot in here.”
“Feel free to disrobe,” he said with a cheeky grin. “Your comfort is always my greatest concern. Tell me what you learned in the library.”
“I found a book about Sun Realm magicians that contained a brief paragraph on twin mages.”
A gold eyebrow rose. “Despite years of work, my scryers haven’t discovered any information about the fire mages. What did the book say?”
“If one mage is lost, the other fails. And better still, if one dies, the kingdom falls. And something about the powerless holding the other’s glory. Whatever that means.”
“So it’s Nukala we must target.”
“I think so.” I nodded, my heart hammering with barely bridled excitement.
I could hardly believe the dramatic turnaround in my circumstances over the last twenty-four hours. Arrow stood beside me, smiling like I was a beam of sunshine on a rainy day. He was on my side and making plans to help me right King Azarn’s many wrongs.
Tears stung my eyes, and I blinked rapidly to remove them. “What do you know about Nukala? He’s an odd one. Keeps to himself. Doesn’t say much.”
“Agreed,” Arrow said. “He’s a particular favorite of Azarn’s. That’s all I know.”
“We need to talk to Estella. Did you realize that she let me win our battle in the Arena of Ashen Souls? Arrow, she used cosmic magic to stop time. It was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Yes. She told me she would do so before the event. Otherwise, I would’ve done everything and anything to stop it from going ahead. I know she wants to help us, but her mind is… fractured from the trauma of her forced marriage to the Fire King. She hides away. Often speaks in circles. I fear she may not be reliable.”
“But perhaps our only chance?” I asked.