Page 88 of The Curse and the Silver Rose

Achilly breeze lifted orange leaves from the cobblestones. The foliage swirled and danced around the hems of the newlyweds’ cloaks, heralding the passage of the seasons. Autumn had arrived in Velandia.

Amelie’s hand rested on Davron’s arm as he effortlessly carved a path through Port Hyacinth’s bustling waterside district. His imposing size and appearance steered other pedestrians out of their way by default. Though, no one stared quite as intently as before, when he was cursed.

A solid gold band gleamed from Amelie’s finger in the muted morning light, matching Davron’s. Their wedding had been an intimate ceremony at Castle Grange, attended by her family and a handful of villagers, including Oskar and his children. Colette and Laughlin returned from Ennisfall for the occasion.

Before the wedding, Amelie traveled to Old Cove with Davron and her brothers to fulfill Levissina’s final wishes. Only then did Amelie feel right about proceeding with marriage.

“Are you sure you would not like to dine before we board?” asked Davron. “The voyage to Klatos is two days, and food does not taste the same on a ship. You will probably find you’ll lose your appetite.”

The narrow street was crowded with carts and merchants and seamen. Seagulls soared overhead. The buildings appeared crooked and haphazard, yet somehow the city exuded a sense of harmony. It was beautiful and enticing in its own way.

Amelie shook her head. “I am too excited to be hungry. Are you not excited? It has been a decade since you last saw your uncle and homeland.”

“It is a strange feeling,” he agreed. “I accepted long ago that I would never see Leonid nor Zermes kingdom again. I am glad, though.” He guided Amelie around a street hawker, a rotund man waving sea-glass trinkets in her face. “Your excitement pleases me,” he added. “To see the city of Klatos through your eyes will make it all the more charming.”

Davron’s uncle was recently married, too. Leonid and his new queen sent a wax-sealed letter to invite Davron and Amelie to visit the royal palace of Klatos. They had agreed, grateful for the newfound freedom to travel without fear of invoking the Dark One’s wrath.

“Is it true the roads melt during the summer in Klatos?” asked Amelie.

He chuckled. “To a person from Velandia, it will feel like it. The sun somehow feels bigger there. It warms everything it touches.”

“Good, because I hope to swim in the ocean. I’ve never done that before.”

“And so you shall. I’ll watch you from the shore, if you do not mind. Lest I be taken by sirens.”

Amelie giggled, only to realize Davron did not seem to be joking.

“Surely you jest?” she asked. “You are the strongest man I have ever met. I’ve seen you singlehandedly tear apart an entire gang of raiders.”

A passing elderly couple caught her last words, doing a double-take. They gaped at Davron for several moments before quickening their pace in the opposite direction.

“Are you scared of sirens?” asked Amelie in a teasing tone. “I can not believe it.”

He shook his head, a rueful smile forming on his handsome, scarred face. “You say that because you have yet to meet one. You must not think of them as sweet little mermaids. Remember, they fought and won against the Dark Tide Clan.”

“My father used to tell me about the clan. The most cruel and ruthless of all the pirates. When I was a child, I would lie awake at night in fear of them capturing his ship.”

“Well, pirates lie awake at night in fear of sirens. They are powerful beings and not easily tamed. Although, that does not stop the odd foolish man from trying.”

The scent of frying fish from a nearby tavern wrinkled Amelie’s nose. “Men try to kidnap sirens?”

“That, and worse. There are rumors of a mage who was expelled from Starlight Gardens. He is said to capture sirens and subject them to experiments.”

Amelie shuddered. “How awful. I hope that is only a rumor.”

“For better or worse, anything in this world is possible.” He steered her into a side street that sloped downward toward the docks. He pointed at the masts visible over the tops of the buildings. “I believe Leonid’s ship has arrived for us. The crew will surely take time unloading their cargo. We shall wait until they finish before boarding. The less time spent on the ship, the better.”

“Can we go down to the docks and watch?”

“Of course, we can. Whatever you want,” said Davron, the sound of his voice like a melody to her ears. Since that fateful day she’d found him ice-cold in the rose garden, she vowed never to take a moment with him for granted.

“First, I need to do something,” he added.

She squealed in surprise as he pulled her into a shadowy doorway. He drew her close by her waist, his intense gaze on her mouth. His fingers gripped the back of her neck, and he tilted her chin upward with his thumb.

He covered her soft lips with a kiss, frantic and hungry and hot, as if they had not already spent the entire morning tangled up with each other in bed. Amelie had privately been overjoyed that Davron’s tongue was as long and wide as ever. He’d had to reach up and clamp his hand over her mouth to prevent the entire inn from hearing just how overjoyed.

“That is better,” he said, drawing back from the kiss, a smile hovering on his lips. “Now we can go.”

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