Page 15 of A Wrecking of Salt and Fire

His hand swatted at the wooden nightstand beside the bed, eyes still adjusting to the yellow rays cascading about the room. Water, he thought, there you are. Kohl clutched the jug and brought it to his lips because the small glass beside it just would not do. The now lukewarm liquid slid down his throat as he sighed from the sweet relief, his mouth no longer feeling like it was full of sand.

Kohl tried to look outside to determine the time, not wanting to leave the softness of the bed just yet to look at the sundial. He knew he would be late for his run with Katrin through the mountains, but hoped she was in a similar state to him.

When his father started discussing more in depth marital discussions, Kohl skipped over the wine and went straight to the liquor.

Then the king began insulting their traditions and Kohl no longer sipped the amber liquid, instead just tossing back full pours.

At this point, those discussions were neither here nor there. He would need to tell his father to keep his opinions to his gods-damned self. Not that Kohl would ever actually speak to the Viper that way without serious repercussions. Sometimes he wished his father was not so feared and recognized. Maybe then he would love him like a son, not use him as a way to further his agendas.

His eyes were still adjusting to the light as he persuaded his legs to move over to the wardrobe to dress for a run in the summer’s heat. He took out a white cotton short-sleeved shirt and thin running shorts made from a sweat-resistant material, slipping them on as he tried to lull the pounding in his head. Today was going to have to be a light run, maybe even just a jog. He was not used to drinking that much in one night, and was not used to the repercussions it brought.

Kohl threw back the rest of the water in the jug, tied his hair back in a bun, and went to look for Katrin by the castle gates where they met each morning.

When he arrived at the gate she was already waiting, her warm brown hair pinned up in a braid, wearing the thinnest of white gauzy sleeveless tunics and the tightest of black trousers. Arms crossed, her right foot propped up on the gate behind her, she looked like wicked torture.

Kohl could not tell if he was lightheaded from the hangover or from the sight of her curves on full display after last night. As his eyes trailed up her body to her lush lips he could barely restrain himself from marching over and ripping her clothes off right there.

“You look like death came and spit you back out,” Katrin chuckled as Kohl approached.

“I assure you, I feel worse than I look,” he sighed back. “Are you sure you wouldn’t want to take a day off and go spend it in bed?”

She smacked his shoulder as he inched closer. “Since when has the great warrior Kohl ever wanted to take a day off?” Those lush lips tilted up in a smirk.

“Since the day you started showing up wearing that, but I’ve been more disciplined in the past. Now I don’t know what I was thinking.” Kohl wrapped his deeply tanned arms around Katrin’s waist pulling her in close, planting a kiss just between her brows.

“As wonderful as that might sound, the Acknowledgement is only a few days away. I need to be in tip-top shape if someone calls for the Wrecking.”

“No one is going to call for the Wrecking, Katrin. The succession is not in question. You are the most fit to rule your home and the rest of the isles know that.”

“Except Nexos. The rest of the Isles except Nexos. King Nikolaos could try to claim a right, he is an older god than I am, Kohl. Or his eldest son.”

Kohl’s jaw clenched. He did not want to think about the infuriating Prince of Nexos, the way he used to swagger around when they were children like he was better than the other boys. “No one has seen the eldest prince in years, and Prince Dimitris and their younger sister would have no claim to such a high position without their full powers and they aren’t yet twenty-five.”

A small chill crept up Kohl’s back. The Prince of Nexos eluded both the spies of Alentus and Morentius for the past five years so no one knew what his full powers were. If they were anything like his father’s, the prince could be lethal. Add in the stealth and cunning of Queen Giselle and he could be unstoppable.

Nik would be twenty-seven now, the same age as Kohl. Two years would have passed for him to learn how to harness whatever gifts trickled down from his father and mother. Small bits of it would show before then, but could be well hidden from enemies by the power of their parents, which is what Nikolaos and Giselle most likely were doing now, hiding the prince behind a shroud in Nexos, planning their strike.

“You’ve always been the more optimistic one, Kohl. I just have this feeling in the pit of my stomach that something is going to go wrong.” Katrin leaned fully into his chest.

“It won’t. I’ll make sure of it, Aikaterine. Now that you have crushed any chance of me not running this morning, we should probably get to it before the sun gets too high and I decide I am no longer listening to my future queen.” Kohl bowed in jest.

“Race you to the base of the Triad?” Katrin’s eyebrow raised in anticipation.

“This time you might actually win,” Kohl chuckled and took off. Needing the headstart with his hangover progressively getting worse.

“Hey! What a cheater!” Katrin yelled as she took off after him.

Surprisingly, the run felt good. The summer’s high heat helped to sweat out any toxins he overindulged in the night before. A slight breeze swept through the trees in the forests surrounding the Triad, keeping them both cool enough to continue moving.

Watching Katrin keep pace with him the whole way was also an added treat. They never spoke when they ran together, just took in the beauty and sounds of the nature around them. The path always started at the castle, looping down toward the docks at the port where the smell of fishermen and low tide laced the air. After, they hit the sandy beaches on the opposing side of the isle, finishing by winding through the olive groves until they hit the Drakos’ winter cottage at the base of the triads. All in all, it was a ten mile loop, but they would only do the five, taking horses back to the castle.

The cabin was quickly approaching when Kohl saw Katrin take off for the stables. Normally he would be able to outrun her, but his mouth had gone dry again and his breathing was still labored. When he finally caught up a minute later, she was already sipping the ice water kept in a chilled box behind the stables.

“How can you run that fast after last night? I feel like I might actually keel over and die and your father would take me away to Aidesian.” Kohl reached out for the other glass of ice cold water Katrin poured and set on the small outdoor table.

“Not all of us drank through the Drakos liquor cabinet during dinner.” The biggest smile plastered on Katrin’s face. Kohl loved that smile, even here, sweat dripping down from her brow, hair slightly falling out of the braid after their run. She was absolutely beautiful—breathtaking, really.

“Well you would need to drink through a liquor cabinet too if you had to put up with my father,” Kohl said and Katrin let out a light chuckle. “You know, I can think of one thing that could make me feel better though, well, other than the water.”

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