Page 28 of The Last of the Dark Lords

“Cyrus.”

He didn’t acknowledge me. I had somehow hurt him again, impenetrable Dark Lord that he was. I leaned into Blaze, nudging him to keep pace so that I was parallel with Cyrus.

“Please.”

“It’s fine.” He kept his gaze trained ahead of us. “I forgot myself for a moment. I forgot that we are strangers. That you hate us.”

“Cyrus!” My voice rang out in the canyon, and he pulled himself up short, turning to me, his eyebrows furrowed in irritation. “A week ago, I had no idea that an arranged marriage was even a possibility. A week ago, I thought you were a faceless monster. Wearestrangers. I don’t know if love is possible here. It’s enough that our marriage will bring peace.”

His face was inscrutable. I reached for the courage to continue.

“I don’t hate you.” My voice came out in a ragged whisper. This level of vulnerability was foreign to me, and my throat tightened at the attempt. “I hated the idea of you. But you…I don’t know you. I...I want to find out more.”

The corners of Cyrus’ mouth turned up a tiny bit. “You are something else. Maybeyoushould be the heir of Greatfalls.”

I laughed, but my chest tightened with anxiety at the thought. “I’ve never wanted to rule. I hate the expediency, the manipulation. It’s not my way to hide ugly actions behind pretty words.”

“That’s why you would be a good ruler. You’d be straightforward, and people would trust you.” Cyrus was smiling now, and I blushed at the compliment. “Leading is not fun. But I’ve always thought it might be easier with someone at my side.”

The yearning in his voice made me want to comfort him, to give him everything he could want. At the same time, running from this was enticing, escaping the complicated feelings this man inspired in me.

“Trust me, I shouldn’t be the Prime,” I replied. “Besides, if I was the heir, you’d be marrying Athard right now.”

“Don’t even bring him up. Being Lord of Ashfuror is heavy enough without addingthatdead weight. I’ve only met him once, and I already dislike him.” He tapped the circlet resting on his brow. “Besides, I’ve already got this to worry about.”

I regarded the circlet atop his head. Was it a metaphor or was he being literal?

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Stahkla requires much in exchange for his gifts, and—”

The harsh croak of a raven made both of us turn our heads to peer farther into the canyon. I rested my hand on my bow.

“What was that?” I asked.

“Bertio.” Cyrus closed his eyes, faint amber wisps leaking from the obsidian stone on his head and weaving together to form the Crown of Seeing.

“Is it danger?”

He opened his eyes. The royal symbol atop his head pulsed with energy. "Come."

Chapter 8

As we made our way farther into the canyon, my senses were flooded with the smell and texture of smoke. Manod coughed behind me as the air grew thicker. Cyrus pressed on, his eyes not leaving the trail in front of us.

"What would be on fire in this canyon?” I asked, scanning the path ahead. “Does anyone live here?"

"Wildfires," he said, pushing forward as quickly as the rocky ground would allow. "We've always had them, but they've grown so much worse during the drought. People do live out here. There’s a cluster of cabins near the encroaching flames."

“How do you—”

Cyrus tapped on the corporeal part of the crown he wore. “It is the Crown of Seeing, after all.”

The smoke in the air was becoming overwhelming, but I kept pace with Cyrus. If he had a plan, he revealed none of it to me. What could we do about an out of control fire? We had no way to douse it — we’d not seen a trace of water since we entered the canyon. If I hadn't heard the sound of it a few hours ago, I wouldn’t have believed it existed at all.

The trees grew denser as we traveled. Normally, I would have welcomed the sight. These were sickly, though, the few left thathadn’t succumbed to disease or lack of water. Fire would make quick work of the dry, dead wood if it got out of control.

We heard it before we saw it: the crackle of flame and the shouts of men. We emerged from a copse of desiccated trees to find five cabins clustered around a dry river bed. The buildings were on fire. Two bearded men were gathered around a third, who was lying on the ground in front of the houses, seemingly unconscious.

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