Page 43 of Pawns of Salistya

Releasing the table before he broke it, he returned his attention to Merlot and Wystia, Strahn warned, ‘Two hundred and twenty-five years. And you can count on me knocking on your door the minute this timeframe has lapsed. Don’t let me down.’ He turned away from them in dismissal.

Not wanting to stay a moment longer, Wystia leant over to kiss Areeya on the cheek while Merlot did the same with Thais, whispering, ‘See you soon, Mum’. He turned towards Kryol who pulled him into a hug.

‘Love you son. Don’t be a stranger,’ Kryol whispered, before pulling away.

Wystia grabbed Merlot’s hand, teleporting them away from the room and back to a place that looked like a palace, but was an unrecognisable one.

‘That was a mess. Your parents are so much nicer than mine,’ Wystia said, throwing fire balls into the garden, one after another, letting out her frustration and regenerating the flowers there as she hit them.

‘In all fairness, it was better than I expected, Tia. You know how your father can be. And your mother tries her best given the circumstances. Although I’m not sure winding up Strahn was the best move.’ Merlot circled his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly into his chest, producing an audible sigh from Wystia.

She snuggled further into his chest, the contact calming her down instantly. ‘What are we going to do, Merlot? We can’t let our childrenfall prey to their agenda. We just can’t. It’s not fair for them to suffer for it,’ she whispered.

‘We’ll think of something,’ he promised. ‘But for now, I can hear our children wanting us. We’ve been gone longer than expected.’

She huffed out a laugh. ‘Salistya has Arlom in a headlock again. I don’t know what’s gotten into her lately. I wish she could play nice like the twins. And I wish Arlom would stand up to her a bit more.’

‘She’ll learn. But you know what older siblings are like, they go through this stage. Arlom’s the baby. He’ll find his voice eventually.’ He ran his nose up the side of her neck, nuzzling the mark underneath her ear.

Wystia hummed, enjoying the contact. ‘I hope it’s just a phase. If not, I fear for what his future may hold,’ she whispered.

Chapter 18

Iwalked across the roof of the palace as stealthily as was possible while wearing a tight silk nightgown, trying to avoid the jagged edges of the tiles. I still managed to stub my toe though, and, cursing quietly, wondered why anyone would think this shitty stone was suitable for a roof.It was probably to deter idiots like me sneaking around.And idiot I was – my damn toe was now bleeding all over the wretched tiles.

I had awoken from the vision in the early hours of the morning. I’d spent twenty minutes unsuccessfully willing myself back to sleep, already drained from the day, but then decided an old school spying trip was more productive than letting my thoughts run wild in the comfort ofmy own bed.

The new moon provided a small level of discretion, the lack of lighting allowing me to not-so-gracefully fumble across the roof to track Xylan’s presence while avoiding the guards stationed below. I sent a blessing to the Goddess Wystia for the phase of the moon before catching myself. Considering the new revelations from the most recent vision, I was unsure what I should call her. Goddess? Queen? Or maybe great-great-great grandmother? I had no idea how many ‘greats’ there should be as I didn’t know how many years it’d been since that Royal Forum. I’d guess it had to be under the two hundred and twenty-five-year mark, as I had never heard of a sighting of the Svaxlyn? Was that even the name?

But knowing the age of the training program in the Isles, the maths didn’t add up to that. It had to be longer than that. I really needed to get closer to Qynthia and start getting answers from the Nyarelle archives. My mounting pile of questions was becoming overwhelming.

But that wasn’t a problem for tonight. Tonight, I wanted to find out more about the king I had shared an unforgettable lip-locking session with.

I stopped directly above the window to Xylan’s room. It had felt as easy as breathing to track him down, but the overwhelming pull to him was clouding my judgement. I battled the urge to enter the room and entwine myself with him again. That wasn’t a good idea.

It took a minute to get myself under control, and once I had I recognised a second presence in his room, pacing up and down in agitation. I could sense Xylan was sprawled out on his bed, his body unmoving and relaxed. That other presence better not be a woman, or I swear to the Goddess –

I cut myself off. I don’t have a right to be jealous.I released a frustrated breath, closed my eyes in concentration and willed my mind into stillness, allowing my sharp hearing to take over.

‘You didwhat?’ A woman’s voice shrieked in disbelief.Orlandia.Relief flooded me. The woman was his twin. Not a potential liaison.

‘In my defence, I didn’t do anything. She made the first move. I just … didn’t stop her,’ Xylan replied smugly.

‘Seriously?Day one,Xy. Day one and you’ve already crumbled. I know we agreed we needed to build a strong relationship with her, but planting your lips on her the first opportunity you have? Come on. She’s a married woman. And now she’s not talking to either of us,’ she said. Oh. She was reprimanding him.

‘Oh, and you think it was helpful when you questioned her loyalty to the man she’s married to? Come on Orla, you know better than that,’ he answered.

I sensed her body wince as she stopped pacing. ‘In truth, it wasn’t the best tactic.’

‘No shit,’ he retorted, sitting up straight. ‘She’s a physical mage. You know what they’re like. They don’t communicate like we do. Only with people they explicitly trust. And us? She doesn’t trust us as far as she can throw us. We’re royals from another Dom. She was raised as a Salistyan. You think a few years on the Isles and here in Arlom are going to override that appalling upbringing? You’re a fool if you thought you would get the answers out of her by simply asking. But her body? A physical mages body doesn’t lie. That’s where you find the truth of her feelings. And I did.’

My breath hitched, an overwhelming feeling of hurt flooding my body. He knows I’m a physical mage and hemanipulatedme with it? Lured me into that kiss to gain information on where my loyalties lie? To see if I would crumble into a heap at his feet?

No, I realised, I’m not just hurt. I’m furious. It took everything in me to hold my magic at bay. To stop the fire that desperately wanted to escape, the water that wanted to pour from the sky, the earthquake that wanted to start in a split second, the tornado that longed to rival any that had come before.

‘What was that? Did you feel it?’ said Orlandia.

I froze, my heart accelerated, awaiting his reply.

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