Page 76 of A Trial of the Heart

“You do not speak amongst our circle unless spoken to first.” The line between Seamus’s brows deepened as he paused. It looked as though he wanted to say more, but something was holding him back.

Personally, I thought his opinion on this was complete and utter bullshit. Yet I held my tongue, taking in Castor’s teachings and putting them to use.

I could see the fire in Adohan’s eyes burn as flames licked across his darkened skin. “Be careful how you address my mate. Regardless of a formal title, I will not stand for anyone disrespecting her.”

“She’s not recognized as a royal,” Minaeve said as Seamus stepped toward Adohan. From his body language, he intended to use more than just his cunning words to make his point. Daxton immediately arose from his kneeling position and fronted Seamus’s approach. He didn’t say anything—the look of death in his eyes did that for him.

Seamus’s eyes widened. He was no match for Daxton, and he knew it. “You’re fortunate in your allies, Adohan … But it won’t save you in the end.”

“Seamus,” Minaeve said. “Don’t allow him to get under your skin. This is below you, come here.” And like the good lap dog he was, he dutifully returned to his master’s side. He bent to kiss Minaeve’s cheek and then trailed a kiss down her neck. I watched as she closed her eyes and curled her lip into a half-grin. “Hmmm, yes,” she said in a soft moan. And suddenly, I felt the urge to dry heave.

“We’ll take our leave then,” Daxton announced, bowing to the golden throne.

“Go,” Minaeve answered. “We’ll travel to Silver Meadows in two months.”

Daxton nodded before turning toward me. “After you, Champion.”

Again, he was honoring me by letting me take the lead. I knew what the gesture meant, and above all, it showed his respect for me in more ways than his words ever could.

“Idris,” I said, “call the pegasi. We fly for Silver Meadows tonight.”

Chapter Sixteen

Thankfully, I was able to change and gather my belongings while Idris called the pegasi from the surrounding hillside. We mounted and took off at a boisterous pace without ever once glancing back. I wanted to put as much distance between myself and Aelius as I could. Daxton and his stallion led the way, with Castor and Adohan close behind. Idris and I were last, bringing up the rear of our traveling party.

No one had spoken a word since leaving the throne room in Aelius.

The trial of the mind was over, but I still had two more to face. The riddle on the scroll describing the trial of the body replayed repeatedly in my head. I was desperately trying to decipher what clues we needed to focus on to understand the type of creature I had to face. Training and preparing for the wrong opponent could lead to death.

I was lost in my thoughts when Idris called out next to me. “Adohan… Adohan!” The High Prince of Crimson City pulled back on his reigns, urging his steed to slow to his mate’s side.

“What is it, my love? Is it the babe?” Idris nodded in distress. “Daxton!” Adohan called out into the wind. “We need to land immediately.”

Daxton turned in his seat as he and Castor slowed. “It’s not safe until we reach the border of Silver Meadows. Can you hold out for a little longer, Idris?” The brave mother nodded as she folded over her stomach, laying against her steed’s thick neck.

I wasn’t sure what was happening, but the look on Idris’s face told me it was not good. “What is wrong, Idris?”

“I’m having … contractions,” she said through gritted teeth.

“How often?” I pursed my lips and glanced at Adohan’s panicked face. “Can you speak through them?”

“N-n-not. W-well,” she said through a grunt of pain.

Shit. This was not good at all.

“Dax, how much further?” I met his gaze and tried my best to communicate the severity of this situation without speaking the words aloud.

Idris had borne children before, and because they were twins, they would have likely come early. In this pregnancy, she carried only one, but her body knew what to do in labor. It would strike faster this time around. And if she was experiencing contractions, ones she had difficulty speaking through, the child could be on its way into the world.

“Can you teleport us to the border?”

Daxton nodded. “I don’t see another option.” Sensing my urgency, he steered his mount toward Adohan and Idris. “I can take us all to the river separating Aelius and Silver Meadows. It should be safe there.”

“Do it,” I instructed. “She needs to rest. I might be able to use my magic to help them.”

“Everyone needs to connect,” Daxton said as Castor reached into his bag and retrieved a long rope. “Hold on.”

We each grabbed a portion of the rope, and we disappeared from the sky in a silver flash.The pegasi neighed and bucked as their hooves touched the ground instead of soaring through the open air. Adohan leaped off his mount and took Idris. He clutched his mate tightly, tenderly kissing her brow and cradling her against his chest.

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