Page 73 of A Sun Scorched Bloom

Lea could sense Gray was fighting a battle with himself as his jaw clenched and his shadows became unsettled. With a resigned exhale, he folded her into a hug and leaned down to whisper into her hair.

"I willtryand think about it," he conceded.

"Stubborn man," Lea kissed his chest.

Gray's eyes twinkled, crinkling at the edges. "You’re actually callingmestubborn?" he asked, his voice teasing.

"Yes," she deadpanned, turning to lead the way down the hall to where Erik and Janelle waited outside a large rectangular entryway. Lea had expected to see the same golden doors that were situated throughout the rest of the castle, but instead, they stood in front of thick, burnt-orange curtains. They shimmered in that telltale way that indicated they were enchanted, and a tickle of danger ran down Lea’s spine.

"Do you see that?" Lea asked Gray, wondering what exactly the enchantment was.

"I do. Anyone who wishes King Tanad harm will die a very painful death if they walk through those curtains."

Lea sucked in a breath at the buzz of electricity that seemed to radiate from the doorway, making the hair on her neck stand on end and goosebumps prickle along her skin.

"Well," Erik said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "See you in there!" With a salute, he jumped through the curtains. Lea held her breath. She knew Erik didn’t mean the king any harm, but a sudden painful death? What if the magic was wrong?

As if she had called it into existence, Lea heard a gurgling sound from the other side of the curtain. It reminded her of how Claire had sounded when the arrow struck her through her throat. Erik groaned in pain, and athudmade the curtains rustle as something heavy hit the ground. Her stomach dropped as she looked up at Gray, who rolled his eyes.

"Erik!" Janelle shouted as she ran through the curtains without a single moment's hesitation. "Oh! Fuck off, you overcooked ham!" Lea heard, followed by Erik’s boisterous laugh.

"Come on, don’t be mad! It was too easy. You saw Lea’s face when we told her about the magic!"

Gray laughed under his breath, then placed his hand against the small of Lea’s back and led them both through the curtains. She felt the pressure of magic, undeniable as it twisted through every inch of her body, searching for her intentions before disappearing all at once.

"That really wasn’t nice," Lea told Erik with a pointed look.

"Okay, okay. No more pretending to die. Got it." Erik placed his hand over his heart solemnly, kneeling before her. "My queen." His voice dripped with mock sincerity.

Lea kicked his shoe with a laugh. "Stand up and stop being ridiculous. We have more important things to do." She looked up to observe her surroundings. They stood in a large, circular room, the back wall once again open to a balcony that overlooked the ocean. A wall of clear sparkling magic crossed the opening. It was thick, and appeared exceptionally strong, as if it was meant to keep what was said in the room a secret.

In the middle of the chamber was a massive table shaped exactly like their continent, Desia to the north, and Calir to the south. The table wasn’t flat, and definitely wasn’t meant for eating at. Instead, it rose and fell along with the dips and hills of the landscape it portrayed.

A pang of homesickness struck Lea’s heart as she looked at the jagged Torres Mountain range. It was uncanny how alike they looked. She was looking at a perfect miniature, laid out before them to assist in preparing for war.

Standing over the table was King Tanad, still dressed in his flowing robes and smiling toward them. "I see your sense of humor hasn’t changed, Erik. I’m not sure my opinion matters, but I thought it was a rather funny joke."

"Thank you!" Erik said emphatically with a wave of his arms as he walked toward the king. "Remember the time that I–"

"That’s enough," Gray said harshly. "We have too much to discuss to reminisce on your old—and might I say terrible—pranks."

Wincing, Lea sent calming energy down the bond. Gray was stressed, and for good reason, but she couldn’t fault Erik for trying to lighten the mood. As if sensing her thoughts, Erik winked at her, and Lea smiled. He knew exactly what he was doing.

King Tanad sighed. "Unfortunately, he’s right, Erik. Things have grown more dire since you both were last here."

"As it has to the north," Gray admitted, running a hand through his hair.

"Come, let’s sit." Tanad gestured to several large driftwood armchairs surrounding the table. Once they were settled, Tanad waved his hand and refreshments magically appeared: a deep purple wine with sweet huckleberries and a single pink flower floating on top for Lea and Tanad and some sort of amber liquid for Gray, Janelle, and Erik. Gray bent forward with his arms on his knees, his expression growing more serious by the second.

"As you can see, our timeline for when we planned our escape with the rebels from Auropera was moved up. There were casualties, but not as many as I expected. By now, the bulk of the resistance should be safely inside the Torres Mountains. Our scouts are traveling village to village to recruit as many people willing to fight with us as possible." Gray’s report was succinct, matter of fact.

"And the Lonely Death?" King Tanad asked grimly, his eyebrows pinching together.

Gray gave Lea a sidelong look, reaching over and grabbing her hand. "It is spreading. And quickly."

"Have you confirmed how it spreads?"

"I have. My father casts a spell on one particular person, someone chosen by his scouts. Once infected, the illness will spread to anyone with magic that comes near the original carrier, or anyone they have passed the disease to. Though, if entire villages have fallen, then it seems as if the spell has grown stronger. Just months ago it required very close proximity to spread. But now? It appears that the distance it can infect others from has increased exponentially."

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