Page 65 of The Mirror in the Mountain

Bash’s blood glowed with a faint blue light, then disappeared in a wisp of shadow. I looked at him with wide eyes, but it was Noam who answered the question on the tip of my tongue. “To lie under a blood oath is to risk your magic returning to the Source from which it came. We do not take such a thing lightly in this realm, not when one misspoken word could cost the giver so much.”

My eyes shot to Bash, who simply shrugged. “We don’t have any time to waste.”

I placed my hands palm up on the table in a silent plea as I looked at my uncle. “We have to stop him. The fate of both realms hangs in the balance. And your help could make all the difference.”

Eliav stared at where Bash’s blood had disappeared, then around the circle, pausing at Yael before his gaze finally rested on Noam.

“Peace was nice while it lasted,” Noam said softly. “But we both know the price to keep it.”

Eliav nodded slowly, moving to briefly press his forehead against his husband’s before turning back to me. Whether it was Bash’s show of deference or the ugly truth he had shared, Eliav’s face was solemn as he looked at me.

“You look so much like her.”

I froze, the statement catching me entirely off guard.

A sad smile ghosted across Eliav’s lips. “It’s strange the things that are passed down from your parents. The hair, the eyes…they’re mostly hers. But my brother is present in the most innocuous things about you, like I’m seeing into the past. And if what you say is true, the bastard that took him from me was never truly punished.”

“He fought…the night Aviel came for us. It bought my brother and I the time to escape as he took the False King on.” My voice was hoarse as I asked, “Will you continue his fight?”

Eliav reached toward me, handing me a wine-filled goblet before lifting his own. His eyes softened in a way that felt familiar, and I knew I already had his answer.

“To vengeance,” Eliav intoned, raising his glass to me. “To continuing the fight. And for the realm.”

“For the realm,” came a chorus of responses.

But I stared straight into my uncle’s familiar golden-brown eyes as I echoed, “To vengeance.”

The taste of the wine on my tongue felt like a covenant. A promise bound by blood.

Bash’s hand lightly trailed down my back, breaking the spell. There was pride in his gaze as I turned to him, as something like hope flurried across our bond.

“Noam will begin the arrangements,” Eliav said. Seeing my surprise, he gave me a wry smile. “Myanimawas my general long before he was my lover. While our path to each other may not have been as complicated as your own, it took a war together before I accepted what he was to me.”

Noam’s smile was dazzling. “Even though I knew it all along.”

“And will never let me hear the end of it,” Eliav added with a long-suffering sigh.

Noam turned to Bash. “I assume you have thoughts about where our people should be positioned?”

Yael stood, looking around with a frown. “I brought some maps with us, if you know where they went. We have limited time to strategize before we need to depart.”

The guard by the door cleared his throat. “They must have been moved by mistake. I can take you to them to make sure you retrieve the right ones.”

Eliav nodded, looking distracted. “Escort her to my study when she has what she needs.”

Yael brushed a chaste kiss on the top of Marin’s hair before walking quickly to the door.

Chapter 29

Bash

My fingers tapped the edge of the round, mosaic-covered table, the blood red tiles cool under my fingertips. The pattern faded into orange then yellow, then white, then an electric blue in the center like the essence of flame.

Eliav’s study clearly doubled as his war room. Ancient maps covered one wall; newer ones plastered atop the old. A large mahogany desk faced a fancifully arched window that looked over a narrow balcony.

I had a feeling that balcony had mostly been used for pacing.

“Our forces are gathering in Soleara as we speak,” Eva said. “After this, we’ll return to join them, then head north to Adronix to cut off the False King.”

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