Page 11 of Court of Treachery

“Thanks.” She looked up to find his intense green gaze upon her, so close that his lips were mere inches away. Harper froze.

Slowly—slower than he ought to—Aedon let his hands fall. His fingers skimmed down the fabric of her sleeves. Harper let out a shuddering breath at the contact, something uncoiling deep inside her. It had been far too long since she had enjoyed the touch of another—or allowed herself to be anything other than cut off and uncaring.

Aedon stepped away, and cold flooded in where his warmth had just been. He sat on the rock at its highest end, where the ledge-like stone jutted out above the water. She swallowed, taking a moment to compose herself before she followed him.Harper joined him, dangling her feet over the edge, inches away from the brook swirling around them.

She cast sidelong glances at him as he gazed out over the vista, at the stream winding through the pale trees and into a silvery pool that reflected the steel of the sky.He belongs with nature, Harper thought. His very form seemed a beautiful reflection of nature’s bounty around them, though now it was on the steady decline into winter. Already, the ground was a carpet of fire and the trees upheld little to the sky above them.

“Autumn is my favourite season,” he murmured.

She glanced at him, waiting for him to continue.

“The world never changes more than in the autumn. Nature turns to rest, and all goes in a blaze of glory as though it wishes to make itself known, so none will forget it until spring returns.” He snatched a fire-coloured leaf from the stream as it floated past. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

He handed it to her, and she traced the blood-red veins across its surface. It was unlike the autumns in Caledan. A greyer, darker, wetter season than the rest of them, save winter. There were no golden carpets there. No blaze of glory. She nodded. Seemingly of its own volition, the leaf danced from her palm and up into the air, where it hung, swirling, before slowly floating down to the water once more. There was no breeze. Harper raised an eyebrow.

“Child’s play.” Aedon winked at her. “Come. Try it. Wish for it to fly.” He plucked another leaf from the stream and placed it, wet side down, upon her palm.

Harper furrowed her brows and willed the leaf to fly. The spring bubbled up inside her, eager, yet the leaf did not move. “I don’t understand.”

“As I mentioned before, magic is a muscle you need to train, like any other. Just because you have the ability does not meanyou possess unlimited power. You must condition your focus and strength of will to control the magic within you. Try again.”

Harper tried again. And again. And again.

By the time Brand’s shouts called them back to eat, Harper had barely made the leaf wobble on her palm—and she was not sure if it was her doing or the stray breeze that had picked up. Yet she had somehow mastered how to keep the magic from bubbling out through her fingertips.

Even though she struggled to make sense of it, the prospect was still exhilarating. With power came freedom. Her thoughts strayed back to the tavern she had worked at, and the lecherous drinkers therein. They would not dare touch her if they knew she had such strength. No longer would she be helpless in the world. It was a pleasing thought.

Tired, hungry, and disgruntled, she stood, her limbs stiff from such long stillness. Aedon rose smoothly, as graceful as always, and offered her his hand, pulling her across the water. He caught her scowl and laughed. “Harper, don’t worry. It will come. I promise. Let me show you.”

He slid behind her, his front pressed to her back, and reached his arms along the length of hers until their fingers intertwined. She stiffened at his touch, and bit down on a groan at the warmth of him seeping through her back. She did not dare move, to lean back into his touch, to betray herself.

“Relax!” he chuckled. “Look.”

She felt his magic flow through them both and erupt from their fingers. At once, a maelstrom of leaves arose from the ground, as if battered by an invisible gale. Up they soared, coalescing into a giant, swirling, elegant dance. Harper relaxed at last and sank back into Aedon’s chest, laughing at the feeling of magic rushing through her, and the beauty before her as oranges, golds, and reds cascaded through the air in a tumbling dance.

Aedon twirled her around to face him, his back straight. Harper knew his posture would be from his past days as a dragon rider of the Winged Kingsguard. He whirled her around in time with the leaves, somehow compensating for her ungainly steps—Harper had never danced a day in her life—until they were both flushed and laughing.

Closer they twirled until his warm arms encircled her, their faces inches apart. The way he stared at her—it was as if the rest of the world fell away. Gone were the twisting leaves and the slight nip of the cold air. Gone were the woods, and the stream, and the sky. There was only him.

Harper looked into Aedon’s green eyes. She could now see they were not just green, but flecked with blue, yellow, and amber, gleaming iridescent with their usual sparkle of mirth and mischief. Aedon leaned closer. Harper’s breath caught as she tilted her face toward his, his breath rolling hot across her lips.

“Harper! Aedon!” Brand’s thundering voice snapped across them both. The leaves fell to the earth as the magic ceased in an instant.

9

HARPER

Warmth receded and cold rushed in as the spell of the moment between them shattered. Harper twisted to face Brand, her cheeks burning, words tangling in her throat, and frustration rearing. Why did she feel shame at being caught? She was a grown woman. She could do what she liked. Her attention snapped back to Aedon. The elf stepped back, his eyes flashing with uncharacteristic anger as he looked at the giant Aerian striding down the bank toward them.

“Camp. Now,” Brand growled at Aedon.

Aedon bristled. “I?—”

“Now.” His tone brooked no argument.

Still catching her breath—both from the dancing and the almost-kiss—Harper stood frozen, glancing between them. To her surprise, Aedon’s mouth set in a thin, grim line. He did not look at her as he strode away, fists balled. Harper’s frustration evaporated as cold flooded into her. What had just happened? She had never seen Brand order Aedon thusly or seen that dynamic between the two of them. She looked at Brand,confused and a little scared by the huge warrior looming above her, a prickle of fear lurking in her belly. What had brought on his sudden anger?

Brand’s gaze softened as he saw her wide eyes. “Are you all right, Harper?”

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