Page 22 of A Fate so Cruel

Caol was already back on his feet, one hand pressed against his chest. “You didn’t finish the match,” he said, eyes gleaming. “Neverunderestimate your opponent.”

Chapter Two

Rion took the bag of ice from Saoirse and placed it on his bruised stomach. Wincing, he slowly leaned back against the tree.

“You’re going to feel that for a week,” she said, setting her bowl to the side. Caol had been nice enough to make them dinner, even if the male was nursing wounds of his own.

“It was worth it.”

“Definitely. I knocked him down once. Made the same mistake you did.”

“And?”

“He broke my wrist.”

“Gods.”

“He felt bad for that one. I moved the wrong way and, well, metal against bone doesn’t mix so well.”

Silence settled over the space as the pair basked in the setting sun. It painted the trees in hues of red and orange, reminding Rion of a painting that used to hang in a long hallway inside the palace. He wondered if it was still there. Maybe Alec had replaced it with something else.

“When do you go back?”

“In the morning. I’ll be gone before you wake.”

Rion adjusted the ice. In the beginning, Saoirse had visited every other day, but as the months passed, her duties had resumed. It was only through careful planning that they’d kept Rion’s location a secret for so many years. Caol never allowed visitors and Rion was only ever permitted to leave under Saoirse’s careful supervision. Usually when Alec was away.

The mountain was both a sanctuary and a prison.

“Will you be here for the festival?” The spring festival was two nights from now. Not as grand an event as the solstices, buthe treasured every opportunity to sneak down to Nàdair. The city breathed fresh life into him, brought up old memories.

Saoirse shook her head and his heart sank. “Not this time. I have—well, I’ll be gone for a few days.”

Rion studied his sister. “Is everything okay?”

She didn’t look at him. “Yeah, I just hate leaving you. It’s not like you can get out without me.”

She was right about that. He’d been looking forward to it. Alec didn’t usually assign her during holidays unless it was something important.

Rion did his best to keep the disappointment out of his voice. “It’s fine. There’s always the summer solstice.”

She leaned back on her hands. “We should visit the lake house soon. Get you away from Caol for a bit.”

“That’d be nice.”

She side eyed him. “It won’t be like this forever, you know. Just until—”

“Just until I can defend myself, I know.”

Her face fell. “If it weren’t for the attacks . . .”

“I get it, you don’t have to explain it to me again.” Silence stretched between them. He’d only had three incidents in the past six years, but they’d all resulted in someone’s death. One look at his magic and they attacked without reservation. Saoirse had put down two, Caol had taken out the other.

Sometimes Rion wondered if he’d be able to show his face at all. If he walked through the city gates, would everyone try to kill him all at once? Did he even have a home to go back to?

“Give it two more years.”

His head lifted. “Caol said five.”

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