Page 41 of Shrine of Fire

“Have you ever been to Fairuin in your travels?” Lady Coraline asked me.

I shook my head. “I’m afraid not. I’m from Mitharis, from a little town in the hills.”

Stefan looked at me with interest, and I forgot I hadn’t bothered to tell him the most basic things about myself. I didn’t think he would care. Being from a small hill town wasn’t very interesting.

“That’s the neighboring country to Ecshellen, where the Omega Sanctuary is located?” One of the ladies asked. She wore pink despite her fair complexion, and the heat of the day had already flushed her cheeks. “How lucky you didn’t need to travel far.”

“Yes,” I said, because some of the omegas traveled weeks to get to the Sanctuary. But it wasn’t a pleasure trip. We went to the Sanctuary because with our designation came magic we couldn’t control. “Quite lucky for me. I did travel to Eriand when we went to the Shrine of Soaring Ice.”

The pink lady, Lady Pelissa I thought her name was, frowned. “Is that not in the same area as Fairuin?”

Lord Baylin chuckled. “No, my lady. They are both to the North, very similar continents, but settled differently.”

“I can hardly keep the barbarian kingdoms straight,” Lady Pelissa waved her hand, and the other ladies tittered.

“I head the men of Fairuin are quite backward with their traditions,” Lady Coraline smirked at me. “Having a man such as that as your mate will be a change indeed.”

I smiled again. There were three large continents to the north of the world, all of them cold and mostly barren. Each continent housed a Shrine, and a variety of countries where people eked out a living the best way they knew how.

“Fairuin also has a strong naval fleet, as well as being rich with cattle and goods,” Stefan said. “And their people produce fierce warriors. The Crown would do well to make alliances with such a nation.”

“Of course.” Lady Coraline winked at me. “Such warriors might prove virile for an omega, yes?”

The other ladies tittered again, reminding me of little songbirds.

“Perhaps,” I said, giving them a small smile. “But that is not something I lack in my life.” I put my arm through Stefan’s. “If you will excuse us, I’d like my fiancé to show me to our quarters.”

The ladies giggled again, and Lord Baylin coughed. “Of course, my lady. We shall meet again during the noontime meal?”

“Until then,” Stefan said, and walked with me back to the middle of the ship.

I smiled at him. Once again, I couldn’t speak my mind, but judging by the smirk on his face he was thinking the same thing.

He led me down a short flight of stairs, and then along a corridor that led us around a corner to our quarters. The ship was built from a rich dark wood, with fine red tapestries draping the hallways, and a beautifully carved staircase, elegant touches that revealed this was not an ordinary passenger vessel.

“We have the southern quarters,” Stefan said, opening the door for me. “Our quarters are quite large for a ship, but still small compared to the Palace.”

“When I went to the Omega Sanctuary as a teenager, I had a tiny room,” I said as I walked through to where the others were gathered. “I don’t care about size.”

“That’s a shame.” Hashir grinned. “Considering how large…” as Hashir paused, my cheeks grew pink, waiting for him to mention his knot.

“Your pack,” Hashir winked, “…is growing.”

I shook my head at him, then turned to look around our quarters with interest. We were in a large living room, which held a long couch and several armchairs, all upholstered in the deep red of the Ember household colors, with beautifully thick cushions. A sizeable table was situated in front of them. There was a long counter along one wall and a couple of smaller sideboards along the other, with two doors at the rear of the room.

The sleeping arrangements would be…interesting. I didn’t mind sharing, but if Kalahar and Stefan were sleeping with us, that meant Hashir, Aki, and I would have to find other times to bed each other.

Kalahar was sitting in an armchair, books laid out in front of him. He was still sitting stiffly, and I wondered if his stomach wound had completely healed. He looked more human, his hair red and not fire-colored, and his eyes a yellow amber color.

“The location to the Spirit Oasis might have shifted,” Kalahar said, looking up at me. “I will try to prepare as best I can for when we arrive at—what is the kingdom called again?”

“Tolaga,” Aki supplied. He was standing beside Kalahar’s chair, and it looked like we’d interrupted a discussion on logistics. He was still in his black and red leather armor but was looking a little green. “It’s a wealthy kingdom to the southeast. We’ll be sailing in a circle, basically.”

Kalahar nodded. “They were renowned for their gems even in my time. Several minerals were thought to aid the mortals to travel back and forth to the spirit realm.”

The ship rocked to the left, and Aki grabbed the top of the chair with a curse.

Hashir smirked at him as he took my arm and drew me to the couch. As I sat down, I noticed that one of the men had set the bag containing my crochet project down beside it. He sat down next to me and gestured toward one of the doors. “There’s only one bedroom with a rather large bed, but there’s another smaller sitting room. If we don’t want to share the bed, we’re going to have to get creative with the sleeping arrangements.”

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