Page 95 of A World of Ruins

The air is brisk and harsh today.

I’m feeding some of the dragons cooked meat. The Ardenti seem to prefer it raw, likely due to their ability to burn it themselves. Fernah enjoys it when I feed it right into her mouth, and I chuckle as she swallows. She seems harmless, though she could so easily have bitten my hand right off.

Everyone else is in the castle fields. Freya is with Iker, laughing at his jokes and smacking him across the chest at whatever foolish thing he might have said. Leira and Aelle are in their own romantic embrace, though their gazes seem sad as they stare at the dried-up trees. I think about telling them what Aurum told me once – that they killed his witch. But then that would be going down a path I shouldn’t tamper with since Aurum is no longer here.

On the right, Idris is petting a dragon he has recently gotten close to – an Umbrati named Enox, covered in deep purple scales. The male dragon is the only creature that can make Idris laugh more than once within five minutes.

‘What are you, the dragon’s personal slave now?’ Rydan laughs while walking towards me from the right, with Link and Tibith beside him.

I huff, contemplating whether I should feed Rydan to Fernah. ‘Better than ever having to beyourslave. I’d rather deal with the dragon’s droppings.’

Link chuckles, settling down on the crisp yellow grass, as Tibith approaches me.

‘Is there bread in there, Mrs Nara?’ He stands on his tiny paws, trying to look inside the bucket I’m holding.

I raise it higher, not wanting to make him queasy from all the fresh meat. ‘Sorry, Tibith.’ I tilt my head apologetically at him. ‘I’m sure Darius will get you some.’ I cast a glance out into the fields, finding him right away as he strolls out of the castle garden doors, freshly bathed and wearing a black cotton shirt as if it were not cold outside.Dragon pig, I think with a smile. ‘There he is now.’

Tibith gasps with delight just as Darius spots me from afar. The side of his lips tilts upwards, reminding me of last night’sactivities.

I burn bright red.

‘Darry, Darry, Darry—’ Tibith rolls around me before catapulting himself towards Darius.

I watch the tender moment of them reuniting as Darius laughs, drops onto the grass and takes Tibith into his arms.

Joy permeates the recesses of my heart, causing its rhythm to beat more vividly than ever. And when Darius’s eyes find mine, my heartbeat intensifies.

I place the bucket down with a smile and take up a spot between Rydan and Link. Tibith has now retaken Darius’s attention, pouncing on him.

Fernah’s whelps circle me, Naryx pulling at my boot while his sister Zuru growls at him. I’m smiling blissfully at their interaction. A sibling bond always gets to me.

‘Have you gone to see Sarilyn yet?’ Rydan asks me, taking a wad of grass into his hands.

I drag back a breath, the cold air prickling my skin like tiny needles. ‘I’ve been doing my best to avoid the dungeons,’ I say.

The first night Sarilyn was incarcerated, Darius and I spoke for hours about what we should do with her. He hates her for every suffering she has put him through, even worse when he knows what I went through with her. Yet . . . I can’t imagine I would be satisfied if she was to die.

I should despise her, but all I feel is pity.

The promise I made her the day before I fought Darius at the arena tastes sour in my mouth. I remember how I wanted to put her through the same payment I’d received from her long ago.

‘Lorcan told me she’s been asking for you.’ Link leans forward, capturing my attention.

‘Did he?’

He nods.

‘I can’t imagine she wants me for anything good,’ I mutter, gazing back at Zuru and Naryx, then towards Tibith and Darius, still play-fighting in the grass.

We’re quiet for a few minutes, the three of us staring out into the fields.

Finally, the silence starts to get to Rydan. ‘You know what sucks, Ambrose?’ he says. I cock an eyebrow in his direction. ‘Feeling like you equate to nothing.’

I frown.Where has this come from?‘You don’t honestly believe that about yourself, do you?’

Rydan answers me with a shrug, twirling another wad of grass in his hands.

‘Lorcan shouted at him,’ Link tells me. ‘He is just taking his words too literally.’

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