Page 42 of Queen of Legends and Lies
“Yesterday, when I collapsed, I had some sort of hallucination.” I gulp another mouthful while he sets his own cup down and grants me his full attention. “Armies of corrupted spilling over the walls, endless caves stacked with the dying, battlefields littered with all the peoples of the land, and Xenon sitting on a stone throne, ruling over it all.”
Eldor’s face hardens, the playful grandfather slipping away to reveal the strategist, the guardian. “It doesn’t sound like a hallucination, Lark.” I can almost see the wheels spinning behind those guarded eyes. “It sounds like a vision.”
“From a god?” I lean back. I’m so tired of puzzles, of gods and their meddling. And yet, here I am, sipping tea and talking about visions that may very well decide the fate of a kingdom.
His eyes narrow ever so slightly. “No. From Rhiann.”
My expression mirrors his. While deserved, his sarcasm still irks me. Especially since I feel like crap.
“Yes, the gods. More specifically, Mar.” He speaks as if the goddess is an old friend rather than a deity known for weaving dreams terrible enough to reduce the mightiest warrior into a quivering child.
“Mar.” I recoil as if the word itself were a serpent. “That’s Narc’s sister.”
Eldor nods, his jaw tight. “And Nyc’s daughter.”
Anger flares within me, burning hotter than fire magic. Those gods with their entangled web of power and mystery always seem to ensnare us mortals, regardless of our desires. Images of the stone throne and the endless caves flicker behind my eyelids. I wonder what game the gods are playing with my fate now.
“Great. Just what I need. More divine meddling in my life.” My sarcasm matches his, revealing our blood relation better than any of our physical traits. “What are they doing to me? Trying to light a fire under my ass? Give me a clue? Frighten me into action? Or just drive me batshit crazy?”
“Maybe all of the above.” Eldor raises a single brow as he refills my tea. “Or maybe not.”
“Very helpful.” I snatch the cup and gulp down another few swallows, the bitter liquid a complement to my mood. “I’m getting a little tired of the gods.”
I plunk the cup back onto the tray with enough force to slosh liquid over the rim.
Eldor offers a small, knowing smile, the kind that says he’s experienced this type of divine play before. He rests his elbowson his knees as he changes tack. “Tell me about Knox. What happened the other night? Before the fires and the flooding.”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Notthatpart.” He snorts, gifting me with a sound I’ve heard only a handful of times. “Not the fun details. Just the basics and anything else. Like how you were able to communicate with him in the first place.”
I circle my pointer finger around the rim of my teacup while I think. “How I found him, I’m not sure. I went to sleep wanting to reach out to him. Then, while dreaming, I kept feeling that way. Missing him, longing for him.”
“You knew you were dreaming?”
My mind drifts back to that time. “Yes. I can’t explain how, but I just knew. And then, he spoke to me.”
“So he was reaching out to you too.” He bobs his head as if he expected that.
“I suppose so. I reached out and found him. We talked a little bit, and then a lightninglike energy zapped through me…through us both. I won’t tell you what we were doing when I felt it.” My cheeks burn hotter than any flame I could conjure.
“Best not.” Amusement dances in his eyes as he refills my cup yet again. “I’ve never done anything like that in my entire life, you know.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “I might actually believe that if you weren’t my grandfather. So I know you’ve done something like that at least once.”
He coughs before rubbing at his chest like his tea went down the wrong pipe. “Looks like you really have inherited my sarcasm. And, yes, I have plenty of experience in those matters. I just don’t want to hear about yours. The same way you don’t want to hear about mine. Deal?”
“Deal.” I bite my lip, trying not to grin at his obvious discomfort, and switch the subject. “And there was also the message from Xenon.”
Eldor’s composure falters, showcasing a rare crack in his usual poise. “What message?”
“A messenger delivered a note from Xenon, saying,‘What were you doing with Knox last night? He’s cold. So very cold. Colder than he’s ever been. The drachen, you know. I fear he’ll die soon. Let’s talk.’Right after that, we had to deal with those fires and the flooding well.”
“Flames and floods. That’s very interesting.” His casual tone grates on my already frayed nerves.
“It’s awful,” I snap, my frustration spilling over. “How can you find this interesting?”
“Because…the night you felt that lightning energy, the flames across the palace burned higher, and buildings caught fire. The main well was filled…and then it overflowed.”
