Page 25 of Enamored
I was getting closer to solving the riddle that had been puzzling me since my meetings with Rasmus. He intended to use the Sword of the Magi among the general population, perhaps even to gain a king like Ansgar.
For as much as Rasmus claimed the sword would do the choosing of only the worthiest, I had no doubt he’d find a way to influence the sword to choose the man he most desired to be the next king. But how? And whom had he chosen?
Chapter
9
Elinor
Someone was searchingfor me. The door to the schoolroom squeaked open on its hinges, and I sank farther into the cushions hidden behind a low shelf, hoping to escape detection.
I’d performed my courtship duties at supper and well into the evening, and now I needed an interlude, time away from the constant effort of trying to decide who should become the next king.
After the draco attack during the afternoon hunt, the atmosphere throughout the evening meal had been subdued, and the conversation had centered around the attacks of the draco as well as the Ice Men on the southeastern border.
When the king had announced the need for another meeting with his closest knights, I’d used the opportunity to escape.
Now in the familiar, cozy chamber where I still spent great portions of my day learning, I’d curled up with a text on the draco, intending to refresh my memory on everything I knew about them. If only whoever it was would leave me in peace.
For several seconds, silence settled. I could picture one of my ladies-in-waiting peering into the room, intent on finding me. As the door squealed again and then clicked closed, I released a breath and returned my attention to the handwritten text on the parchment before me.
I carefully turned the brittle page to find a diagram of the flying lizard, amazed again that a reptile had the ability to fly like a bird. The hollow bones in the wings—
“I thought I might find you here,” a voice whispered above me.
I jumped, pressing a hand to my chest.
Maxim bent over me and stared down at my book. “Studying dracos, are you?”
I hadn’t seen him since leaving the hilltop hours ago. Though I’d asked Ansgar if we could locate an extra horse for Maxim so he might ride with us, the knight had informed me regretfully that the king had commanded him to deliver me back to the royal residence without delay. While Ansgar hadn’t said so, I’d understood that everyone else would have to find their own way back, that his task was to protect me, that perhaps they’d concluded the draco had been sent specifically to capture me.
While I’d watched and waited for Maxim’s return, I hadn’t seen him. My discreet inquiries had finally afforded me the news that he’d stayed behind to help the servants clean up the damage. With the late hour, I’d given up hope of seeing him again today.
Now I couldn’t keep from smiling, my heart leaping at the sight of his handsome face, especially now that the blood and dirt had been scrubbed away and his hair recently washed and pulled back.
Before I could stand, he rounded the half shelf and dropped onto the cushion next to mine—the one he’d always used, the one I’d never had the heart to remove. Except now he was too big for the velvet square. The reading corner that had once seemed enormous was suddenly crowded. Or perhaps his presence was simply larger than life.
I wiggled farther back into my corner, my thoughts returning to earlier when we’d been together in the cleft. I couldn’t deny I’d enjoyed the closeness. In fact, I’d relived those moments more times than I cared to admit—his arms holding me tight, the feel of his breath near my cheek, and then the pressure of his fingers at my waist.
“How is your wound?” I needed to divert my attention from this physical reaction to Maxim and focus on being friends.
He gingerly touched the side of his head. “I do believe I shall live.”
I laughed.
His grin worked its way out, adding crinkles to the sides of his eyes.
I liked this older version of Maxim. Yes, I’d loved the friend he’d once been, but he’d always been so serious, almost as if he’d been afraid to do anything wrong. I suspected he’d lived in constant fear of his father’s discipline. Rasmus had been harsh, pushing Maxim to be the best in everything.
Had the years away from Rasmus freed him from that fear, allowed him to be himself and enjoy life more? I truly hoped so.
“I see the company of a draco, even in diagram form, is more preferable than your suitors.” His tone teased me, but something in his eyes hinted at more.
How honest could I be with Maxim? Of course, when we were children we’d been truthful with each other about everything. But how did I know I could truly trust him?
“Either that,” he continued, “or you’ve already made your choice and have no more need to concern yourself over the men.”
I released a weary sigh. “You are correct on the first count. I would prefer the company of a draco. But you are wrong on the second, as I have not yet made up my mind.”
