Page 12 of Steeling Light
Cole had tried to explain it to us; he’d refused his father even if it’d been agony.
“You just want to spend time together? I have important things to do in Selithar, Rhion. I can’t just waste the days taking long walks through the Labyrinth.”
Rhion chuckles. “If you’re so busy, then why did you show up tonight?”
I’d almost missed his dinner date to try to find Vesta’s friend in the Keep of Webs, but if there was any chance of swaying Rhion’s loyalty, it’d be worth it to spend a single day doing it. At least that’s what I’d told myself.
“I don’t think I’ll be in Selithar long. I was only passing through, and I don’t know where I’ll be headed next.”
That’s when I realize it doesn’t really matter what I say or how serious the conversation, Rhion always smiles when he’s looking at me. He’d fit right in at the Keep of Light. “I wouldn’t mind an adventure. You let me know when we leave, and I’ll be there.”
“Rhion, you can’t just follow me across Nyth. Aren’t you supposed to lead your father’s troops or something? There’s a war brewing, isn’t there?”
“I’d follow anywhere you tread, Ainslee. My father already knows that I could be gone for an extended time, and nothing will happen unless Cole makes a move, something I don’t think he’ll do until you return. My father is only worried about acquiring the relics currently, and I’m officially searching for one. See, there’s nothing stopping me from walking all over the world at your side.”
I shake my head and can’t help but giggle a little. “It’ll be just like when we were kids. Our walks will just have gotten significantly longer.”
“And more remote, hopefully.”
I finally stop and turn to look at Rhion. “I feel like this is a poor decision. You can say what you want, but the facts haven’t changed. We’re on opposite sides in this war. What good can come of our spending time together?”
“We’ve always been on opposite sides—even when we were children. Those walks together are the best memories I have, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Is this really any different?”
“It is, and you know it. We were children, and even then, your father almost made Darian a slave because of it. There are repercussions for us spending time together.”
For the first time, Rhion stops smiling. “Ainslee Emlyn, I promise you.” The smell of freshly forged metal fills the misty air, and I realize just what Rhion is doing. An unbreakable oath. “I will stop anyone from hurting you. Even my father. I will do whatever it takes to protect you.”
The sharp scent of hot metal floods the area, and a silver band encircles his wrist. “There,” he says. “Now you don’t have to worry about any of those repercussions coming down on you.” His smile comes right back into place, and he reaches out to take my hand. This time, I let him. Maybe it’s shock at what he did. Maybe it’s remembering what it was like to be children together.
But when his hands take mine in them, I feel more relaxed. I feel safe as I look into his eyes.
“Take me on an adventure, Ainslee. I don’t care where we go. Just like when we were young, before everything changed.”
I can’t stop the heat from rushing to my cheeks. “Is it really that easy?” I ask.
“Yes. It is. But I’ll make it easier for you. I’ll wait for you outside the Labyrinth tomorrow all day, and if you don’t come back, well, I’ll know what you decided.”
He raises my hand to his lips and presses them to my fingers so softly I barely feel them. But I feel the heat of his breath. I feel him, and I see the look in his eyes. “I’ll be waiting,” he says, and then, without another word, he leaps into the air, wings sprouting from his back at the same time.
And he flies through the mist as if he were born here. A second later, I’m all alone in the Labyrinth's mist holding a plate of pastries, and I have no idea what I should do.
I sigh and take another bite of the everfolded pastry. At least they aren’t complicated. I should just pretend like I never saw Rhion. It’s obviously the best decision. Everything to do with that man is complicated and likely to end with heartache.
Yes, that’s what Cole or Darian would tell me to do. Now, if only my heart would stop pounding so fast and my fingers weren’t throbbing where his breath had whispered past them.
Chapter 8
From this day forward, no one within the confines of Selithar shall go hungry. If, for any reason, any person of any race cannot provide nourishment for themselves, they may go to a Lesser Keep and request a meal. They shall never be turned down for any reason.
~Adelynne Emlyn, Edicts of Selithar
Ainslee
The Keep of Webs is a strange place. It is the only Keep that was not built for the High Fae that inhabit it, and instead, was built for their Guardians. The silk spinners, or rather, silkies as they prefer to be known. They’re far more numerous than any other Guardians. The phantari of the Keep of Light seem to come from nowhere, their powers of illusion bending the light that floods the Keep and hiding them from sight. The salamanders of the Keep of Flames are so similar to human servants, and they tend to stay out of sight.
But the silkies aren’t worried about staying hidden. Instead, a part of me wonders if there are even any High Fae in the Keep of Webs. Multi-colored robes cover the creatures, hiding their appearances in shadows, but I get glimpses of shimmers coming from underneath the fabric.
Their robes are covered with a motley array of oddities. Locks of hair, pieces of jewelry, small drawings, and even little stuffed animals have been stitched onto them like a child’s horde of memories. They flash and bounce with every awkward bit of movement.
