Page 15 of Lera of Lunos
True to his word,River keeps us at the Citadel not a moment longer than he must. Trading a celebratory dinner for a few extra hours of daylight, we pack our things and head for the stable just as the bell tolls four in the afternoon. I savor my last walk across the Citadel grounds, inhaling the sweet, wine-scented air, the bustle of warriors-in-training. I won’t miss it, but I can appreciate its unfettered beauty now that I’m leaving.
The smell of horses and hay carried on a lively breeze greets me like an old friend. The ivy growing around the long wooden rafters floats on a breeze from the open door, and far overhead, the magically lit lanterns still give their steady glow, even in broad daylight. I long to wrap my arms around Sprite, but she’s occupied at the moment—the gray mare eyes Coal’s unamused stallion as the warrior checks both sets of tack.
Standing with his arms behind his back, River listens to something Klarissa is saying. The female’s gown, the color of honey, hugs her slender hips and tangles seductively around her ankles. Stars, even the female’s dress seems intent on inviting River into her bed. When Klarissa extends a hand toward River’s cheek, a bitterness fills my mouth.
River steps back, out of reach.
Klarissa’s smile tightens.
She looks in my direction, gives me a tiny quirk of her perfect red lips and a delicate farewell wave, then breezes out the door without waiting for my response.
I run my fingers over my rune-free neck and my own new outfit, which Autumn put together with a child’s delight. The embroidered forest-green tunic is both tight and flexible, the low, scooped neckline managing to look sensual instead of lewd. A silver pendant of a dragon—a gift from Shade to celebrate the trial conclusion—hangs just above the swell of my breasts, while Coal’s finest knife sits in a clever sheath attached to my thigh for ease of access.
Autumn hands me a fur-lined cloak, a gentle smile on her face. She’s resplendent in a close-fitting white travel outfit and a long white cape. “I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but the mountain path will get downright freezing. Are you certain you want to stay with the males instead of traveling with Kora and me? The bastards want to trek through the Light for two weeks, all in the name of—what was it, River?”
“Prudence,” River calls over. “I want to be at full strength at the palace and get eyes on the land meanwhile—and let the land get eyes on me. I’m hoping that if Griorgi’s spies spot us on our way to Slait, he might even beat us there instead of us having to draw him out.”
“Yes, well, it sounds like you have plenty of eyes to go around, so you don’t need mine.” Autumn tosses her braids over her shoulder and gives me a sympathetic look. “I know the Gloom seeps energy, but so do the cold and wind. I want to have life’s basic necessities.”
“Basic necessities like a library?” I ask.
“Precisely.” Motioning for me to spin around, the female takes charge of my unruly auburn locks.
“Did you have too many dolls growing up?” I ask, feeling confident hands tug along my scalp.
“There is no such thing as too many dolls.” Autumn lowers her voice. “Can you believe Kora will let me choose none of her clothes? I brought out some lip paint yesterday and she ran away faster than Tye at the sight of a book. You are my last hope.”
“I take it you’ve relented to Kora tagging along while we dethrone the king of Slait, reseal Jawrar inside Mors, and turn our relationship with the Elders Council on its head?”
“Only because I promised to bring chocolate on the ride,” Kora says, stepping up beside Autumn and me. The tall warrior’s blue eyes survey the departure preparations, softening as they fall on Autumn. “Though I’m not sure where it will fit, considering the number of books she’d like to bring along. Could we discuss whether borrowing half of the Citadel’s holdings and transporting them to Slait is... prudent for such fragile and valuable texts?”
Swallowing a snort, I excuse myself from the pair only to spot Shade entering the stable yard.
My body tenses at once, the thin beat of my heart echoing through my muscles, which suddenly can’t decide between freezing or bolting. The two hours Shade spent working on me earlier, mercilessly clearing debris from gashes, setting bones, and driving sharp needles through injured flesh (to lay the groundwork for the subsequent—and little more pleasant—magical healing) make me unable to look at rocks without blanching. Much less at the male himself.
Suddenly I’m aware of a dull throbbing in my ankle, a cut on my shoulder where one of the stitches came open, the intermittent zings of pain that will make sitting tall in the saddle difficult—each injury a healer’s target as surely as a bullseye is an archer’s. Unable to stop myself, I step back. Instead of escaping, I hit a hard body, its slightly metallic male scent mixed with a horse’s sweetness. Coal. Who was with the horses until moments ago. Heat rises to my face, tingling in my ears. Caught in the act: a warrior who fears healers. Having Shade understand the truth of it is bad enough; to have Coal realize what’s happening stretches the limits of humiliation.
“Cub.” Shade’s yellow eyes soften in sympathy as he approaches. Wearing soft black pants and a gray cashmere sweater that clings to his hard chest, black hair loose at his shoulders, he is the perfect mix of wolf and fae. Soft warmth sheathing deadly teeth. Stunning golden eyes that pull you in—and can follow you in the dark. Velvety, tan skin covering muscles that could break your neck with a single jerk. What was it that Coal said once?Don’t let Shade’s good table manners distract you from what he eats for dinner.“Let me take another look at you before we go.”
“Of course. In a moment. Excuse me.” I try to wriggle out of Coal’s hands, which have settled heavily on my shoulders. “I need to relieve myself.”
“No, you don’t.” Coal’s low, gravelly voice brushes the back of my neck, the heat of his body a shield against the wind. “You are as bad a liar as Tye claims.”
Lovely. Where is River’s earth-opening magic when I need it?
Turning me toward him, Coal puts a callused finger under my chin, lifting my flaming face to meet his cool blue eyes—looking at me for the first time since storming out of the preparation room hours ago, though his chiseled face reveals nothing of his thoughts.
I tense.
Coal’s eyes skitter over my shoulder for a moment, no doubt to examine Shade’s, before returning.
My heart stutters, a new heat filling me despite everything going on around us. I bite my lip, a small defense against the force of Coal’s mere presence. I’ve met no other being who wields silence the way the warrior before me does, and that alone quickens my breath.
“Pain that you cannot defend yourself against is the worst kind,” he says quietly, dropping those shields of his to let me see the understanding in his eyes. Images tap my mind softly. Shackles. A whip. And then another: Shade’s hand glowing with silver magic while the rest of the quint pins me—no, pinsCoal—against the ground. “When I had just come through the wall, I hated Shade very much.”
I bite my lip. “Not just me, then?”
“Not at all.” Coal’s muscles tighten. “I tried to shove my way into more risk than you might have otherwise taken this morning. And I see you are paying for the consequences still. That, at least, I might be able to do something about.”
