Page 3 of Lera of Lunos
“...melted a half dozen in the practice arena—you should have been there.”
“That’s... Do you remember Tyelor of Blaze?”
Ignoring the whispers, Tye rises from where his body covers mine, the dark pants and wine-colored tunic he wore when he shifted once more hanging loose on his muscled frame. His red hair is streaked with sweat and his green eyes are chilled enough to be Coal’s. The silver earring that usually makes him look carefree and cocky now just makes him look menacing. Heartbeats pass while his eyes focus, recognition finally flashing in them.
“Tye—” I start.
“Approaching my tiger was inexcusably dangerous, Leralynn,” Tye says quietly, stepping between me and the crowd.
My stomach sinks, hurt squeezing my ribs.
Spitter, one hand pressed against his bleeding chest while the other still clutches the crossbow, blanches. “Now you listen here,trainee—”
“Those were barbed arrows, not sleeping darts.” Tye’s voice is ice. “And there was a human in their path.”
Spitter’s partner, who fired the second bolt and now stares wide-eyed at the melted remains of it, retreats a step. “We were protecting the Citadel.” His voice rises, claiming justice. “You are the one who put the girl in danger. Who put all of us—”
Tye’s hand flicks and thin collars of white fire encircle both shooters’ necks, a finger’s width away from their skin. “You thought mytigerwas the more dangerous of us?” His voice has hardened from ice to steel.
The guards’ throats bob, the crowd around us drawing a collective breath.
“It’s Tye, is it not?” The captain of the Citadel Guard, whose voice I heard earlier, steps forward through the sea of parting spectators. A distinguished, dark-haired male with gray at his temples, the captain has his hands in his pockets, his shoulders straight but easy. “Some unfortunate choices have been made this morning. Let’s not make the list any longer than it must be.”
“Get River,” Tye says coldly. “I’d like my quint commander present. Library, west wing.”
The captain snaps his fingers, sending an underling off at a trot. “Done. Meanwhile, I’d be obliged if you would release my guardsmen. One of them is injured, as you can see.”
“Your guardsmen are fortunate to be alive at all,” Tye replies, the tension in his voice and back squeezing my chest. I’ve never seen the quick-to-smile male like this before. Neither, I wager, has anyone else at the Citadel.
Taking a step forward, I gently lay a hand on Tye’s arm, the coiled muscles beneath his burgundy shirt as hard as chiseled stone. His jaw clenches. “Tye?” I say gently. “Look at me.”
“I am holding a very delicate piece of magic just now, lass,” he answers without turning his head. “As magic and body are connected, it would be best if you withdrew your hand lest I accidentally slip.”
I remove my hand, my stomach sinking even further. Despite standing close enough to feel the heat of Tye’s body brushing mine, to smell his fresh citrus-and-pine scent, I’ve never felt so far away from the male.
“What’s going on?” By the time River’s voice sounds a few minutes later, the guards in Tye’s hold are trembling outright. My own nerves fray at the ends as well. Hands behind his back, River strides up to stand beside the captain of the guard, his gray eyes taking in everything around him without effort. His towering height, cropped brown hair, and tailored blue jacket make my heart stutter in relief—and make every guard in this square look like a ragtag child.
Silence pulses. My ears ring.
“Leralynn?” I realize River has asked me a question. Of everyone’s here, mine is the first assessment he wants to hear.When did that happen?
“Tye’s tiger slashed one of the guards after said guard grabbed my shoulders,” I say, aware of the many eyes boring into me. “The same guardsman and his partner then fired barbed crossbow bolts at Tye. Tye melted the arrows before they could strike and... restrained the guardsmen pending your arrival.”
“The tiger was holding Lera when the bastards fired,” Tye says with barely restrained fury. “If those bolts had connected... Call for the final trial, River. I want to be free of this place.”
“Tye,” River starts quietly. “We’re all still recovering from Karnish. Leralynn’s training is—”
“Lera has trained enough.”
Leralynn’s training. Besides Griorgi’s whereabouts, it’s all anyone has talked about. Any moment I haven’t been eating or sleeping—or sneaking away for a moment of solitude, as I was when I found Tye’s tiger—I’ve been in the practice arena with some combination of Coal, Tye, Shade, and Klarissa, trying to weave together multiple threads of power without blowing up the whole Citadel.
The captain of the guard clears his throat, keeping his eyes on our commander. “If I am not mistaken, River, my guardsman only grabbed your female to keep her out of harm’s way. And while they used a poor choice of projectile, they only fired after thetraineeassaulted one of them. The penalty for a trainee’s assault on a guardsman—”
“Flog my male for assault and I’ll execute yours for attempted murder.” The nonchalance in River’s voice reverberates through the square. He turns slowly and, being the largest male in the gathering, looks down at the captain of the guard. “Play the intimidation games with someone else, sir. My quint is out of your league.”
The captain thinks for a moment then nods reluctantly.
River looks at me for a moment, an apology in his beautiful gray eyes, then turns to Tye. “I will request the final trial for tomorrow. It’s the best I can do.”
