Page 107 of Fate and Flame
“What’s wrong with your magic?” I asked, stepping away.
“Nothing,” he pulled me back to him. “I’ve just got better things to do.”
He grabbed the back of my neck, lifted my chin, and kissed me thoroughly. Until my knees had gone weak and my hands began to remove my clothes.
“Consider it done,” I said against his mouth. “Is there anything else I can do for my king?”
“I can think of a few things.” He lifted me and walked into the bathing room.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Temir
“What do you think she wants?” Nadra asked as we stepped out into the heat of the south.
“I’m not sure. She just said to meet her in the lists.”
We walked down to the training area and I think it was the first time I’d seen it nearly empty. I wasn’t surprised though. Ara had a way of commanding a crowd. If she didn’t want an audience, she wouldn’t have one.
She threw metal daggers in perfect succession at scattered targets. Her body danced through the air and around the ground as she moved. A perfectly honed weapon. I could see why she always drew a crowd. She jumped backward, spun and slammed the final blade into the last target so hard it tipped, a cloud of dirt her standing ovation.
“I knew you were scary,” Nadra said. “I had no idea how much.”
Ara shrugged. “What do you know about the Winterlands?” she asked, wiping sweat from her neck with a cloth.
She’d been distant lately. She rarely came to meals unless the king was there, which was rare, and she didn’t spend time with Nadra or Wren. No one had seen Greeve and Gaea in the week since we’d been back. We spent most of our time training with Rhogan and the rebels. Rhogan insisted on training Nadra himself. He’d fought with Kai the few times he tried to step in.
“I’ve never heard of them.”
“That’s what I thought. Neither have I,” she huffed.
“Okay?”
“Come with me,” Ara ordered, spinning on her heel and walking away.
Nadra lifted her shoulders and followed. We strode to the armory, where the weapons were stored. Stacks and stacks of swords and shields were piled along the floor and the giant was carefully examining each one as he put them away. His oversized hands were careful as he handled them. Oravan walked in right behind us with arms full of more weapons.
“Hey Tem,” he said as he began to unload.
“You.” Ara pointed. “Join us.”He dropped the swords in his hand.“It’s time to talk about the Winterlands,” Ara told Greywolf.
“I can’t.” He took several steps backward, his kind eyes showing fear. “It isn’t spoken of.” After realizing what he’d said, he covered his hands with his mouth.
“Have you heard of them? You’re from the north.” She looked at Oravan, but he shook his head.
“When I was a child, maybe eight or nine, my mother made me memorize every village, every city, every single town. I can tell you almost exactly where they all are on a map. But I’ve never heard of the Winterlands.”She looked again to the giant. He shook his head.“If there are fae there who can help us, Grey, we need to know. We need all the help we can get right now. We know Autus is preparing to move south. We are running out of time.”
“For you, queen sir.” He nodded his head.
“I’m not . . .” She stopped. “It doesn’t matter. Go on.”
“You know The Bog?” he asked me and Oravan.
I pulled my head back in surprise. “Of course. But no one goes there. It’s dangerous.”
“Yes.” He smiled. “Very dangerous.”
“So, The Bog is the Winterlands?” Ara asked impatiently.
