Page 29 of The Eternal Mirror
“Yes.”
That’s good; at least I won’t have to worry about Khronus torturing my brothers in front of me. We can have a nice, civilized conversation. I get to my feet, find my boots—they've hidden under the bed—and pull them on. And I’m ready to go.
“Maybe I should come with you,” Zayne mutters. He’s so brave. Always my protector.
I pat his arm. “No, you stay with Josh. He needs you.”
He sags with relief. I don’t blame him. I sort of wish I didn’t have to face Khronus, either. But at the same time, I really want to understand what’s going on here—what he wants from me.
Basically—why the fuck am I here?
I head out the door, the guard falling in behind me. I slow my steps so we’re walking side by side and cast him a glance. He looks young, but of course that means nothing with the Astrali; they’re immortal. Look at Khronus—he’s over five thousand years old and still looks good. I’m Astrali as well. I sometimes forget that, butthen I’ve never lived here. This man is handsome, with dark blond hair cut short and a chiseled face. Like a menswear model in a swanky magazine advertising expensive watches and aftershave.
“I’m Amber,” I say. He almost jumps at the sound of my voice. Maybe he’s not used to people talking to him; maybe it’s some sort of rule. “What’s your name?”
He doesn’t answer.
“Can you talk? Or does Khronus cut out your tongues so you can’t give away state secrets?”
His lips twitch. “I’m Warden Corvus Vahl.”
“You don’t look old enough to be a warden.” Actually, I have no idea what a warden is or where they fit in the hierarchy of the army, but I’m just trying to keep the conversation going.
“I’m old enough,” he replies, his tone dry.
“I’m nineteen,” I say. “You’re surprised, aren’t you? That’s because I look old for my age. It’s my mature attitude toward life.”
He clears his throat. I take it that’s an agreement. But he doesn’t say anything else, and I fall silent. I’ve always been crap at small talk.
But a minute later he says, “There’s a rumor...”
“Is there? What about?”
“That you are an alicorn shifter. The first since the goddess.”
I think for a moment. Do I want everyone to know? The truth is, I gotreallyfed up,reallyfast, with the whole ‘she’s the goddess returned’ thing in Valandria. But I think, on balance, it might be a good idea here and might make people think twice about killingme or anyone I care about. Anything that reduces the chances of that has to be good.
“It’s true. But you’re going to have to take my word for it.”
“The king will want to see.”
“Well, he can’t. And yeah, I know about the whole beastmaster thing, but I’ve done a spell and it’s not happening. Not with me.”
He glances at me, and I see the doubts in his eyes. He’s thinking about asking me something else, but he’s clearly unsure. “Spit it out,” I say.
He frowns. “It’s also rumored that you know the prince.” I nod. “Is he alive?”
“Khaosti? Yes, he’s alive.”
“We heard he was killed by the shadowguard.”
“Well, you heard wrong. I was with him yesterday.” God, it seems like forever ago.
He looks like he wants to say more, but I think we’ve reached our destination. There’s a door with another guard, and we stop beside it.
“Great meeting you, Corvus.” I hold out my hand. He looks at it for a moment and then takes it.
“Great meeting you, Amber. Good luck.”
