Page 52 of Oaths & Vengeance
“Begrudgingly.” He took the missive from me. “Now go prepare your wife for departure. We must begin our journey in two hours if we hope to arrive early.”
I nodded. “Of course.”
Wasting no time, I exited his office and headed upstairs. There wasn’t much I could do to prepare Aella, but I’d checked on her more often than necessary during her stay. Having her here physically but not consciously wore on me.
I entered the room and found her lying on the bed, the same as before. On the first night after her arrival, I’d had my sister—the only other person I trusted—wash and change Aella into a simple plum-colored dress. I didn’t know if she could sense the state of her body, but I didn’t want to leave her dirty from her travels.
Faina had kept my wife’s undergarments on her through the process, so I could at least say we preserved her modesty. It would still leave Lord Morgunn wondering who’d bathed and changed his niece while with us. I hoped it deeply upset him to think what might have happened.
Now, I stood over Aella and gave her one last kiss, breathing in her natural floral scent. The gesture was always brief yet impossible to resist. I kept hoping she’d magically wake up, but her curse was obviously different from the old fables I grew up hearing. Nothing I did here would make those beautiful green eyes flutter open.
“She’s so quiet right now,” an ageless voice said from behind me.
I stiffened but didn’t bother to turn. “What are you doing here, nameless one?”
The dark-skinned god came to stand beside me, looking down at Aella. “Checking on my favorite fae.”
“I assume that is her,” I said with a dark chuckle. He’d only visited me a few times in my life, but usually, he had little nice to say.
The nameless one grunted. “For once, you assume correctly.”
“You wouldn’t be willing to remove the curse on her, would you?” I asked, figuring it couldn’t hurt to make the request.
“She asked for the same thing the first time I met her.” He gestured toward Aella. “You can see where that got her.”
I raked a hand through my hair, frustrated with the god as always when he visited. “You can surely see us clearly enough from wherever you usually inhabit, so why come down now?”
“To warn you.”
“About what?” I asked, jerking my gaze from Aella to him.
“Beware the Unseelie. They have become more active recently, and I fear they’ll undermine your plans,” he said.
I let out a growl of frustration. “They’ve taken enough from us already, so what do they want now?”
“Their thirst for power is unending and can never be satisfied, but every time they reach for more, a price is exacted from them in return. Now, they seek a way around the troubles they’ve brought upon themselves. I fear you and your new wife will draw their attention if you don’t take care.”
“In what way?” I asked.
“Vaslav knows, though I doubt he’ll tell you.” Before my eyes, he vanished.
I clenched my fists, hating that he always came with cryptic messages that left me with more questions than answers. Everyone on Zadrya knew to beware the Unseelie. It was hardly news worth sharing, except a nameless god wouldn’t have troubled himself to say that if it wasn’t especially dire this time. What were they planning now? And he was right that even if Ifound Vas, he wouldn’t share a shred of information. He never did, but he likely knew.
Chapter 24
Aella
The sun burned my eyes as I woke up outside, cradled in someone’s arms. It took me a moment to focus, considering how weak my body felt. My mouth was dry, and my stomach was gnawingly empty. Finally, my vision cleared enough to make out the details of my cousin Tadeus’ face.
“Where am I?” I asked.
“Just outside Reshirk.”
I twisted around, looking up at the Sobaryan Mountains, where the foothills were a short distance away. The trail to the pass that crossed from Therress to Veronna wasn’t far away. At the very top, I spotted a group disappearing over the ridge, but they were too far to identify.
I turned my head in the other direction and spotted my uncle. “Lord Morgunn?”
“You’re home now,” he said coldly. “I hope you’re pleased with what you cost us.”
