Page 65 of Oaths & Vengeance
“What about Cam?” she asked, brows furrowing. “I know you’ve been with him since you married.”
I told her what happened on Solstice night after she went to seek out her own partner, leaving out only that Cam was a spy. Instead, I said I made him promise not to tell anyone. She thankfully bought that story. I couldn’t betray my former lover even if he were betraying Therress. It wasn’t as if I had room to judge, and maybe someday I’d find out what turned him against our land. He’d said something about history, but I hadn’t wanted to ask about it then.
Sariyah moved closer and hugged me. “That’s a lot, Aella. I don’t know how you held it all in for this long, but I understand why you did. Thanks for confiding in me.”
One thing about my best friend was her easygoing nature and willing acceptance of others. She wasn’t mad that I didn’t tell her sooner, but rather, understood I’d needed time to come to terms with it. I loved her dearly for that.
“So what are you going to do now?” she asked, sympathy in her eyes.
I shrugged. “Try to survive and hope things don’t get any worse.”
“I’ll do what I can to help you,” she vowed.
“Thanks,” I said and gave her another hug. It felt good to have her on my side.
Chapter 29
Aella
The early afternoon sun beat down on me as I moved through my warm-up drills. Summer in Therress was always brutal, but we’d reached the worst heat now, which was unforgiving. I’d changed my pants and tunic during my lunch break. The new set now soaked up the sweat pouring from me as I lunged and parried against an invisible target. Was it still a warm-up if you were already baking?
I paused momentarily to pull out a handkerchief and wipe my face. Across the practice ring, I spotted Camden working with a pair of new trainees, helping them practice their knife-throwing skills. He caught my gaze and gave me an almost imperceptible nod.
Since a month ago, when Darrow ended my relationship with Cam, we hadn’t spoken after I collected my things. We didn’t even exchange greetings. I didn’t mind losing the sex nearly as much as a friend. Until we’d been forced apart, I hadn’t realized how much I’d enjoyed spending time and discussing things with him. Maybe that was the real reason we’d lasted for years.
I forced my gaze away, wondering who else might be a spy around Tradain. Camden couldn’t be the only one, but none of the others stood out so far. I hadn’t even narrowed down anyone else in Tradain with loose ties to Veronna. If there were any, they kept those details quiet.
I’d only seen Darrow once since the night he made me betray my people with the attack on Petosty. We’d met a week ago when he’d had me take him and his inner circle to Jolloure again. This time, his dark elf cousin, Bogdan, sat with me while the others did whatever they did on the island.He didn’t say much while I picked flowers for my sister, but at least he didn’t look at me like he was plotting my demise. That was refreshing.
After I brought everyone back to Veronna, Darrow stayed with me until I had enough power to return home. He’d tried to get close, but I’d vowed never to speak to him again if he touched me. Thankfully, my husband had the sense to back off and leave me alone.
I forced myself to resume my warm-up drills as others nearby began sparring. Every day I came out here, I felt stronger and more confident that I could defend myself even without my magic. That was good since I was still struggling with my light-wielding skills after nearly two months of focused effort. My only improvement so far was splitting stones in half instead of pulverizing them, but the concentrated beam continued to go beyond my target.
“Looks like you need a sparring partner,” a sardonic voice came from behind me.
I swung around, gripping my sword tightly at the sight of my cousin. Ulmar stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wooden fence surrounding the practice field. His dark red hair appeared freshly cut short, but he’d left a few days’ worth of stubble on his face. Combined with his piercing blue eyes, fitted navy tunic, and black pants, he appeared absolutely menacing. He might not have bulky muscles, but he was still tall and strong.
He usually didn’t come to Tradain unless we assembled for battle, but Lord Morgunn bided his time right now and hadn’t retaliated for what happened at Petosty yet. He’d focused his efforts on cleaning up the aftermath of the destroyed village and consoling his people. I had a feeling he planned something big against Veronna, but needed time to organize and wanted to catch them off guard. Dread filled me at what that might mean.
“No, thank you,” I said, lifting my chin. “My partner is coming now.”
I gestured toward Sariyah, who headed our way. She took the afternoon off work to train a few times a week, and we practiced together. Today, my friend ran a little late. I’d extended my warm-up while waiting for her.
Sariyah, wearing a deep red tunic and beige pants, grabbed one of the practice swords from a nearby rack and marched toward us. She couldn’tstand Ulmar. The flat look she gave him made that clear, though he already knew. With her father being the commander of the Therressian army and King Worden’s nephew, Ulmar had to watch his level of sneering and snide comments.
“Oh, look. It’s thealmostprincess,” he said mockingly.
Or maybe he didn’t care today.
She lifted her brows at him. “Jealous?”
“Considering your mother was a low-born mongrel, hardly,” he replied. It was a cruel taunt, considering her mom died when she was sixteen from a strange malady that swept the land that year, sickening most fae and some not surviving the ailment. Her grandmother didn’t overcome it, either. Both had Andalagarian blood, which many of the fae considered lesser.
I grabbed Sariyah’s arm before she did something she’d regret. She had excellent sword skills, but her magic couldn’t compete with Ulmar’s. Aside from his ability to detect lies, he could also inflict pain on his enemies. It was exceptionally debilitating for those who weren’t intimately acquainted with the levels of agony he could produce.
“Can you sink any lower?” I asked him, moving to stand before my friend.
My cousin gave me a derisive look. “It depends. Will you let me test your skills, or is your friend going to fight your battles for you?”
