Page 79 of The Light Falls
They’re definitely memories, but none I can actively recall. I rub the blank space behind my ear where the rune used to be. Maybe it’s all tied together.
Eris arrives, her face solemn, and pulls me out of bed. “Breakfast. Something more than toast this morning since you won’t be going to training.” A snap of her fingers and the bed is made. “And I’ve got just the outfit for the council meeting. Need to look the part today.”
It amazes me how she keeps up with every little thing in the palace. “You’re incredible, Eris. Thank you.” I slip on leggings and a long-sleeved silk t-shirt.
“You couldn’t replace me if you wanted.” Her eyes dance with her remark.
“Never,” I reassure her, before peering out on the balcony.
“Blood is gone, and he’s out there waiting for you,” she informs me, hustling into the closet.
Cormal’s sitting at the table, writing in a leather journal. “Good morning.” He tosses it aside and stands up to give me a long, languorous kiss. “I returned two hours ago, and these lips have been tempting me ever since.” His finger skims down my cheek. “Bad dreams?”
I stare up into his serious blue eyes. “I think they’re memories.”
He swallows. “What did you see?”
“Leandra was afraid of me,” I say with a strained laugh. “I don’t ever remember seeing that look on her face, but it feels too… real not to be memories.”
“Anything else?”
“No, not yet, but I think my mind’s been trying to release them for weeks,” I reply softly. “Maybe it’s finally happening because of this.” I raise my palm and show him the rune Rivan gave me yesterday. My eyes automatically drift to the garden below. Why does it already feel like he’s been gone for ages?
Cormal runs a finger softly over the artwork. “Stunning. Clarity?”
I bite the inside of my cheek as the anxiety rises again. “Hoping it will help me see my way through this mess. I gave Rivan his freedom yesterday.” A dish breaks on the balcony floor, and I swivel to see Eris cleaning it up.
“Don’t move. Let me make sure there aren’t any stray pieces,” she orders me, her voice muffled. Her hand moves in a circle over the floor, and all the dirt and debris lifts and disappears as if it never existed. “There. All done.” She looks up at me with her dark brown eyes, and a tear slips down her cheek. “Thank you. For Rivan.”
I give her a watery smile of my own. “I’m going to miss him.”
She nods briskly and swipes the tear off her face. “I’m not. It’s about time he left this drafty old place. Phoenix can’t fly in a cage.” She sniffs once. “Clothes are on the bed. Call if you need anything.”
I blink, and she’s gone.
Cormal tugs on my hand and moves me to sit next to him. “Eat. Today’s going to be tough, but it’s only the beginning. Need to keep your strength up.” After he sees me take a few bites, he picks up his journal. “Good move releasing Rivan before the land discussion today. They would have tried to use him as leverage or…”
I breathe in deeply. “Or worse.” Lifting the mug, I nod, then take a sip. “He was ready. I secretly sent him with the delegation to see the phoenix and his family with his own eyes. It shocked him how much time had gone by. Living here… it’s monotonous and never-ending, and there’s no real sense of time passing.
“The hellhound was right. There are thousands of phoenix, and double that amount, if you include the rest of the Fire Fae. They want war,” I murmur, barely able to get the words out. “The land is just a catalyst. If we refuse to give them the land, it’s war. If we give it to them, they’ll take it and go to war over their rights.”
“I wonder if the aristocratic Fae are prepared to go to war to keep it,” he ponders. “Maybe you should ask them today.”
“Maybe I should. I wish you could be there,” I say with a sigh. “What are you doing?”
He smudges the ink on the page with his finger and mutters a spell to clean it up. “Trying to get this spell correct. He’s entering by the shadows, but if I write it to keep all from using that power, then Kaius, Callyx, and myself will be locked out.” He darts a dark look at me. “Your friend, Madoc, too.”
“He saved me. If it wasn’t for him, I’d be sitting in some dungeon waiting for Leandra to come get me, which we both know wasn’t going to happen,” I remark with a dark bitterness I only reserve for that bitch. “Denir thinks she will come save her ‘replacement daughter.’”
Cormal stops writing. “Replacement daughter. Meaning she had another?”
I look up in surprise. “I guess she did, but how does he know unless… it was his?” Could her hurt be deeper than lost love? “Regardless, he thinks I have something, but he needs her to get it.”
“If he needs her, it has to be a spell of some sort,” Cormal remarks slowly. “After all this is over, we need to find her before he does and get her to reverse whatever she did to you.” His fist slams on the table. “Damn it. I finally think I can kill her, and now I need her alive. Again.”
Frustrated, I curse a blue streak. “Funny how that always seems to be the case with her.” I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “I need to get ready for the council meeting.” Bending down to kiss his lips, I pull his bottom one into my mouth for a little nibble. “Meet me back here later?”
He grips my chin and raises my head so he can see into my eyes. “Wouldn’t miss it.” A carnal smile slides across his face. “Go be queen.”
