Page 9 of Path of the Dark
3
A Darker Purpose
ELIAS WAS OBSERVING the crowd, slowly sipping his wine, when he spied a woman making her way toward him.
He’d been focused on counting the shadowy figures lurking behind the columns on the other side of the room—at least ten more soldiers to add to the six behind him—but this woman’s appearance distracted him.
Tall and statuesque with a mane of golden hair, she certainly drew a man’s eye. Or maybe it was because she risked spilling out of that low-cut gown she was wearing. Yet once he tore his gaze from her cleavage, he noted she walked with barely concealed impatience, as if she wasn’t used to wearing long skirts. The woman carried a goblet of wine steady as she crossed the floor.
Sensing his appraisal, she looked directly at him. Cool grey-blue eyes met his.
Their gazes held for a long moment. She had a bold stare, but there was no flirtation in it.
Elias’s mouth curved. So this was no courtly lady planning on seducing him—a pity. With all the fighting and campaigning over the last year, there had been little time for pleasure. He hadn’t had a woman in months.
Tonight his thoughts were not on seduction. Earlier he’d spotted Ninia in the crowd. Dressed in a wine-red gown, the girl appeared older than he remembered. Ninia had seen Elias too. Her hazel eyes narrowed, before she turned her back on him and resumed her conversation with two brightly dressed courtiers.
Elias shifted his attention from the attractive blonde and glanced at Ninia once more. She still faced away from him.
It’s unwise to turn your back on an assassin, princess.
“Good evening … Your Highness.” A low voice, with a slight husky edge, interrupted his thoughts.
Elias turned to see that the approaching woman had now stopped a yard back from him. “Good eve.” He favored her with a casual bow. “And you are?”
“My name is Ryana.” There was no sultry smile nor batting eyelids.
“Good to meet you,” he drawled, lifting his goblet to his lips. “A beautiful woman is always a pleasure.”
She watched him for a moment, her gaze narrowing. “Shadows, you remind me of your brother.”
Elias’s gaze raked over the woman once more, taking her in afresh. Now she had his full attention. “You’ve met Saul?”
“Aye.”
“And how do you know my brother?”
He watched her jaw tighten. “I traveled with him for a spell,” she said carefully, “before he died.”
Elias went still. Saul had departed for the Gordi Isles the winter before last and never resurfaced. Elias had suspected he was dead, but now this woman confirmed it.
Leaning back against the pillar, Elias viewed Ryana under hooded lids. Around them, the music had changed from a merry song to a mournful lament. “How did he die?” The edge to his voice surprised him. He and Saul had never been close, and yet he was his only sibling.
“Serving your father.”
“Is that all you’re going to give me?”
Irritation flared in her eyes. “He retrieved and then lost the piece ofThe King Breaker.” Her voice was flat. “He died in the foothills of the Shadefells trying to get it back.”
Elias’s mouth twisted. “Good old Saul … he was tenacious … right to the end.”
Ryana’s face screwed up. “Your brother was a double-crossing, devious bastard.”
Elias barked a laugh and pushed off the pillar. “Thank you for informing me of Saul’s fate.” He stepped closer to her and inhaled the scent of lily. “I will let our father know.”
Ryana stared back at him, her chin lifting. “Are you really here to treat with King Nathan?”
Elias inclined his head. Did she think he would actually answer that?
