Page 51 of To Sway a Prince
"Ramiel said you discovered the source of the leviathan's wound. He's confident that it can be countered, but what happened to you made him realize some things. It would be wise to give him more time than even he thinks he needs."
Yes, I'd realized some things as well. The thought of waiting any longer burned against every fiber of my being. "I need to talk to him as soon as possible." Stepping behind the silk dressing screen, I stripped off the shift and pulled on my old riding leathers. They smelled faintly of cedar and lavender with a touch of smoky soap.
"No, no, there's nothing that needs to be said right now that can't wait for another few hours or perhaps even a day. Please rest." Caein's voice hovered more insistently above me.
I strode to the door. It resisted my pull. "Caein," I said, my voice sharpening. "Ramiel and I need to talk."
The door shifted as if Caein pressed harder against it. "Just let him come to understand what has happened. What happened yesterday was significant for him."
I cut my gaze up at the ceiling. "You know about what he said then."
"I'm not certain what you're talking about." His voice was strained. "Why don't you come make bread with me? The conversation will be better after you have something to eat. I could use the help."
"I'll help you, but first, I have to talk to Ramiel." I wrenched the door open and hurried down the hall. With each step, I regained more of my strength, a giddiness making me even shakier. The ache in my shoulder intensified though. It was getting quite annoying. The sleep had been deep and restful though, and already I could feel the restoration of my magic returning faster than I had expected.
I raced to the staircase and down to the stable. There was so much I needed to tell him. That I loved him. And if I had succeeded in loosening the cursed knots around his heart—and it seemed that I had—that meant he had more time. With more time, that meant we would figure out how to get that central thread out and purge whatever happened with the omenfang from me. And with that added time, I wanted to spend it with him.
The stable doors stood ajar. Sunlight spilled across the stone floor, casting long shadows through the entrance. Bird songs filtered in from outside, their cheerful melodies bright but a little off.
I halted at the threshold, my hand grasping the doorjamb for support.
Zephyrus stood near the open double doors on the outer wall, his magnificent blue scales catching the sunlight. He wasn't moving, his head low, ears flattened against his skull. He wouldn't meet my gaze. All the other dragons were silent, mostly clustered together in one of the closer cells. Thalorion sat alone, his forelegs outstretched and his head high, his long whiskers brushing the flagstones. But even he seemed muted, his head slightly bowed.
Ramiel stood beside Zephyrus, shoulders squared, posture rigid. When he turned to face me, there wasn't a trace of warmth. His face was an alabaster mask, purple eyes flat and dull as cheap scuffed amethysts.
"You're awake," he said, the words clipped. None of the tenderness from before remained. This wasn't the same man who had pleaded with me not to die or wept over me.
My throat tightened, and my stomach twisted. Suddenly I wished I had listened to Caein. "Ramiel, I?—"
"Your timing is exceptional." He gestured toward Zephyrus. "He wishes to leave. Per your vow, you will depart with him."
My steps slow, I looked from Ramiel's cold expression to Zephyrus's dejected posture. What had happened in the hours I'd been unconscious? "What about the omenfang? The curse?" I reached for his arm.
He drew away, his expression hardening even more. "Those are my concerns, not yours." His gaze flickered to my wrist. "The danger to you is too great. I was... mistaken... to involve you further. You did enough, and I am grateful for that. But now it's time for you to go."
I squared my own shoulders. His words cut across my heart like a blade. "What happened yesterday?—"
"I told you to pulseport to me. I told you that the Chasm was reacting to you. Somehow the curse from the omenfang transferred into you, and it made the Chasm far worse for you. More dangerous for all of us. And more than that, you chose to save Zephyrus instead of letting me save you at that moment."
Lifting my chin, I braced myself. No one had spoken to me this way for years, and suddenly I felt as small and weak as I had at the start of the Resistance. "I chose Zephyrus because he would have died if I had abandoned him."
Ramiel stared at me hard, unblinking. There was no softness or gentleness in his eyes. Only ice. "Perhaps. But your presence in the Chasm, like mine, worsened it and made it far more dangerous for everyone including Zephyrus." He held up his hand, silencing me before I could speak another word. "I do not fault you. You honored the bond between dragon and rider as one born to it. Your loyalty to him is profound as is his to you. Your life was at stake. You had to choose between obeying me and saving your dragon. You chose your dragon. So take him and go."
"Ramiel, please don't do this." My voice thickened. "We?—"
"You gave me your word. You vowed that if Zephyrus wished to go, you would go with him. Do you intend to become a vow breaker?"
The ice in his voice chilled me to my soul. I swallowed hard. Tears burned my eyes, but I held them back. "I only say what I mean."
"Then go. I'm aware of your little crush on me. It seems there has been something of a misunderstanding between us. Let me make this explicitly clear: there is nothing between us. Not now. Not ever. We are on separate paths."
Those words struck me like a blow. I sought an answer, but my mind spun. "You—you said you loved me." My voice cracked. I hated how pathetic I sounded.
His expression changed for just a moment. A flash of pain perhaps. Or was it regret? "Did I?" He remained rigid. "The poison from a chasm wraith's grasp can be quite potent and cause exceptionally realistic hallucinations. I suspect that is what is at work."
"But…I—I love you."
Every muscle in his body tightened. His throat bobbed. "Then that is most unfortunate for you. In time it will pass. You have my pity."
