Page 49 of A Kingdom of Shadows

I'd suspected as much.

Now, sparing a glance out the front bow window, I sigh and become slightly disappointed I can't see Darius outside. Usually, I'm here sitting in the library, reading and watching him. Some days I'd be out on the balcony, but today the warmth and comfort of vibrantly painted ceilings with Elven history, tall shelves of endless books, and a winding staircase leading to the patio made me feel more at ease.

I sigh, and the longer I look out into the gardens, I wait to see him. When I don't, my mind returns to last night before supper.

I close the door to my room behind me as Darius emerges from his. Our eyes hook, and we still. Neither of us moves. Neither of us says a word for a minute until his gaze slowly rakes my entire figure.

His brows meet, and then he smiles. "You're not wearing a dress."

I glance down at my hooded tunic and pants. Wiggling my toes inside my boots, I say, "I missed the feeling of being able to move more freely."

"And more freedom to kick your enemies, I suppose." His chuckle is low and troubled as I look at him. There's a hidden ache in his eyes. I can feel it resonating behind the walls of my chest, urging me to step forward and comfort him with whatever might be running through his head.

"Well," I say, leaning my back against the door. "I haven't felt the need to kick you yet."

He hums as if contemplating whether to say something worth irritating me for. "That's because I'm no longer your enemy, Goldie."

I'm quiet, resisting the bouts of emotions hanging off me. I want to say that he never once was my enemy, even when I tried to believe that he was, and still stubbornly do sometimes. But I don't because Faye's boots thud against the floors as she appears beside Darius and grins, hooking an arm around his.

The memory fades, and I recall how she dragged him away for dinner. Even so, our eyes had remained on one another from across the dining table.

"Nara?" It's Aias's loud but muffled voice as if he's been saying my name multiple times.

I blink twice and peer up from the table at him standing at the edge.

"Where did you go?"

"Nowhere," I mutter, too out of it to say anything else.

Aias stays quiet. The only sound is the chair scraping and echoing the library walls as he sits opposite me and reaches across the table to grab the book from my hands. "Thalorians? Are you trying to prepare yourself for the last task in the supposed shadowlands of the Dark Elves?"

"I'm just fascinated by their views, that's all," I say, perching my elbows up on the table and resting my cheeks between the palms of my hand. "Did you know the story of how they came to be dates back centuries ago to a woman named Kilya? Supposedly she already had dark magic within her and a black heart that made her turn others just like her."

Aias doesn't answer, seeming enthralled by each page hand-painted and full of wonderous detail.

"I read that if you are not careful, an Elves heart can turn dark through heartbreak, betrayal... all sorts." An aspect even Meriel had mentioned.

"Yes, well, not only are Thalorians mighty powerful in dark magic, but they also seem to be plaguing the lands of Terranos with shadow creatures they created themselves."

"Where did you hear that?"

He's too captured by each page he turns to notice I'm staring at him. "The king mentioned it earlier today. Apparently, it's been happening for decades now."

"Is the king not doing anything about it?"

"He can't while he is stuck here, though I do know his Emissary Thallan takes care of it all, such as sending spies to Thalore in case of a war between high Elves and Thalorians." He gasps lightly despite the impending worries this poses to the kingdom. A kingdom that is not even mine or my home. "This book must be centuries old; it dates back to the battles between the Elves and trolls eons ago." He shakes his head, awestruck. "Quite fascinating, if I must say."

I muster a smile, endeared by his reaction as he flips over the page. However, it ceases when my eyes focus on the large sketch front and center.

"Wait," I say, my brows scrunching as I slide the book over to my side of the table. It's of the deity Solaris, the sun and its rays beaming behind a delicate figure. Animals, plants, and creatures surround the deity as it bears its hands out to the world.

"What is it?" Aias tries to pry, but my frown intensifies as I stare at the sketch. When I go to flip the page, I'm startled by a patter of feet and squeals.

I look up as Tibith climbs the table legs and says to me with fright, "Miss Nara! Miss Nara! I cannot find Darry anywhere!"

My eyes go wide. I don't wait for Tibith to finish because, in seconds, I'm up on my feet, leaving the book behind as I rush out of the library. Aais and Tibith are on foot behind me while I hurry along marbled hallways.

"He might have gone into the city—" Aias tries to reason, but my mind is too haste to think the worst—

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