Page 58 of A Kingdom of Shadows

As Golrai fits me into a fur-lined sleeveless coat with a hood over my tunic, I stare far ahead at the painted walls of my chambers. She describes how much colder it is in Melwraith, a city of snow mountains and ice caves. I already know Darius will not wear such attire. He's discussed how his body generates heat, and he even proved it for me that night in the forest.

Golrai wraps my sheath around my waist, her gaze widening with each dagger she examines. I almost smile at her, but my mind isn't entirely with it this morning, not since last night.

I'd pestered Darius about needing to sleep so much that I'd gotten no sleep. Instead, I stayed awake, carving jasmine blossoms into the wood of my bedposts as my mind replayed our kiss, his words... his confession.

I bite my lower lip absentmindedly, replaying it all over again. That possessive hold on me, a war with our lips and heart. Even when Aias had been right, whatever it is between Darius and me, lust, a bond for what we've gone through, or burning curiosity, he's a dragon at the end of the day. And I am a human. We're nothing together.

"I can take it from here, Golrai." Arlayna's calm and melodious voice has me looking over my shoulder as she enters the room. Her dark hair plunges down the right side of her neck as the left is braided back, and her halter satin dress shimmers in blue and green once the slit of sunlight catches hold of it.

Golrai stops fastening the laces of my fingerless gloves and bows at Arlayna before leaving us. Arlayna walks with a precision of grace toward me and doesn't say a word as she laces up my right glove.

"Are you prepared?" she asks, focusing on her task.

"What should I be prepared for?" Death? Deadly creatures? Seeing Darius?

Somehow that third one is the most daunting.

Arlayna looks up at me once she's finished, her grey eyes like prowling clouds in a storm. "Nothing at all, I suppose." She twirls her finger, gesturing for me to turn around and head to the long-lengthened mirror decorated with gold roses at the sides.

A shiver runs along my skin as her feather-light fingers sink into my hair. "From what I know," she says, "Melwraith is the easiest task. Each place is a puzzle to solve in order to get the stone, but they are not the ordinary kind. Any magic you may have is useless for the tasks. It will not work and many who seek the Isle of Elements give up before they make it to Thalore." She pauses as she looks past my shoulder into the mirror, her brows rising the slightest. "Although you don't seem the type to give up."

I trust her words. She's not saying it to boost my confidence or to have my belief in obtaining it flood me with doubt. She's saying it meaningfully.

"That is because I don't," I say, betrayed by the pensive sadness in my voice. Sometimes giving up is the better solution.

Arlayna doesn't notice, luckily. She pulls my hair from the sides, tugging it into a plait and leaving the rest of my locks down. "Might I ask, once you have access to the Isle of Elements, what will you ask of it or wish for if you believe Zerathion is in danger?"

I mull that question over a few times. I do not have a set plan for what I'd wish for. Neither Darius nor I had previously spoken enough about it. Maybe we assumed we wouldn't be where we are now. "I guess something worth uniting our kingdoms without facing wars," I say with hope. "Even if that requires something beyond creating the Northern Blade. What would you ask for?"

She stiffens. Her hands stop their actions, and a stretched silence fills the room. I turn to face her as she finally says, "A high elf cannot use the Isle of Elements for their desires." That baffles me, causing her to add, "The elders from when our world was first created made it that way. That is why we are the only ones who possess the stones. It would be far too easy for us to take advantage otherwise."

I frown at the reveal of it all. "That is unfair, though."

She chuckles, but there is little humor in it. "A lot is unfair in our world, don't you think?"

"Yes." I nod solemnly. "I realized that a while ago."

There's a sudden knock stopping us from furthering this conversation. I go to open the door when I'm greeted by glinting emerald armor and a stoic Aeron.

"The king is ready for you outside," he says, arms behind his back as the smallest treacle of sunlight from my room caresses his skin.

I nod, unsure if I am ready, but Arlayna interjects to say, "She was already on her way. You didn't need to come to fetch her."

I'm startled by the irritation blatant in her tone as I glance between the two.

"I did it because of the king's orders, not yours, Princess." Aeron's punishing smirk seems to rattle Arlayna. Her chest heaves as she lifts her chin and tries to remain composed.

I don't attempt to intervene between them. Whatever it is, it looks like they have some history together. From the moment I first saw them interact, I realized it. They don't look at each other how a sentry and a superior would look at one another. No, there's a hint of childish play, pent-up anger, and longing from the both instead.

Arlayna's brows narrow, her delicate features tensing the more she stares at Aeron before she storms past us and out of the room.

I cast a glance from the hallway to Aeron's soft smile, but it goes as soon as he detects me watching, and he clears his throat, guiding me the way with his arm.

* * *

The minute I walk out into the gardens, my eyes snag on Darius, the lack of winter attire and his dark leather jerkin fitting snug against his muscles. It almost reminds me of the first time we met.

He turns to look at me, and my heart flutters sporadically. It worsens as he smiles because I know it's not just a normal one of his. It's one where he's staring at my lips, remembering last night despite his drunken state. It's one that tells me he doesn't regret it and one where he wants to do it again.

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