Page 65 of A Kingdom of Shadows

I am here.

I have a purpose.

I cannot and never will be daunted.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Dropping a blade on the side of my bedside table, I marvel at the Tibithian I've carved out on a small piece of oak wood that I'd asked Golrai to fetch me.

The soft light tones from the moon caresses the carving, and I smile. It's been hours since we came back from Melwraith. Darius took his time to heal my hand, and the stone went straight to the king like the other I'd gotten from Renward.

I never came down for supper; I did not feel like it. Even the pie Darius had sent to my door was left untouched.

Bringing my legs to my chest, I rest my cheek on my knee. From this angle, I watch as Tibith lies on my pillow in a fetal position. His snores melt my heart, and the little twitch in his ears has me feel at peace. When we arrived, I rushed to him and did not leave his side. He'd giggled in that innocent warmth radiating off him constantly as he wiped a tear from my eye that I hadn't noticed.

I slide off the bed and walk towards my window, taking in tonight's subtle stars. My eyes trail from the sky down to the gardens where before, I'd go in search of something to trap.

I no longer feel like doing that.

Glancing at Tibith over my shoulder, I watch as he carries on sleeping, unbeknownst to me awake, and then I head out of my chambers in search of a place to go. I pass the library and various rooms I've never been inside and then find myself by the kitchen entrance. It's dark, and no servant is in sight, so I creep forward, admiring the wooded counters full of fruits, a pitcher of milk, and a rectangular paneled window to my right.

"Come to complain about the pie?"

I jerk back on the spot, turning to the other side, where Darius sits atop a counter. He's shirtless, covered in flour as he leans back, and annoyingly looks handsome like always.

"What are you doing here?"

He shrugs. "Thinking."

My eyes cut to the counter in the middle. The pastry rests on top with various strawberries scattered around and flour coated everywhere. "You baked the pie yourself?"

"Always have been doing so, Goldie."

The answer goes straight to my heart.

I knew from when he told Edwyrd about my preferences, but hearing his admission feels wonderful.

I nod slowly as if processing his response. "Why?"

He tilts his head, admiring me from the opposite side. "You once said it was your favorite."

A soft chuckle flickers from my lips, and after a minute or so, a gate of emotions comes flooding through. I bite down on my lower lip, and tightness engulfs me whole.

"How are you feeling?"

I shrug, folding my arms over my chest to keep the sudden draft of air filtering through my thin nightgown. "I think you already know the answer to that one."

He hums without saying a word as he flips his coin and fits it into his pocket.

Even after we left Melwraith, he never asked me what I had to do inside the cave or what the puzzle was. He'd kept at my side, and once we were in the air, his soft murmurs were the only thing to console me. Yet... he doesn't know my very confession I had said involved him.

"There was a scale," I say, hoarse and quiet, as Darius's gaze lifts to me. "A prize awaits for those who confess with lips that have dared not say."

He studies me through the dark haze of the kitchen, and not a word falls from his lips.

A heart beating second passes us like there is all the time in the world when there truly is none for us.

I suck in air. "My confession involved Lorcan... and you."

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