Page 166 of Embers in the Snow

Formidable, imperious, Corvan stops and regards them.

His aura washes over me, and for the first time, I get a sense of how intimidating he can really be.

Because he’s sizing up these guards, deciding whether or not their act of respect is genuine, and if they try anything stupid…

Goddess help them.

But the guards don’t seem to be hostile at all.

“Your Highness.” The one on the left, a man with intense blue eyes and a big rust-colored beard, bows again, his demeanor solemn. “His Majesty has been expecting you.”

“How long has he been like this?” Corvan’s voice is taut with barely restrained anger. I want to go to him, but I sense that he needs to face this alone.

It strikes me that Corvan didn’tknowhis father was dying.

Nobody told him.

The guard lowers his eyes. “Can’t say, Your Highness. He ordered us to keep it quiet. Nobody but his inner circle and the Elite Guard know of it.”

Corvan lets out a soft sigh; part exasperation, part despair. “He’s in his personal chambers?”

“Aye. You’ll find him in his bedchambers. Please, go on right through, Your Highness.” This massive guard, so hard and dangerous, is suddenly gentle. “There’ll be no resistance from us.. None at all.”

Corvan inclines his head in acknowledgment. “And if you swear fealty to me, I won’t hold you accountable for the sins of his rule.”

Then he turns to me, holding out his hand.

I take it without asking, feeling reassured by his strong, warm grip, even thoughI’mthe one that should be doing the reassuring.

The guards give me a passing glance, but they stop short of scrutinizing me. I sense it’s out of respect and deference for Corvan.

How surprising. I’d always thought the people in the capital would be hostile to him, but that isn’t the case at all.

I take his hand. We pass through the first entrance. Once we’re out of earshot of the guards, I look up at him. “Those men have a lot of respect for you.”

He shrugs. “The Elite Guard know me well. For a time, I was overseeing their training.”

I take a deep breath. “I’m sorry about your father.”

Corvan squeezes my hand. “It’s okay, Finley. I was expecting it. He’s seen seventy-two summers. A considerable age. He’s been fortunate to live this long, considering who he is. Most of my ancestors were lucky to reach even half his years.”

I fall silent. It never occurred to me that carrying the Duthriss name would be so fraught with danger.

But Corvan won’t have that problem.

Who could kill him now?

“My father’s no saint either,” Corvan says quietly. “He’s inflicted his share of good and evil upon the world.”

“Nobody’s just one or the other,” I say softly, as the promise of power prickles the back of my awareness. How sweet it would be if I could just make everything go away. “But maybe for some, there can be redemption.”

He stops and leans in to kiss me. His lips are warm, his kisses tender and filled with need.

“Perhaps,” he whispers, before taking my hand and leading me the rest of the way, right into the innermost sanctum of the most fortified place in the entire continent.

51

CORVAN

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