Page 31 of A War of Embers

Maybe it’s an outdated map from before I became an immortal. Something closer to when the Province Wars were occuring.

Then, I look to the side and snort. “Oberdin,” I chuckle under my breath. “Apparently whoever drew this has never been to Obsidian if they believe the town is named Oberdin.” I shake my head at realizing the map doesn’t seem outdated, just unfactual.

“Care to explain what we’re missing then?”

I freeze at the sound of Lord Rowan’s voice, twisting my head to glance around the room but don’t see him. Shit. Was he in here when I lifted the map off the other table? Surely not or he would have appeared beforehand. Narrowing my eyes, I stand up straighter and cross my arms defiantly. “Can we stop it with the poltergeist routine?”

A slight haze appears before Lord Rowan’s body takes form. He’s dressed similar to how he was the other day, a sneer on his gorgeous face as he tracks his gaze from where I’m standing to the map I was previously looking over. How is it possible my mind didn’t do him justice when trying to conjure what his face looked like? It’s as if there’s no way to truly grasp how otherworldly beautiful he is. And that thought bothers me to no end. “Better?” His mocking tone makes me want to punch him, but I sigh instead.

Instead of letting my wayward mind continue to pick apart his appearance, I refocus my attention on the parchment in front of me. “Your map is wrong.”

“It’s not.”

“Seriously? You’re going to argue with me about the realm I came from? You’ve got a lake in the wrong spot and are missing a vital point in the mountains.” I peer over my shoulder at the map again. Furrowing my brow, I turn back to Lord Rowan. “Why do you have a map of Tellus out anyway?”

“That’s not any of your concern.”

Well, two can play this game. Innocently, I shrug, “Then it’s not any concern that your map is wrong.”

“Keres.”

Two can play this silly game. “Rowan,” I banter back.

He bares his teeth at me as though he’s about to growl but manages to refrain at the last second. Is his monster close to the surface? I’m curious to see if I can push it over the edge, but I doubt picking a fight with his inner being will get me what I want. “Lord Rowan,” he emphasizes.

Ignoring his irritation, I propose, “Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. Perhaps we should work together on a compromise.” Maybe he’ll try a new bargain. I fix his map, he kills me. Sounds like an easy enough plan.

“I don’t compromise with people.”

“It’s good to try new things.”

For a moment it seems as though his left eye twitches. He props his hip against one of the tables close by and continues to glare at me. The blue tint to his veins appearing on his forearms makes my head feel lighter all of a sudden. “Compromising means I am not living up to my position.”

“Of a dictator?”

“Of being the main Lord in this realm. I do not negotiate with those beneath me.”

What a load of bullshit to spout. “Can you explain yourself to those beneath you then?”

Apparently that isn’t the correct response. He stands up straighter while giving a sharp shake of his head. “I don’t see what I have to explain about myself.”

“Our deal.”

He takes me by surprise when the corner of his mouth lifts into a smirk. The striking transformation of his face causes my stomach to tighten and a delicious warmth to flood throughout my body. “Ah, I see. You’re not happy with our deal so you came to find me in my study in hopes of changing my mind. It won’t work.”

Well, he’s not right, but something tells me pointing that out won’t end well for either of us. Instead I decide to play along. “I don’t understand the point of this deal. To prove to you I want to die when you could easily get rid of me and move about your life. The souls in me would go to Cliff of Embers, so it’s not like you have to find a new place to house them. Not to mention you won’t actually be here for me to prove it to since you’re going to the Wraithlands for the Haze.”

“So prove it before I leave.”

I shoot him a droll look in response. We both know there’s nothing I can do right now to prove I want to die since he’s supposedly leaving for the Haze in a few days. Only my little plan in my head. If only I could rattle him the same way he seems to rattle my insides. “Maybe we should drop the charade of this deal and trade favors.” I reach behind me and tap the map with my hand. “I fix your map and you release me from this prison.”

“My map is correct.”

“It’s really not.” I roll my eyes at him. “Who told you it was correct? From what I’ve gathered no one is allowed in Tellus so there’s no way for this map to be accurate. And if it’s from the Province Wars, it’s severely outdated.”

Lord Rowan is silent for a long moment. His calculating dark gaze makes my heart pound erratically in my chest. This could be my breakthrough, a way to avoid traipsing around the Wraithlands altogether without– “I’m not killing you.”

For fuck’s sake. “You’re being unreasonable.”

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