Last Stand (The Black Mage #4)(45)

A pale light settled over the stream like a slow drawn breath, turning the dark river into a rippling tide of crystalline white. I could have stood on the bank forever. The set in Darren’s shoulders spoke the same.

We spent an hour hiking through the forest. Not once did he release my hand. I held my breath, refusing to let anything spoil this day for as long as I could.

We rode back to the palace in silence. Our guards waited with heavy scowls, but the reprimands never came. No one said a word. Blayne smirked, and Cassius raised a brow, but the rest of the court was blissfully silent.

No one remarked on our state of undress. I could not have looked worse if I tried.

Even the prince, he was sporting bruises and patches of dirt along his arms and legs, his shirt missing buttons and stained brown from the mud.

Darren dismounted, swinging me from the saddle, only to walk me right back into our chamber without another word.

He grabbed my waist with a grin and slammed the door shut behind us.

And then it began again.

When the prince finally left, I was breathless and sore. Dirt and bits of grass smeared the sheets. I felt my cheeks heating as I recalled the way my name had tasted in his mouth.

The way he had shouted it the night before.

The way I had cried out his.

I couldn’t wait for it to happen again.

I washed up and spent several hours combing the knots out of my hair, preferring to bathe without my ladies-in-waiting. I wasn’t ready for their questions to follow. When I finally left the chamber, I was floating, for once my mind blissfully silent.

“Well, someone sure is glowing.” Paige lounged outside the chamber with a cheeky smile.

My fingers flew to my face, and I knew I was blushing. I gave the knight an embarrassed grin, choosing silence instead of words.

“No chatter either. That prince must be good with his hands, or is it his—”

“Paige!” I cut my guard off with a squeal.

She was doubling over in laughter.

“That is not a nice joke.”

“I bet he was good.”

“Say another word…” I warned.

“Just tell me…” She held up her hands, proclaiming innocence. “Tell me you are happier than the day you left.”

She knew me too well. Then again, she was the one to help Darren find me a healer after that terrible night in the indoor training courts.

I bit down on my cheek, hard.

I wasn’t going to think about that. If I thought about past events, my happy bubble would break, and I’d be back to avoiding the prince. I wasn’t ready to give up Darren just yet. I had one month. Nyx would send another letter; this time she would give us the solution we needed, and then Duke Cassius would take up the rebels’ side.

Then, and only then, would I give up the prince.

I just needed to stop worrying about things I couldn’t control. If I didn’t find the answer in a pile of scrolls—and I hardly believed I would—there was nothing else I could do. It was time to rely on others, and Nyx was a strategist. She would be the hero to our tale; I had already performed my role.

Now it was time to bask in a world of sunshine and give up the shadows that followed me around.

“You know,” Paige snickered, “Mira is convinced you have it in for her role.”

The two of us turned the corridor, continuing our route to the kitchens. My stomach was a ravaging beast, and I knew Benny would have the answer I needed. “Why does she think that?” Not that I didn’t love the head mage fretting over me. She made my life a misery; I enjoyed reciprocating the same.

“She told everyone all you ever do is camp out in the library to study. She thinks you are looking for a way to impress the king.” The knight snorted loudly. “She tried complaining to Blayne, and he told her off, saying you were looking for a way to win over Cassius. That you are one of his best assets, and if she continues to vex him, he may promote you instead.”

One of his best assets? A way to win over Cassius? The irony was so thick I could cut it with a knife. I gave Paige a broad smile. “If I get a promotion, that’s just a bonus. I will settle for demoting her just to watch the fall.”

“You do seem to be in a much better state of mind.” My knight gripped my shoulder in a rare show of feeling. “I am glad you were able to get away.”

A flicker of guilt flared deep in my gut, but I ignored it. I was not going back to that place. “The Pythians will fight for Jerar.” Just not the Jerar you think. “I’m going to make sure of it.”

“If anyone can find a way to convince the duke, it’s you.” A bit of gum flashed with her teeth. “I only hope I’m there to see the look on Mira’s face when you do.”

“Here, here.” I almost laughed just thinking of the moment the Pythians turned on the villainous king and the mage responsible for Derrick’s death. It would be a day unlike any other.



*

Another week passed, and the Crown was falling apart. Citizens had gathered outside the palace gate, demanding their king. They wanted to know why the alliance had fallen through, why we weren’t marching on Caltoth right away.

Darren was forced to summon Audric and some of his men from the Crown’s Army camp to keep the crowds from getting worse; Mira had doubled the number of mages inside the gates.