by K.N. Lee
“You and your brother are almost too much,” she said. “You’re both way too charming to be taken seriously.”
Eryon looked back at her, his smile fading. “Oh,” he said. “I see. My brother has laid claim on you already. Figures. He’s a quick one.”
Raina raised a brow. “That’s ludicrous. No one has a claim on me.”
Shrugging, Eryon continued through the room. “Right. Whatever you say, Seer.”
Raina frowned as Eryon led her to the royal study where Arela awaited her presence.
Raina couldn’t get Eryon’s words out of her head. What did Aric really expect from her?
Chapter 17
PRINCESS ARELA STOOD from her writing desk when Raina entered the royal study. Her hair was styled in big curls that hung long pass her shoulders. Her yellow dress brought light to the room, along with her smile which brightened Raina’s mood instantly.
“Hello, Princess Arela,” Raina said with a bow of her head to the young princess.
Arela nodded. “Hello. Let’s go to the battleground.”
“The battleground?”
“Yes,” Arela said, crossing the distance between them. She picked up her cloak from around the chair’s back and pulled it over her shoulders. “Come. I want to see the warriors.”
Warriors?
“Are you sure that is okay?”
Arela gave her a mischievous grin. “I can do whatever I want. I just need a chaperone. That’s what you are, Seer. My chaperone. Do you think I really care about religion and what the gods used to do when they were in this world?”
“I suppose not,” Raina said, folding her arms across her chest.
She wouldn’t admit that she was relieved to learn that she wouldn’t be stuck training her pupil in the history of the gods. That was Allan’s subject. Raina would much rather teach the princess to defend herself, and use a sword and shield to make her the men of that kingdom look like amateurs.
“Good,” Arela said. “We understand each other then. Now, will you take me?”
Raina shrugged. “Fine. I will take you.”
“Lovely,” Arela said with a grin. “Let’s go!”
Raina wanted nothing more than to take off her cloak’s hood without being discovered. From what Raina had discovered so far, the humans in Rhene wouldn’t know what any of her tattoos meant.
As she walked alongside Arela on the smooth dirt road, Raina had to remind herself that it was not the humans that she and Allan had to hide from, but a powerful goddess that could destroy the entire kingdom in seconds.
The battlegrounds were in an area of the city that felt and smelled different, like urine, sweat, and the excrement left behind from the horses that trampled along the road. It was clear that the princess was not safe there by the disorderly patrons that filled the arena’s spectator area.
The men were rowdy, with their mugs of ale filled high and spilling onto the stone ground.
“Why do you want to be here,” Raina asked, noting how Arela’s eyes lit up at the sight of a young man waiting near the entrance of the lower arena where the fighters used poles instead of swords.
Arela glanced at Raina. Her smile widened. “Come,” she said. “Meet Frintz.”
Raina sighed. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
Arela pulled her by the arm. “Don’t spoil this for me. Father would kill me if he found out I went to see a lord.”
“I don’t want to spoil anything. I just want you to be careful.”
Arela nodded. “Noted. Now, wait here.”
Raina folded her arms across her chest as she watched Arela run to the young lord. Frintz had long hair much like Aric’s. Such a style must be popular amongst the citizens of Rhene as Raina looked around she say many of the men wearing their hair the same way.
A smile came to Raina’s lips as she watched Frintz embrace Arela.
That smile quickly faded when someone grabbed her from behind.
He squeezed her bosom, laughing loudly in her ear. The strong smell of ale on his breath and his tight grip on her chest infuriated Raina.
Instinct clouded her judgment.
She jabbed her elbow into his gut. He grunted, and Raina turned to punch him in the face. He fell to his knees, and she kicked him square in the face.
He cried out so loudly that everyone around them turned to stare.
Raina sidestepped him when he reached for her with his large hands.
The loud chatter quieted as Raina stood before her assailant, his hand cradling his broken jaw. He stumbled, disoriented.
“You stupid wench,” he spat at her, blood dripping from his mouth. “I’ll break your neck.”
Raina folded her arms across her chest once again and glared back at him.
Lowering her voice, Raina leaned forward. “No. You will leave,” Raina said to him, her eyes narrowed, hiding the fact that the whites of her eyes went black whenever she gave a command that muted the will of another.
He stood tall, wiping his blood onto his brown leather shirt. He nodded.
“Yes, I will leave,” he said, and without another word he turned and left the battlegrounds so quickly one would think his life depended on it.
It did.
He broke through the crowd, uncaring of who stood in between him and his path.
Raina turned back to keep an eye on Arela, who didn’t notice a thing.
She avoided the looks that the other men and women gave her. They prepared to watch the next battle but continued to stare.
They kept their distance, stepping close to the arches that looked out to the battle stage.
A small smile came to her lips. How long had it been since she had a real fight? Her body craved it. War and battle were what she was born for. Being deprived of her use of her power was simply unnatural.
Inside, Raina secretly dared anyone else to try their luck with attacking her.
Chapter 18
WHEN NIGHT ARRIVED, Raina was ready. The events of the day had opened her mind to what being young really meant.
Back home in Latari, life was all about training, duty, and following orders. Here, the youth wasn’t much different, but there were ways to experience life outside of following what was expected.
Raina twirled the ends of her long hair around a finger as she sat on the bench in the garden. The sky, with all of its stars and calm beauty, captivated her. Knowing that beyond those clouds awaited her homeland, made her strain for a better look as if she could somehow see Aden if she tried hard enough.
She almost didn’t hear Aric approach her. When he stood before her, in a crisp white shirt and leather pants, he clearly dressed to fit in with the citizens of Rhene and not as royalty. That made her like him even more.
Still, there was no denying he was of royal blood. Just from his presence alone; tall, self-assured, and regal, it was clear that Aric was destined to be king.
King of what, though? Raina would give anything to have him as her king back in Aden.
She blushed at the thought of marrying Prince Aric.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be here,” he said.
“I’m a woman of my word,” Raina said.
He gave her that charming smirk that made her self-conscious of her appearance and held a hand out to her.
“Come with me. I promise to have you back before it gets too late.”
Raina took his hand and stood. She wasn’t sure if it was appropriate for a Seer to be seen out at night with a male companion.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” Aric said.
Raina took her hand back. “Tell me.”
“You don’t like surprises?”
“No.”
Aric chuckled. “Fine. I’m taking you to the sea.”
Raina’s eyes brightened. “The sea?”
“Yes. Have you seen it before?”
She shook her head. “I have not.”
He stepped backward and motioned for her to follow. “I’ll show you. I
think it might be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen…before you of course.”
Raina smiled. “You must speak to all of the pretty girls this way.”
“Maybe,” Aric shrugged. “But I actually mean it this time.”
Sighing, Raina followed him. Could she trust this handsome young charmer?
Traveling from the palace to the shore yielded many curious looks at the young pair. Raina kept her eyes averted, wondering exactly what the guards and noblemen were thinking. She wondered why she should care, and remembered that she and Allan were there to hide.
Raina hugged her arms to keep the chill of the wind coming off the sea at bay. The dark water was unlike anything she’d seen.
How could the Abyss be such a stunning place? Aden’s seas were red, and were never as still as the body of water she saw before her. The waves seemed to always thrash and churn in the seas of Aden. This one, however, calmed her senses and enchanted her just by looking at it.
“You know how to charm a girl,” Raina said.
Aric chuckled. “That I do,” he said. “But what would it take to make a girl like you believe that my intentions are pure?”
Raina turned to him. “You’ll just have to show me.”
Their gaze locked for a moment too long. Raina looked away. He made her feel weak.
She stepped closer to the rocks that looked out over the coast and sat down.
Aric sat beside her and together they sat in silence.
The water was beautiful but haunting. It reminded her of the sea at the bottom of the Cliffs of Ranoun. Only months ago, Raina and Allan had been sacrificed there. Raina had thought that her life was over when they were forced to jump, but somehow the spirits of the Cliffs had chosen to spare Raina and Allan.
It was a miracle.
Still, Litha was determined to ruin their lives.
“What are you thinking?”
Raina shook her head, breaking herself away from those bitter memories. She forced a smile.
“Nothing. I just wondered what it's like to be royalty.”
Aric shrugged. “Boring, honestly. I’d much rather be a lord. At least, they have more freedom and still have a decent amount of wealth.”
“Is that what’s important to you? Wealth?’
“Not really. I can see a totally different life for myself,” Aric said. “One where I have a family far away from any kingdom. Deep in the woods, by a waterfall. I can see myself tending my own land and watching my children play in the woods.”
“Really?”
Aric laughed, shaking his head. “Not really. What would I do in the woods? No, I’d take a small cottage in the Lower City. Listen to me when I tell you that the people there know how to live. They definitely have more fun.”
Raina shook her head. “You’re insufferable. I don’t know what to believe with you.”
He took her hand. His touch was gentle. “Can I take your glove off?”
Raina nodded.
“Just the one,” she said. She couldn’t risk him seeing the tattoos on her left hand, so she allowed him to take off the glove on her right.
He took off her glove and gave the back of her hand a soft kiss.
“Will you believe me if I told you that I had a dream about you?”
Raina shook her head. “No,” she said with an amused smile. “I wouldn’t. You’re just a charming prince that thinks he can make innocent girls swoon with your seductive smile and outlandish compliments.”
Aric didn’t return the smile. He held onto her hand and looked into her eyes. Something about his look made Raina hold her breath. His eyes were as blue as the sky on a clear day.
Her smile faded as he remained serious, almost stung by her disbelief of his candid proclamation about his dream about her.
“I’m serious, Raina,” Aric said. “I dreamed about you.”
Raina took her hand back and looked away. She put her hand back in the glove. “And what was this dream?”
Aric pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arm around his knees.
“It was strange. We were together under a red sun.”
Raina gasped as she shot a look at Aric.
He glanced at her, curiosity filling his eyes. “Did I say something wrong?”
Raina swallowed. You aren’t supposed to know about the red sun.
“No,” she said. “Tell me more about your dream.”
“There wasn’t much to it. I just remember being there with you, and it felt right. Even though the world around us was odd to me, it didn’t matter because you were there, in my arms.”
Every heartbeat was loud in Raina’s ears. How could he know about Aden and its red sun? What did his dream mean? Could it mean that they were destined to be together?
“Your dream,” Raina said. “It sounds nice. I’m sorry for doubting you.”
Aric pulled an unruly strand of her hair behind her ear. He nodded. “It was a nice dream. I almost didn’t want to wake up from it, and then I remembered that I would see you again when I woke up.”
The smile that came to Raina’s face was unstoppable. She beamed at him. “At least, you slept,” she said. “I was up all night.”
He grinned. “Really? Doing what?”
“Thinking.”
“About what?”
“You.”
Aric looked out to the sea. The silence between them was filled by the gentle crashing of the waves along the rocks at the bottom of the shore.
“Promise me something,” Aric said.
“I’ll try,” Raina whispered. The thought of being with Aric in Aden still clung to the forefront of her mind.
“In three years, you and I can get to know each other better. I don’t want to lose whatever this is, whatever it could be.”
Raina watched him, her mind racing with fears, doubts, and desire.
“I’ve been with other girls before. I won’t lie to you, but I’ve never felt such a need to be near someone before you. Seer or not, I swear I think you were made for me.”
Me too.
In three years she and Allan would need to leave this world.
How could she keep such a promise? Could his dream be real?
She spoke before she could think the situation through.
It didn’t really matter.
Raina was infatuated with him the instant their eyes locked the night before and was solidified by their kiss.
She clutched her necklace as she looked into his eyes. “I’ll be here.”
Chapter 19
Three years later…
THE SHIP SAILED closer to the kingdom Prince Aric called home.
A wave of bittersweet excitement filled Aric as he walked to the rails of the ship. He looked forward to this long journey home, to those gray eyes that looked up at him with adoration the day he left.
Raina.
She was a perplexing individual, a mixture of feisty confidence and sweet innocence. Not a day went by that he didn’t imagine undressing her and curling in an embrace under his blankets.
He wished he could have simply taken her with him. But three years weren’t filled with the kind of adventure he’d anticipated.
No. In every kingdom and city, he had been hunted.
Sighing, Aric’s gaze remained on his kingdom. The port grew closer and closer, leaving the blue-green sea and all of its mysteries behind. He wanted nothing more than to leap from that ship and swim to shore.
To find her.
To hold her.
But a sharp memory warned him that it could never be. Not anymore.
“Why the stern look, Prince Aric?”
Aric turned to Seth, his older cousin, the Duke of Brigsbury. Seth was a big man, tall, with short blond hair and dark cobalt eyes.
“I never expected to miss home so much. Now that I’m back I don’t know what awaits me,” he said, a sheepish smirk on his face as he pushed fallen strands of his hair out of his eyes.
“You should cut that hair of you
rs,” Seth said.
Aric chuckled. “Never.”
“I should have sent you to Miles. He would have chopped it all off if you sat beneath his shears.”
“Then I am glad I steered clear of the lad.”
Seth stood beside Aric, nearly a foot taller, like a descendant of the giants.
“Times have changed, Prince. Not even Rhene is what it used to be. Not with the Goddess of Law scouring the entire world for whatever she seeks.”
Aric had already seen what that goddess could do. He just wished that she would find what she sought and leave them all alone. He’d hoped to see beautiful cities, ancient temples, and rich kingdoms. Instead, he followed Goddess of Law’s path of destruction, helping aid the lost citizens of kingdoms that had once been allies.
“Do you think we will really go to war because of this? Will they blame us for this curse?”
Seth rubbed his chin, his gaze darkening. “Rhene still stands, doesn’t it?”
Aric nodded, looking at the beautiful port that grew closer with each passing moment. The sky was still blue here. The sea was still clear.
His stomach churned. He couldn’t stand to think of Rhene being soaked in blood, and left in ruins.
“With almost all of the kingdoms being destroyed, that makes Rhene a target.” Seth shrugged. His eyes glanced at Aric. “If no one gives up the prisoners she seeks, then it will only be a matter of time before the displaced masses make alliances and invade.”
Aric’s jaw tensed. “And they all think I’m one of the escaped. Ignorant bastards.”
He knew all too well that what Seth said was true.
As one of the few humans with god-like powers in their world, there was a target on Aric’s head.
And more than one had already tried their hand at assassinating him.
Chapter 20
RAINA WOKE UP in her comfortable bed and stared at her necklace as she dangled it above her head.
“Desi,” she whispered with hope. Her eyes pressed closed as she waited to hear from her old friend.
Silence.
Raina sighed and let the necklace drop from her hand. She missed Desi’s voice and pretty little face.
