I blinked back my tears. We were too young to have such burdens hanging over us. But perhaps Father was right: some of us were not meant to have easy journeys.
So far, life had conspired against us at every opportunity, and I wasn’t naive enough to think that was going to change anytime soon. But for now, I would take whatever moments I could get.
“Kiss me,” I whispered.
His brow furrowed for a moment, as if he wished he had something more to give, before he finally pulled me toward him and lowered his lips to mine.
4
We entered the house hand in hand.
Zadie stood up from the table abruptly, nearly knocking over her stool.
Mother rose far more gracefully than Zadie. “Prince Talin,” she said, inclining her head. Her hair was braided neatly, and she wore a fresh tunic and a lemon-yellow skirt. “Welcome back to Varenia.”
He released my hand gently and bowed to Mother. “Thank you, my lady.”
“I know it’s not much,” she replied, gesturing to the house around us, “but we are honored by your presence.”
I had forgotten Talin had never been inside our home before. For one brief moment I saw the tiny living space through his eyes, the mismatched dishes in a stack on our salvaged wooden shelf, the tattered hems of our curtains. But we had worked hard to make this place a home, and I was proud of it, even if—
“Your home is lovely,” Talin said, taking one of Mother’s trembling hands in his and kissing the back of it, as he’d once done to me, and I felt my heart swell with gratitude as Mother’s cheeks turned a flattering shade of pink.
“Thank you,” she said. “Can I offer you something to drink? We have a little wine, and water, of course.”
“Water would be perfect.”
Mother nodded graciously, then turned away from Talin and shot my sister a vicious look. Zadie blinked, remembering herself, and quickly went to fetch a cup and some fresh water from the bucket. I had told Talin about Sami’s banishment on our way back to the house, so he wouldn’t ask Zadie about him. At least Talin seemed more optimistic than she did that the rose and the song were a message, though he also didn’t know what they meant.
I showed Talin to our sturdiest stool, praying it wouldn’t collapse beneath him, while Zadie set a pitcher of water—only slightly chipped—and a few oranges from her last trip to the floating market on the table. It wasn’t much, but at least it was fresh.
“Please, sit,” my sister said. “You must be tired from your journey.”
“Thank you.” Talin settled himself on the proffered stool, which stayed blessedly upright beneath him.
“Did you come alone, Your Highness?” Mother asked.
Talin chuckled politely. “Alas, my navigational skills do not extend to the ocean. My men are nearby, waiting for my signal. I thought it best I arrive quietly.”
“I’m sure Governor Kristos will be eager to see you. Although we are deeply flattered you chose to grace us with your presence first. Aren’t we, Nor?”
I struggled to keep my voice as serious as Mother’s. “Oh, indeed.”
Talin smirked at me, then looked back at Mother and cleared his throat. “I wanted to speak to your family before meeting with anyone else. Is your husband home?”
“Several of the men went on a fishing expedition,” Mother explained. “We hope they’ll return tonight, though it could take longer.”
Talin nodded, his expression serious. “I see. Well, I wish this news could wait for his return, but I’m afraid it can’t.”
I was grateful that Talin recounted the story so I didn’t have to. But when he got to the part about Ceren healing from the blood coral knife, I saw the confusion on Zadie’s and Mother’s faces.
“How did he survive such a wound?” Mother asked. “Nor nearly died from the tiniest scratch from a blood coral.”
Talin glanced at me, and I nodded for him to continue. “When my brother imprisoned your daughter, he discovered the healing properties in her blood. He injured her, repeatedly, to gather her blood so that he could study it. Eventually he realized that by...consuming her blood, he could also heal himself.”
“Consuming it?” Zadie’s voice was as thin as seagrass. I hadn’t told her that detail, only that Ceren had found a way to heal himself with my blood. It had seemed too awful to say the rest out loud.
Mother’s voice was eerily flat when she spoke. “He drank her blood.”
Talin nodded. “Yes.”
I closed my eyes, but the silence that filled the room was so thick I was finally forced to look around. When I did, I saw that my mother’s face was streaked with tears.
When I had been injured as a child, and when Zadie’s legs had been scarred, Mother had wailed and moaned loud enough for the entire village to hear. I was accustomed to her histrionics, yet this silent display of grief was far more difficult to witness.
Talin took her hand and waited patiently while she collected herself. “I wanted to give you time to process all this before the rest of the villagers hear, but I think I should speak with Governor Kristos and the elders right away.”
Mother glanced out the window just as the first drops of rain began to fall. “I understand your concern, but I’m afraid Kristos has joined the men on the fishing trip.”
I turned to stare at her. Given the tension in the village, it seemed like a particularly dangerous time for Kristos to leave.
“He was criticized for his economic decisions,” Mother explained to me. “He felt he needed to do more to contribute.” She returned her attention to Talin and bowed her head. “I know our home is small, but we would be honored to have you stay with us tonight, Your Highness.”
“What about Grig and Osius?” I asked, my eyes returning to the window, where the rain was already falling heavily. “They’ve never spent a night at sea before.”
“They’ll be all right,” Talin said after a thoughtful moment. “Grig only gets mildly seasick.”
* * *
At dinner, Talin managed to consume several bowls of watery fish stew and seemed to genuinely enjoy it. Mother had gone to bed early, claiming a headache, though I had a feeling she was still trying to process what Talin had told her. Zadie washed the dishes as I prepared a pallet for him in the living area of our house.
“I’m sorry it’s not much,” I said as I led him to our balcony, where I shook out one of our few blankets. The rain had eased, but every now and then the clouds lit up with distant lightning. “We’ve never had a guest spend the night before.”
Talin leaned against the balustrade. “I’m honored to be the first.”
“I still can’t believe you’re here,” I said, folding the blanket over my arm. The light from the house spilled out onto the balcony, bathing Talin in its warm glow. A part of me didn’t want to go to sleep tonight, because I was afraid I’d wake to find this had all been a dream.
Talin held out his hand, and I joined him at the railing, pressing into his warmth. “I don’t know how we’ll explain this to the governor,” I said softly. “Not after I was so sure...”
He placed his hand on top of mine. “I hoped when I saw you again it would be to tell you that Varenia was free. Instead I’ve made your lives far worse.”
“You haven’t. If I’d never gone to Ilara in Zadie’s place...” I trailed off, taking a ragged breath. “If I’d never met you—”
“Don’t you dare finish that thought.” He put a hand on my shoulder and turned me to face him. “Meeting you was the only good thing to happen to me since I found out my mother was still alive. And every moment I’ve spent with you after has been better than the one before. Even right now, when I have no idea what we’re going to do, all I can think about is how badly I want to kiss you.”
I blushed at his frankness. “Then why don’t you?”
“Your mother is
right inside the house, for one thing.”
I stood on tiptoe until my lips were close to his ear. “My mother doesn’t have to know.”
Talin turned his face before I had lowered myself back down, his mouth finding mine instantly, stealing my breath. His hands moved from my shoulders into my hair, tipping my head farther back. I dropped the blanket and felt his lips curl in a smile against mine.
Just a few hours ago, I had wondered if I would ever see Talin again, and now he was here, holding me. For a moment, I let myself forget the horrible news that had brought him to Varenia and said a silent thank-you to the universe for giving us this time together.
We were so focused on each other that I almost didn’t hear the tiny voice calling my name.
Talin and I froze, still intertwined.
“I only wanted to let you know that I’ve decided to sleep on the pallet,” Zadie called softly from just inside the house. “It’s too cold in our room,” she added. “Um, good night.”
A moment later, I let out a very unromantic snort of laughter, a mixture of embarrassment and relief. For the first time since we’d met, we could be together without fear or judgment. The only thing we risked hurting tonight was my mother’s sense of propriety.
“Have I ever told you how much I like your sister?” Talin murmured. He picked me up and stumbled backward into my room until his knees buckled against the mattress and he landed with a heavy thud.
“Careful,” I hissed. “We don’t have your fancy feather mattresses here, you know.”
Talin glanced behind him. “You don’t have our fancy doors, either.”
“Mmm. Pity, then, that you’re so ticklish.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” he said, inching away from me toward the edge of the bed.
I arched an eyebrow and flexed my fingers. “Wouldn’t I?”
I leaped atop him, quickly discovering the places he was most ticklish and then doing my best to avoid them, in order not to wake my mother with his laughter.
“This isn’t fair,” he said through gritted teeth. “You’re not ticklish.”
I finally relented, letting him catch his breath for a few minutes while I disappeared behind the curtain and changed into a shift. When I returned, he had removed his boots and unlaced the top of his tunic, exposing a few inches of his smooth bronzed chest.
We both looked at the tiny bed at the same time. A furious blush bloomed in my cheeks.
“I’ll sleep on the floor,” he said quickly.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re our guest.” I shuffled around him awkwardly and reached for the dropped blanket. “I’ll take the floor. In the meantime, I thought maybe we could both sit on the bed and talk.”
His arched a brow. “Sit and talk?”
“I’m sure we can manage to keep our hands off each other for a few minutes,” I said, perching on the edge of the mattress. “You’re a gentleman, after all.”
He laughed and sat next to me, leaving a few inches between us. After a moment, his expression turned serious. “I’m not sure this is a good idea, Nor. It feels...dangerous.”
I knew he was right, but I also knew this might be our last night together for a long time. Maybe forever. “Every moment we’ve ever spent together has been more dangerous than this. You can’t be that afraid of my mother.”
“It’s not your mother I’m afraid of,” he said, twining his little finger through mine.
I turned to face him. “It can’t possibly be me.”
He sighed and collapsed back on the bed. “Do you have any idea what torture it is to be this close to you, Nor?”
Teasingly, I scooted closer to him.
“I mean it. It’s taking all of my strength not to kiss you again.”
“Then kiss me.” I leaned over him and blew out the lantern on the nightstand. “No one will know but us.”
He only hesitated a moment before pulling me down to his chest. “When we’re married—”
The word was like a cold bucket of water on the warmth spreading throughout my body. “Married?”
He sat up next to me. “I was hoping, when all of this is over...”
I twisted my braid over my shoulder, my stomach strangely unsettled. When I had been trapped in New Castle, doomed to a life with Ceren, the idea of marrying Talin seemed as lovely and improbable as a fairy tale. But we’d never spoken about it before, and I didn’t want to imagine anything beyond this moment.
He let out a small puff of laughter when he saw my expression. “I don’t mean tomorrow, Nor. Or even the week after. I just... I want to be with you.” He ducked his head, avoiding my eyes. “I thought that was what you wanted, too.”
“It is,” I replied, before I had even gathered my thoughts. It was true. Gods, with his heat seeping through my thin shift and the scent of him all around me, I wanted it more than ever. But I would never go back to New Castle, where every dark corridor and cold chamber held another terrible memory, not even if Ceren was dead. And there was still so much of the world I hadn’t seen...
“Hey.” Talin brushed my hair off my shoulder and leaned down to kiss the exposed skin. “I can see that mind of yours racing. I’m sorry I said anything. Being with you right here, right now, is enough.”
He lay back down, and I snuggled against him. “I’m sorry I reacted that way. You caught me off guard, that’s all.”
He sighed, a soft breeze against my cheek. “Then let’s talk about something else. Whatever you want.”
“Tell me about your childhood,” I said, twining my fingers through his. “Tell me about what you were like as a boy.”
As Talin told me stories of his childhood, the tension between us eased. His chest shook with laughter when he remembered the trouble he got into with his friends, and I found myself laughing along with him, sharing my own misadventures after the incident, when my scar had granted me the freedom to be more reckless.
Underlying everything was Talin’s fierce loyalty to his mother, which made me respect him even more. After all, it was my loyalty to Zadie that had brought us together. I would do anything for the people I loved, and so would Talin.
As we held each other, our limbs tangled in the small bed, I wondered if this was what Talin envisioned for our future: long nights spent talking and laughing, sharing feelings and kisses and secret desires. I remembered what Father had said about contentment. In this moment, I thought I knew what that meant. It felt like safety and acceptance, and Thalos knew those were things I’d gone too long without.
But as I listened to Talin’s heartbeat slow into sleep and watched the steady rise and fall of his chest, I had the nagging feeling that something was missing. I could envision our nights, but what about our days? Talin would be busy helping rule a kingdom, and where would that leave me? Knitting shawls and gossiping with the ladies at court? The thought made me shudder, and Talin’s arms circled tighter around me.
I wriggled until he released me and I could breathe again, but sleep was as elusive as a golden nautilus. I couldn’t fight the feeling that maybe Father was right.
Maybe contentment wasn’t what I was searching for after all.
5
Exhaustion must have finally claimed me, because I woke in the morning to find Talin wasn’t beside me. I could see him through the doorway leading to the balcony, framed by the golds and soft oranges of another perfect sunrise.
I pulled the blanket off the bed and went to join him, wrapping us both in the soft fabric. “It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it?”
Talin didn’t respond, and I glanced up to see his eyes narrowed in concentration. I followed his gaze to a small dot on the horizon.
“Who is that?”
“Your father?” he ventured.
I ran inside to get the bronze spyglass I had salvaged from a shipwreck years ago and hurried back to his side.
“Too large,” I said, raising the glass to my eye. “That ship has sails.” I handed the spyglass to Talin. “Do you recognize it?”
He lowered the glass and placed a hand on my shoulder. “It’s my ship.”
I released my breath. “That’s good news.”
But Talin didn’t look convinced. “Is it? They were supposed to wait for my signal, not come on their own.”
“Maybe Grig gets more seasick than you thought,” I joked, though my stomach was beginning to twist with worry. I went back into the house, where my mother and sister looked at us questioningly. “It’s Talin’s ship,” I explained. “The two of us will take the boat out to meet them. They won’t be able to get past the reef.”
After Mother and Zadie agreed to stay behind in case Father returned, I rowed us out to the small sailing vessel. When we pulled alongside it, I looked up to see Grig and Osius leaning over the railing, waving.
“Come aboard,” Osius called, tossing a rope ladder over the railing. “We have news.”
Talin nodded and held the ladder steady for me so I could climb up ahead of him. As soon as I was on board, Grig and Osius bowed, though Grig couldn’t hide his smile.
“Enough with the formalities,” I said, pulling them both into a hug. They had always looked after me at New Castle, and I was genuinely happy to see them.
“My lady,” Osius said, remaining his formal self even as I squeezed him tightly. “I’m glad to see you looking so well.”
“And you.” I glanced sympathetically at Grig, who had dark circles under his eyes. “Was it a terrible night?”
“I’ve slept better, my lady. But I’ll be fine, just as soon as we return to solid ground.” He extended a hand to Talin, who grasped it and stepped up onto the deck next to me.
“We worried when you didn’t return yesterday,” Osius said. “We were afraid something had happened to you.”
Talin clapped him on the back, offering a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry for worrying you, but I had a much better offer of accommodation for the night. And the company was too good to refuse.” He smiled at me, but I caught the strain in his eyes as he turned back to Osius. “Did you just come to check on me, or do you have news?”
Kingdom of Sea and Stone Page 4
