Page 184 of Salt in the Seas
“Speaking of Durriken…” She hesitated, then pulled on his hand, leading him deeper into the grove beyond the guards.
He marveled at the way she gripped his hand and yet no twinge of pain crossed his bond mark’s scar and no guilt pricked his conscience.
“I can’t expect you to fly off on a whim, not when you’ve just returned to your sister, but I can’t wait any longer.” She bit her lip, holding in some internal struggle.
Sylmar’s suspicions rose to the surface in the back of Gaeren’s mind, but this time he successfully shoved them back down, unwilling to entertain the idea that Aeliana was a potential enemy. Just like when they’d been on the balcony and she’d been branded by Mayvus, he knew Aeliana could never truly be an enemy.
“Wait, did you say fly?”
She laughed again, and he joined in, curious to hear the joke.
“Just to Mt. Vescano and back. How long would that take?” Her brow rose in earnest, waiting for him to do the math.
“You’re serious?” His heart pounded with the possibility, and for a fleeting moment he imagined the wind in his hair and the earth passing by in a blur. He supposed it would feel like sailing, only a hundred times faster. “You want to go flying with a dragon?”
She hushed him, then ducked under a branch, pulling him back to the path so they could pick up their pace while the guards were stuck in the grove. “When Lady Merinnia showed me the curse placed on my mother, it was done by a woman with tattoos on her hands.” She frowned at her own scarred palms, turning her hands over to study their backs. “They reminded me of Marnok.”
Understanding dawned. “You think the woman who cursed your mother was a witch.”
Aeliana nodded. “Now that we know that’s where he comes from.”
“And you’re going to ask Durriken to take you to them.”
She grimaced, then nodded.
There were so many holes in her plan. Would Durriken even do it? Could she even find them? And would they help her?
“It would be out of character for me to stay at the palace for too long anyway,” Gaeren said slowly.
Aeliana’s lips twitched, her eyes holding a mirth that made him want to give her the moon.
“And Durriken probably flies pretty fast.”
She nodded, her face unusually solemn. “Very fast, indeed.”
“However, I did promise Thallahan I’d bring Fay a princely gift at their wedding.”
She tapped her lips as if deep in thought. “That’s only two days away. It might even take that long for Durriken to get here. While we’re gone, Sylmar and Velden can hash out details with your father about how they want to work together to recapture Myndren.”
“So I tell Enla I’m taking a short trip to Rykarn after the wedding. I send Larkos out with supplies for Bayla and the Recreants to make my story look good.”
Aeliana held out her hands. “Even better. It serves a dual purpose. That should settle it.”
They grinned at each other, and a new sense of hope stirred within him. Not just for them to find a cure for the curse that plagued Emeris.And not even for him to protect Enla while still serving the Recreants. But hope that when this was all over, he and Aeliana might be able to figure out more of what they were to each other.
“I guess I’d better hold up my end of the deal and go check in with Durriken.” Aeliana glanced back at the palace.
“If you ask one of my guards to escort you, that will make it easier for me to give the other the slip.” A strange sense of regret sliced through him at the thought of parting ways.
“Are you going to the Recreants?”
He nodded. “I haven’t been able to see them since I was imprisoned. Tonight I need to convince them to go up against Mayvus in exchange for me taking my parents off the throne.”
Her eyes widened. “And how would you do that?”
“By placing Enla on it instead. That’s step one toward the people’s freedom. As long as my parents are on the throne, a violent and bloody war will be required to enact change. But if my sister is on the throne…there’s a chance at peace.”
She nodded slowly. “Is Enla…well?”
