Page 13 of The Valkyrie Prophecy
“I see,” she draws the words out from between pursed lips.
“Odessa was being impersonated by the asphidra you saw nailed to the wall. Its body had been nailed to the wall as a reminder that, though we were infiltrated and attacked by hordes of demons, we slaughtered them all. And we are in the process of figuring out how they stifled our magic. So—do you know anything that’s actually beneficial?” With each of my words, my body rises higher in my chair, and my necklace warms in agreement.
“There are a number of things they could have done to stifle magic, from wards to crystals. I seem to recall asphidra venom being able to negate magic as well. But I would need to see the room where you found their belongings to be able to give you a more specific answer.” Luna crosses her arms over her chestand shivers lightly.
My wrathful expression vanishes immediately. She has every right to be upset. She was shackled to a stone for who knows how long. And yet here she sits, practically withered away and freezing. I immediately regret being so heavy-handed with her. That’s not the kind of queen I want to be.
My voice softens, “Let’s get you into warmer clothes, and then I can show you the room. Unless you need some time to rest?”
Luna lurches forward, slamming her hands down on the table in front of her. “I have rested ENOUGH. We are on the precipice of obliteration. We don’t have time for coddling!”
I flinch at her words. But Lachlan leans forward with a predator’s focus, his fingers steepled in front of him. “Coddling, my queen.” His words are as hard as steel.
Luna’s eyes flick to him. A single brow arches.
Lachlan stares her down before gritting out, “We don’t have time for coddling,my queen.She is your queen, and ye will address her as such.”
My hand finds its way to his forearm. Luna observes the silent gesture with disdain, but a heartbeat later murmurs, “My queen.”
I turn my attention to the rest of our group. “Evander and Tane, can you guys assemble the guards for their evening training?” They both nod and silently leave the room.
Mina and Mathilda stand together. “And our orders?” Mathilda asks.
“Can one of you get me the training schedules for each district? They were ordered to begin immediately, and I would like to verify that. And with regard to the forges here, let’s see if anyone in Olundy would be willing to relocate back to the capital? We need to begin resupplying weapons here as well.”
“Yes, my queen,” they say in unison before slipping from the room.
Luna eyes me curiously before speaking, “You’ve reopened the training grounds?”
“Among other things,” I announce while standing. “Go change and meet us in Odessa’s old rooms. I’ll show you what we found.”
***
Lachlan threads his fingers through mine as we make our way to Odessa’s room. The feel of my hand in his is comforting to my spiraling mind. With part of my to-do list being attended to by the rest of the court, my focus can remain solely on restoring magic, arguably the biggest of all my tasks. The beakers of crystal and venom must be tied to it somehow. Why else would they be hidden away in an underground cave behind a secretly carved hole in the wall?
A gentle squeeze on my fingers pulls my attention to Lachlan. His mouth is set in a grim line, and a small crease forms between his brows.
“Are you okay?” My eyes sweep over his rapidly glowering expression. The handsome ruggedness of his face is shadowed by his lowering brow. My heart squeezes. He’s always been beautiful to me, a face you couldn’t help but admire. But he’s changed in the last few months since we’ve been here. He’s powerful and lethal. More than just a man. And everything about that heats my blood.
“Nae.” His lips tug down into a more pronounced frown.
“Did I do something?” I ask, confusion wrinkles my nose. I don’t remember saying or doing anything recently to upset him, but maybe my reckless cave exploring tipped him over the edge.
He stops suddenly, our conjoined hands yanking me to a halt beside him. There’s a clang of metal and wood against the stonefloor as he drops the torches he was carrying. He leans towards me, as if he can’t resist the pull to be close. Worry and concern flash across his features, softening the shelf of his brow and lightening his eyes.
“Why would ye ask me that?”
My shoulders shrug, and I avert my eyes from the emotion in his gaze. “I don’t know, you just seemed extra glower-y today.”
Lachlan presses his forehead to mine, his breath caressing my face as he sighs. I close my eyes, enjoying the nearness of him.
“Nae, I’m not mad at ye. I’m mad for ye.”
“For me? Why?” My nose brushes against his as I tilt my face up.
Closer, I need to be closer.
Strong hands grasp the tops of my shoulders and slide up to the side of my neck. His right thumb traces soft circles on my cheek.
