Page 55 of A Trial of War
The question hit like a stone to my chest. I swallowed hard, trying to smother the dread crawling up my throat. “No,” I said, rougher than I intended. “Nothing yet.”
The silence that followed wasn’t peaceful. It was heavy. I could feel it pressing down on both of us, the weight of all the what-ifs that had haunted these three cursed days.
I turned to her, the words tumbling out before I could stop them, “Marry me.”
Her head snapped toward me, eyes wide, mouth parting in startled disbelief.
“What?” she signed with shaky hands.
I grinned. “You heard me. Life’s too damn short. Everything we’ve seen—everything that’s coming.” I shook my head, stepping closer. “This—what we have—it’s the only thing that’s ever made sense in my centuries living in this world. And I’m done wasting seconds without you. So, marry me, Nyssa.”
She blinked up at me, torn between shock and laughter, fingers half-lifting like she didn’t know what to say.
“Here? Now?” she signed. A soft huff of air escaped her lips in a ghost of a laugh.
“Why not?” I said, letting my grin tilt wider. “We’ve got a captain on board, haven’t we? Might as well put the male’s skills to use. When we land in Silver Meadows, our people will be greeted by the high prince and…princess.”
Her eyes shimmered as the wind swept her hair across her face, and she looked so gods-damned beautiful I forgot, for a heartbeat, about the war waiting across the distant shore.
“Come on,” I said, offering my hand again. “Say yes, Nyssa. Before I lose the nerve, or you start thinking I’m joking.”
Then, as if the heavens parted and the Mother herself smiled upon me,she signed, “Yes.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Castor Aegaeon
The doors of the Summit groaned open, echoing through the vaulted chamber like a sigh that had been waiting for me. I instructed Talon to be taken to the healers immediately, hoping that Skylar would soon return. The magical barriers sparked faintly as I passed through the entrance, the palace’s magic humming in recognition of its prince and new princess.
And there he was.
Daxton.
I sighed with relief at seeing him, then felt a flash of irritation coil around my silver tongue. He hadn’t bothered to send word.Bastard.
He stood at the base of the grand staircase beside Gunnar, a pillar of calm amid the faint hum of magic that vibrated in the hall. Even from across the chamber, the strain was evident in his thinned lips and the tight set of his shoulders. There was a weariness that darkened the edges of his now glowing silver eyes, which I still hadn’t adjusted to.
But still, he looked every inch the king I was proud to serve.
Nyssa’s fingers brushed mine as we stepped inside, settling me before the irritation boiling in my chest couldoverflow. Her hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, eyes calculating as they swept the hall. A single look from her articulated more than a grand declaration ever could.
When I hesitated in my approach, her fingers slid against my palm, signing, “Breathe.”
I did.
Once.
Then, I strode forward, boots striking the marble with deliberate force. “How long?” I demanded. “How long have you been back?”
“A few hours,” Daxton said. His tone was even, but the quiet rasp in his voice told its own story. And it was not one of happily-ever-afters.
“A few hours?” I repeated, irritation rising sharply behind my clenched teeth.
“I think this is my sign to leave this spirited conversation,” Gunnar said, chuckling under his breath as he turned toward the hall leading to the training fields. “I’ll prepare the remaining warriors staying here to guard Silver Meadows and find you within the hour, Daxton.”
Gunnar’s footsteps echoed along the walls, his laughter following him out of the Summit.
“Three days,” I said, turning toward my brother, “Three days without a single word. No reply to my messages. No update from youorSkylar. And here I walk in to find you casually chatting with Gunnar like nothing’s happened?”
