Page 102 of The Last Guardian

“Ah, you’re awake!” Nefeli beamed. Her face lit up at the sight of me, and she came over to meet me. She glanced down at the book in my arms, surprise crossing her features.

“What’s that face for?” I asked with a frown.

“Nothing,” she replied with an innocent smile, pointing towards the stairs. “Breakfast?”

“Yes, I’m starving.”

Walking down the stairs to the living room, I glimpsed Nefeli staring at the book a few times. She raised her eyebrows, her eyes still fixed on the book. “Is that a gift?”

“No,” I grumbled with a small smile. “Just a book to learn more about the species.”

“Ah.” She tried to hide her smile, but to no avail. She continued to fixate on the book as though she couldn’t believe it was actually in my hand.

“What is it?” I asked suspiciously. “Why do you keep looking at the book like that?”

Our footsteps clapped against the black stone, the floor gleaming with the soft rays of the sun as we stepped into a large living room. A long, dark table, carved from the stone of the mountain housing us, stood proudly, silver plates laden with fruit, bread, and cakes already filling the table. Fire danced in the hearth, illuminating the darkness of the stone walls around us.

Nefeli sat down in front of me, her fingers curled around the hot teapot, smoke rising from it. The aroma of spice and bergamot filled the air. “It’s just—” She bit the inside of her cheek, still wearing an incredulous smile. “I can’t believe Zaid gave you this. He’s possessive of his things. Even I am not allowed to touch it.”

Oh.

My traitorous heart again—it raced in my chest.

Hells, that was not good.

I stared at her, trying my best not to lose my composure at what she’d just revealed. Her eyes drifted to my chest, where my heart pounded like drums.

I avoided her gaze. “He didn’t give it to me. It’s a loan.” I grabbed some buttered bread and poured myself a small cup of tea.

Nefeli chuckled, rolling her eyes. “If you say so.”

“Anyway!” My eyes fell on the design on her clothes, as I changed the subject. “What is that? The wolf?”

Nefeli’s eyes dropped to her black tunic, her finger touching the embroidery gently. “Oh,” a soft smile danced on her lips, “It’s our house’s emblem. Every kingdom had its own before the empire rose. When we left Keraneeth, we decided to use ours.”

Now that she said this, it made sense. In Perygan, we still used our emblems to distinguish our armies and our kingdoms. Lily for Vallen, rose for Kalor, iris for Boren, and lotus for Nazar. One of the few things that survived the rise of the empire.

The large door opened. Creaking wood vibrated in its wake as my gaze automatically turned to the visitor and fell on Dax’s dark gray eyes. My heart sank, disappointment gnawing at me.

I didn’t let it linger. Instead, I asked Nefeli, “All Keraneeth emblems are animals?”

Nefeli nodded, her mouth full of cake. “There was the scarab beetle for Shavaar, and the white owl for Nythra,” she said, swallowing quickly.

Dax plopped down on the chair next to me and took the rest of the cake from Nefeli’s plate.

“Hey!” Nefeli protested. “I just got it, asshole.”

Dax grinned. “Come get it, Captain.”

She rolled her eyes and leaned forward in her chair. “You’re not worth my time,” she said, taking another slice of cake.

I continued the conversation, curling my hands around my teacup. “You said every kingdom had its own emblems before.”

With a deep breath, Nefeli said, “Well, the Elven Empire let every species and territories use their own: white stag for Eldrandyr, raven for Vaelar, and, of course, dragon for Pyrth. But the Evarim emperor…” She paused; her eyes darkened when she exchanged a glance with Dax. “Surani, Noxari and Evarim are forced to use the same now.”

I frowned. “What is their emblem now?”

It was Dax who answered in a dark voice, “Piles of corpses.”