Page 88 of Andreas

They made their way through the dark, twisting labyrinth of corridors. Rymedur’s hulking figure almost consumed the small space. Hunching through the passage, he couldn’t help but wonder why Aerileas was so adamant that he should go with her. What had the male planned? It was rare for Aerileas to allow Rymedur anywhere. Let alone with Areanel.

What was the king up to?

The dark stone, rough and jagged, scraped against his shoulders, the space between the walls too tight. ‘I had to tell James we were visiting my mother,’ Rymedur spoke in a hushed tone.

‘Did he believe you?’ Areanel’s voice was a whisper as she guided them through the tunnels. A low blue light emanated from her hand, and Rymedur was mesmerised by how close the colour was to her eyes.

‘No,’ Rymedur replied. ‘Even though he’s only nineteen, James is too observant for his own good. Noted that we had packed our weapons and insisted on joining us.’

Areanel’s tone was light with amusement. ‘Of course he did.’

Their steps were silent as they twisted their way around another turn. The air started to get heavier—stale and dewy. Were they going deeper into the mountain? ‘He insisted that he was far more skilled than any of our soldiers, and that he would be a proficient, adept warrior to have with us.’

Areanel threw a look over her shoulder—one he knew too well. The glow from the fire that flickered in her hand sent an ethereal gleam around her.

‘His words, not mine.’ Rymedur threw up his hands.

‘Hm,’ Areanel murmured under her breath, ‘all you Luca’s are the same!’

‘Skilled and handsome?’ Rymedur joked.

‘Big headed!’ Areanel remarked.

‘Need I remind you—’ Rymedur pulled on a shadow near her ‘—you are also a Luca.’ He could feel the way the shadows called to him, like his power recognised there were more in the tunnel’s darkness. They begged to be wielded, moving towards him of their own accord. He sent a thought to a shadow weaving by her hip, and with a quick curl of his hand moved the inky tendril until it snapped forward.

Smack. Areanel let out a surprised yelp when the shadow leapt forward, hitting her on the ass. Turning abruptly, Areanel’s withering stare settled on him. ‘Rymedur,’ she reprimanded, ‘what part of quiet did you not understand?’

‘I don’t see how that is my fault.’ Rymedur waved a hand towards her. ‘You’re the one who yelped, wife. And anyway, you know I’ve never been good at being quiet.’ The shadow snaked its way along the floor, moving closer to him. Testing, it lifted its head and with—what Rymedur perceived as—a nod, it floated up and made itself home along his bare forearm, along with the other shadows that rested there. Rymedur hummed as the shadow seemed to find a new home—choosing him as its master.

‘Well, husband,’ Areanel flicked at his nose, causing him to flinch away. ‘We can’t let anyone hear or see us leaving. And what reason did you give James?’

Rymedur shrugged his shoulders, even though Areanel could not see him now that she turned her back to him and continued down the narrow path. ‘Told him that even though he was a skilled fighter, we would be travelling days through the dunes to get to Selcirith, and he wasn’t prepared for that arduous journey. The sands can be very dangerous, especially for a young elf who is not used to them.’ A shudder ran through him at the mere thought of the venomous beasts hidden beneath the sands on Selcirith’s outskirts.

‘Smart,’ Areanel said to herself, ‘a lie laced with truth.’

Rymedur didn’t know whether she was praising him or simply stating a fact. Sometimes, Areanel had this quaint habit of talking to herself. Rymedur found it endearing. ‘Why, exactly, are we sneaking around like thieves in the dead of night? I thought your father gave you this mission.’

They seemed to have reached a dead end. All that was in front of them was a stone wall—that was, until Areanel began shoving her bodyweight into the stone. ‘Ada thinks,’ Areanel huffed, pushing her shoulder into the stone, ‘that there are spies within the court.’

‘I could have told you that,’ Rymedur grumbled under his breath.

‘And—’ she gave him a pointed glare, ignoring his comment ‘—that it would be better if we left earlier to secure the perimeter where the meeting will take place. Plus, this way, we can complete the other half of the mission, and the chieftain won’t suspect a thing.’

Rymedur noted the way her eyes dropped, refusing to look at him as she said the last sentence, almost under her breath. Was she hiding something from him?

‘I see Aerileas’s paranoia hasn’t gotten any better,’ Rymedur quipped, earning him a smack on the shoulder from Areanel.

‘Stop it. He’s not wrong. I also think there are some amongst the court we need to be wary of. I don’t trust any of them.’

‘Why would you? They’re vultures.’

The sound of groaning stone filled the air. Areanel had opened a doorway. Slipping through the crack, Rymedur squeezed his body through and realised, as his breath fogged in front of him, that they were at the edge of the courtyard. Turning to glance at the exit they’d just slunk out of, Areanel heaved it closed, sealing their access to the place he’d called home for the last two decades and their family. Had this always been there? How had he not noticed it before? The stone didn’t seem like a doorway. It was perfectly hidden. ‘Do you use this passage often?’

‘It is one of a few,’ Areanel answered matter-of-factly. She moved around him, signalling for him to follow.

They made it across the courtyard and to the wall that separated the palace grounds from the city beyond before two hands grabbed onto the front of his leathers, pulling him into an alcove. Areanel’s body pressed close to his, the space far too tight for the both of them.

‘You know, if you wanted to get me in a quiet corner, you could have just asked.’ There was a chuckle behind his words.