Page 64 of Royal Hunt
Lyra was banned from teaching herself how to use her new wings by an overprotective Nessian, but he had to have seen her shadow overhead at dusk each night, testing her limits. He had his own problems, spontaneously creating shields and bouncing people and things off and around him day and night. No one could get in a thirty foot radius of him except his sisters. Lily had yet to show any new talents.
The three triplet brothers had thought themselves without powers until Maven went to lift up his horse’s leg and lifted the entire horse by mistake. Soon all three of them were shouting and grinning like loons, challenging each other to arm wrestling contests, then running out and trying the guards or finding the largest men they could to test themselves.
Urgh.
If Viana had any powers, she was keeping them close to her chest.
Ellis left everyone to do whatever they wanted as we recovered from our ordeal, but he insisted we sit down to dinner each evening together. I don’t know if it was a vain attempt on his part to gain some type of control, but none of us refused him. To be honest, it was a good way to keep tabs on what was happening with the kingdom.
I sat unhappily across from Ellis, with Gregory and his father Trenton on my right. Trenton hadn’t died in the blast from the balls, but his entire face and chest were covered in terrible burns. This meant he couldn’t travel home yet, and Ellis insisted we ‘do the right thing’ by letting them stay and recover. Trenton’s face and most of his left arm and chest were heavily bandaged. Viana sat to my left. I’d traded the ruined rags of a dead princess’s dress for a more practical servant’s gown, though I was still on the hunt for breeches and a tunic that might fit me.
“If it’s all the same to you, I’ll take Ferar and Cassus with me, as well as the remaining nobles and whatever guards survived from my kingdom.” Viana cut up a piece of chicken and ate daintily, not even bothering to look up from her plate as spoke.
Ellis tensed, but nodded. “Fine.” He drank deeply from his goblet.
I frowned. He looked healthier than he had in weeks, but hopefully it wasn’t because he was drinking again. He assigned me chambers on the other end of the wing from him, which didn’t send the best message of our unity, in my opinion.
It made me sad, even if I was too embarrassed to admit it. I missed him. And it meant Gregory had taken to following me around like a lost puppy, since he had nothing to do except wait for his father to heal.
A puppy who sulked and pouted all day.
“Why do you get both? Give us one to take back to our kingdoms. Our people have suffered as well.” Matthias’s voice was calm, but his gaze was steely.
Viana narrowed her eyes. “Are you willing to fight for him?” she purred sweetly.
Matthias took the wrought goblet and crushed it in his hand. “Maybe,” he shot back casually.
Ellis looked at us all like we were naughty children, and scowled. “Viana, no death threats at the table. Matthias, it’s bad enough my family is dead. You don’t have to destroy what meager bits I have left of them just to prove a point.” His eyes rested on the ruined family crest of the destroyed goblet.
Viana’s eyes flashed, and Matthias’s shoulders hunched.
Ellis dropped his fork with a clatter to his plate. “I want all of you out in three days, regardless.” He pushed back from the table, and got up, stalking from the room.
I abandoned my dinner and followed him, determined to find out what was wrong. Other than the obvious, of course.
“Let him go,” Gregory advised, putting down his napkin as if getting ready to follow me.
I ignored him, intent on Ellis.
“Ellis! Wait!”
I caught up to him halfway down the corridor toward the east hall. His back stiffened when he heard me, and he turned around as if facing the gallows.
“You’ve been ignoring me,” I accused, then closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m worried about you. How have you been feeling? Is … is the magick better?”
I put a hand up to brush away a stray dark curl from his eyes. His hair had gotten so long since everything had happened. Haircuts weren’t exactly high on our priority list right now.
For the brief moment when my skin met his, he closed his eyes and all the tension bled from his face. Then his eyes snapped open.
“I am sorry. I didn’t mean what I said the other day. I don’t blame you for … for Rowan and Hector. I just… hadn’t truly believed they were all gone until I saw their bodies.” His voice broke and he savagely cleared his throat. I didn’t like how stoic and sanitary he sounded.
“Thank you. I really appreciate it. I really am sorry,” I reassured him, trying to search his gaze for a hint of true emotion. If there was any, he was keeping it tightly under lock and key.
I had so many questions for him. I hadn’t forgotten about the accusations about me and something to do with his dreams, but in the wake of overcoming the grief for his family, it didn’t seem fair of me to bring any other issues up.
“Ok, then. Are … are we ok?” I asked warily.
He looked much better with full meals and better clothes, though the serviceable tunic and black shirt was a far cry from the fancy gold brocade the royal family was known for. Shadows still hung under his eyes, as dark as the crown on his head.
