Page 113 of War Queen
She couldn’t help a smile of her own. No doubt Adrian’s being the brother of Mercia’s former lord justice also helped. And he was right, Adrian was extremely clever and knew Kharavian battle standards and strategies, and he wouldn’t shy away from challenging one’s thinking—even a king’s.
Soren gave a quick nod and then turned for the door. “Salar wants to see me.”
“There is one more thing,” she said, stopping him. He paused and looked at her, a wariness immediately coming to him. She didn’t say anything else; she only turned her eyes to the small vial that sat on top of her vanity, waiting for him to react.
And he did. “You received that here? Just now?”
She shook her head. “No, while you were in Aleon.”
“What did Salar say?”
Damn it. She rocked forward as she searched for the words.
“Youdidtell Salar. Didn’t you?”
“I wanted to, but—”
“How could you not?” His voice was thick with anger.
Norah stood. “I panicked! Mikael used the last vial, and we’re lucky nothing happened. We don’t know what power we’re dealing with. I didn’t know how he’d react, or how Alexander would react. And when I didn’t tell him the first day, the second day was even harder. Then the third, then the fourth.” She looked down at her hands. “I can’t tell him now. Now he’ll think I’m hiding something.”
“Well, you are,” he snapped.
“You know what I mean,” she cut back. Her stomach twisted, and she moved and sat on the edge of the bed. “Soren,” she breathed. “Please. I don’t know what to do.”
He lingered by the vanity before picking up the vial. She couldn’t look at him. She only waited for the lecture she knew would come.
But it didn’t.
The bed sank under his weight as he sat beside her, and they let the quiet lay between them for a while.
“You truly believe this is the Bear?” he asked.
She didn’t know what to believe anymore. “I don’t know.” Her lip trembled as her eyes welled. “I want it to be.”
“And that’s why you didn’t tell Salar.”
“He doesn’t understand. He doesn’ttryto understand. But it’s not what it appears, it’s not like that—”
“I know.” He stared at the vial in his hand. “Let’s say it is Alexander.” He looked at her. “There is a time where we all say goodbye.”
The breath left her lungs. She knew this. But still…
“We have to move forward,” he continued.
“It’s easy for you to say,” she whispered. “You hated him.”
He sighed. Then he stood and slowly unclipped his cloak from his shoulders and pulled it off.
She gasped as she stood. Covering the broad stretch of skin across the center of his back was the image of a shield. But it wasn’t just any shield—it was Alexander’s shield.
She reached out and brushed her fingertips over the patterns that together formed a greater picture.
“I asked Salta Tau for the marking,” he said, “for the loss of my greatest adversary. And she gave me his shield upon my back.” He turned, and his eyes found hers again. “I carry him with me now. And so will you. But you have to say goodbye.”
Say goodbye?She couldn’t do that. “I’m still figuring things out.”
He shook his head. “You’re not figuring things out. There’s no information he gives you. He doesn’t speak. There’s no purpose to seeing him, other than comfort. But that comfort will keep you from moving forward. You have to let him go.” His brows drew together. “And he’s supposed to be watching over the North, not visiting you in visions. Tell him to do his job, or I’ll pull his worthless body from the Hall of Souls and send him to your gods.”
