Page 153 of War Queen
The darkness of night around them brightened to day, and the scene of death faded and opened to a landscape of rolling rocky hills. A flock of birds flew overhead, and he lifted his eyes to them.
“They show me,” he said.
She followed his gaze up to the birds.
“They show me the landscape, how to get through, if danger is near. They are my eyes.”
His birds. “You control them with your blood?”
Lucien gave a small acknowledging smile.
“So, you just go around dripping blood on creatures, having them do your will?”
He chuckled. “Something like that.”
“Does it hurt? You have to… cut yourself?”
He nodded. “It did, but I’m used to it now.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, softer. “That still sounds terrible.” He had to hurt himself to give the blood. He had to cut himself to talk to her like they were now.
“You don’t need to feel sorry for me.” He pulled his dagger from his belt and drew the blade across his palm, opening the skin and spilling his blood to the floor.
She gasped. But before her eyes, the edges of the skin closed themselves, and the wound healed. Her mouth fell open. “You can heal yourself?”
He watched her a moment before saying, “No. I have a healer. A true healer.”
“Your witch?”
“No. Another, not a witch.”
The fact that he would tell her that surprised her. She was gaining his trust, and her heart leapt. Would he tell her more?
“How do you control someone’s mind?” she asked him.
He hesitated, then said, “I can’t. Humans are too intelligent, too strong.”
“But the men you sent to kill me—”
“My people. They willingly yielded their minds to me.”
“And died for you,” she added.
“They’re all willing to die for me, for our cause.”
“And what cause is that?”
But he didn’t answer. She blew out a breath. So much death. And for what? They continued their walk through the rocky hills, although the birds had disappeared.
She had so many more questions for him but was wary of it being too much, too soon. This was so much more progress than she’d expected, and she wanted to protect it.
“I should return, before I’m missed,” she said.
The scene around them changed back to the tunnels of woven greenery and flowers. He walked her to the short stair that led back up to her dressing room.
“I’d like to talk again,” she said.
The sharpness of his face softened, and he gave a small nod. “I’d like that too.”
