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Several fair strands of hair slid over his forehead as he tilted his head to the side. “If I lied, would you believe me?”
“No.”
A brief smile appeared. “I thought you might like to walk the courtyard since I got the distinct impression that you do not like to stay in the bedchamber.”
“Does this distinct impression include me complaining about having to stay in my bedchamber?” I asked.
“Possibly.”
Every part of my being preferred to be outside instead of in my chamber, even with my aching head. “His Highness said that I must remain in my bedchamber.”
Ector had lifted a brow at the His Highness part. “As long as we’re not near the southern gates, you will not be seen.”
“Okay.” I stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind me.
Seeming to fight a smile, he nodded and extended an arm toward the end of the hall, where a less elaborate staircase was located that fed into one of the many side entrances of the palace. “After you.”
I started forward, only taking a handful of steps before something occurred to me. I glanced over at the god, who had fallen into step beside me. “Did he tell you it was okay for me to go into the courtyard?”
There was no need to clarify who he was. “Possibly,” Ector replied and opened the heavy door.
As we traveled the winding, narrow staircase, I refused to acknowledge the fact that Ash had been thinking of me, even though I knew he was highly irritated. We stepped out into the placid air near an unguarded section of the Red Woods. I really had no desire to go near that place again, so I veered to our left, toward the area where Reaver had been learning to fly. It was on the west wall close to the front gates, but we wouldn’t be seen.
We walked along the Rise in silence for several minutes. High above us, a guard patrolled. “Are all the guards gods or…”
“They’re a mixture of gods and mortals,” he answered. “There are even a few godlings.”
“How does one become a guard here?”
“It’s by choice. They go through extensive training. Usually, they only need to worry about the Shades, but every so often, something else comes to the wall.”
“Something else?”
Ector nodded as he stared ahead. His features were relaxed, but he constantly sca
The only thing that came rushing at us was a small draken who’d come ru
“Hey there.” I knelt as Jadis blew past Ector and plopped her front talons on my bent knees. “What are you up to?”
“Driving me mad,” Davina griped as Reaver came to rest beside Ector. “The moment she saw you two walk past one of the windows, she started having a fit.”
Gri
Reaver grumbled as his diamond-shaped head swiveled toward me.
“I can watch both of them,” I amended. “As long as you,” I said, looking down at Jadis, “promise not to jump off things.”
The young draken chirped.
“Not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.” Davina pivoted, her neat ponytail swishing as she stalked back toward the palace. “Have fun with that.”
I glanced up at Ector as Jadis pinwheeled into Reaver. “I don’t know if she likes me.”
Ector laughed. “No one knows if Dav likes them or is five seconds away from setting them on fire.”
“Good to know it’s not personal,” I murmured as we trailed after the draken. “Do they understand us when we speak to them? The draken?”
“They do. Well, Jadis sometimes has trouble… paying attention long enough…” He trailed off, frowning as Jadis snapped at her tail. “To listen.”
I smiled as the female draken stopped suddenly and launched at Reaver’s tail. “She kind of reminds me of a cross between a puppy and a toddler.”
“Yeah, but neither a puppy nor a toddler can belch fire.”
I cringed. “Good point.”
As we walked on, my thoughts drifted to what I’d learned yesterday about the Chosen. “Did you know Gemma?” I asked.
Ector blinked as his gaze jerked in my direction. “That’s a random question.”
“I know.” I clasped my hands together. “I was just thinking about her—about the Chosen. Ash told me the truth about them.”
The god was quiet for a moment. “I’m sure that came as a shock.”
“It did. A part of me has a hard time believing it.”
“And the other part?”
“The other part wants to burn the whole thing to the ground,” I said, looking up as a large shadow fell over us. A deep green draken glided through the air, letting out a deep, rumbling call that was answered moments later by another that flew higher. Feeling Ector’s gaze on me, I looked over at him. “What?”
“Nothing.” He walked on, keeping an eye on Reaver as the draken lifted into the air above Jadis. “To answer your question, I didn’t know Gemma very well. She hadn’t been in the Shadowlands long, only a few months.”
So, she definitely could’ve been skittish. Sadness pressed on my chest as I sighed. “Are there ever any clouds here? Rain?”
Ector arched a brow at yet another incredibly random question. “No. It is always like this.” His chin tipped up to the gray sky. “You’d think after all these years, I’d have gotten used to not seeing clouds and the sun. But I haven’t.”
Surprise flickered through me. “You’re not from here?”
He shook his head. “But I’ve been here for so long, it’s the only real home I can remember—well, except for the blue skies of Vathi.”
“Vathi?” I scrunched my nose as I searched distant memories concerning the different locations in Iliseeum. “Is that…Attes’s Court?”
“It’s the Court for both the Primal of Accord and War and the Primal of Peace and Vengeance,” he said, also referencing the Primal Kyn. “I was only there for a century or two.”
A short laugh left me. “Only a century or two?”
He gri
“Older than Ash?” I asked.
“By several hundred years.”
“Wow,” I murmured.
“I look good for my age, don’t I?” A teasing glint filled his eyes.
I nodded. “Did you know his parents?”
“I did. I knew Eythos and Mycella pretty well.”
Turning to him, I stopped under the shadow of an imposing tower as Jadis came to my side. She tugged on the skirt of my gown, pulling the material against her cheek. I truly had no idea what she was doing, but I decided to let her continue. “Nektas made it sound like he was also close to his parents.”
“He was.” Ector’s gaze flicked to me. “When did he tell you that?”
“This morning.” I watched Reaver land behind Ector.
“When you were with Nyktos?” He laughed softly as my eyes widened. “I saw you two this morning when I went to speak with him.”
“Oh,” I whispered, feeling my cheeks warm and having no idea why. I glanced toward the southern area of the Rise where a guard shouted an order to open the gate. Nektas and Ector both knew Ash’s father and appeared close to the Primal, yet neither knew why his father had made the deal. “Did either of you think this kind of deal was something that Eythos would’ve made?”
Ector didn’t answer for a long moment. “Eythos loved Mycella, even more so after she was killed. He would’ve never remarried, but…” A heavy sigh shuttled through him as he squinted. “To be honest, Eythos was very clever. He was always pla
But what could that reason be—one that made sense?
“You know,” Ector said, glancing at me. “I also watched you.” He winced as my brows flew up. “That sounds creepier than I intended. What I meant is that I would sometimes join Lathan when he kept an eye on you. That’s how I knew what you looked like to find you when Ash gave me the dagger.”
“I…I hadn’t known that.” I let out a long breath. “And I really don’t know how to feel about that—about anyone watching me when I had no idea.”
“Yeah.” Ector idly scratched his jaw. “Well, I guess it doesn’t help to know that we had good intentions.”
“It does,” I told him. “And it doesn’t—”
A shout from the other side of the courtyard snapped us around. Another yell was heard. I stilled. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but that’s coming from the southern gate.” Ector started forward and then cursed. “Can I trust you to stay here?”
“Sure.”
His eyes narrowed. “I have a feeling I’m going to regret this, but stay here,” he ordered. “I’ll be right back.”
I nodded dutifully as Reaver craned his neck in the direction of the commotion. “I will be right here.”
With one last look of warning, Ector turned and jogged off, disappearing around one of the palace’s swirling turrets.
Kneeling, I pulled Jadis off Reaver. “Sorry,” I said, extending my other arm toward Reaver as she trilled sharply. “But you two are coming with me.”
Reaver’s head snapped back to mine, and his bright crimson eyes narrowed.
“I have a feeling you listen to orders about as well as I do,” I said. “But I’m hoping you come along with me. I want to be nosy and see what’s going on. Don’t you?”
He glanced toward the southern front and then nodded as Jadis climbed my left arm. I rose, hoping she held on as I turned. Reaver got a bit of a ru
Up ahead, the southern gates were closing. A group had gathered before them around a wagon, and I immediately found Ector in the crowd. He leaned into the back of the wagon. Beside him was Rhahar.
“We found her about a mile from Mount Rhee. Orphine spotted her,” Rhahar said while I crept forward, peering between those gathered. A sharp swirl of tingles spread out from my chest, causing my breath to catch. The answering, throbbing warmth caused me to stop. There was a bundled shape in the back of the wagon.
Rhahar ran a hand over his closely cropped hair. “We were closer to her than the Healers. I had Orphine go for help, but…you can see for yourself. It doesn’t look good.”
Ector’s shoulders stiffened as he reached into the wagon. “No. It doesn’t.” He leaned in, gathering the bundle in his arms. He turned, looking past me, and then his gaze shot back. “Of course, you didn’t listen.”