22. CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 22

KALYLL

Once more, I awoke before Daniella. It was a treat to watch her sleep, and a relief to find her by my side safe and sound after the woeful time I spent fretting and mourning over her. At every moment, I wanted to keep my eyes on her to ensure she was all right. How she had coerced a promise out of me to let her fight, I still didn’t know.

I did believe she could take care of herself. She had gained a couple of very dangerous skills, after all. Yet, I didn’t think I would ever stop worrying about her well-being.

But a promise was a promise, and I would not use my worry to stifle her.

Her eyes fluttered open, and it was like sunshine warming my face as they appraised me with tenderness.

“Good morning,” she said, covering her mouth with one hand.

I pulled it away and planted a kiss on her lips. “Good morning, my queen.”

Immediately aroused, I started sliding a hand down her side, ready to make her wriggle under me, but my plans were destroyed when the door burst open. Shirtless, wearing only a pair of loose trousers, I jumped to my feet, expecting guards to pour in and arrest us. Instead, Kryn stomped into the room, wearing a huge smile.

“We’ve been waiting too long. This is an indecent hour to still be in bed.” He marched straight in my direction, wrapped me in a tight embrace, and thumped on my back. “Brother.”

I thumped back, my chest swelling with a myriad of feelings.

Awkwardly, Kryn pulled away, avoiding eye contact, for which I was glad. It seemed he’d marched in here on impulse alone and was embarrassed by his display of affection. I was chagrined as well. This was highly unusual. Still, I couldn’t be anything but grateful to call him my brother.

The rest of the Sub Rosa entered the room. They were all smiling and looking relieved. Daniella, for her part, was sitting up against the headboard, the sheets pulled tightly around her.

“I see you’ve been making up for lost time,” Cylea said, wiggling an eyebrow.

A fierce blush colored Daniella’s cheeks. She opened her mouth to say something, then her gaze flicked to the door. “Larina. Shadow. Please, come in.”

The pixie and the sprite hesitated for a moment but eventually flew into the chamber. They both inclined their heads in a respectful salute.

“King Kalyll,” they said in unison.

Abandoning all shyness, Daniella flung the sheets aside and got out of bed. “Larina, I’m so happy to see you.”

The pixie zoomed to Daniella’s shoulder and hugged a lock of her hair. It was the strangest thing I’d ever seen. Pixies were distrustful of the big folk, as they called us. True, Daniella was not Fae, but I wasn’t the only one who seemed surprised by the gesture.

Larina batted her wings and backed away from Daniella.

“Are you all right?” Daniella asked. “I was worried about you.”

“Worried about me? You were the one who disappeared without telling anyone. We thought…” She couldn’t finish. She only appeared distraught.

I regarded Daniella with pride. She had made a friend of the pixie, had broken through untold species and social barriers with her warmth and kindness. She would make a better queen than anyone my parents could have chosen and would help me fulfill my plans for equality and progress in Elf-hame.

“Dani, you have to tell us how you freed him,” Silver said. “The sorceress couldn’t give us any details. You think she would’ve at least found out the barest minimum last night.”

“Perhaps we can discuss it over breakfast,” Jeondar said. “I’m sure they’re hungry.”

Arabis approached Daniella and took her hand, shaking her head in disapproval. “You were reckless, weren’t you?”

Daniella shrugged one shoulder.

“You were simply supposed to find out where Cardian was keeping him so we could all rescue him. You could’ve been killed.”

“I know,” Daniella admitted, “but things didn’t go exactly as planned. As soon as Cardian heard, he started to transfer by himself. I couldn’t let the opportunity slip away.”

“And then you got infinitely lucky, it seems.” Kryn looked me up and down as if I were the resulting miracle of Daniella’s recklessness.

“There was no luck involved, I assure you.” I had to make this clear. No one should think of Daniella as anything but capable. “But let’s do as Jeondar suggested. We’ll tell you everything over breakfast.”

I started trying to usher them out of the chamber so that Daniella and I could change into proper attire when Shadow—who had remained quiet but for the whir of her wings—cleared her throat.

“Is Cardian Adanorin dead?” she asked without a preamble of any sort.

Her question made me bristle, especially because she seemed terribly eager for an answer.

“Shadow of Sunnar,” I said, pressing a fist to my chest and bowing my head. “I find your inquiry inappropriate.”

To my right, Kryn shuffled from foot to foot, finding the rug very interesting. The sprite showed no signs of chagrin, however. Instead, she raised her chin higher, unapologetic.

“I have made no pretense that I want him dead,” she said. “He murdered my queen. For that, I wish death upon him, preferably at my hand. Am I too late?”

The reaction that assailed me was unexpected. I couldn’t believe she would dare to ask such a thing. That was my little brother she was talking about. I still remembered him crawling at Mother’s feet, still recalled the way he looked up to me when he began his sword fighting lessons and promised me he would be as good as me. Despite the horrors he had put me through in Nerethien, why did I want to spare him?

Despite everything, this reaction showed me I didn’t wish him dead. Mother and Father would not want that either.

I took a step forward, an involuntary growl rumbling deep in my throat.

“Kalyll.” Daniella placed a hand on my elbow. “Shadow and her network of friends were instrumental in your rescue, as I’ve already explained.” Her voice was soothing and diplomatic as she, once more, demonstrated the qualities of a true leader.

Inhaling deeply, I relaxed my shoulders and regarded Shadow with ill-gotten composure. “I will beg you to refrain from expressing yourself in that manner in front of me. In fact, I wish for all of you to do so. I can understand your reasons for wishing Cardian dead. By the gods, until this moment, I thought I wished the same. But despite everything, I do not find solace in the prospect of his demise.”

“Apologies, my king.” Shadow inclined her head. “It will not happen again.”

The sprite had always been direct and a creature of very few words. I knew I could trust her to refrain from ever discussing this matter in front of me again. “Thank you, Shadow, and I also thank you for your help to my friends and to me.”

Another curt bow from her.

“Well, now that that’s out of the way,” Silver said, “Naesala mentioned something about a full delicious breakfast. I’m quite looking forward to it, even if I don’t know what it is. The food here is always interesting.”

The tension leaked out of the room. It was Silver’s specialty to diffuse a situation with some nonsense or another, and in this instance, I could only be grateful to him.