Chapter Thirty-Five Nara

C HAPTER T HIRTY-FIVE

N ARA

‘What about this one?’

I look over my shoulder as Link holds up a bright yellow gown – rather sore to the eyes. A few other dresses lie behind him on the settee of the dressing chambers inside the castle.

‘Link, I adore you most of the time,’ Rydan says with a hand on his chest, ‘but your style is worse than the Ambrose family.’

Freya grimaces as she nods in agreement, and I frown at them.

Link pouts, throwing the frilly dress onto the bed. ‘Should we not have a seamstress or maid for this?’

‘We do.’ Freya nods.

‘Sarilyn does,’ I correct her. ‘Or did.’ I turn back to the assortment of jewellery in front of me that is safely placed within a glass case. ‘The majority died at the hands of Aurum.’

The room becomes quiet.

It’s only been a week since I trapped Aurum inside the Isle of Elements; a week since Gus sacrificed himself to save me. We have managed to lock Sarilyn away and send the Elves back to Thallan, both dead and partially alive, per Darius’s wishes.

Yet, even with that, the people of Emberwell still fear for their lives. Our world is crumbling by the second; our crops are dying; other kingdoms are suffering from the change in weather patterns, and then Darius . . . Darius is not himself. He hasn’t been for a long time, ever since Aurum captured him, but now it is different. Despite gaining his powers back and embracing the Crello side of him – figuring out new powers tied to water each day – I often awaken at night to find him drinking in another room. Even Freya has tried to speak with him, but she can only go so far with tuning into his emotions. He likes to play it all off with humour, and Freya falls for it just like I always do.

‘This one looks good enough,’ Rydan says, cutting through my daydream.

‘Oh, that one is gorgeous.’ Freya crosses the room as I turn to look at the three huddled together, all ogling a golden gown.

I recognise it as one of Sarilyn’s. Its cape sleeves resemble ethereal wings as they flow from the shoulders and touch the floor, while its heart-shaped bodice looks like it can mould to any figure.

My friends might admire how it looks, but I, on the other hand, can’t shake the queasy feeling it evokes within me.

Still, too much wafting through gowns has made my head pound with useless thoughts that I don’t wish to endure any longer.

‘I can just envision it!’ Freya is beaming excitedly, her bronzed cheeks reddening. ‘I could even style her hair into—’

‘I’ll let Darius know,’ I cut them off with a nod, waltzing towards the double doors.

‘Nara, wait,’ Freya calls out, and I stay put. I keep my eye on the doorknob, knowing that if I look at her, that glow of happiness might just fade. She has tried so hard to keep it all together for me. ‘Iker told me that Lorcan wanted to speak to Darius.’

My shoulders relax as I release a slow breath. ‘I know,’ I say softly and leave the dressing chamber.

Regardless of the times I’ve been inside this castle, the long corridors seem endless as I turn and search for Darius. He’s inside the sitting room, murmuring something to Lorcan, when I stop just outside the door and dip behind the wall.

I peer over the side, hoping Darius won’t catch my scent. He is always ever so perceptive when I am around.

Lorcan stands while Darius lounges on one of the quaint chairs by the long windows. His legs extend comfortably and his chin tilts upwards. He contemplates the ceiling as if that is more interesting than listening to his brother.

‘You can’t win them all over,’ Lorcan is telling him. ‘Remember, in their eyes, you are still the criminal that Sarilyn hunted for years.’

Darius huffs out a chuckle, levelling him a look. ‘You’re forgetting you also hunted me for years.’

That doesn’t go down well with Lorcan. His jaw ticks. ‘Under Erion’s influence.’

‘Yes, that makes it much better.’

‘I thought we could get over this petty squabbling. You got the girl – you even married in secret – and all of this belongs to you .’

I stifle the annoyance building up in my throat. I don’t like how Lorcan referred to me as a prize in a game. Our relationship is a complicated one that no one can fathom. Yes, he has saved me many times, even risking his position in Aeris to come get us, but our history still lingers there on the brink of a precipice. And no matter what I do, he and I need more than a week’s worth of talking things out.

‘I never got her.’ Darius shoots up from the chair, his face metres away from Lorcan’s. ‘This was never a competition for me. None of it was.’

Lorcan huffs, but Darius points a finger to his chest, his voice low.

‘I cared for you because you were my only family,’ he says. ‘At least I thought that until Gus.’

I might not see it on his face, but I know it hurts him just as much. He hasn’t said it to me, and I don’t think he will for a long time, but I can feel it. I can feel how much he blames himself for never having forgiven Gus to his face.

I let my guard down, choosing to walk away but not in the most stealthy way. Lorcan’s eyes flit over to the doorway, spotting me, and Darius’s gaze follows.

He turns and smiles as if nothing has been said. ‘Spying on us, Goldie?’

Lorcan looks at me pensively, wondering if I heard it all.

Throwing him off course, I stroll into the room, rolling my eyes. ‘I don’t need to spy on you to know you most likely talked about how much you love yourself.’

‘I think you’ve just unlocked another power from Solaris.’ Darius chuckles as I reach him. He crosses his arms over his chest as he dips his head closer to mine. ‘All knowing.’

I squash down the flutter in my stomach with a haughty grin.

The atmosphere turns sour when my eyes find Lorcan’s; I can almost taste the acid burning my tongue. Darius notices himself, his smile fading as he takes a step away from me.

I wonder if it is his way of wanting not to rub what he and I have in Lorcan’s face.

‘Lorcan was telling me how we should approach the public today,’ Darius says.

Lorcan’s expression turns sombre for a second, but he shakes it away with a clear of his throat. ‘Yes, um—’ He scratches the back of his head, not looking directly at us. ‘It’s important you show them they can be safe under your command.’

‘I am not looking to command.’ Darius sounds so serious that Lorcan sighs and runs a hand over his face in exhaustion.

‘That’s a problem we keep encountering with him.’

And Darius calls me stubborn.

‘Command is just another way of controlling others.’ Darius turns his back to us as he walks towards the windows and leans his his arm over his forehead, watching the garden outside, the dying trees . . . the barracks now occupied by shifters and surviving Venators. ‘That is exactly what Sarilyn and Aurum did.’

Lorcan looks as if he is close to losing his patience. A vein pops up on his forehead. ‘How do you expect to be king if you refuse to keep order in Emberwell—’

‘Unity,’ Darius simply says. ‘Make them understand that dragons, goblins, pixies, humans and more are all the same.’ The window reflects his gold eyes as he never takes his eyes off what’s outside. Darius never wanted to be king, and now it feels like his only choice.

I draw closer to him, placing my hand on his arm. The touch makes him turn to look at me. ‘What if they don’t want to understand?’

A shadow of pride and longing reaches his eyes before they snap to Lorcan. My head swivels to see him staring at us both. ‘Then,’ Darius says, ‘we give them time. And no matter what, we will always try to help the people of Emberwell get back what they lost, whether they approve of my future reign or not.’