Chapter 24

" A re you ready to give up yet?" Olly teases after two hours of intense morning training. My legs are throbbing, and I can hardly lift my arms above my head. He's asked this same question repeatedly over the last hour, but my ego refuses to admit defeat.

"No." My voice betrays the lie all too clearly.

He steps closer to me, wearing a devilish smirk. "Then show me fifty lunges."

"Only if you do them with me." If he's strong enough to keep going, then so am I.

"Fine. Fifty lunges. Let's go." He lowers into the stance without showing so much as a hint of pain. The lines of his abs flex beneath the sweat dripping down his body, completely free of any shaking or fatigue.

I, on the other hand, fight back tears as I bend my legs. My muscles quiver in protest.

"Do you have something to say?" He moves up and down in his lunge as if the movement is as easy as breathing.

Curse him. I regret ever asking him to join me in this ridiculous endeavor. "I'm done for the day," I whisper, folding my arms across my chest.

"What was that?" He leans in, cupping his hand around his ear.

"You heard me," I say through gritted teeth.

"I did not! I need you to repeat yourself."

I huff in frustration and yell, "I'm ready to give up!"

"That's all you needed to say, darling." He strides toward me with evident satisfaction written in his smile. "Now, how about I give you a tour of the gardens?"

"Now?" I don't know that I can walk to the gardens without my legs crumbling.

"Come on," he says, reaching a hand out to me. "Just say yes." His almond eyes narrow on me as he bites his lip. Thankfully, my cheeks are already reddened by the workout, or else he might see how deeply that look affected me.

"Fine."

"Good. Let's go." Before I can stop him, he scoops me up in his arms, cradling me against his bare chest. He holds me like the weight is nothing, even after our workout.

"Gods, Olly! You could have warned me first!" I wrap my hands around his neck and consider whether or not he'll drop me if I squirm. Better to just stay still.

"If I had warned you, I would have missed that delicious look on your face." He steps down the spiral staircase without missing a breath.

"Are you going to carry me all the way there?"

"Would you rather walk?"

My mouth snaps shut. "No."

He gives me a playful wink. "Then get comfortable, Princess."

"Don't call me Princess!" I swear he says it just to rattle me.

And, true to his word, he carries me all the way to the garden. I don't know what type of magic he used to sustain a two-hour workout and still manage to carry me so far.

"Where are you taking me, anyways?" I've already seen the garden. What could be worth carrying me all this way?

He sets me down gently and then grabs my hand. "I want to show you my second favorite part of the palace. Behind the rooftop, of course." His eyes are fixed on the flower-lined path ahead. "Have you been out here before?"

"Not really." Not enough to report anything remarkable, that is.

"Good." He pulls me alongside him, stepping over a mound of flowers. "I'll get to see your expression when you experience it for the first time."

"And what will I be experiencing?" I ask.

"You have to see it to believe it."

"How far away is it?" I amble forward with the grace of a wounded animal.

"Not far. I promise"

Behind a row of trees, he finally stops in front of a gazebo covered in flowering vines. The floor is covered in mosaic tiles that form circles around the center. White stone peeks out from beneath the vines that crawl from rounded pillars up to the domed ceiling.

"We're here," he says.

"Did we walk all this way to see a gazebo?" I might be from Carcera, but I have seen a gazebo before.

"Stand here." He places his hands on my shoulders to position me above the very center. "Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Can you stop being stubborn for one minute and close your eyes?"

"Fine," I huff, squeezing my eyes shut. Before long, a gentle vibration begins to stir beneath my feet. It tickles my toes and then my shins, growing more intense as it cascades up my legs and spine. An unfamiliar orchestral tune fills the air around me. Behind my eyelids, I see a wave of golden sparks bursting and dancing, swaying to the violin's crescendo. I am entranced in a world of light and sound, unlike anything I've ever experienced.

It's like spinning in the center of a tornado, encasing us in music and color. His hands grip my shoulders, keeping us both steady and upright.

"What is this?" I shout, unsure if the words will be drowned out by the magnificent song filling my ears.

He grabs my hand, standing chest to chest with me as if to join us together. "It's an orreleum. This gazebo holds the imprint of the Mendacian Orchestra. If you position yourself just right, it immerses you in the song."

"It's like floating in a dream!" I don't want to open my eyes. I want to stay here in this moment, soaking in the sound like my life depends on it. It's so pure and vibrant that I wonder how the gods even allow mere mortals to partake in it.

Olly's hand trails down my arm, fingers lightly grazing against my skin. He follows that trail down to my fingers and then up to my collarbone, where he traces the indentations. Once he's satisfied there, that gentle touch moves up to the back of my neck. "Sometimes you must let go to move forward. This place helps me to abandon that which holds me back. It's like drinking from the stars and growing drunk on their light."

With his touch grounded firmly on the base of my neck, it feels like we are spinning together in a whirl of beauty. Though our feet are planted, it feels like we are dancing high above the ground. Then his lips meet mine, uniting us in a cosmic dance. My entire body hums like a fire sparking in the night, exploding with the light of popping embers.

My fingers raise to his bare back, wrapping us closer together as I study the firmness of it. Whatever led us to this point no longer seems to matter. For a moment, I begin to think that all might be okay. We, together , might be okay.

How could the prophecy lead to anything better than this?

That thought ends when a body comes barreling into me, pulling me out of the dream-like trance and knocking me and Olly onto the cold tiles. When I open my eyes, it's like falling back down to earth. Landers is standing over me.

"Sorry, I tripped," he shrugs, smirking menacingly.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on Radya, lest I have that hand removed," Olly threatens with a ferociousness that I haven't yet seen as he pulls himself up to his feet. His eyes are knifing into his friend with a killer scold.

"Apologies, my Prince." He slices the words through gritted teeth, seething. "I know how you love to share this place with anyone willing to listen to you for five minutes."

That comment hurt more than it should. It felt so special, so intimate, to be encapsulated in light and sound together. It was as if our souls had become intertwined. But, of course, I could never be so special.

"Radya, that's not true." There's fury burning behind his eyes when he looks at me. "I took you here to help us move forward together. I need to build a future with you."

Need . Not want. He needs to build a future with me.

Whatever this is, I want no part of it.

I peel myself off of the floor, wincing at the ache returning to my legs. "Thank you for your help this morning. I need to get dressed before my lesson with Sir Magis." I make a sad attempt at nodding gracefully to both Olly and Landers. "Goodbye."

Landers snorts a devious laugh. And as I turn to walk away, I hear Olly shove Landers so hard that he stumbles.