Page 144 of Somber Prince
The black soot had been washed off his body. But thin rivulets of thick smoke still trickled faintly down his arms.
His skin, normally smooth like polished onyx, looked rough and scarred on his high cheekbones—scorched by sunlight and abraded by the wind. However, his golden eyes lit aglow, and his chapped lips curved into a smile the moment he saw me.
After a few tentative steps toward him, I moved faster, then ran across the hall, eager to feel his arms around me.
The guards around him proved faster than me, however. Two of them crossed their swords between us, stopping me barely two steps away from him.
“Rha…” I panted, breathless.
His body swayed toward me, but his feet remained rooted in place. Only his eyes locked with mine, betraying the passion that raged inside him, restrained by the impenetrable armor of his self-control.
“Hello, Dawn,” he said so calmly, it sounded almost unnatural, considering the circumstances.
“She released you? You’re leaving?” Not possessing anything close to his composure, I nervously wrung my hands and restlessly shifted from foot to foot.
“Yes. The queen wants me out of Kalmena. I am to leave for Teneris immediately, with the escort she provided. I’m allowed to bring along nothing but the most essential supplies to cross the desert. And only as much as I can carry.”
I drew in a shaky breath, fighting tears that burned behind my eyelids.
He was alive. Death was no longer looming over him. That had to be enough. I should be happy he survived. Only I felt nothing but misery at having to let him go, without even a chance for a hug.
Seeing as we weren’t trying to fight them, the guards lowered their swords.
A wild spark flashed in Rha’s eyes. A cocky smirk momentarily lifted a corner of his mouth as he lunged forward, sleek like a shadow. In the blink of an eye, I was in his arms. And not just in a hug. He lifted me off the ground, holding me like he was never letting me go.
Without questioning it, I snapped my arms and legs around him so tightly it would take an army to pry us apart.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured.
I buried my face in the silk of his scarf, breathing in his familiar scent. He was alive, and I couldn’t believe I got to hold him again. Touch him. Breathe him in.
The sound of blades drawn out of their sheaths circled us. The guards surrounded us.
General Tanari stepped forward. “The Joy Vessel stays here. Please release her, Your Highness.”
I stiffened, bracing for the worst. Rha calmly shifted me to the side to see the general, not showing any intention of setting me down.
“I’m taking Dawn with me, General. On the queen’s orders.”
The general’s bushy eyebrows jerked up in shock.
“But Queen Abeille decreed all Joy Vessels, including those from your sarai, now belong to her.”
Rha nodded. “Absolutely. You’re right. All Joy Vessels belong to the queen, just like everything else in Kalmena belongs to her, including the supplies I have in my satchel. The queen said I’m allowed to take anything I can carry, and I’m taking Dawn. Rest assured, General, I will carry her all the way out of Kalmena as per the queen’s wishes. I’ll carry her all the way to Teneris if I have to. I’ll never let her go.”
The general squinted at Rha, looking impressed by his logic, though still somewhat doubtful.
“Surely, Her Majesty meant for you to take only the essential supplies necessary for your survival in the desert,” he said.
“But Dawn is the most essential of them all,” Rha retorted firmly. “I can make the entire journey from here to Teneris with no food and very little water. But I refuse to spend another second without her.”
The general rubbed the back of his neck, then lowered his weapon. He seemed to have no personal dislike of Rha. The prince’s explanation sounded logical enough for him, it appeared.
“May the gods protect you during your journey and beyond.” The general made a gesture to the guards, and they stepped back, letting Rha pass.
The golden gates opened, and Rha carried me out of the palace.
My heart raced as he crossed the plaza with the tall platform, the place of his torment. He didn’t spare it a glance, taking me to a street behind it that led to the city gate.