Page 21 of Kingdom of Spirits
Tahlia’s throat went tight. Separation from the Seabreak would feel akin to losing a limb. No, worse than that. It would be like having her soul scraped out of her body.
Shoving her fear into a dark corner of her mind, Tahlia started to walk away. “I’m going to find him.”
Fara stopped her with a hand. “Now?”
Tahlia swallowed. “Yes.”
“Be careful,” Fara said. “Promise me you won’t do anything insane.”
“Your definition is different from mine,” Tahlia said.
“We are using my definition here.”
“I can’t always be careful, Fara.”
“You are never careful. I’m just asking for you to give it a whirl in this mad situation.”
A dark laugh rose from Tahlia. “I’ll do what I can.”
Fara hugged her close, then released her. “I’m going to eat my way through the market and try to pretend this isn’t happening.”
“Good plan.”
Fara started in the direction of the arena’s main entrance, waving a hand in the air as a farewell.
Tahlia knew exactly how lucky she was to have Fara in her life, but Tahlia had to risk telling Marius everything she’d seen. He needed to know. Now.
Chapter 9
Tahlia
The corridors were oddly silent and Tahlia hurried through the passageways toward Marius’s chambers, which were situated above the great hall. A stone staircase wound its way up to the next floor of the keep and arrow slits set into the walls let in rectangles of the morning sunlight.
Marius’s oaken door boasted a scene that had become familiar. A view one could only see from a dragon’s back, the door’s carving depicted the keep, the two rings of stone walls that surrounded it, the main waterfall that Tahlia couldn’t recall the name of at the moment, and the jagged peaks that ran from Dragon Tail like a dragon’s spiny back.
Tahlia lifted the bronze knocker—formed to look like a dragon’s tooth—and let it bang down, heralding her arrival.
Marius answered quickly, swinging the door open. His eyes held the darkness of grief, but one corner of his mouth flicked upward as he looked at her. He stole her breath with his rough-edged good looks.
“Lady Tahlia.”
His voice was a balm, easing her busy mind and anxious heart.
He stepped back, and she entered his rooms. The scent of beeswax candles and Marius’s scent of cloves tickled Tahlia’s nose. He offered her a pillowed chair by a small round table that held a decanter of water. She took it and looked up at him.
“I am so sorry about Commander Gaius. He was very important to you.”
“To all of us.” He poured two cups of water and set one in front of her.
Oh, the way his words broke on the last syllable… Her heart ached for him. “But especially to you, I think.”
“It’s true.” He drank down a swallow and studied her face. “You already know me better than most, my lady.”
The sorrow in his eyes pressed against her pulse points, making it hard not to hang her head and weep with him.
Maybe she should, but…
“I have some uncomfortable information,” she said, keeping her tone even.