Page 71 of Hearts on Fire

He waved his hand at me.

“Well, you see, that’s the difference between you and me, dear Amber. I prefer to view them as political figures. Kings and queens are just game pieces on my board. And to me, this looks like an excellent plan. All you’ll have to do to go along with it is to find the moral reasoning that suits you.” He heaved a sigh. “Honestly, ethics only hinder politics.”

“Elex would never agree to this.”

He glanced at one of the openings under the ceiling where the sky had grown lighter. The bats had settled into the corners. Only the last few were still making their way in.

“I guess we could ask Lord Elex himself soon.”

He leaned back into his chair, his glass of wine dangling in his long, elegant fingers.

Curiosity finally got the best of me. “What’syourstory, Voron? How did you get to Dakath? And why are you staying here?”

He rolled his head my way on the high back of his chair. His hair was in disarray, yet it didn’t look messy. It was black, like the feathers of his bird that perched on the back of his chair. The white strands in the front looked like streaks of moonlight at night.

Voron was a beautiful man, like all fae. But there was something unsettling in his cold gray eyes. It made staring straight into them difficult.

“You want to hear my story?” he asked.

“I’d love to.”

“Why?”

I had to admit, I was curious. He was the first non-gargoyle I’d met in Dakath. And the way this kingdom was—inhospitable to outsiders—he and I were probably the only two people in the entire Dakath Mountains who didn’t turn to stone at night.

“Don’t you think I should know more about the man I may be plotting to overthrow the king with?” I quipped.

A smile played on his lips as he finished his wine.

Something stomped out in the hallway, then more stomping and clanking came.

Voron got out of his chair.

“My story will have to wait for another day, dear Amber. I’m afraid we're out of time. The sun is here. Your gargoyle is waking up. And so are mine.”

Twenty-One

AMBER

“No.” Elex shook his head. “King Edkhar can burn in a thousand fires, for all I care. But his bride is innocent of his crimes.”

I gave Voron an I-told-you-so look. He sat in the entrance to the small cave where Elex had spent the night. We had come here after breakfast to have a conversation out of earshot of Voron’s men. As predicted, Elex had a problem with Voron’s ruthless plan.

I half-expected Voron to ridicule Elex’s morals or ethics in retaliation, but he just stared out into the morning sky, twirling between his fingers a long-stemmed poppy flower that he’d gotten from God knew where.

Elex sat across from Voron, at the opposite end of the entrance to the cave, with his back against the wall. He had me on his left thigh, his arm securely wrapped around my waist like a seat belt.

He hadn’t found me by his side in the morning and had been all set to do as I’d asked him. Naked and fuming with rage, he was on his way to murder Voron when I’d run into him on my way back to our cave. Now, he wouldn’t let me out of his sight or out of his arms.

The men of the Desolate Peak had found some clothes for us. Elex was dressed in one of Voron’s white frilly shirts and a pair of black velvet pants. And I had an outfit that must’ve belonged to a teenage dragon, because it almost fit me. The brown suede pants were just a little loose at the waist but the belt fixed it. In addition to a soft cotton tunic, I also got a breast plate constructed from embossed strips of leather. The strips were held together by vertical lacing. When I’d adjusted and tightened all the laces, the whole thing hugged my torso like a corset.

I bit into the jam-filled pastry. One of Voron’s men had made lots of these for breakfast. They were so good, I had to take one with me after the breakfast had ended. Voron clearly made sure his men ate well.

“How are you their leader, Voron?” I asked when the conversation had stalled after Elex’s definite rejection of Voron’s plan. “You said you came here when they already had a group formed. Didn’t they already have a leader then?”

He winced, obviously not enjoying reminiscing about his past.

“I’m not their savior, Amber. Never was. My men are the ones who rescued me. I haven't been their leader for long. I was far too young to lead anyone when I first came to Dakath.”