Page 54 of Crowns of Ice
Norivun watched their good-natured bantering, a smile finally returning to his lips, and not for the first time, I felt the love and loyalty that existed among the five of them. I could only imagine what they’d all seen and gone through together. Their deep bond was unmistakable.
“How old are all of you?” I asked, knowing the question wasn’t entirely proper, but I figured at this stage, we were well past propriety.
“Haxil’s the oldest. Nearly a grandpa at two hundred and sixty-two winters.” Ryder threw Haxil a wink.
“They’re all just pups, Ilara,” Haxil chimed in. “Ryder’s a hundred and eighty, Nish a hundred and ninety-three even though he acts younger than you, andSandus is a hundred and seventy-one.” He tapped his head and eyed Ryder. “See, my friend? It’s not just you who can keep numbers straight in one’s mind.”
Ryder snorted.
So theywereall young, just as I’d always assumed. “In other words, the only true pup in your group is the prince,” I teased.
Since Norivun had turned a hundred winters this season, he’d been subjected to the Rising Queen Trial as demanded by his father, but even a hundred winters was still so young. It was commonly agreed that most males didn’t reach their prime until five hundred winters, and then it was a very slow decline until our end came around two thousand winters.
My mate chuckled, and the earlier darkness I’d sensed in him lightened even more.
“And what about you?” Nish thumped me on the back after throwing Haxil his pinky finger. “A wee babe at only twenty-four winters. You’re practically a child, Ilara.”
I rolled my eyes and slugged him.
Nish grabbed his shoulder, mocking an injury, and everyone began to laugh.
We were all still chuckling when the lock sounded at the door. Our laughter stopped, and each guard went into a defensive position, hands on their swords, as I crouched in a fighter’s stance.
The prince inhaled. “There’s three fae.”
Nish swore under his breath, and the guards’ gripson their swords tightened even more just as Michas opened the door.
But no guards were present. Behind Michas stood his father, Lord Crimsonale, and Taberitha Wormiful. They all shuffled into the room, then shut the door with a flourish and engaged the lock.
Nish growled, his gaze accusing when he addressed Michas. “What’sshedoing here?”
Lady Wormiful, the archon of Kroravee Territory, sneered at Nish down her long nose. “Quiet, guard. You have no authority here.”
A rumble of Norivun’s power filled the room, but it was subtle enough that nobody outside of our immediate area would be able to sense it. “Careful, Taberitha. He’s with me.”
“And that’s supposed to be a threat?” She scoffed, and her wings flexed slightly. “All of you are fugitives now. Even your blood won’t save you, Prince Norivun, if the king gets his hands on you. You defied his command to marry the lovely Georgyanna, and now rumors are circulating that you’re spreading word about his character. His patience has run out. He’s ordered you to be arrested on sight.”
“So the day has finally come.” Norivun shrugged. “I knew it would happen sooner or later.”
“Did she really just call Georgyanna,lovely?” Nish asked Ryder.
“I thought I was hearing things,” Ryder replied flippantly even though his gaze remained sharp, and his muscles taut.
“Norivun and I are eternally wed.” I held up my hand, showing the Kroravee archon the silver marking on my finger. “He’s mymate. Surely, of all fae, you can understand the bond we share. He could never have married Georgyanna.”
Lady Wormiful’s eyes widened just as Lord Crimsonale muttered a sound of surprise.
“So it’s true, he’s your eternal husband?” The older lord shook his head. “Nuwin told me, but I didn’t know if I should believe it.”
Taberitha’s gaze stayed glued on my finger, her throat bobbing when she swallowed. For the briefest moment, she looked at her hand, at the same mark on her finger.
I still recalled when I’d seen that mark on her. The afternoon I’d joined Nuwin at a council meeting following the balance beam incident in which Georgyanna had tried to murder me. Lord Thisslewater from the Dresher Islands had been present, and while Taberitha had been sipping a cup of tea, the light had caught on the silvery ink.
“Surely, you understand that this was the only outcome Norivun and I would have ever allowed. All fae understand how sacred a mate bond is, and considering you also have such a bond, can you really tell me you would have agreed to marry anyone other than your mate?” I stared at her, waiting for her response.
Her chest rose quickly before she ran her thumb over the eternal mark on her finger. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” she finally said quietly. “I could have nevermarried anyone other than my wife. Gysabelle’s my light.” A soft smile spread across Taberitha’s face, and for the first time, she looked like a female in love, not a conniving evil serpent.
My gut clenched, and hope surged through me. If Taberitha Wormiful, of all fae, could understand why the prince and I had done what we had, then there was hope that others would also sympathize with our plight.