Page 30 of Vows of Sacrifice

“You’re right.”

“I’m always right,” I teased her with a smile.

The young woman didn’t look up, then placed a hand on my arm, the one without the armour. In a mechanical gesture, I briefly examined her long, slender fingers, her nails the colour of mother-of-pearl, all the while resisting the urge to seize them, bring them to my mouth, and lick them. One after the other. Until my wife flinched at the feel of my tongue against her skin.

“Do you know why?” she asked.

“Why what?”

Ashana fixed her gaze on mine.

“I’m neither surprised nor frightened by the magic and beings of the little people. I really wonder.”

I had my own idea, but was she ready to hear it or believe me? That was another story.

“We’ll have to look into that, indeed,” I replied evasively.

My attention then focused on the diaphanous skin of her graceful neck. Her milk-coloured skin revealed a network of several bluish veins that would have been interesting to follow with my lips. I cleared my throat as I walked beside her.

My body was sending me signals with unmistakable clarity. It wanted my wife and urged me to consider consummation as soon as possible.

“I can’t ask my mother about it, since we’re leaving Muvaria,” Ashana remarked.

How polar opposite her concerns were to mine! The thought brought an ironic smile to my face, which I quickly wiped away so that Ashana wouldn’t misunderstand.

“You’ll still be able to. Elendur has countless message-carrying eagles. They are so enormous that a long parchment can easily fit in their mail case.”

“Oh. So that’s why there’s an eagle on the Osacan crest?”

I nodded.

“Yes, Osacan is the birthplace of the great noble eagles. They hate me, but I’m sure they’ll love you.”

I grabbed her hand again to help her. A gesture that seemed so natural! How was this possible? We’d only just met!

“These birds hate you? All of them?”

“Yes, without exception.”

“I wonder why,” she murmured as we reached the camp.

Because there can only be one king of the sky, and I’m of the race that dominates them, I mused.

When I arrived, I saw that my men were already ready to leave. In fact, they were all looking at us with mischievous little smiles on their lips, probably convinced that we newlyweds had taken advantage of our distance to have a little fun.

Ah. How I wished that had been the case. Truly.

* * *

It took us three more days to reach Tarnton. We made regular stops to spare both the men and mounts. I quickly got used to having Ashana with me on Vulcan. The latter didn’t seem to mind either.

While Muvaria had two distinct and unpleasant seasons, autumn and winter, Osacan had only one: summer. The land was perpetually crushed by merciless heat. Despite this, the soldiers of this nation were able to face the worst of the blizzards without flinching. The people of this land were born to fight, no matter the temperatures or the inhospitable nature of the place.

Besides, we had breathable fabrics adapted to the Osacanian heatwave, which was not the case for Ashana. One glance at her sweat-soaked back told me that it was time we reached the end of our journey. Our return was celebrated by the capital’s inhabitants as it should have been. They chanted my name, threw flowers—white lilies, Elendur’s emblematic flower, whereas his father’s was the rose. Our soldiers were happy, but the same could hardly be said for Massim and Ashana. The cheers were a harsh reminder of the defeat at Muvaria, as well as the death of their loved ones. So, I showed restraint, giving only brief smiles to certain villagers, such as the old men and children.

Baal Castle, Elendur Silh’s castle in Tarnton, was titanic and towering. No fewer than twenty dungeons, towers, and turrets were clustered close together, all protected by a cliff that surrounded the building like a mother jealously guarding her young.

“It’s . . . big,” Ashana commented soberly.

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