Page 92 of Vows of Sacrifice

“You are my wife. You came back to me. That’s good enough for me.”

And he kissed me. This time, it wasn’t a passionate kiss, but a much more tender touch. My heart swelled with love, and at that very moment, I had no doubt: yes, I loved Dovah with all my being.

The remainder of the journey was much more relaxed. Marione and Massim chatted excitedly, while Luanda threatened to doze off on her mount. When we arrived, Tarnton Castle was strangely quiet. Not a single member of the royal court was to be seen in the corridors, apart from a handful of servants. Their eyes were shifty, and when they recognized us, they rushed into the servants’ wing.

I turned to Dovah, my eyebrows furrowed.

“I find their attitude curious, don’t you?”

“Curious is an understatement,” he muttered, one hand resting on the pommel of his sword. “Luanda and Marione, accompany your mistress to our apartments and do not open the door to anyone but me. No one, do you hear me? I’m going to see the king to get to the bottom of this.”

At that, he placed a chaste kiss on my forehead and, with a clatter of armour, moved quickly away in the direction of the staircase. Olba and Cyrian remained with us, and it was the five of us who took the path that led to the marital chambers. When we reached the corridor, I paused.

“What is it, Lady Ashana?” inquired Olba, drawing his sword.

Cyrian followed suit.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” I said, pointing to the royal guards stationed on either side of the door to the apartments Dovah and I were occupying.

My husband’s soldiers evidently felt this way too, for they didn’t put away their weapons. I hesitated. I had no desire to enter this room any longer. Instead, I wanted to join my dragon husband, wherever he was.

“Lady Ashana, perhaps this is just a precaution taken by the king,” Luanda suggested in my ear.

I met her confident gaze. She was probably right. I was probably too defensive.

“And we have Sir Cyrian and Sir Olba. I am of the mind to obey the order given by your husband, Lady Ashana.”

Marione’s intervention convinced me. My suspicion was certainly due to fatigue and all I’d just discovered about myself and the husband in question. I pinched the bridge of my nose, then smiled at them:

“You are right. Let’s go.”

As we approached, I was surprised to discover that the guards had no intention of preventing us from entering.

“Why are you here?” asked Olba, the oldest and certainly the most senior.

“It is by order of His Majesty.”

“Why?” insisted Cyrian this time.

But the two guards just stared straight ahead. Dovah’s two men got nothing out of them. Luanda opened the door for us, but once inside, I quickly realized that I was the only one who had entered.

I spun around and drummed my fists against the wooden frame.

“What’s going on?! Let them in!” I cried.

I was afraid. Not for myself, but for them. We’d been deliberately separated. I heard agonizing screams from the hall. I recognized Luanda’s voice, but also Marione’s. My eyes widened in terror and, with one hand over my heart, I slowly moved away from the door. This time, it was Olba’s screams of pain, closely followed by Cyrian’s, that pierced the walls and reached me.

When two hands came to rest on my shoulders, I froze. First, I felt a warm breath near my ear, and then, when that breath came closer to me, right there on my neck, I recognized the identity of its owner:

“Welcome back to the castle, Lady Ashana. I found the time terribly long without you.”

It was King Elendur. When he sensed that I wanted to run away from him, he tightened his grip so much that I winced in pain.

“My . . . Majesty? What is going on?”

I tried to play dumb to buy time. Meanwhile, my mind was searching for a way to escape. Elendur laughed softly, with a sort of sensuality that made me nauseous.

“I think you understand that the situation is dire for you. It was hard, you know. Waiting. Waiting for you. Waiting for you to marry your lawful husband.”

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