Page 70 of The Ninth Element

I open my mouth to voice my astonishment, but Darian gently tugs at my sleeve. “We should head to the village. I let you sleep for another hour after finding the horse here, but we can’t afford to ponder this mystery now. Once we get to the village, we can get some food and ask for directions to Jahanwatch. We’ll make it, but only if we leave now.”

Relief washes over me, followed swiftly by a surge of exhilaration. But before I can take a moment to enjoy it, I catch a glimpse of Darian’s face.The lines of exhaustion and the shadows under his eyes tell the story of a sleepless night. It strikes me that while I’ve been caught up in my own turmoil, he has been quietly bearing the weight of his own.

I give him a nod, as my heart swells with gratitude. He gently helps me onto the horse. When he mounts behind me, I can feel the warmth of his body enveloping me, and his arms wrap around me, securing me against him. His chest is a solid presence against my back.

A deep yearning blooms inside me, one that I know I shouldn’t crave. It’s a dangerous comfort, an intoxicating distraction that pulls me deeper into a realm I know I can’t afford to explore. And yet, I find myself reaching for it, wishing that the journey to Jahanwatch could stretch on forever, a thought that sends a wave of warning through me even as it forms.

But, as we set off, the horse gallops powerfully beneath us, and each rhythmic thud of its hooves against the earth chases away my fears. I find myself leaning into Darian’s embrace, allowing my thoughts to linger longer than they should on the feel of his broad chest. The world blurs around us, and the landscape transforms into a mere backdrop for what is brewing inside me.

And Iallowit to spread through me. This unsettling, unwanted, newfound, alluring… longing.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The logs snap and pop in such a quiet rhythm that it sounds like the steady heartbeat of the dim room itself. I sit before the hearth, relishing how it’s warmth envelops me and dispels the chill of the evening. In the quiet stillness, a profound sense of peace fills my heart.

“Awake at last. The sun has kissed the mountaintops twice since you closed your eyes,” Bahador teases as my three Izadeonian friends enter the communal hall.

He isn’t wrong. When Darian and I arrived at Jahanwatch yesterday, just before sunset, I went straight to bed. When I woke up a few hours ago, the sun was on the verge of setting again. I had a small bowl of soup in the kitchen and came straight here.

The Izadeonians sit in front of the fire, and suddenly, a flagon of wine and four cups appear in front of me.

“A toast to my lifesaver,” Darian proposes. “May she dream of warmer hearths and sweeter company.”

I laugh and take one of the goblets as the rich scent of dark, heady wine fills my nostrils. As I take a sip, my heart flutters in my chest. It’s hard to believe that I have survived long enough to savor this moment, surrounded by those who consider me a friend.

“By the Nine, that trial was a real arse-kicking! I heard we were supposed to ride boars, maybe wrestle one, not face a mountain full of those nastybeasts!” Bahador jokes.

Faelas snorts. “What else did you hear? That we’d be reciting a hundred verses backward? You must have been listening to old Eldrin too much.”

“Can’t say I miss the old drunkard,” Bahador says.

Darian’s eyes crinkle at the corners. “If we miss that old sod, we’ve been away from home for too long.”

His gaze shifts to the flickering flames, and I am caught by the play of light on his features. The fire casts him in gold and red. His eyes, normally a restless sea of blue, now reflect the fire’s heart, shimmering with a golden depth that draws me in.

The memory of his arms around me, the warmth of his breath on my cheek, the solid beat of his heart—it all rushes back, like a vivid, almost tangible presence. My skin prickles with a sudden heat, a blush that I can only hope the firelight hides.

When his gaze turns to me, I offer a small smile, which he returns. As always, his warm expression chases away the shadows in my heart.

“How are you feeling?” he asks, his voice as soft as the finest velvet, his eyes searching mine with a gentle concern that makes my chest tighten.

“I’m all right.” I pick at a loose thread on my sleeve, my cheeks still warm. “I’m sorry for how I acted that night.”

His warm smile deepens, the lines around his eyes crinkling deeper. “Don’t worry about it. Exhaustion and fear can get to anyone. I’m only here because of you, Arien. I won’t ever forget that.” He drowns his wine and turns his eyes back to the fire.

I feel a wave of relief. Bahador and Faelas are tactful enough not to pry.

“How many are left in the game?” I ask Bahador.

“Only eighteen,” he responds.

“What’s the rank?”

I know Darian, and I didn’t earn any position in the last trial. We were lucky to barely make it back at all.

“The Aramisi sorcerer is still on top,” Bahador says. “Faelas and one of the Jamshahi girls, Olanna, are next. Then it’s me and the other Jamshahi woman, Samira. Then it’s that nasty sorcerer, and you two are right after.”

I release a sigh of relief. We are still in the first nine, even though we didn’t get any score in the last trial.

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