Page 56 of The War of Wings
“Pardon me, your Majesty,” Miles said quietly in my direction, his voice even more gravelly than usual. Was this the first time he’d spoken all evening? “I believe two weeks will work just fine.” I narrowed my eyes at him. As if sensing my internal questioning, he continued on. “I agree with King Laion. Two weeks is a hell of a lot better than months.”
His eyes immediately found his plate again. I pushed the uneasy feeling in my gut aside. Cal’s foot found mine again, nudging against it in a silent show of solidarity. Where I went, he went, and I knew that was true. I knew he’d follow me anywhere.
“Okay,” I said on an exasperated sigh. “I suppose we don’t have much of a choice.”
Queen Irli clapped her hands together. How could she be so excited? Did she not hear a single word I’d said?
“Until then, you are welcome here as our guests,” King Laion said apprehensively.
“Oh, please do make yourselves at home and feel free to explore the castle,” Queen Irli gushed. Laion growled under his breath, balling up his napkin. “There’s a lovely swimming pool in the east garden and a menagerie just outside the south wing. Oh! And an extensive library on the ground floor.” She opened her mouth to continue, but it snapped shut as Laion hit her with a nasty glare. Wasn’t a fan of libraries, I guessed. Or maybe he just wasn’t a fan of people in his home.
“A library?” Miles asked, a spark of something in his eyes I’d only seen in Aera, when we came across the bookshop.
Queen Irli glanced at her husband, asking for silent permission to speak again. “Maybe there will be something that can help you,” she offered quietly. “There are thousands upon thousands of books.”
“Thank you,” I said, nodding to them both. I raised my goblet of wine in King Laion’s direction. “A toast to you, King Laion, for your outstanding hospitality.”
Chapter 22
Petra
Midnight had long since passed. I’d left Cal sleeping in the oversized bed and slipped silently out of our suite. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I needed to find a way to quiet my thoughts. A walk through the castle was worth a try. Queen Irli had told us to feel free to do just that, right?
Ornate rugs lined the endless halls, muffling my footsteps. I moved through the winding corridors of Araqina’s castle like a restless ghost. All manner of art covered the stone walls, but I didn’t stop to inspect the intricately woven tapestries or the canvases so old the paint was cracking. I just kept walking.
Two weeks. Two fucking weeks of doing nothing but waiting for this fucking ball. Two weeks of meandering through the castle. I was going to crawl out of my skin. Miles, Cal, and I had all agreed to spend time in the library tomorrow. It felt futile, searching a library full of books for something that could help. But what else could we do?
Maybe we could fly to Eddena and back while we waited, use these two weeks to cover a bit more ground. I mentally scanned the list Summercut had given us and squeezed my eyes shut with frustration. If I remembered correctly, the trip to Eddena would take two days, but that was just the flight there. Maybe if we pushed through like we’d done from Redwater to Nesan, we could cut it down by a day. I had no idea what sort of reception we’d be greeted with, and–
“He looksjustlike him.”
I froze as the words echoed through the cavernous corridors. Queen Irli’s voice was coming from around the corner. “Deny it all you want, Laion, but we both know what we saw.”
The rugs must have muffled my footsteps enough that they hadn’t heard me coming. This was not my business to overhear, yet I found myself craning my neck around the corner, only to slink back into the shadows when I saw the guards who stood on each side of a door that was slightly ajar.
“The Daughter of Katia is here within our walls, there are drivas in Araqina, and your concern is abouthim?” King Laion barked in response.
Him? Whathim? Miles? Cal?
“Of course he is my concern, Laion, and he should be yours, too,” Irli said, her voice scolding.
“Why the hell should he be of any concern to me?”
“He looksjustlike–”
“Donotspeak that name in my house, woman,” Laion threatened, his voice reverberating off the sandstone walls.
What name?
Silence fell for a moment. I could feel the tension of the stand-off from where I stood in the hallway. I had no right to this private moment, yet I leaned closer, like the silence that stretched between them could tell me something.
“Laion,please,” Irli said weakly, the last word punctuated by a sob. I straightened, my eyes widening as I listened.
“It’s not my concern and it will take up no more of my time.”
“You don’t think it’s a coincidence he came now? That the Saints had nothing to do with his arrival when it’s only a few days from–”
“This discussion is over,” he shouted, the sound of his retreating footsteps echoing from the room.
