Page 86 of Clash of Storms
"My king?" Sirius whispered, shaking the king desperately. "Uncle?"
Red stained his hands.
The coppery scent of blood surrounded him. He was covered in it. Red vermillion spread across the floors from beneath King Reynar's body, too much blood. Far too much blood.
"Sirius?"Malin's voice echoed through the chambers."Sirius, are you all right?"
Not all right. Never again. The blood was rising. It slicked over his boots and began to swirl higher as if it sought to drown him. There was no escape. It was gushing everywhere.
"Sirius!"The world shook around him."Wake up! You're having a nightmare!"
Sucking in a huge, gasping breath, Sirius fought his way through the red—
But when he sat up, light flooding back into the world, he realized the truth.
He could wake from the nightmare.
But he couldn't escape the truth.
* * *
"What was that all about?"Malin asked, sitting back on her heels as the Blackfrost sat up and raked a shaking hand through his sweaty hair.
His bare chest gleamed with sweat, and from the rough gasp of his breath, she knew his heart was racing. A tremor ran through his entire body, and he held his hands up as if he couldn't believe they were unmarked.
"Sirius?" He didn't look very well. Horrified, in fact. Somedrekihad the gift of dream walking, but he looked like he'd come directly from a nightmare. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. It's nothing." The guarded expression on his face told her not to tread closer, for here laydreki.
But Malin wasn't afraid of this prince. Not anymore.
Slipping behind him, she draped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her face against his throat. "You're worried. About Andri."
Sirius reached up and clasped her wrist as if he couldn't bring himself to ask for more.
This, more than anything, made her heart melt.
To fall asleep in his arms was one thing, but as he turned his face and brushed a kiss against her upper arm, the tenderness in the gesture stole her breath.
"It was just a bad dream," he muttered, despite the thunder of his heartbeat.
"We'll rescue him."
"I know. It's after we rescue him that worries me," he said gruffly. "I like your idea, truly I do, but.... Twodrekiwarriors and a drekling against everything my father can throw at us? I cannot help but doubt the wisdom of this path. It's not safe for you. I can't risk your life on this fool's quest."
Sirius pushed forward, evidently done with being comforted. Malin let him go. He rolled onto his back, an enormousdrekimale splayed for her perusal, hands rasping over his face as if to clear the last cobweb remnants of the nightmare from his soul.
She wanted to help him.
She wanted to steal away the ravaged look in his eyes, but she couldn't do that with kisses or soft caresses. Maybe it would distract him for an hour or two, but then the weight of the world would return.
"Your cousin, Prince Rurik, was fond of Andri," Malin said, straddling his hips and leaning down to lock her arms around his thickly muscled neck. "And you can't do this alone, Sirius. Why don't you ask Rurik and Árdís for help? You cannot stand against the entire court by yourself."
"Rurik?" Emotion flashed over his face like lightning illuminating a distant mountain range for a second; there and gone, but the shadowy remnants of the mountain remained, burned into after-image. She couldn't quite name the emotions. Disdain? Hate? "Rurik would piss on any proposition I laid before him. He'd expect me to kiss his feet, and even if he did want to save Andri's life, he would never trustme."
"You won't know unless you ask."
Sirius tucked one arm behind his head, his biceps flexing as he stroked her spine with the other hand. He scowled. "I'd rather nail my tongue to the throne than beg Rurik for a favor."
