Page 72 of A Court So Dark
Besides, I had no doubt that Kryn and Daniella could handle Earl Qierlan without trouble.
CHAPTER 27
DANIELLA
WhenKrynandIwalked into the earl’s chamber, we found him sitting on an armchair, legs crossed as he read a book. His blond hair was a bit of a mess, and he wore a somewhat crumpled brown jacket.
He looked up and bestowed a mean glare in Kryn’s direction and a half smile in mine. “You’re back,” he told Kryn. “Please don’t waste my time trying to talk me out of my decision. I already made myself clear.”
“We’re not here for that, Father,” Kryn said.
“Then what?”
The earl seemed to relax and went back to perusing his book, lazily turning the pages. Kryn gave me an encouraging nod, and I meandered closer toward the earl, feigning curiosity over the book.
“I have,” Kryn started, “just come from Elyndell.”
“I wish you would stay there,” the earl snapped. “I hate those damn transfer tokens. I yearn for the days before unwanted people gained the ability to come back too quickly.”
Sheesh, what an asshole!
How could he talk to his son like that? Mom was always happy when we visited her. She invited us over constantly, luring us home with creamy tortellini, lasagna, or her signature spaghetti Bolognese. She made sure to let us know that she loved us. Often.
Poor Kryn. No wonder he had such a hard time expressing his feelings, and like his sister, hid behind an aloof mask.
“So what news from Elyndell,” the earl demanded when Kryn said nothing else.
Kryn watched me get closer to his father. “I met with Kalyll.”
“And what of the fallen king?”
I took one more step. The earl caught me in his peripheral vision. He looked up, surprised.
“What are you reading, father?” I hurried to ask, leaning slightly forward as if to catch the words on the page.
He wrinkled his nose in a sneer, appearing confused, as if Mylendra wasn’t the kind to care about his literary pursuits.
As he closed the book and turned it over to read the title, I took hold of his wrist. He startled, his eyes going wide with something like recognition, as if somehow he could tell that a bit of his shadowdrifter darkness lived inside me.
He was strong and tried to fight. He almost managed to free himself from my grip, but my powers worked too quickly, and in the next instant, his eyes rolled to white, and he slumped in the chair, the bookthuddingto the floor.
I let him go once his heart had slowed, and he turned a little pale. I was worried his shadowdrifter power would help him recover quickly and watched him warily for a long moment. He didn’t move at all.
Kalyll approached, and I handed him the second small vial with the transformation potion. He got a hold of the earl’s wrist and, without a moment’s hesitation, downed the liquid till its last drop. I braced for the agony that would follow. It had been an intense, bone-splitting pain, accompanied by an infernal heat that seemed to melt my every cell. It had been almost as bad as my first transformation—except much quicker.
A shudder seemed to run up Kalyll’s spine, and he shook his shoulders. He winced and clenched his teeth, a muscle feathering along his jaw. I wrapped my arms around his waist and thought to guide him backward, so he could settle in an armchair, but his feet seemed nailed to the floor, and he only held on to me.
His body shrank somewhat, his tattoo disappeared leaving behind a plain, uninteresting-looking face, his midnight-blue hair faded to blond, and his features twisted in the earl’s sour expression. At last, it was over, and he took a long, deep breath.
“Once more, I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he said.
The slightly higher tone of his voice surprised me. I pulled away, feeling disgusted at the thought of hugging Kryn’s father.
Logically, I knew this was Kalyll, but it still was weird as hell. For the first time, I realized it must be the same for him seeing me as Mylendra. But despite the change, the familiar understanding in the depths of his eyes helped my unease settle. He knew exactly how I felt, so I had nothing to worry about.
“I suppose now we should go to dinner,” he said, turning to Kryn.
“Yes,” he responded. “It’ll be a good test and practice. You can put faces to each name I taught you.”
