Page 59 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
Myra blinked. "I’m sorry?"
Laurince loosened his grip but didn’t let go of her, not entirely. "Come with us to Frenzia. What will you do here? How many more books can you read? We have found nothing useful."
"Yet," Myra argued. "There has to be something." She refused to give up.
He cocked a brow at the book in her hand. "Frenzia has books, too. I’m sure Rian would let you read his personal collection—the man has more books about dragons than I think anyone does. If there’s an answer in them, I’m sure you would have better luck finding it in his family’s library."
Myra shook her head, taking a step back. "No, I’ll just get in the way."
"No, you won’t," Rian said, appearing behind the captain. He leaned against a bookshelf. "You’ll probably keep us on track. Laurince is known for slipping into one too many taverns and making a fool of himself."
Laurince’s hand fell from Myra’s arm as he scoffed. "I do not!"
"Remember three years ago when we stopped at the pub in Ragolo? You started dancing on the tables."
Laurince shoved Rian. "That’s not fair, and you know it. You dared me to do it."
Rian smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling with amusement. "I would have paid for our drinks even if you hadn’t, but you can’t deny you enjoyed doing it."
"Whatever," Laurince mumbled, rolling his eyes. He placed an arm on Rian’s shoulder, and an ear-to-ear grin spread across his face. "So what’s it going to be, Haze?"
"Haze?" Myra questioned.
Grinning, Laurince turned to Rian. "Code names are necessary in a coup, wouldn’t you agree, Your Highness?"
Rian snorted. "I suppose. But is it really a coup if it’s my throne I’m taking back?"
"Semantics," Laurince said, dismissing him. "Either way, the name fits."
"How?" Myra asked, confused about everything that was going on—from the conversation to the captain’s sudden awkwardness to the code name.
Laurince scratched the back of his head. "Your eyes are hazel, aren’t they?" The question sat between them, and there was a strangeness to it she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Before she even had the chance to respond, though, he asked, "So, what’s it going to be? Are you coming?"
Myra glanced between them. Was there even a debate? Her life wasn’t here. Her life had been in Ardentol, but as of right now and possibly forever, that version of her life was no more. Maybe this was the path she needed to follow.
"Fine," Myra said, a timid smile forming. "I’ll come."
"That-a girl," Laurince said with a wink.
Myra’s eyes widened. She swiftly faced the shelf again, returning the last few books to their spots. Her control slipped, and she felt her power reaching toward him. A honeyed warmth flooded her system, and something fluttered in her chest. She quickly reined in her gift the moment she realized what she was doing.
"Come on," Rian said.
Walking backward, Laurince called out, "Dawn, Haze."
And for some reason, Myra felt herself blushing again.
Chapter 25
GRAESON
"Again,"Graeson ordered, arms crossed.
Kalisandre wiped the sweat from her brow and glared at him.
Graeson only arched a brow in challenge. Inside though, he was screaming. Their relationship—if that’s what he could call it—was fragile enough. He did not wish to further divide them, but he refused to let her face Domitius unprepared.
Plus, Kalisandre glaring at him was better than the cold shoulder she had been giving him in Tetria. Any attention she would give, he would gladly take it. His heartbeat was a frantic tattoo against his ribs at the intensity of her gaze, a gaze that felt like both a brand and a balm.
