Page 64 of The Bound Mage
Murmurs turned to exclamations of disgust, the wordssacrilegeanddesecrationhissed like curses.
But Eloria just leaned back in her chair, her expression giving away nothing of her true thoughts. “Where do you expect to source the bone? We burn our dead here.”
“I did have an idea about that.” Araya sucked in a deep breath, bracing herself. They would hate this part—she hadn’t even told Loren what she intended. “From our conversations and my own research, I believedara’elremains anchored to the previous king’s remains. It’s the only explanation for how it has endured and even grown in the decades after his death. If we can retrieve his bones?—”
“Absolutely not.” The priestess shot to her feet, her pale eyes blazing with fury. “We arenotturning the remains of our late king into anamplifier. Have you no shame?”
Araya flushed but stood her ground, refusing to cower. “Anchoring the magic to something that already holds a significant connection with the shadows is the best answer here,” she said. “It’spowerfulmagic. To bind it to someone else’s command—it’s not aneasything to do.”
“It’s sacrilege,” the priestess snapped. “We cannot condone?—”
“We cannot afford not to consider all the options, Myna,” Eloria said quietly. She turned back to Araya, her brow furrowing. “You do understand that no one has been able to retrieve my father’s remains? What you’re proposing will not be simple.”
“Loren and I both survived the Shadowed Veil,” Araya said. She didn’t dare look at him, even though she could feel his eyes burning into her. “I have to believe there’s a way for us to do it again.”
“And if we agree to your…proposal,” another of the advisors said, her lips twisting around the word. “What is it you want in exchange?”
“Safe passage back to the New Dominion,” Araya said. “The deaths of the innocent are not a price I would pay for my freedom. If I return to them willingly?—”
“You’re the mate of the crown prince,” an older male cut in sharply. “Whatever fondness Jaxon Shaw has for you won’t save you. They’ll use you against him—against all of us.”
“I understand your concern.” Araya’s fingers twisted in the fabric of her skirt. “That’s why I would like your help in finding a way to sever the mate bond.”
A ripple of shock ran through room as the councilors exchanged wide-eyed glances. Even Eloria sat back in her chair, the color draining from her face. And Loren—he stared at her like she’d struck him, his hurt blazing so hot through the bond between them that it felt like she’d set her own heart on fire.
“I won’t allow Jaxon to use me as a blade against him,” she said, her voice wavering. “This is the only way I have to protect him.”
The High Luminary found her voice first. “The mate bond is a divine gift,” she said, her voice rising. “What you propose is not only profane—it isimpossible.”
“Not necessarily.” Eryn tapped a finger against his goblet, considering. “They aren’t fully bonded, are they? I think thereisprecedent for that. Ysella, don’t you have a book on it?”
The tall, willowy female beside the priestess cleared her throat, shifting in her seat. “I could consult the records,” she said. “There are…fragments of some accounts that might shed light on the issue—but nothing I would call reliable.”
“But not impossible,” Eryn mused.
The priestess scoffed. “Your Majesty,” she implored, turning toward Loren. “The bond is a gift from the Goddess herself. Surely you have something to say?—”
“If severing the bond is what Lady Starwind wants,” Loren said, every word landing like a knife through her chest. “Then I see no reason to deny her.”
Voices rose, everyone speaking over each other. Araya’s throat tightened, her palms damp with sweat. Even Loren’s shadow abandoned her, melting away into the cracks between the stones.
“Enough,” Eloria said finally. She rose to her feet, glancing around at her assembled advisors. “Lady Starwind, thank you for bringing your proposal before us. We will consider it and return to you with our answer. For now, you are dismissed.”
Araya dipped her head stiffly before turning to Loren—but he didn’t move to stand. He didn’t even look at her. His hurt filled her chest, making it hard to breathe. But she forced herself to move anyway, holding her head high and hoping none of them could see how hard she had to blink to hold back the tears.
She wouldn’t break down here, not with all of them watching.
The guards stood at attention in the hallway, neither one of them willing to meet her eyes as the doors closed behind her, sealing out the rising voices behind her. Araya stood there, panic rising in her chest. What was she even supposed to do while they voted? Did she just stand here?—
“Lady Starwind?”
Araya turned, hesitating as she met the gaze of a male wearing white robes, adorned with a single band of silver thread. Another devotee of the Absent Goddess—though Araya couldn’t have said what his rank was. He inclined his head to her, his expression peaceful.
“The Princess Regent asked that I show you to a quiet place to wait,” he said. “If you could follow me?”
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
