Page 59 of The Last Slayer
The worst kind of bondage, according to Ramiel.
If Leh delivered me to Nathanael, would he release her? Could he? It didn’t seem entirely unreasonable. And given the kind of vibe I was getting, there was definitely some kind of tie between them.
“Leh!” Nathanael’s voice this time was sharper and had a desperate edge to it that scraped like a rasp.
Leh’s throat moved as she swallowed. She turned toward him.
One heartbeat.
Two.
If she didn’t respond to him, what would he do? What would I do? Nahemah had told me not to get wet or put any part of my body over the lake. Since Nathanael also seemed to be keeping clear of the water, it must hold something so terrible not even a dragonlord wanted to provoke it.
So far, neither Nathanael nor Leh had noticed me, thanks to Nahemah’s illusion and their preoccupation with each other. The color of my body changed as a cloud shifted and the moonlight hit me—from black to a silvery shimmer. I was a shadow that could blend equally with the darkness of the night and the light of the moon. The trick was going to be revealing myself to Leh without Nathanael seeing me as well.
Suddenly, Leh began to sing. It was a voice that could make angels weep with envy. Clear, powerful and pregnant with magic, her song made the water still until the surface was like a polished mirror.
Nathanael took a step onto it. Then another.
Quite the faith he had in her. What if she stopped singing? If a guy bound me to a place of the dead the way Nathanael had Leh, I might drown him. Or let whatever lurked in the water take him.
With these cheery thoughts in my head, I tiptoed out behind him. The water was as solid as ice, but it wasn’t frozen. I marveled at the fantastic amount of power Leh wielded, to create such a total transformation. The surface wasn’t even damp.
When Nathanael reached the other side, I jumped onto the ground and crouched behind a short bush. Nahemah’s illusions were good, but any illusion can be seen through by a person who wields enough magic—and these two were exceptionally powerful. I would hate to get caught, especially since I had no idea how Leh would react to my presence. Ramiel had claimed she’d waited twenty-seven years for me. But from the longing in her violet eyes, it looked like it was Nathanael she’d been waiting for.
Once again, I wondered if I had walked into a trap.
Leh’s song ended, and the water began slapping the shore again. Too late to turn back now. I looked around. As a trap, it was effective. I couldn’t leave by myself, Leh definitely felt something for Nathanael that went beyond the usual boss-employee relationship and Nathanael wanted me dead.
Damn.
Nathanael put his hands gently to Leh’s cheeks and kissed her. She responded without holding anything back. What the—? There was something wrong with the scenario. Leh was my mother—according to Ramiel at least, but I was beginning to doubt him—and Nathanael was my mortal enemy?
No. She knew his intentions toward me. Otherwise she wouldn’t have collected his blood to cast the protection spell. So why was she still with him and, worse, devouring him? It’s gotta be illegal for mothers to kiss their children’s mortal enemies like that.
“Every cycle seems to grow longer,” Nathanael whispered. “I cannot bear it.”
“Nor can I,” she whispered back.
He rested his chin on the top of her head. His powerful arms wrapped around her as if trying to protect her from the cool night breeze. She shivered.
“I grow weary. Everything cloys, except you, except this,” he said. “Mayhap it’s better I stay here with you.”
“No, you mustn’t.”
I perked up a bit. Maybe she didn’t love him that much.
“The forest will drain you,” she continued. “I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you.”
Never mind.
They kissed again, and I took the opportunity to think. Leh couldn’t tolerate it if anything happened to Nathanael. And Nathanael wanted to kill me because he was convinced I was the bad guy, because of what the stupid Advisors had said. So…did this mean Leh would deliver me dead or alive to Nathanael or what? I wasn’t willing to risk it, but how the hell was I going to get off the island? I couldn’t just sprout wings and fly away like Apollyon.
Ramiel had to have known about Leh and Nathanael’s relationship. But if he was Nathanael’s ally and wanted to give me to the Triumvirate of Madainsair, wouldn’t it have been easier to just duct tape me—or do the dragonlord equivalent—and toss me over to Nathanael’s dragonhold? Why bother with this elaborate ruse?
Maybe it was for their perverse amusement. Maybe Leh had betrayed her people because she was in love with Nathanael. Maybe this was a nightmare. I’d seen how easily Ramiel had controlled my dream.
I gave up trying to figure it out. Supernatural relationships are seriously complicated. It’s a side effect of living hundreds of years, having zillions of affairs and complex alliances.
