Page 17 of Fractured Souls
I needed a crown. Obviously. That was what I was gathering from this.
“I forgot you haven’t seen it before,” Adriel said as I went up on my toes to examine it closer.
“It’s perfect, Adri.”
A surprised cough had both of us looking over at the man who had originally greeted us when we arrived through the portal. My gaze moved over his black and silver uniform, the chest plate covered in impressive metals. His head was bent in a respectful bow, just like the four men behind him. And behind them…shit. There were a fuck ton of men. Like so many that I wondered if we were in more danger than I thought. It looked like we were going to war.
“General, thank you for responding so fast,” Adriel said, still holding me against him. “I’m sure you’re aware of my traveling companions, but a quick introduction.”
The general straightened himself, paying close attention as Adriel introduced each of my men, but the captains were less focused, their gazes on Adriel and me. Probably trying to figure out who the hell I was to be plastered to the side of their king.
“And this is Lorcan.”
I smiled up at Adriel, and his eyes filled with a flash of humor before he returned his attention to the general and said, “Your Queen.”
Well, that caused a reaction. The soldiers behind the captains began to talk, and the murmurs rose enough that my other men started to tense up. Adriel handled it almost immediately though.
“Enough.” His voice was hard, instantly silencing everyone. “We need to move quickly—we’re here for a reason.”
“Of course.” The general nodded sharply and turned around, ordering his captains to bring the carriage forward.
“Over a hundred soldiers—overkill or necessary?” Desmond asked as he stepped up next to us.
“I have the same question,” Cash admitted.
Adriel frowned, his gaze darting to the Kingdom of Day. “Probably not necessary, but the inbetween lands can be…difficult to travel.”
“Good move, then,” Rhett said as he appeared behind me, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “Are you warm enough? We can grab an extra blanket before getting into the carriage.”
“I’m cozy,” I said as my gaze moved to Dean and Draven. Both were watching the carriage pull up, and I could tell they were examining it for any possible issues. While I didn’t think we were in danger, Adriel’s words did have me looking around for our last group member.
Where was Zander?
“Over there.” Adriel nodded towards the edge of the plateau where Zander stood, his eyes scanning the inbetween land with intense interest. I approached him and offered him a questioning look.
“Checking for threats,” he explained simply.
“You can see from up here?”
“You can as well, you just have to focus your powers,” Zander said. “You can use a lot of your powers from star traveling while conscious; just takes training.”
Damn.Also it hadn’t escaped my notice that Zander didn’t ever take a compliment. He always deflected by assuring me that I could do whatever it was as well, like he was trying to downplay his own worth. Which was unfair, because Zander was one of the most powerful individuals I’d ever come across. I didn’t understand why he didn’t want to give himself that credit.
“Let’s head out!” the general called. My men began climbing into the carriage, the soldiers preparing to walk alongside it. I knew it was their job, but I felt a bit bad that we would get to ride in style and they wouldn’t.
And itwasriding in style.
As Zander and I approached the carriage, I couldn’t help but appreciate its black lacquered surface, and I was only more impressed when I climbed inside and found it to be much larger than it appeared from the outside.
“Damn,” I muttered, looking over the two rows of seats on each side and the small table in the middle. “This is pretty cool.”
“Glad you like it, princess.”
I scowled at the nickname, but before I could say anything about it, the carriage took off. I’d been planning to watch the scenery out the window, but my attention was captured by the man sitting across from me. I could see the tension in Adriel’s frame…or maybe it wasn’t just tension. There was something else there too.
It was almost like he was hardening, and not in the fun way.
The star elf’s posture was becoming less and less relaxed, his eyes a bit sharper as he occasionally glanced at the land we were passing through. We were slowly making our way down the sloped side of the plateau, traveling along a path that would take us to the wall and the Kingdom of Night. His jaw was clenched tight, and the aura of his magic grew icy as the seconds ticked by. It was almost like he was detaching himself from the present and the Adriel that was replacing him was as lethal as ever but not one that I knew.
