Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103333 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
“Come,” Dar said with a tug to Elara’s hand. “The morning meal awaits, and you need to eat before we take our leave.”
“I will wait with Feena for Adira and eat with them,” Elara said, trying to tug loose her hand, but Dar having too firm of a hold on it. She turned a tender look on him. “You have my word that I will wait in the Great Hall for you since you need to eat as well.”
Dar didn’t hesitate to free her hand. “I will see you there.”
Elara stared at him as he disappeared down the stairs. He hadn’t hesitated for a moment. He took her at her word. He trusted her without question.
Feena gently squeezed her arm and kept her voice low. “Listen well, lass. You must prepare yourself. Fear blinds the vision; courage frees it. Let it speak to you and the land as well for both will provide guidance. And trust your husband as he does you, for if you fail… he will die alongside you.”
The weight of her warning fell heavy on Elara’s shoulders and silence fell between them as the door to the king’s chamber swung open with a hard scrape of iron hinges.
Tavish motioned sharply to them. “Inside.”
His voice carried the same edge of urgency that always accompanied the king’s summons and Elara entered with Feena close beside her.
King Dravic stood by a long, narrow table, his hands clasped behind his back, his posture rigid. His cold blue eyes snapped first to Elara, narrowing at once.
“Why are you not with your husband preparing for your departure?” he demanded, his voice slicing across the room like a whip.
Elara kept her chin lifted though her stomach twisted. “My king, Dar, is tending to the preparations. I remained with Feena so we could all take the morning meal together—with Adira.”
A faint, displeased sound escaped the king’s throat. “Adira.” He said the name as though testing how it tasted in his mouth—not unkindly, but with possession.
He stepped aside enough for them to see the lass.
Adira sat in a cushioned chair near the hearth, hands folded in her lap, eyes lowered. She looked small and fragile in the large chamber, her braid slipping loose down her shoulder. At the sight of Feena and Elara entering, her head snapped up. Worry brightened her eyes, sharp as candlelight catching glass.
The king continued, “She is no longer your concern. Adira is now under my protection. She will serve me personally and reside in a chamber near my own.”
Feena’s breath hitched. Her hand flew to her chest.
Adira felt it instantly.
Her wide green eyes filled with alarm, and she stood so abruptly her chair scraped loudly against the stone floor. Before anyone could react, she rushed across the chamber and threw her arms around Feena, pressing herself tightly against the old woman’s side.
King Dravic’s expression darkened. “Adira! Return to me. Now!”
Adira remained clutched desperately to Feena.
Feena lifted one trembling hand to shield the girl slightly as she reminded, “My king, she cannot hear you.”
He muttered beneath his breath and took a quick step forward. “Then explain why she ran to you like a frightened creature, as if aware of what was said.”
Feena kept her voice gentle but steady. “As I have told you, my king—Adira feels the world, she does not hear it. She watches. She senses. She reads every expression, every breath. She felt my fear when I saw her here alone. She saw it in my face, and it frightened her as did what she sensed from you beside her.”
The king’s jaw clenched, but he paused.
Feena continued softly, patting Adira’s chest once, a silent reassurance the lass understood, “She knows me. She trusts me. That is why she ran.”
Silence stretched, thick as smoke.
Adira held onto Feena fiercely, her body trembling, her gaze darting between Feena and the king, clearly uncertain of her fate.
Elara’s heart twisted painfully. She prayed the king would not punish the lass for instinctively seeking comfort.
Feena tightened her hold on Adira, her hand stroking the lass’s arm in slow, steady motions. She lifted her chin, her voice respectful but trembling at the edges. “My king, I ask permission to remain with Adira as she adjusts to her new place here. She feels safe with me. She understands me. In time she will come to understand her role, but she needs comfort now, not fear.”
The king’s eyes narrowed. “She has no choice but to adjust. She serves me now. She will live a far better life here in the castle than any she has known before.”
“Aye,” Feena agreed quickly, bowing her head. “And I am grateful for the kindness you show her. Truly. But she is still frightened. She has known only me since her mum passed. I am… her family. If I remain nearby, she will adjust more easily. She will learn. She will come to understand what is expected of her.”