Page 176 of The Edge of Darkness

The smell of salt permeated the air as we neared the coast. And when I saw the cliffs that rose from the depths of the white-capped waves that crashed against the rocky shore, I gasped in awe.

Remic was wrong. I didn’t just enjoy seeing it, I marveled at the sight. Tears prickled my eyes, partially from the gusty winds that rushed against us, and partially because little pieces of my soul were being filled with each new place I went and each memory I made.

And Remic knew.

The flying, the glen, the coastline . . . He’d show me the world if I asked him to.

I squeezed his neck and smiled again.

And he smiled back.

Roirdan was the first to be ready. We let him use our bathing chamber to wash up and dress so that Silas could use his. I walked out into the common area to find the commander looking more civilized than I’d ever seen him, hair still damp and tied back in a bun at the nape of his neck, thumbing through a book, and sipping a tall mug of ale.

The moment he’d heard we were to attend another celebration that was sure to involve dancing and an endless supply of ale and wine, he’d practically sprinted for the bath.

“Well this is a sight to see,” I said.

He looked up from the book that had no title on the cover or spine, and smiled.

“You sure you have that book right side up?”

His smile fell into a scowl, and he lifted the tome to block me out. “I liked you better before we became friends.”

“Because you didn’t know I was just as good at giving you shit, huh?”

He rolled his eyes but couldn’t fight his grin as I pushed down on the book until he was forced to look at me.

“You know you love it. Admit it.”

He squinted. “Never.”

I clicked my tongue, then laughed as I leaned in to look at what he was reading. The words read more like a treaty than a story. “This looks . . . boring, actually.”

“The cover was compelling.”

I smacked my hand against the leather. “It’s blank.”

“Exactly.”

It was my turn to roll my eyes.

His deep laugh filled the space. “Go pour yourself a drink and relax a bit. Remic takes forever to get ready. It’s probably because he’s so particular about his hair.”

I chuckled and made my way to the table to find a new cask with a small tented note that said:

For the ladies

It was cider, fresh and crisp, and certainly stronger than the one he’d served me the last time.

“Vanir really is the best,” I said.

“Don’t let your mate hear you say that,” Roirdan murmured, face-deep into the nameless book again.

I had half a thought to repeat myself even louder in case Niall could hear me from the room where he was washing up. But I was fully aware that this was a rare moment where Roirdan was alone, so I chose to seize the opportunity and pose the question that had been on my mind since this morning.

I slid back onto the settee beside him and asked, “What happened between you and this court? Why can’t you come back—in a permanent sense?”

He flicked his eyes to me over the top of the book. When he realized I was serious, he lowered it to his lap. “You caught on to that, did you?”