Page 117 of Spring Guardians & Songbirds

How could one explain this, make sense of it all? Why did I want him to do it again? Why did I want him to whisper those words over my skin again? Maybe…maybe just having him once would satiate me—would make this obsession I had for him go away.

I wasn’t sure if I were breathing too hard or breathing at all.

His fingers slipped from my face, and he kneeled before me, sliding the satin black slipper on my foot. Bringing men to their knees had never been something of pleasure, I preferred pushing them to their coffins better. But bringing a king to his knees? I had to reconsider.

“Shall we?” he asked, extending a hand for me to take. “Or you want to take another good look at me?”

“No, I was done.”

He chuckled and flipped open the envelope that the sun rulers had sent and recited the old language runes before fading us to the meeting location. The two rulers of Solarya had decided to meet us in Noor Island, a deserted oasis south of Solarya that had been used for political gatherings since the time of gods.

Sun blistered all surfaces, painting the sky azure, the stone a bright beige and the sea surrounding us a shimmering aquamarine. I couldn’t make out which was clearer, the water or the skies. The small island was desolate except for a gold painted alcazar standing tall at the height of a hill not far from where we stood. The air was humid and thick with heat, my lungs were not meant for this weather.

Kilian clutched my gloved hand tight as we climbed a set of tall stairs leading to the building we were meant to meet with the rest.

By the third stumble, I decided to gather the train of my dress in my hands. “How do Adriatian women wear this on a daily basis?” I huffed, annoyed.

He shrugged. “They don’t.”

That made me turn to him with a frown. “What do you mean?”

“Have you seen another court lady wear that?” he said pointing my chin down at me and taking the chance to take another long perusal over my body again.

“Then why am I wearing this?”

“So I can see your backside better,” he said and then slapped my bottom. When I began to retort, he lifted a brow. “Utterly in love, remember?”

“Enjoy this as much as you can because I plan to make you regret it.”

“I hope you hold to your word. I am looking forward to seeing how you can possibly punish me anymore than you already are.” The way his nostrils flared when he stared at me trickled a flutter in my lower belly.

I muttered curses in Calgnan all the way at the top, but all it did was throw him on a laughing fit.

The palace was built like a maze. Colourful cerulean, charcoal and gold paintings of Solarya’s history lined the maze-like corridors of the tall ceilingless building. The pearly marble floors reflected daylight right onto the beige walls, making them look gilded.

I came to a stop—something had caught my eye. A painting of two women facing one another. A black-haired tall woman, donned in floating black silks, stood holding a short staff with a crescent moon atop. She faced another woman, with russet long thinly braided hair cascading to her waist, her dark brown skin glistening as if lined with gold specs and in contrast, she wore a short white dress, several golden chains decorating her frame.

“Henah and Cyra,” I said, tracing a hand over a Tahuma inscription between them. “The two lovers bound by hate.”

“Not hate. Fate,” Kilian said. “In her darkness she shone and weakened the black night. In her light she dimmed the blue day. They were fated to dull one another. Even if it didn’t destroy them, being together took away who they were. Day and night.”

“Anyone,” I murmured. “They could have wanted anyone else. Yet they caused one another pain, destroyed one another and then tore apart only to live with the consequences. I guess gods are as stupid as humans are. Perhaps even worse.”

“You cannot change who you want.”

“There you are,” Moriko called, coming from down the corridor, looking like a warrior goddess in the traditional Hanaian clothes. By her side stood Nia, wearing a Hanaian guard attire of a muted green and brass armour. “Lost?”

I sneered and then turned to my friend. “You look atrocious.”

Nia smirked while she examined me. “You want to talk about how I look?”

The Autumn Queen wrapped an arm around her waist. “Yes, Night Queen, you want to talk about how she looks?”

“Now, now, ladies” Kilian said with humour, steering me further down the corridor in an attempt to stop me from biting Moriko’s head off.

“You’re being too hard on her,” he murmured in my ear.

“Someone has to keep her on her toes.”