Page 161 of Spring Guardians & Songbirds

I tilted my head to the side, the dark figure on the mirror mimicking my movement. “I don’t think I like that one lie…Kilian. I hate it.”

I’d readied myself before dawn and waited by the stables for Demir to show up. The man walked side by side with Melanthe, the two were deep in conversation as they reached the stables. The ease between the two made me extremely curious and equally confused. They behaved like old friends around one another.

When the witch took sight of me, her mood turned sour and she put a hand over her stomach, almost protectively.

“Calm, Mel dearest, I don’t really like the taste of them when they are that small,” I said, pointing my chin to her stomach. “All soft bones and no flesh.”

Demir chuckled and the witch threw him a deadly glare.

She stepped on something and stopped, lifting her foot to inspect the little flower she had crushed in the snow. Something shifted in her stare as she reached to pluck it and hold it before her like it was a blade dipped in poison not an innocent little flower. “Galanthus,” she said quietly. Her eyes flitted to me and then below my feet where I’d crushed some of them. “Snowflower.”

My blinks were slow and confused. “Do you want an applause or something for guessing it right?” I asked, saddling my horse and joining the rest riding away. Did pregnancy make you daft?

Demir rode beside me as we left the Tenebrose walls. “They are a sign of spring,” he explained quietly. “Do you see any spring?”

“It is just a flower, Demir.” I’d tricked an entire kingdom with just a flower. Made a fool out of them all with a tale.

“Like you’re just a Princess?”

I turned to him more bored than annoyed. Of course he doubted something, everyone did. “No. Because I am not just a Princess, like you aren’t just a General. You want to open that discussion?”

He threw his head back and chuckled. “I like you, you know. You’re nothing like the rest of Isjord. There is an air about you.”

An air about me? “Why do you compliment like you're born before the ascension of gods?”

“Calling me outdated?”

“Severely unaware of his outdatedness,” I said. “Almost as if he is outdated.”

When we reached the foot of the Islines, the villages came into sight. The tone had turned gravely. Not like last time. Now, the place stank of ruin and death. And an oddly nice parsley smell that made my stomach gurgle.

The only few houses still standing were guarded by Isjordian sentries and had bars and had several deadbolt strike plates on their entrances. The place had turned to a graveyard.

We reached a tavern, the same one I had stayed at the last time I was here. Once Demir gave us our assigned rooms, he turned to me. “You will remain here. The rest of my team will continue to travel up north to the furthest village by the old Krigborn lines.”

My eyes bulged out. He wasn’t really going to take all the way here to just leave me to guard the village. Or maybe this was his plan to begin with. Distract me while he goes and gets the damned sceptre piece. “Why aren’t I coming with?”

“You were Captain previously, that means your rank is the highest in the team after me. You will maintain guard here.”

I stepped before him, stopping him from leaving. “You could stay the night, why are you rushing there?”

He gave me an amused look. It would have looked entirely too slimy if not for his good looks. “I like the eagerness, but those were your father’s orders. It’s too dangerous for you to be with me.” He leaned to my ear and whispered, “When I return, maybe you can help me compliment you better.”

My smile was uneasy, but he clearly couldn't tell because he flashed me that grin again before sidestepping and leaving the tavern.

Muffled sounds came from the end of the corridor just before I reached my room, and I went to press my ear to the chatty door. “I don’t understand why we had to remain down here,” someone said with indignation. “The mountain entrances to the temple are many. He won’t be able to enter them all in a day.”

Hells.

“Moregan’s team said they had information that the Solaryans had found entrance up there,” another said. “You know Demir, he will be done in an hour if they have found the easy entrance. The beast is with us. I heard it travelled with Moregan.”

“He should have just let the princess back in Tenebrose.”

“He was given an order by the king. It would have been suspicious for her not to be the only soldier in our team not to join. And you know all the rampages she went on during her time as Captain when her father denied her something.” He clicked his tongue. “Spoiled royals.”

Steps approached the door and I dashed to the other side quickly, flinging my door open and dropping on the bed.

The beast was with Moregan. Or Moregan. And they finally had found how to get the sceptre piece.