I hear a song of stones
I want to run
Earth is holding me
I fight and I’m free
Ashared listened with his eyes closed, stroking her wrist with his thumb. “I hadn’t heard this song before,” he noted.
“I wrote it only recently.”
“What was your inspiration?”
“You.”
He went still for a moment but soon resumed his gentle caress. “Sing,” he asked with a dreamy smile. “In a few hours, I’ll inspire you to write a new song.”
“Promise?” she teased.
“Promise.”
She sang until he fell asleep. The song he inspired later had no words, but she liked it anyway.
The oath they exchanged was a simple one.
I will be loyal to you as long as you are loyal to me.
Chapter 30
The next month resembled a daydream.
Lizaar managed to reconcile the artisans to the idea of producing goods carved out of wood, and the agreement they’d made with the guild from Sapphirinetower started yielding its first fruit. After a long exchange of letters, Mahrur finally gave in and agreed to new terms of cooperation. Amaruk kept his word and Lannahi heard no more reports of interrupted hunts except for the day the wild shapeshifters sent compensation for their last encounter.
The remaining tension was relieved by a visit from Mahhir and his general. In Kazurr’s presence, Lizaar’s armor melted like ice in the sunlight, and the friendly attitude of the king of Rubycrest had a reflective effect on even the most stubborn palace residents like Eshshar and Gannar. Both began to treat Lannahi and the other enchanters with reluctant acceptance instead of suppressed hostility.
It seemed that even the faces of the guardsmen had brightened. Due to training together with her personal guards, not only did their respect for them grow, but they also stopped demonizing the golden-tongued. When the musicians from Goldenshadows arrived, the visit was treated as a curiosity and not as an invasion of a hostile army.
When Kalahadd made a joke for the first time, all the enchanters including Lannahi needed a moment to recover from their surprise, but it was nothing compared to the shock Lannahi felt when he snuck out of the ballroom in Erril’s company.
“Kalahadd?” she asked incredulously the next day. “Kalahadd?”
Erril sent her a roguish grin. “Sometimes it’s difficult to refuse the call of adventure,” he said, looking at her meaningfully. “Youof all people should understand this.”
To this, Lannahi only laughed. After all, there wasn’t a day when she didn’t find herself in Ashared’s embrace, just as there wasn’t a day when she didn’t sing.
But every dream was fleeting and around the edge of this one also lurked a shadow ready to chase it away. No matter how far Lannahi pushed back the thought of the next Royal Sabbath, with each passing day the specter of an encounter with fae like Turral grew larger and clearer until it was impossible to ignore.
“I intend to spend the first part of Sabbath with my family,” she said to Ashared on the evening before the trip to Blacktower. “Stay with yours during this time.”
The man regarded her carefully and after a moment nodded, but Lannahi saw under the layer of understanding a shadow of resentment in his eyes. She remembered that his own father didn’t acknowledge him in public and covered his hand with her own.
“I am not ashamed of our relationship,” she said with emphasis, “but I don’t want you to listen to insults to which…” She paused as she realized that she was on the verge of admitting weakness, but the memory of the vows they’d exchanged made her finish quietly, “…to which I will not be able to respond adequately.”
His gaze softened and he pulled her close, but there was an echo of frustration in his voice. “You don’t need to protect me.”
Lannahi snuggled into him, knowing that they both felt the same. Neither of them could protect the other. They were too weak.
“Please,” she whispered. “Stay with your family.”
