“You dare malign me to our people when we are at our most vulnerable? You would attack me, chosen protector of the Light Bringers, chosen by Tanselm herself?” Arim snarled, his eyes inhumanly bright. The crowd cowered yet remained transfixed, like me, at the wreck sure to follow. “My sister, your queen, lies dead. And you rally our people to war with themselves?”
Sava tried to interrupt. “Arim —”
Lexa shook her head. “No, Sava. Let me. These fools think to ally with the force that probably took the queen from us in the first place.”
All eyes fixed on Lexa, who stared with seething hatred at Brother Forde and his followers.
“What? Cursing the Djinn and Aellei here isn’t enough?” She glared at the crowd. “None of you, even those sorcerers in the back, can feel the Dark taint of Sin Garu in these ‘stalwart’ Light Bringer churchmen?”
Arim growled and threw the floating churchman fifty feet through the air into a towering rilk tree. The man hit the thick trunk with a solid slam and slid to the ground, blood streaming from his ears. But Arim wasn’t through. He turned on the crowd and expanded, literally grew into a giant as he addressed them, his size lending his voice an immense broadcast.
“You will not support any stance on insurrection and live, not in my presence. After all King Faustus and Queen Ravyn have done for you, after all their sons have sacrificed and worked to protect this land and her people — you miserable fucking Light Bringers — none of you will do anything to jeopardize our fight against Sin Garu, do you hear me?”
I wondered how any of them might not hear him, as loud as Arim shouted. The bodies pressing close scattered like the wind as the giant sorcerer stomped toward me and lifted me to my feet with the tip of his forefinger. Arim continued toward the castle, gradually diminishing in size until I jumped free, and he regained his natural bearing.
Several feet from the castle wall, he stopped, turned around, and glared at Lexa, Sava and me. “Well?”
Sava and I quickly joined him, but Lexa stared at him as if seeing him for the first time.
“Come on, Blue, I don’t have all day,” Arim muttered, sounding much more like himself. The rough tenderness in his tone completely floored me.
I glanced from Lexa to Arim and back again and grinned like an idiot. “It worked. Hot damn.”
Arim glowered. “You’re not out of the fire yet, Darkling.”
Lexa added her displeasure with a blast of cold that had my teeth chattering before she turned on her heel to follow Arim. But Sava winked at me before he followed.
I couldn’t believe our plan had worked to bring the stubborn couple together. Now we just had to settle the Storm Lords before they wiped the land of all creatures Dark and Shadow, and to finally find out what Sava might have learned about our enemy’s whereabouts.
Chapter 24
Lexa
I really didn’t want to follow Arim into the castle, but I relished staying outside with ignorant Light Bringers and Church kin even less. Joining Sava and Jonas as they trailed Arim, I couldn’t help feeling a bit of solidarity surrounded by a Darkling and an Aellei.
Arim kept glancing over his shoulder, making sure I remained with him, until he sighed loudly and yanked me to his side. I did my best to ignore Sava and Jonas’s snickering and tried to free my arm from the great Guardian of Storm.
He only tightened his grip and drew me apart from the others. He waved his hand to shield us from our friends.
“No, Blue. You’re staying right with me. It’s you and me together. Period.”
I couldn’t help the warmth stealing through me at his firm declaration. Still, a Dark Lord had a certain reputation to uphold. I yanked again. “Fine. I’m with you, damn it. But let go of my arm.” I cursed. “I’m not your prisoner.”
Slowly, reluctantly, he let me go. “Sorry. It seems to be a habit, my running after you. I just don’t have the strength right now.”
I pressed my hand into his, giving him a squeeze. “I know. This is hard, and it’s going to get harder.” I swallowed, emotion choking me as I fought my own fears and tried to do the right thing. A burst of warmth lit me from within, and I started as I recognized Tanselm’s vibrant welcome. Somehow, that made it easier to share what I truly felt. “I’m here for you, Arim. Remember that.”
He searched my gaze and gave a strained smile when he found what he’d apparently been looking for. “Good. No matter what happens, no matter what anyone says, you’re mine.” His tone and dark expression brooked no argument.
The blasted man waved away the shield, turned, and stalked toward the main staircase, still dragging me by the hand.
“What was that about?” Sava asked in a low voice as he and Jonas rejoined us. “The privacy shield. What did you two talk about, hmm?”
“Butt out, Sava,” Arim muttered. “You’ve done enough already.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not forgetting my part in all this. You owe me, big.”
“Ahem,” Jonas said with a slight cough as he hurried after them. “I was there too. As a matter of fact, I drugged Lexa at the threat to my life.” He clutched his throat dramatically and stared at me in horror.
