“You’ll see soon,” he muttered.
“If you think you’re taking me into the dungeons, you’ve got another thing coming.” I stopped and placed my hands on my hips like a mother reprimanding her child.
“Ah, here we are.” He ignored my comment and hopped up onto a large chunk of stone that had fallen off the palace wall. “Give me your hand.” He leaned down and reached out to me.
Narrowing my eyes, I conceded. Curiosity would be the death of me.
His grip on my hand was firm as he pulled me up with him. After I had a steady footing, we continued to climb up the area of the wall that had crumbled with time.
Winded by the time we reached the top, I stopped to catch my breath.
“Chel, look.” Thaimis touched my elbow and pointed.
I followed his finger to the moonlit sea laying beyond the palace we now stood on. The view was spectacular! The moon was a ginormous ball of light and cast a sparkling effect upon the waves that lapping the shore with their gentle caress.
“Oh my, this is quite the sight. I have to admit, I’m impressed. How did you know about this place?” I asked in wonder.
“Do you like it?” He searched my eyes.
“It’s wonderful,” I admitted.
“I noticed the broken wall a while back,” he said, answering my question. “I come here sometimes when I want to think—or just to be alone.”
“Why show me?” I puzzled. He wasn’t courting me. We weren’t even friends. Unless…
“I thought you’d appreciate it. I know how much you love the sea.”
I inclined my head. Was he attempting to court me? I didn’t know what to make of that. I suddenly felt dizzy.
Seeing my thoughts written on my face, Thaimis stepped closer with a look of concern. “Chel? Are you alright?”
I shook myself, closing my eyes. I laughed. I was being silly. “I’m fine. Sorry. Yes! I love it! The sea—this view. Thank you for sharing it with me.” Great, now I was rambling.
His eyes grew dark with desire. “I care about you, Chelela. I hope you know that.”
“Of course. I am your best friend’s little sister.” Was this really happening? My mind was racing.
“No, I mean… it’s more than just that.”
I raised my eyes to meet his. Something inside of me warmed. He grew even closer. My head swam. I couldn’t even articulate a straight thought in that moment. I’d never felt this way before. I didn’t like feeling so—so out of control. And yet…
He closed the gap between us and brushed my jaw with his fingertips. I felt like a mouse must feel when caught in the grip of a cat’s paw—completely and utterly helpless.
I swallowed hard as he drew himself up to me; our bodies now touching. He looked down at me with sea-blue eyes. I got lost in their depth. I closed my eyes. My lips parted as he leaned down. Our lips met, and a shock wave rolled through my entire soul. It was as though some magnetic force pulled us together. Nothing existed in that moment but the two of us. I sighed with pleasure as his hands explored the skin on my shoulders and back. I wanted more. I was under his spell. I pressed my mouth harder to his. I wanted to feel him with my own hands. He took off his cloak, and I began undoing the metallic buttons of his doublet.
He pulled away long enough to ask, “Are you sure about this?”
I bit my lip and nodded. I couldn’t stop to think now. I couldn’t even speak for fear of breaking the spell. I didn’t want reason to win. I worried this wonderful feeling inside me would dissipate if I let it. So instead, I let him help me undo my stays.
“I want you. I’ve wanted you for so long,” he admitted in a thick voice that sent shivers down my back.
“I thought you hated me,” I managed to get out between breaths.
“Oh, I did.” He bit my neck lightly.
A low, vibrating sound from my throat was my only response as I sat up on the stone ledge and he positioned himself against me. Before I knew, it my skirts were hiked up and he was taking me. It hurt and felt good all at the same time. I begged him not to stop. If he knew he was taking my maiden head, he didn’t say and neither did I. I needed him like I needed air. I reached a point where I thought I would explode from the pleasure and then—I did. He followed not long behind and we both collapsed, breathless.
“That was—it was…”
“Amazing,” he finished for me.
“Yes,” I agreed. I didn’t know how we’d got to that point. I was baffled, to be honest. Never had I known that a single person could be both so infuriating and so intoxicating. My world had been turned upside down in an instant. I’d never felt this way about anyone.
“Making love to the sound of the sea—that’s the life,” he mused, leaning his head back.
I sputtered. “Is that what we were doing?”
“What would you call it?”
I couldn’t think of an answer that wouldn’t taint what had happened.
We sat in silence for a few moments. It wasn’t an awkward silence. It was comfortable. I found it odd that it felt so easy to be in his presence. We hadn’t spent much time alone together in all the seasons we’d known each other. Somehow, it felt right.
“That was my first time,” I informed him.
“Was it? I never knew you were so innocent,” he feigned sincerity.
I snickered. “You know nothing about me.”
“Ah, well, better not tell your brother about this then.”
“No—wait. My brother!” I rose to leave and Thaimis caught my arm.
“Where are you going?”
“To bed. It’s getting late, and I mean to be up to see Percifal off at dawn.
A pained expression crossed his face. “Percifal’s already gone. I’m sorry.”
I hesitated, not believing my own ears. “What? No. He told me he was leaving in the morning.”
“I know.” He released my arm and stood up. “He asked me to distract you so he could leave tonight without you noticing. He didn’t want you to try and go with him,” he grimaced.
Suddenly, all I could see was red. This had been some scheme the whole time? I felt like such a fool. “So this—this was yours and his idea?” My stomach began to churn. I bent over. “I’m going to be sick.”
Thaimis’s jaw worked. “Not this exactly. He didn’t say in what way I should distract you.”
I stood up straight and smacked him hard across the face.
He looked away.
“I believed you! You tricked me! Now Percifal’s without either of us! I can’t believe you, you stupid ass!” I turned and began to climb back down to the ground with haste. Jumping off the last piece of broken wall, I landed wrong and twisted my ankle. I let out a pained cry and Thaimis was right behind me, offering support. “Don’t. Touch. Me!” I bit out through my teeth.
He held his hands up and let me hobble along on my own, keeping pace beside me. “It was an order. He’ll be fine without us. He’s well trained, and he has other skilled soldiers with him.”
I didn’t bother answering. I just hobbled faster to get away from him.
“Chel! I wasn’t lying!” He called after me. “I do care about you!”
I fought hard to keep back the tears. Not now. I wouldn’t let this jerk my brother called a friend make me cry.
I came crashing into my apartment. While steadying a vase I’d managed to knock over, my mother rushed downstairs wearing a silk robe. Her usually well-kept hair was a disheveled mess, a sure sign she’d been asleep. “Chel? What are you doing? I heard a loud crash. Are you alright?” Her brow furrowed with concern.
“I’m fine.” I pushed my anger down. This wasn’t her fault. I lightened my tone. “Thank you, Mother. I twisted my ankle, is all.”
“Perhaps I should call for Sreda to take a look at it.” I’d learned that when anyone at court needed Sreda, they would write a plea to her on paper and burn it. Sreda would always come shortly after… fire magic. My mother came over to assist me with standing.
“It’s not as serious as that. One of your poultices will do,” I assured her.
“If you say so. If it doesn’t get better in a few days, you will see Sreda through.” I knew there’d be no arguing with her, so I agreed. “Yes, Mother.”
Pleased with my answer, she helped me to my bedchamber and out of my dress. Once I was in my bed, she went to fetch the poultice that would help bring the swelling down.
As soon as the poultice was on and the icy sensation seeped into my ankle, I fell fast asleep, completely worn out from my endeavor.
Chapter 7
I was on edge the whole time Percifal was away. I didn’t need to see Sreda for my ankle. Thankfully, it’d healed on its own. I did my best to avoid Thaimis. Physically, that wasn’t a tough feat. Mentally though… anytime I wasn’t busy, I found my mind wandering to our night on the roof-top. I scolded myself inwardly each time I let my mind slip to thoughts of him. It was torture. When I did see him, I saw shame on his face and… sorrow? I couldn’t fathom why he would be sad. He’d accomplished his task.
With a sense of dread, I filled the buckets with water from the well. I’d offered to do this chore for my father, needing something to do to keep myself from going insane. Percifal should have returned by now. My imagination ran wild with reasons he wasn’t home yet.
I was so lost in thought, I didn’t even notice Thaimis approach me. Turning to leave with a full bucket in each hand, I smacked right into him and dropped the buckets of water. “Ah shit! For Celestia’s sake! Why would you sneak up on me like that?” I snarled.
Thaimis blinked, more stunned than I, before bending to pick up the fallen buckets. “I didn’t. I was calling your name, but you ignored me.”
“As you can see, I’m quite busy. What do you want?” I put my hands on my hips, eager to get back to my task and away from him.
“To let you know although I did succeed in following through with my order from Percifal, I never meant for—that to happen.”
I rolled my eyes. I didn’t believe anything that came out of his mouth.
“I don’t regret it,” he added.
My cheeks grew hot, and I had to look away. “I don’t care. Percifal’s still not back. I will blame you if something terrible has happened to him.”
“So will I.” The hint of guilt in his voice rang clear. He was just as worried as I was.
“I have work to do, so if you don’t mind…” I tore the buckets from his hands. It was so much easier when we’d simply hated each other.
“Let me help you with those,” he offered.
Trying to charm his way back into my good graces was not going to work. I was about to refuse when the bell sounded with six quick chimes. This could only mean one thing; my brother had returned to Aquila.
I dropped the buckets, turned and ran toward the palace gates. When I arrived, an entourage was already there. I had to make my way through a crowd of people dressed in an assortment of colours, and stinking of sweat and perfume, to catch sight of the men who had returned from their mission across the sea.
Man after man rode through the iron-gate. My stomach flipped as each face I saw was not my brother’s. I was beginning to believe something terrible had happened to him when he appeared alongside the chancellor, who was dressed in better garb than everyone else who’d come through the gate. My eyes widened, and I pushed past the throng of people. A few made rude comments as I bumped into them or stepped on their toes as I squeezed to the front. I ignored them.
“Percifal!” I shouted over the clamour.
He was filthy and looked exhausted, but his eyes lit up when he spotted me. He dismounted his horse and handed his reins to one of his soldiers as I reached him. We embraced each other tightly before I stepped back and gave him a hard shove. “How could you leave without saying farewell to me?” I wailed at him, wiping tears from my cheeks. “I was so afraid I’d never lay eyes on you again, you fool.”
“It’s good to see you too, Chel,” he said, recovering from my shove. “If I hadn’t snuck away, would you have stayed here and not attempted to join me?”
“No! But that doesn’t matter!”
He couldn’t help but smile. He patted me on the head like I was still a child. I ducked away. I didn’t want my hair to be soiled from his grubby palm.
“That’s what I thought. We’ll catch up later. I’m off to see the king now.”
“Fine,” I surrendered. I couldn’t stay angry with him. I was just glad to have him back and in one piece.
King Zaeden had a welcoming dinner thrown for those who had returned from Gwon. I sat beside my mother, who spoke candidly with Queen Thea while I chewed a piece of meat off a chicken bone. The low burning lamps and navy blue decor created a nightly ambience in the room. The kitchen staff had prepared a tasty meal for us all to enjoy; one of the perks of living at court. One could always look forward to a good meal anytime there was something to celebrate. Though, I wasn’t quite sure if we were in fact celebrating. King Zaeden had sat quietly throughout dinner. My father sat beside the king and spoke in his ear over the course of the meal. I’d learned nothing of Percifal’s journey yet.
I pushed my empty plate away and focused on my goblet of wine, doing my best to ignore Thaimis—who sat across from me with some blonde strumpet on his lap. It seemed he had finally accepted my rejection. Good.
My mother poked me, startling me out of my thoughts. “Stop scowling. It’s unflattering.”
“I’m not scowling.” I checked my expression, softening my features.
If she was about to reply, she was interrupted by King Zaeden as he got up from his seat and placed his pale, jeweled hands on the table to call attention to himself.
He remained silent until everyone watched him, and then he spoke in a voice that carried throughout the room. “As you all know, we had sent our chancellor to the island called Gwon to offer to trade with them in exchange for gold. While we are pleased all of the men we had sent have returned to us in one piece, we regret that Gwon has refused our offer.”
Percifal wouldn’t take his eyes of the king as he spoke. His jaw was set… his brows drawn together. This was bad news, but what came next had my heart pounding against my ribs.
King Zaeden slammed his fist against the table, causing some to start. “We do not accept this! And so we must send Constable Lacrima and his men back to Gwon on a less diplomatic journey. This time, our army will bring back the gold we need.”
Some men nodded in agreement as the blood left my face. Queen Thea placed a hand on her husband’s arm. A look of concern filled her warm sapphire eyes. “My
dear—”
“No, Thea. You cannot talk me out of this,” he addressed her informally. “We need this gold for the kingdom. Otherwise we’ll need to take it from our own people. I am a king, and I will not be refused!”
The queen removed her hand from her husband’s arm in surrender. No one questioned the king—not even his beloved wife, who was revered by the people of Aquila.
So, to my dismay, Percifal would be going back to Gwon. Only this time, it would be far more dangerous. King Zaeden expected them to steal gold from the island. My gaze snapped to Percifal. He saw the panic in my eyes and shook his head. He didn’t want me to cause a scene.
The blonde on Thaimis’s lap sat awkwardly… lost and forgotten as Thaimis stared straight ahead at nothing, clenching his fist around his goblet so hard I thought it might break. She giggled and whispered something in his ear in an attempt to lighten his mood. It took every effort I had not to roll my eyes. He didn’t even seem to hear her.
As soon as King Zaeden dismissed us, I downed my wine and flew out of the room. I strode through the wide corridor, passing tapestries of blue, indigo and silver which depicted scenes from the sea. I heard footsteps behind me before I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“Chel, wait.”
I stopped and turned to Thaimis. The blonde was no longer with him. “Where’s your mistress?”
A stupid grin crossed his face. “Jealous?”
“No. I don’t have the patience for this.” I huffed and tried to turn away, but he caught my arm. The nerve he had!
“You are jealous. Good. That was my hope,” he admitted.
I came at him then. Our faces were so close, I could see the flecks of green within the blue of his eyes. “I don’t care what you do or whom you are seeing. I. Hate. You,” I snarled.
“Do you?” he challenged. “Do you really hate me? Because I don’t think you do.”
I opened my mouth to retort… but I clamped it shut.
And then we were on each other like a pair of animals. I don’t know who grabbed who first, but his hands were tangled in my hair and my arms were around his neck in the blink of an eye. Our lips locked in a passionate kiss that warmed my blood and had me yearning for more.
In between kisses, he breathed, “If this is what hate feels like, I hate you too.”
I broke our kiss, pushing against his chest. “Not here. Meet me at our spot—tomorrow at sunset.”
I turned and ran, my skirts swishing around my legs, before he could utter a word.
I was reading by candlelight when Percifal came stumbling in through the door of our apartment. Our parents had long gone to bed. He almost knocked one of the candles over on his way to the lounger, where he plopped down and placed a hand on his forehead.
“You’re drunk.” I remarked, setting my book down.
A bitter laugh escaped his throat. “What d’you expect,” he slurred.
I got up to fetch him a cup of water from the kitchen.
He accepted it eagerly when I returned, downing it in a few gulps.
I raised an eyebrow at him.
“Don’t give m’that look. I thought I’d never have t’return to that damned island again once I’d left its shores, and then—and then I come back only t’be ordered to turn right around and go back!” He fell back onto the lounger and dropped the cup.
The Elemental Diaries - Complete Series Page 28