Kingdom of Sea and Stone

He sighed and removed his leather jerkin, then relit the candle. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how late it had gotten. Osius returned after nightfall.”

“Did he learn anything?”

“Yes, though nothing particularly promising.”

I waited for him to continue, but he sat down on the edge of the pallet and put his head in his hands. He clearly didn’t want to talk about it anymore tonight.

I crawled over to him, placing my hands on his shoulders. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too. I was so worried something had happened to you. I underestimated just how slow you would travel.”

“So did we, but it worked as a distraction, at least. You didn’t encounter any problems on your way south?”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry about your parents. We staked out New Castle for a couple of days, but if Ceren was gone, he wasn’t far enough away. His sentries were on strict orders not to let anyone enter. Even the Ilarean we brought from Galeth couldn’t get in. We decided we were better off joining my mother and telling her what we’d learned, even without reinforcements.”

I told him about our journey, how we’d been attacked by Ceren’s men and the guards in Riaga. “I’m just glad we’re all together again,” I said, kneading the stiff muscles in his shoulders.

Talin groaned and leaned into my touch. “I didn’t realize how sore I was. The battle yesterday took more out of me than I thought.”

After a few minutes, he placed his hands on mine and pulled me around to face him.

“I know you saw me talking to Roan,” I said. “It upset you.”

“He had his hand on your arm, Nor. It looked like more than a friendly goodbye. I know you spent a lot of time together on the road. It wouldn’t surprise me if something happened. But...”

I placed a finger on his lips. “Nothing happened, Talin. Roan and I are friends. At this point, I’m not even sure you can call us that.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Why?”

I considered telling him what Roan said about Talia, but when I looked into his eyes and saw how exhausted he was, I couldn’t add to his burden. “Nothing important,” I said. “I’m just disappointed the Galethians won’t help.”

“I don’t think we’ll need them,” Talin said. “Mother’s army is massive. There are over a thousand men in this camp alone. When the other troops join us, she’ll have close to three thousand.”

I blinked. “How does she have so many?”

He was quiet for a moment, and in that silence my doubts began to swell like a rising tide. “It doesn’t matter,” he said finally. “I met Zoi. She’s wonderful. So smart for her age, and funny, too.”

I smiled, genuinely happy for him. “I hope I’ll get to meet her soon.”

“You will. She’s coming from one of the other camps tomorrow.”

“Is that safe? Shouldn’t she stay far away from the fighting?”

“She will be,” Talin said, though I thought I heard some doubt in his voice. “And so will you, just in case you had any ideas.”

I laughed softly. “You know me too well.”

He took my chin in his fingers, tilting it so I would look him in the eye. “I’m serious, Nor. Promise me you’ll stay in the camp.”

“I have a stake in this, too, Talin.”

He lowered his hand. “I know that. Of course you do. But you can’t help on the battlefield. Promise me you’ll stay here, so I can rescue your parents without worrying about your safety.”

I hated the idea of sitting around and waiting while others were in danger, but I could see genuine fear in his eyes, and I knew he only wanted me to stay safe. I leaned forward, stopping just before our lips touched.

Talin’s breath caught, his eyes glittering in the dark. His hands moved to my shoulders, and I could feel my heart beginning to race in anticipation. I was wearing only my shift, my skin bare beneath his hands.

Slowly, Talin moved one hand up to cup the back of my neck, the rough calluses of his palms sending chills down my spine.

“Do you remember the first time we saw each other?” he said softly. “In Governor Kristos’s house?”

I grinned. “How could I forget?”

He dragged his lips along my collarbone. “You were beautiful, of course. I knew to expect that when I came to Varenia.”

“I was soaking wet and dripping water all over the governor’s floor,” I reminded him.

He smiled. “That only added to your charm. But it wasn’t your beauty that stole my breath.”

“No?” I managed, feeling a bit breathless myself.

He pulled his mouth away to look at me. “It was the way you’d spoken to Sami.”

I laughed. “So you heard all of that, did you?”

“I heard all of it, yes.”

“You must have thought me the rudest, most improper girl in the world.”

“Rude, improper, and brave,” he said. “There was so much conviction in your words. I didn’t know what you were talking about, but I could tell that whatever it was, you were willing to confront the governor over it.”

I shook my head. “My mother would have killed me if she saw.”

“Your mother valued you for all the wrong reasons.”

I blushed, grateful for his words but finding it difficult to believe them.

Talin continued, his hands taking mine. “And then over the course of the meal, as everything began to fall into place for me, I saw how much you had wanted to protect Zadie.”

“Of course I did. She’s my sister.”

He leaned back a bit more. “And Ceren is my brother. And I wish I had even half as much certainty about what to do next as you do. You always know what’s right.”

“But I don’t,” I said. “Not anymore. I’m as unsure as you are. But if you think your mother is wrong—”

“I don’t,” he said, cutting me off. “Ceren can’t be king, Nor. He’s too dangerous. I just...”

Talin loved his brother, and he hated him. He felt guilty for not being kinder and for not stopping Ceren when he became too cruel. He couldn’t win in this scenario. But he didn’t need me to say that. He already knew.

“Get some rest,” I said instead, helping him out of his tunic. “Everything will be clearer in the morning.”