Page 71

Bria

T wo horses are saddled and ready for us when we leave Castle Eccleston.

Evander and I mount the horses for the ride to the temple.

It was constructed in the furthest corner of Easthallow and though we could have walked, it would have taken much longer, and the high priest has requested us to be there now.

I’m fairly used to riding, but being on a horse in such a long gown is not the easiest feat, and I find myself longing for my leggings and boots.

Relief flows over me when I see that Luthais is not joining us, and neither is Aamon.

Apparently, the sacred rite is not something to be shared, not a public ceremony.

As we ride, I watch Evander. I’m not sure how I can go back to how our lives were before this. As a betrothed couple, we have spent nearly every second together and it feels right. I feel at ease around him. He steadies me, he calms me, and I feel...loved.

Although I know I might be reading into things, I can’t help but recall the conversation with Quinn.

I feel something from Ev, something more than the friendship we’ve shared for years.

The attraction between us has been evolving for a long time, but it’s shifted, morphed into something more.

I had hoped Evander was smarter than this.

That he wouldn’t let himself fall for a dead woman.

But that night in the Gilded Forest, he’d said he wanted to give me the ring one day.

And not just because of the parts we were playing.

That statement made me realize I was lost. I was his entirely and there was no going back after this. Not for me.

But I don’t want Evander to feel the pain I’m experiencing right now—the deep ache in my chest, the tearing that rips through me when I think about losing him, about losing everyone I hold so dear.

But they won’t be lost here, not in this city nor in the castle, because I am going to make sure we all get out.

For now, the best I can do to make that happen is play the part as we ride to the temple.

The city has a whole different kind of beauty during the daytime.

It’s alive with people crowded around taverns for lunch, gathering their groceries from the market, and purchasing goods.

Just living. Going about their lives normally.

I miss having a real life like that. A life that isn’t controlled by a prophecy and being hunted.

The bitter tang of jealousy hits and my throat tightens as I watch a group of women browsing shops and chasing after their small children, another thing I want but will never get to have.

Another aspect of life I will be deprived of.

It hurts, but as we ride past the children, I smile, thinking that if we are successful with all of this, then my friends and families will be able to live these lives.

Maybe I can’t, but they can. They will. Nimai will meet someone and fall in love, Ash will have a family, and Evander and Quinn will become fathers. They will both be wonderful fathers.

“Are you alright, Bria?” I hear his voice, breaking me out of my thoughts.

Grabbing the reins, I steady myself on the horse. We’ve been silent during the ride so far, not wanting to bring any attention to ourselves. But now we near the edge of the city and I expect Ev noticed my expression.

“I’m fine.” It’s a blatant lie.

A lie because I don’t want to make things any more difficult between us.

He doesn’t need to know how desperately I crave children and the experience of being a mother.

Because though the children I just saw brought those feelings up, it was brief—a fleeting sense of jealousy and sadness.

I had come to the realization when I first met Cato, first began my training, that my path was changed forever.

I accepted my fate already, long before this day. I’m not meant for that life.

“Liar.” He scowls, turning his face back to the road ahead. “Are you nervous about the temple? About the priests?” he asks, prying for the reason my mood shifted.

The temple appears now as we come out of the city, no buildings to block the view any longer.

The thought of going into the wretched building is absolutely weighing on me, but it’s not nervousness I’m experiencing.

It’s anger, seething anger in fact, at the prospect of spending any time with those horrific men.

“Not nervous, no,” I admit, knowing he’s not going to let up. He knows me too well, can read my emotions even when I think them to be well hidden. And right now, I have not hidden them well at all.

“Ahh, you’re thinking of sinking a dagger into each of their hearts?

Debating on how many of the priests you can hold down with your shadowy vines?

” He shoots a glance my way, one eyebrow raised, and the corner of his mouth turns up.

That dimple. It makes my own mouth break into a smile despite myself.

He has firsthand experience of how powerful my vines can be.

“Maybe. But I have no dagger right now,” I remind him, shifting the reins into my left hand and gesturing to the long gown I wear.

The stupid dress forces me to ride sidesaddle, and it’s unbelievably uncomfortable and slow.

But it’s an effort in keeping some semblance of purity and innocence, lest the priests see my bare legs as I hike the dress up to ride normally.

I wish I had a dagger or any other weapon on me going into the temple.

If problems do arise, I can use my gifts if absolutely necessary, but that will open up a whole host of issues for us.

I still miss the weight of a blade at my side and strapped across my chest.

“Well, we will just have to find someplace to hide one going forward,” Ev says, his eyes sliding up the length of the gown. My stomach knots with anticipation, following the line of his thoughts.

“We should probably keep talk of daggers in hearts to ourselves though.” He nods forward and I notice we are directly in front of the temple.

The giant smooth slabs of gray stone stretch upward toward a massive golden dome.

There are no windows along the sides, just large, scalloped archways.

One singular stained-glass window stands high in the center of the front-facing wall.

It’s an enormous circle formed of various shades of blues and whites, with shards of gray slicing through the center.

It ends in a sharp, pointed pane of glass, glistening a deep burnt orange.

The building is old, clearly built shortly after the fall of the Keeper.

But it has been kept in good condition. The stones are intact, the window clean and well cared for.

No surprise there, given this is the foundation for their kingdom of lies.

As we approach, the tall doors open, and Father Mallory stands on the steep stone stairs to receive us.

Evander heaves himself from his horse, hitching the stallion to one of the wooden posts before walking over to me.

He holds out his hand and I gracefully give over my own to him, dropping the reins in the process.

I slide down the saddle toward him and feel his arm wrap tightly around my waist. My feet don’t hit the ground.

He catches my body before, easing me down.

The gesture has me pressed flush against him, the thin fabric of my gown not feeling like much of a barrier.

I bite my lower lip, resisting the urge to sink my hands into his hair and wind my body around his.

But before I can act on any of those feelings and make myself look like a fool in front of the priest, Ev lowers me fully to the ground.

He bends forward in a gentlemanly act and kisses the top of my head.

“If you don’t stop, I’m going to grab that lip with my own teeth,” he whispers into my hair, all pretenses of being a gentleman gone in that one sentence. I immediately release the grip on my lip, my mouth falling open. “And I’m not sure the high priest will approve of what I do after.”

My stomach flips. Dear gods . He pulls back then, a devilish grin on his devastatingly handsome face, and grasps my hand.

“Shall we?”

I nod, not able to process a response after his words, a flush creeping across my chest and neck. We walk up the short path to meet Father Mallory and he turns, opening the large, heavy wooden door behind him.

“Welcome, Lady Bria. And welcome back, Evander. Vaohr will be most pleased that you have both arrived.” He holds the massive door, ushering us inside.

The temple is much as I expected. A grand room with a soaring ceiling, the dome I observed from outside.

Sunlight shines through the huge stained-glass window, cascading light into the space.

The floor is pure white marble, slick and polished, reflecting the light and letting it bounce around the room.

Small benches sit in a circle, spaces for people to sit and worship in the presence of their god.

And in the back of the room, where the light spreads out in a wide bath of pure white, stands the statue of Vaohr.

I stare at the fake god, a slab of pure white marble carved into a robust man.

Depicted as being taller than a typical man, he towers above, rippling with muscles.

He has long hair that comes to his shoulders and a perfectly square jawline.

His arms are outstretched as if he were giving something to the people and receiving them at the same time.

I want to laugh at the absurdity but think better of it given my current situation.

Evander kneels before the statue, and I feel a tug on my hand as he goes to the floor. I look down at him and hesitate for a moment, not sure of what he’s doing, my face contorting in confusion. Am I meant to kneel as well? Probably.