Page 17 of Crown of Iron (The Crown Trilogy #1)

“Do you ever grow tired of trying my patience?”

As if he understands the slippery slope I'm on, Nortus nudges me forward.

I turn to glare at the horse and my gaze falls to his saddlebag.

Shianne's parting words play in my head.

I dig out the pastries and sit next to Kyron, leaving plenty of space between us.

I open the cloth and remove the strudels inside.

“I made these with Shianne. She suggested I share them with you,” I say.

He accepts the flaky pastry coated in sugar and takes a bite. While he stares out at the river, I pull my knees to my chest, rest my chin on top, and nibble on the food. It is delicious, but my stomach is roiling with nerves.

“What you do for Shianne and her kids is truly amazing. I don't know many people in a position like yours who would do the same,” I say, trying to break the uncomfortable silence between us .

It's true; I only know one man who would care for the family of a fallen soldier the way Kyron does.

My father. Joel's death would’ve devastated him.

He would have thought of Shianne and been heartbroken for Mia and Blaze.

He would have done everything he could to help a family who resembled his own.

“My decisions left Shianne without a husband and Mia and Blaze to grow up without a father. What I do for them is pathetic compared to what they deserve,” Kyron says.

The lack of inflection in his voice does little to hide the pain buried in his words. I know that tone, understand the guilt it hides. He can't let it get to him. If he sinks into that despair for too long, it’ll cloud his judgement, another life will be lost, and the cycle will start again.

I carefully choose my words when I say, “Those who hold the responsibility to care for so many don't have the luxury of time to heal or make amends.

They live with their mistakes and continue caring for those in their keep.

It sometimes makes for messy people, and other times it makes for extraordinary leaders.

Many believe you fall in the latter, including Shianne and her children. They don't blame you for Joel's death.”

“The Statera gifted you with a silver tongue,” he says and takes the last bite of his pastry.

I shake my head and hand him the rest of my strudel. “No. The Statera blessed me with great teachers.”

We fall silent. Kyron finishes his second strudel, and I stare at the mud clinging to the toe of my boots.

The unsettling calm I felt while riding returns.

It brushes against my skin like the tips of feathers.

I tighten my arms around my legs, attempting to distance myself from the intimate feeling, but it persists.

Sitting this close to him, I have no doubt it’s Kyron's power.

“What exactly is your gift? I've never felt anything like it before,” I say, the words tumbling from my mouth before I can think better of them.

He cocks a dark eyebrow. “I'm an elemental, blessed with three gifts.”

“Three?”

“I'm an Ignita, Noctist, and Cognus.”

“A Noctist? Of course you have a rare gift,” I mumble.

If it were earlier in the day, I'd be suspicious of his power to cloak himself in shadows.

It makes spying easy. Gathering all the army's secrets would be simple for him, and he could use that information to con his way into my father's position I don't completely trust him, but I'm also not sure he would do that.

His gift of calling upon fire is common enough, but it's his third gift that gives me pause. My thumb glides back and forth over my betrothal ring. “You're a Cognus too?”

He gives a quick snort. “Don't worry, the gift is weak. I can't bind memories and sort through thoughts. I only sense feelings when I touch a person or an animal.”

I perk up. “You know what animals are feeling?”

“Not all, just those who possess an intelligence comparable to ours. Why? Are you worried Sammy is telling me all the deep, dark secrets you divulge to him during your visits?”

“No,” I lie. That horse is holding some of my deepest thoughts.

Kyron chuckles and says, “Samson doesn't normally let anyone else near him. It's always been just him and me. You won him over.”

I pause, taken back by the upturn of his lips. Gone is the hard exterior and in its place sits a smile. He’s remarkably handsome when he lets his guard down. So much so I find he's fractured my defenses, and I meet his chuckle with a good-natured response. “What can I say? I'm just that charming.”

“Or very generous with the apples.”

“That too.”

I ponder his words for a moment. He knows I visit the stables regularly. Is he spying on me? I already suspected as much when he placed me next to Greer's room.

A little nagging voice reminds me that I shouldn't trust him. He's a Stigian, my enemy. If he found out who I am, he could devastate our kingdom by harming me. On the other hand, he shouldn't trust me. I haven't been forthcoming about what exactly I'm doing here, or who I am.

“So, you're a Cyffred?” Kyron asks, pulling me out of my guilty thoughts.

I take a pebble and toss it into the river. “That's right. Nothing more than a meal to some.” As soon as the words slip through my lips, I flinch. “I don't think?—”

“I meet resistance with every recruit who stumbles through Basecamp’s gate. I've heard worse.”

Of course, he faces the question with each new soldier.

No one would understand why a Stigian is leading our army.

It's unfair to judge him, especially after what I witnessed today, but his eyes tell the story of what he has done.

He took something the Statera didn't grant him, even if the owner of the power gave it freely.

There’s no way he still doesn't siphon from others. It’s well-known the mental health of the Stigians becomes unstable the longer they consume other's gifts.

Yet they can't turn away from the rush of power, and if they try, rumor has it they die. Of course, it’s hearsay.

No Stigian has ever walked away from their kingdom.

It's why Kyron is a complete conundrum. Is he the exception to the rule, or does he have an entire army fooled?

I lift my gaze to the stars while sorting through my thoughts. A flash of green and pink slides through the sky. I sit up, holding my breath, and another swirl of purple and yellow flies past.

“Did you see those lights?”

“I saw nothing,” Kyron says, leaning back on his hands.

A streak of aqua arks over the mountain peaks in the distance. “Right there! You didn't see that?”

“You're spending too much time with the horses, princess.”

I scoot closer to him and point just as more colors waver overhead.

“Right the—” I bump his shoulder, and the words leave me in a puff of air.

His power punches through me, and it's exhilarating. Every facet is now so clear, the cloaking shadows, scorching flames, and brush of awareness. It’s as distinct as the colors in the sky and so strong I swear I could control it myself.

“Aurora,” he says. “It's a disturbance in the atmosphere. It's common and why I like it here.”

My mouth goes slack at his casual explanation of the lights. He doesn't feel it. All the energy flowing from him to me and he's oblivious. I might as well have asked him if he sees the air we breathe.

As I move away from him, I instantly miss the feeling. I clear my throat and return to our discussion about the lights. “You knew what I was talking about from the beginning. If you weren't the general, I'd?—”

“You would what?” He leans back and a strand of dark hair falls over his eye.

“I'd beat your ass,” I say, adding a little sass to my tone.

“Would you? ”

“I would.”

Kyron laughs and gets to his feet. “I'll tell you what, we'll meet on the sparring field at dawn tomorrow. If you? beat my ass , I'll let you join the morning training sessions with the rest of the new soldiers.”

This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. I stand and brush the dirt from my palms. “You have a deal.”

He holds out his hand, and I hesitate, staring at his calloused fingers.

I swallow my reservation about touching him and place my palm against his.

A sigh threatens to escape my lips as that glorious power returns.

The shake lasts longer than it should, and it takes everything in me to slide my fingers out of his.

I've secured my opportunity to prove my worth and found my chance to move forward with my plan. I will not yield. This match will be mine for the taking no matter what the cost. I just have to overcome one obstacle.

Kyron LeFur.