Page 106 of Daughter of the Drowned Empire

I bit my lip. The Imperator coming here was bad. Always. But especially after another incident in Bamaria—it was going to give him all the leverage he needed to add more legions.

“And is his highness coming alone? Or is he bringing Ka Kormac legions with him?”

“He said he’d come as quickly as possible. Legions tend to slow travel down, so my guess is no.”

My stomach was in knots. “Even one soturion of Ka Kormac remaining armed in Bamaria is too many.” I shifted in my seat. I’d lost my posture hearing the news. Sitting up straighter, I asked, “What now? What do we do?”

“We do not do anything, your grace. Attend the habibellum tonight, that’s your job. That’s all you can do. The Shadows are on this. Aemon’s sent his best soturi to investigate. We’ll get them. In the meantime, of course your security detail will increase.”

“It’s increased a lot lately.” My eyes flicked to Rhyan. He remained still and stoic in his corner.

“I know.” Eathan sighed, reaching for my arm. “We will also be adding in some wards and additional spells to your apartment. Mages are on their way now to increase your protection.” He bowed his chin. “Your grace. Get some rest.” He stood and headed for the door, nodding at Rhyan. “Soturion.”

“My lord,” he said quietly.

Eathan closed the door behind him.

I blinked. One second, Rhyan was several feet away, standing guard in a corner of my living room. The next, he was right in front of me, his hands flexing at his sides.

“You never told me you were there for the death of that man. The jewelry seller?”

I narrowed my gaze. “Oh, did your security team not let you in on that detail?”

“Lyr! Do you realize how dangerous that was? To follow someone you don’t know into a dark place? The park has so many hiding spots, it’s perfect for an ambush.”

There was another knock on my apartment door, but before I could say anything, Tristan strolled in with his two usual mage escorts—including Bellamy.

My throat tightened, and I looked at Rhyan carefully, pleading with him not to say anything in front of Tristan about the vendor’s death or what Eathan had just revealed.

The moment Tristan laid eyes on me, he was across the room. “Are you all right?” he asked, scooping me into his arms.

“I’m not hurt,” I said. “Are you?”

He answered with a kiss, his hands gripping my waist, pulling me in close. “Better,” he whispered in my ear. “Now I’m with you.” His mouth was on mine again.

“Tristan,” I said, breathlessly. “We’re not alone.”

He rolled his eyes. “I know.” He caught sight of Rhyan standing back against the wall.

“Now don’t stop on my account. You seemed like you were enjoying having an audience.”

“What’s he doing here?” Tristan asked.

“He…he helped me get to safety during the lockdown,” I said. “So did Markan and the rest of the Bamarian legion sleeping outside my door.”

“Well, the lockdown’s over, Hart. We’ll be going now. Maybe you can lock up.”

“She can’t go,” he snarled. “Not until her new security detail is established. So you’ll just have to perform your little show to us audience of three. Me, your two…oh, I remember you!” Rhyan sauntered toward Bellamy. “We met in the Shadow Stronghold. You tried to push a stave against my throat.” Rhyan pointed to his neck and growled, mocking Bellamy’s attack.

“Then you can go. We’ve got it from here,” Tristan said. “She has me, two world-class mages, and as Lyr said, a Bamarian legion outside her door.”

I waited to see if Rhyan would protest and insist on some excuse to stay because he was on duty. But he simply nodded and walked toward the door. “See you at the habibellum, your grace.” His aura spread across the room, frosty, distant, and dark, like an endless forest buried beneath the snow.

Tristan sat down with me, rubbing my leg, asking hundreds of questions about the day I’d had. I couldn’t focus on him. Instead, I found myself watching Bellamy, looking for any sign that he’d betrayed me to his lord. We made eye contact. His eyes closed slowly, and he lowered his chin.

I nodded in return. Then the exhaustion truly hit. I excused myself to my room. Tristan followed. I let him lay down beside me and gather me close so that my back pressed against his chest. Still feeling a gust of Rhyan’s glacial aura, I tugged my blankets higher and went to sleep.

I opened my eyes in the dark. My entire room was pitch black. I was alone. I remembered Tristan getting up at some point because he had to leave and prepare for a test he was administering for novice mages.