Page 53 of In The Dark

I quickly race up my stairs and shut the door behind me as I enter and exhale. After shrugging off my cloak, I place it in my wardrobe and shut the doors with a soft click. With a flick of my wrist, I light the hearth and smile.

“Are you awake?”Rydian slides into my head, and I outwardly groan, instantly ruining my brief moment of joy.“If you’re awake, you’ll see what I sent you.”

I kick off my boots with a huff and stride to my whiskey, then pour myself a glass. I catch myself wondering if I can find a way to get him to stop pestering me all day. It’s not like I’mnotdoing anything.

I’m standing in front of the large arched windows, sipping, when a loud tapping noise beats against the glass.What the…

I carefully set down my whiskey and squint, attempting to look outside. After unlatching the window, I swing it open to reveal a large hawk perched on the edge of the window.There’s no way.I recognize the large bird as Rydian’s and groan.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” I mutter. “I can’t respond so he sends his damn bird to me?” I realize that this must be what he meant when he said he sent me something.

“I have a name,”Ire says casually, and I gasp, my mouth falling open at the sound.

My eyes go wide, and for a moment, large hawk eyes blanklystare at me, as if he didn’t expect me to hear him.Did I hear him?His voice was low as it entered my mind.

“How long have you been there?” I ask.

“Only today. But I’ve been ordered to watch over you for a few days,”he says.

“A few days? How long is a few days?” Annoyance coats my tone—Rydian doesn’t trust me. “Why didn’t you get my attention sooner?”

“I tried to earlier, but you didn’t notice.”

How could I have missed such a large bird outside my window? My eyes remain wide as I realize that my magic must be coming in a lot faster than I originally thought. It’s odd considering I haven’t progressed with any magic in years, so why now?

“Tell your king he’s giving me a headache by talking to me so much. I can’t think when all he does is badger me constantly,” I say and hear a noise come out of him that sounds a lot like a chuckle.

I step away from the window as Ire hops onto the table, knocking over one of my glasses and causing me to lunge for it to keep from shattering. I huff, blowing hair out of my face.

“I can’t. You have to tell him.”

“Why do I have to tell him? Don’t you talk to him?” I ask.

Ire blinks twice, then tucks his wings further into his sides.“I talk to him. He just can’t hear me, so you need to write a letter. He’s becoming quite impatient,”he adds and then takes a claw to scratch behind his ear while I stare at him.

“What?” I ask, brows pinching as a thought crosses my mind.

“Are you going to write something?”he presses.

“Yes. Okay, fine,” I get out, quickly finding something to scribble a note, letting Rydian know how much of a headache he is and that I’m in fact searching the castle for Elynor.

I hand the note off to Ire, who flies off in a matter ofseconds. It doesn’t take long for him to deliver my note, and Rydian’s loud guffaw jolts in my head. So loud that I wince.

A sound I could easily get used to, it seems. His laughter is rich and warm, coating my insides like a thick quilt. Then he speaks, snuffing out the warm, fuzzy thoughts I was previously having.

“I do love that you’re searching for Queen Elynor, but a headache is going to be the least of your worries if you don’t meet me in Alvonia soon…”he warns, and I roll my eyes.

I wait a few minutes, thinking he’s finished speaking, and begin changing my clothes into something to sleep in.

“I’ve found something, and I think you’d really want to know what I found,”he says finally and I groan, my head slamming into the pillow just as I settle in bed.

18

It’s justbefore dawn by the time I wake, tangled in my sheets. Even though I crawled into bed a little late, I feel rested. Cold winter air brushes against my skin, forcing me to roll over, eyes peeling open.

“Fates!” I call out, jolting upright. Ire perches on one of the settees. “What are you doing here?”

“King Rydian has ordered me to watch over you.”