Page 45 of Return of the Darkness (The Lost Kingdom Saga #3)

Sadira

“ G ood morning,” Sadira whispered into Caellum’s ear as he set her down.

He said nothing as he held her cold cheeks in his palms and kissed her lips.

When he finally pulled back, Sadira took a deep breath, like he had stolen all the air from her lungs.

“I’m okay,” she murmured. Caellum scanned her eyes and undoubtedly saw the pain within them.

“You are certain?” he asked, brushing a hand through her hair. Sadira nodded.

“There is much for us to discuss, but I am okay.” Sadira reached for his hand and squeezed it tightly, taking a moment for themselves amongst the chaos.

Soldiers aided Garridon’s citizens while others cleared the rubble of the building Caellum had collapsed.

Sunlight now streamed into the city square, highlighting the impact of the king’s actions.

Sadira could not be prouder; in her eyes, Caellum was a beacon of strength and resilience for Garridon and their people.

“Marry me,” Caellum murmured, stroking the engagement ring on her finger. Sadira laughed, and the delicate sound danced in the surrounding air. “Marry me,” he said again, more seriously now.

“We’re already betrothed.”

“Tomorrow,” Caellum murmured, and Sadira laughed.

“I cannot arrange an entire wedding and have everyone here by tomorrow.”

“We need no one else.” Sadira stopped laughing at the sincerity in his tone. “We only need you and I, a witness and an officiant. Sir Cain would do it in a heartbeat. ”

“You’re serious.” Sadira’s smile brightened her eyes as Caellum nodded.

“I do not want to wait. There is too much at stake, too many occasions where we could lose one another, and the realm could lose a ruler. I need only you, Sadira.” Caellum kissed her gently again.

“I need to visit Albyn first. Before I left the apothecary, Athena told me to reconnect with the Wiccan we met last time to find more answers about the sword and perhaps the pins.”

Caellum nodded eagerly. “We will go now. We will head to Albyn to meet with the Wiccan and marry at sunrise tomorrow morning.”

“In a field of flowers?” Sadira whispered. Caellum grinned and leant in.

“I will marry you in a field of irises,” he murmured against her lips. “Together, we’ll experience a hundred new beginnings.”

***

Albyn’s flower fields called to Sadira as she dismounted her horse, ready to enter the town with her king’s arm looped through hers.

In the morning, she would become a wife—a queen.

Sadira would promise herself to the man she never anticipated to love, the man she was told she would marry all those years ago.

The endless flowers waved to her as they swayed in the light breeze.

The coastal settlement, Albyn, felt like the perfect place to wed Caellum; not only was it steeped in nature she adored, but it was closest to the land where she was raised.

If Sadira strode through the rows of homes and shops to the other end, she could stand at the cliff’s edge and gaze out over the sea to Doltas Island in the distance.

Although Sadira was not yet queen, she still had matters to attend to in Albyn to protect her people.

Only after could she enjoy a moment with her future husband.

After a restless night in the apothecary, her mind had been a constant string of thoughts, especially when Caellum ran into danger.

Questions had raced through her head. Why were Elisara’s soldiers here, acting like the enemy?

What did Athena’s prophecy mean? Why did she sense the three pins now tucked inside Caellum’s jacket were a clue to helping Novisia move forward to protect the lands or defeat Caligh?

Was Caellum okay? Sadira suspected many of her questions would not be answered immediately, but her intentions were set with the Wiccan she hoped would seek her out again.

Like last time, Athena suggested Albyn would hold some answers.

But a rare anger inside Sadira threatened to bloom from her fingertips, remembering how the red-haired Wiccan and older gentleman had confidently guided her to the imbuement of the swords, potentially knowing it was not to create a weapon to kill Caligh’s creatures, but instead link those they slaughtered to the Sword of Souls.

Sadira clenched and unclenched her fists, yet refused to let such negative presumptions cloud her ability to speak rationally.

“Do we assume they will find us again, like last time?” Caellum asked as they strolled arm in arm along the town’s small promenade. Sadira smiled at the florist and bent to sniff a bunch of pink roses.

Caellum cleared his throat and nodded at passersby as people slowed when realising their King was present. Sir Cain strolled several steps ahead, clearing a path to assess for danger. Taryn strolled close to Sadira’s right, while four guards patrolled the rear.

“We could always greet Lord Gregor and wait in the tavern like last time.” Sadira blushed at Caellum’s smile, recalling the night they shared in the inn attached to the tavern.

“He’s expecting us. I sent our belongings to his lodge with the request to stay with him this evening, but we could head there now.

” Caellum agreed, just as a flash of red hair blew out from beneath a deep-purple hooded cloak.

Sadira tapped Caellum’s arm discretely, inclining her head towards the woman weaving amongst the throngs of people, crossing towards an alleyway nestled between a blacksmiths and a confectionary store.

The woman paused to glance over her shoulder.

Sadira murmured to Taryn, requesting he catch up with Sir Cain and alert him to the change in direction while the remaining guards sealed the alleyway.

Sadira trailed behind Caellum towards the woman, who stilled as she approached the alleyway and turned her head to glance at the king and future queen, ensuring they followed.

Darkness closed around them when they entered the narrow alley, with the height of the guards preventing more light from filtering through.

Despite the clear blue skies and sunlight bathing Albyn’s fields, the closely packed buildings, and thick, overhanging thatched roofs created a sense of foreboding.

Three sets of footsteps were all that could be heard along the cobbled stones as Sadira and Caellum rushed to keep up.

The redhead raised a hand when she reached a dead end, signalling for them to wait.

They did. She knocked on a door in a practiced pattern, and a creak followed as it opened.

Sadira and Caellum exchanged a look before the woman’s hand peeked from within the doorway to beckon them inside.

“What if this is a bad idea?” Caellum murmured, and Sadira glanced behind to where the guards sealed the alleyway. Sir Cain and Taryn waited at the halfway point, close enough to hear the king or Sadira should they need aid.

“We have one another,” Sadira reassured him. Flourishing her fingers, she willed vines to twist along the walls and stop before the door, close enough for her to beckon them inside if they needed assistance. Caellum tapped the pommel of his sword before they approached the door together.

The room was how Sadira would have pictured Athena’s home based on the apothecary’s decor.

Only a single window on the opposite wall lit the room, looking out onto another wall in a different alleyway.

The thatched roof cast shadows on the window in place of sunlight.

From the right, a fireplace warmed the room, crafted from many different stones, likely forged from whatever materials they could find.

An iron-made fire guard, mimicking the shape of ivy, guarded the fire, though sparks still spat free, burning into a worn yellow rug that filled the entire space, speckled with soot the nearer it was to the flames.

A large greyhound lifted its head lazily from the cushions piled against the side of the chimney.

It seemed uninterested in the visitors, as it slowly lowered its head onto its paws and closed its eyes.

“Take a seat wherever you prefer,” said the woman, removing her cloak and shaking free her waist-length red curls, which fell around the shoulders of her white blouse and ended at the leather band of her trousers.

Her voice was calm—welcoming, even. She had clearly expected their arrival.

Sadira stepped towards the two-seater sofa, its colour concealed by several multicoloured, woven blankets.

Before she sat, a ginger tabby cat leapt into the spot, stretching across most of the sofa.

“Sorry. She is rather particular about things belonging to her.” The woman pulled china cups from a long wooden shelf filled with misshaped crockery, while Caellum inched away from the cat, stealing glances at it. Sadira suppressed a laugh.

“Aren’t we all?” Sadira gave what she hoped seemed like a genuine smile as Caellum pulled a wooden chair from beneath the slanted round table behind the sofa.

Sadira sat down, assessing the rest of the room, while Caellum lowered himself onto the chair beside her, shifting it close enough toward her that their knees touched.

On the left-hand side of the room, opposite the window, was a small kitchen and worktop, where dried herbs hung from a long wooden shelf above the open stove.

Years of condensation had peeled the sage-coloured paint on the wall, revealing blue paint beneath, likely from the previous owners.

Sadira clasped her trembling hands as worry rose within her about these people and their intentions.