Page 20 of To Touch A Silent Fury

“You strive to be more than what you are, but something or someone holds you back,” I said. The words fell from me, bubbling out just as quickly as I thought them. I couldn’t stop it. The Brothers so rarely let me use my gift, and I could usually guess what Seth was thinking before I even touched him. “You long for adventure, but you’re scared of something.”

Langnathin searched my eyes. “I can see that you discovered more.”

“You and your dragon are very close,” I hedged.

He blinked at this. “Can you read her through me?”

I paused, then nodded slowly. “She’s trying to work me out. And she’s hungry.”

The Dragon Prince tipped his head back and laughed. The sound unnerved me, and I stood, waiting for him to tell me off.

“You speak too frankly,” he said, more sombrely.

“I apologise, Your Grace.”

“Though I admire your diplomacy in one area,” the Dragon Prince added.

“Your Grace?”

“I knew what I was feeling when you touched me,” he said. “Did you not mention my attraction to you for my dignity’s sake, or out of your own sense of propriety?”

My face reddened again. “Both, Your Grace.”

He stepped forwards, and I sucked in a breath. “Look at me.”

I did as he said, raising my chin. Some of his feelings had slipped through the cracks of his expression, his fascination with me similar to those first few months on Eavenfold, before dragonfire burnt me a new reputation. Had he heard what the Brothers said about me? His eyes seemed to suggest otherwise.

“I might not have your gift of reading people,” he said, his voice husky. “But I am from the Sightlands, where we treasure beauty above all else. And you, strange Moontouched mouse, are hard to look away from.”

My mouth went dry.

“I would very much like to see your face in full. Without this covering.” He closed the gap, lifting a finger to my face.

I jumped back. “Your Grace, I do not think that is wise.”

Langnathin opened his mouth as if to argue, then he blinked, and looked away, staring at the steaming tea pot. “Yes, quite right. You’re a fast learner.”

Once more, I was at a loss for words, my face flushed as I darted my eyes around the room. I didn’t know why exactly I’d stopped him. My stomach had flipped the moment he reached for me, and my skin tingled with an entirely new sensation. I had wanted him to touch me, to remove the beads from my face, and yet at the same time, I feared it. I didn’t know what it meant, where it could lead.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Tanidwen,” he said, his impassive mask back.

I swallowed hard. Rejecting his advance had been the wrong move, as now I was dismissed. A strange disappointment filled me, with a sobering resentment quick on its heels. I sought his approval, and yet I had no idea why. He’d never been a prince to me, I’d never known the Sightlands nor wanted their court's approval. So whydid I wanthisapproval?

“And you, Your Grace.” He did not meet my eyes again, and I stepped towards the door. I hesitated with my hand resting on the handle. “Will you be at the Games, Your Grace?”

I’m not sure what compelled me to ask it. But I wanted to know.

He did look at me then, and I felt a small victory in that. One corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk. “Let us hope for both our sakes that I am not.”

I nodded, trying to return the smile and failing. The tension rolled off me in waves as I left, walking fast away from that room and that man, for good. I had no idea what he meant, but I had seen the flicker in his eyes, and there was nothing kind about it.

6

Tani

The fog of dawn was thicker than usual, hugging the cliffs above and swirling so near that I could only see the closest edge of the steep path down to the mossy jetty. Though, no matter how thick the fog was, it did not obscure the emptiness. There was no one here. Not one single person had come.

“It is time.” Thread Ersimmon touched my shoulder, and I flinched, ducking away from his grip.