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“My father created a rational world. Now I understand that I’ve been living outside our reality.”

“I’d have thought you’d be more surprised to find yourself confronted with this ‘reality,’ as you so call it.”

Ashana’s eyes widened.

“You’re right.”

“I’m always right,” I teased her with a smile.

The young woman didn’t look up, then placed a hand on my arm, the one without the armour.

In a mechanical gesture, I briefly examined her long, slender fingers, her nails the colour of mother-of-pearl, all the while resisting the urge to seize them, bring them to my mouth, and lick them.

One after the other. Until my wife flinched at the feel of my tongue against her skin.

“Do you know why?” she asked.

“Why what?”

Ashana fixed her gaze on mine.

“I’m neither surprised nor frightened by the magic and beings of the little people. I really wonder.”

I had my own idea, but was she ready to hear it or believe me? That was another story.

“We’ll have to look into that, indeed,” I replied evasively.

My attention then focused on the diaphanous skin of her graceful neck. Her milk-coloured skin revealed a network of several bluish veins that would have been interesting to follow with my lips. I cleared my throat as I walked beside her.

My body was sending me signals with unmistakable clarity. It wanted my wife and urged me to consider consummation as soon as possible.

“I can’t ask my mother about it, since we’re leaving Muvaria,” Ashana remarked.

How polar opposite her concerns were to mine! The thought brought an ironic smile to my face, which I quickly wiped away so that Ashana wouldn’t misunderstand.

“You’ll still be able to. Elendur has countless message-carrying eagles. They are so enormous that a long parchment can easily fit in their mail case.”

“Oh. So that’s why there’s an eagle on the Osacan crest?”

I nodded.

“Yes, Osacan is the birthplace of the great noble eagles. They hate me, but I’m sure they’ll love you.”

I grabbed her hand again to help her. A gesture that seemed so natural! How was this possible? We’d only just met!

“These birds hate you? All of them?”

“Yes, without exception.”

“I wonder why,” she murmured as we reached the camp.

Because there can only be one king of the sky , and I’m of the race that dominates them , I mused.

When I arrived, I saw that my men were already ready to leave. In fact, they were all looking at us with mischievous little smiles on their lips, probably convinced that we newlyweds had taken advantage of our distance to have a little fun.

Ah. How I wished that had been the case. Truly.

It took us three more days to reach Tarnton. We made regular stops to spare both the men and mounts. I quickly got used to having Ashana with me on Vulcan. The latter didn’t seem to mind either.

While Muvaria had two distinct and unpleasant seasons, autumn and winter, Osacan had only one: summer.

The land was perpetually crushed by merciless heat.

Despite this, the soldiers of this nation were able to face the worst of the blizzards without flinching.

The people of this land were born to fight, no matter the temperatures or the inhospitable nature of the place.

Besides, we had breathable fabrics adapted to the Osacanian heatwave, which was not the case for Ashana.

One glance at her sweat-soaked back told me that it was time we reached the end of our journey.

Our return was celebrated by the capital’s inhabitants as it should have been.

They chanted my name, threw flowers—white lilies, Elendur’s emblematic flower, whereas his father’s was the rose.

Our soldiers were happy, but the same could hardly be said for Massim and Ashana.

The cheers were a harsh reminder of the defeat at Muvaria, as well as the death of their loved ones.

So, I showed restraint, giving only brief smiles to certain villagers, such as the old men and children.

Baal Castle, Elendur Silh’s castle in Tarnton, was titanic and towering. No fewer than twenty dungeons, towers, and turrets were clustered close together, all protected by a cliff that surrounded the building like a mother jealously guarding her young.

“It’s ... big,” Ashana commented soberly.

“Yes,” I said, laconic.

The Osacanian’s celebration had ended. Now, there was only a heavy, oppressive silence that fell over each of our steps as we made our way towards the immense edifice.

The eagles which circled constantly above the tallest tower seemed to form a link, a sort of agile bridge between heaven and earth.

For my part, I found that it added a sinister note to the light-coloured stones of the walls and turrets, whose hue was close to that of sand.

The pathway that carved into the cliff up to the drawbridge seemed endless to me.

Apart from the upcoming Nadrisse-Ashana meeting, there was another thing that made me nervous.

Elendur was like night and day. Sometimes radiant, affable, full of affection and goodwill, he could also turn dark, silent, tortured, and downright devious, even cruel.

I had already suffered from both sides of his ambivalent personality.

Which one would we get today? I feared the worst, that is, that he would act badly towards the daughter of his late adversary, dreading above all my own reaction in return.

Ashana made me feel strangely possessive and protective.

Elendur held my stone. I’d given it to him willingly.

But why? Because it was only half of what I needed to regain my true form.

Our Father had foreseen for me some trials to face before I could return to my former self.

A job to do. I had long been aware of that.

Paivrin claimed I had to find what he called ‘my flame.’ He’d had visions about it.

I’d had my doubts ... until I met Ashana.

What was a flame? According to Paivrin, it was half of our own soul incarnated in a female body.

A bond much stronger than that of soulmates united them, for the Source, in its infinite wisdom, had decided to split our soul in two when our Father chose to break our solitude and allow us to learn to love.

What if Ashana was my flame? I’d thought it was Nadrisse because of a familiar feeling I had towards her, and indeed, it was one of the reasons I’d entrusted my ruby to her brother, Elendur, as a sign of allegiance.

Only, now I doubted. Right here, in this precise moment, as my eyes rested on the graceful neck of the woman who was now my wife.

Once over the drawbridge, I was hardly surprised to find the royal guard, except for the few men entrusted to me by the King of Osacan, lined up in formation.

Farther on, at the end of these human rectangles in gleaming armour, we watched Elendur, from atop his imposing throne, dressed in his finest attire.

Beside him, two flags bearing the nation’s colours flapped in the wind, reminding me of the relentless lashes of a whip. What a welcome , I thought wryly.

I strode forward on Vulcan with Ashana in front of me, whose seat was a little stiff from the emotion she was probably feeling. The silence in the courtyard was so palpable that we could have cut it with a sword.

I leaned forward slightly to whisper in Ashana’s ear:

“Don’t worry, my lady. I’ll protect you in all circumstances.”

She gave a shaky, insecure little laugh which broke my heart.

“Even from the king?” she asked, her voice barely perceptible.

I didn’t answer right away.

“Especially the king,” I finally declared.

It was true. In my eyes, he was certainly the most dangerous individual in the castle. Because of the power he wielded, his talent for deception, and his unpredictable nature.