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“It’s Osacanian. One of my favourites. It’s by Krozhar the Immortal, a great visionary philosopher, a prophet even, who is said to have lived in a cave for so many moons that we’ve lost count. He predicted the fall of the first gods, the so-called Patriarchs. Have you heard of it?”

“The Patriarchs born of the Father of the Universe and the Source of all things?” I say, stepping further away.

But Elendur was quicker and managed to grab my hand to intertwine his fingers with mine. My gaze met the golden one of the King of Osacan. His irises stood out strangely in the dim light of the eagles’ shelter, as if illuminated from within by a flame that was anything but ordinary.

“Yes. I never imagined that a worshipper of the Cult of the One God could be interested in pagan beliefs.”

Elendur gave me no time to reply and continued:

“If the first gods, the dragons, were born by the Source to make our world grow, there’s a legend in our religious texts that affirms that the god Wulous, the primordial god of Osacan, fell in love with the mother goddess, the sun lioness, and that from their carnal union was born the wind, Gryphe.

According to Krozhar the Immortal, Gryphe’s rebirth heralds the end of the dragons’ reign. What do you think?”

I opened my mouth to tell the king I didn’t really have an opinion on the subject when I saw him narrow his eyes to observe me more closely through his lashes.

In that precise moment, I thought I could feel the darkness of his soul running over my skin until it sent endless shivers down my spine.

Elendur smiled. A slow smile devoid of humanity.

His beauty, that of his physical appearance, resembled those beautiful poisonous plants, the mantis, that I had discovered in a book dealing with the flora and fauna of the land of Gulan, in the castle library back in Muvaria.

Large and superb shimmering green plants in the shape of a lantern, with a devouring bulb located at the end of a thick stem, and a stomach two metres below ground.

They were magnificent, certainly, but deadly, and could at best swallow up a rabbit, at worst a small child.

The King of Osacan, in a way, reminded me of one of these plants, and I had no desire to be swallowed up.

“You’re still here. That’s good.”

Dovah! I turned in his direction as the king released my hand, as if he’d never held it at all, in fact. I was so relieved that my husband had decided to join us. Although he smiled with detachment, lively flames seemed to dance in the darkness of his gaze, capable of burning you.

Once close enough, he deftly slipped an arm around my waist. It was a possessive gesture that spoke for itself. If the king understood it, he didn’t show it.

“If you don’t mind, Your Majesty, I’ll take my wife. We need to discuss tomorrow’s ceremony.”

Elendur smiled again, with that smile that wasn’t a smile at all.

“Please do, Lord Dovah.”

After a brief bow, Dovah urged me to the door where the guards stood.

“I’ll explain,” he whispered in my ear.

Once we were outside the den of the great eagles, Luanda and Marione raised a hand to their hearts in relief.

“Lady Ashana ...” Luanda began, approaching us.

Dovah interrupted her with a wave of his hand.

“Take some time for yourselves. I need to speak with my wife alone.”

They nodded in unison and walked off, but not without giving us a curious look. I noticed that Seitha had disappeared. Had she returned to the Isamane?

Dovah pulled away from me, just enough to place my hand in his and lead me towards the garden, not as lush as the one in the castle where I’d grown up, but captivatingly beautiful.

“I wanted to tell you after our walk, but one thing led to another, and not in the best of ways.”

He released me, then pinched the bridge of his nose, as if to stem a pain there.

“Because of my uncontrollable brother, I had to leave my men to deal with the creatures of the Abyss alone to find you. Three of them came back wounded. I didn’t have the pleasure of telling you about our wedding, and to top it all off, the king has decided to make you his mistress ...”

“I beg your pardon?”

Dovah’s dark gaze locked onto mine. He seemed so unsettled and worried! For some strange reason, my heart began to beat a little faster in my chest as my eyes remained locked on his. He continued:

“It’s obvious. It’s a game. Because he’s mad at me and you’re ... you.”

“I am me? What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

“You are Muvarian. You have blood-red hair. You are my wife. That’s enough for him.”

“I see,” I said, too stunned by the possibility.

And incredulous, above all. Dovah burst into a harsh laugh.

“No, I don’t think you fully grasp the dangers lurking behind the whims of the King of Osacan. Please, Ashana, never be alone with him again. Or with his sister. And don’t accept anything from them.”

I instinctively looked down at my dress and Dovah understood, then cursed under his breath.

“Remove it.”

I gave him an outraged look. His stare back was black with ill-contained fury.

“Take it off or I will!”

“I ...” I began, searching for an excuse.

He was asking me to undress in a public place, all the same! Suddenly, my head spun slightly.

“Damn it! Ashana! This dress is probably poisoned!” he exclaimed, rushing towards me.

With a few skillful movements, he tore the fragile layers of fabric from the garment. I was naked, shocked, and just as I was about to shout at him, I was horrified to discover a few red welts on my skin.

“What the ...”

“Isamane loves poison. Don’t accept anything from her. At least, if you want to stay alive. Fortunately for you, the substance hasn’t had time to really do its work.”

By the tone of his voice, I could tell he was furious. He covered me with his cloak so that I could conceal my nakedness. I sighed with relief to see that it was big enough to wrap around my body.

Nadrisse had wanted to poison me.

“But why?” I whispered.

Did she hate me that much? Or rather, did she love Dovah that much? At the thought, I felt a pang of envy in my chest.

“I think you already know the answer,” he replied gravely.

I looked up at him.

“Because I’m ... ‘me’?”

His silence served as confirmation.

“Come, you need to take a bath. I’ll summon the owner of a local shop in town to buy you some Osacanian dresses. The Isamane will no longer be able to use this as an excuse to try to kill you.”

Good timing , I thought bitterly.

While I was still taking my bath, the owner of the store arrived out of breath, with many servants.

They deposited countless boxes containing everything needed for a truly first-rate trousseau.

Dovah asked Luanda to prepare our meal so that we could have it in our apartments.

As I tried on the outfits under his interested gaze, he took the time to explain to me how the Osacan ceremony would unfold.

I listened attentively, then told him about Elendur’s strange words concerning the fall of the dragons.

I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but I thought I saw sparks fly across his ink-black irises.

He didn’t immediately comment on what I’d told him, but when he did, it was with a succinct “ah,” punctuated by a disgruntled growl.

We ate together in a silence, interrupted only by the clatter of our cutlery, and I made a point of pretending to ignore his steady gaze as I chewed my meat. I wanted to forget that I’d found myself naked in front of him, in broad daylight, in a garden full of cacti.

When he lit a cigar, I couldn’t help but watch him surreptitiously. Only, he caught my gaze on the glowing tube that he held between his fingers.

“I am extremely angry at Isamane. So much so that if I don’t smoke a cigar or two, I’ll kill her before dawn. You’ve got to admit, it’d be a shame to gut the king’s sister just before our wedding,” Dovah said in one breath without batting an eyelid.

He had guessed my questioning, for since we’d arrived in Tarnton, I’d rarely seen him use his drug.

“Yes, indeed,” I agreed.

He smiled at me. A long silence passed between us.

“I didn’t look,” he declared suddenly.

I raised a questioning eyebrow.

“I didn’t look when I took your dress off.”

My mouth immediately formed a silent “oh” and I felt my cheeks turn red.

“Thank you for that. That’s very thoughtful of you.”

He shook his head, then, sitting back in a wide armchair, took another puff.

“Don’t take me for one of those gentlemen from Muvaria’s court. There was a reason for that, but I won’t tell you. I just wanted you to know. I can see that you don’t dare look at me anymore since that happened.”

With that, he stood up.

“I have matters to attend to tonight. The creatures of the Abyss are swarming. Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a very long day.”

I nodded. The Abyss. Everyone here kept talking about it, Dovah first and foremost, but what was this monstrous enemy they all feared? I watched him leave, deep in thought. When Luanda and Marione entered, I sat up straight.

“I’d like a masculine outfit, preferably black.”

Marione’s eyes became as round as soup plates.

“I thought I’d misheard you, Lady Ashana,” she stammered, with an awkward smile on her lips.

Luanda was waiting for me to explain.

“I’m going to follow my husband. I want to know what the creatures of the Abyss are and why he comes home stained with blood some nights.”