me.”
She pushed her finger against the icicle her roasted meat had become. A pretty little frown marred her brows. As though it pained her to see it thus.
“I could have stayed on my land if I’d wanted to.”
She shrugged one slender shoulder. And he could almost read the question in her own mind. ‘So why hadn’t she?’
“Haxion came to me.” A brief flicker of a memory slipped through her eyes. “Begged I would come and aid you.”
Hearing those words, Alador wasn’t quite sure that was the only reason she’d come. Though it fit, made sense in many ways, there was more. He could almost hear the ‘but’ lingering idle on the tip of her tongue.
Tossing her hands wide, her long fingers toyed almost anxiously with the crease in her snow-white gown. Another emotion crossed her face then, one he couldn’t quite name. Regret, exhaustion...he wasn’t quite sure. She wouldn’t look at him now, kept nervously flicking her eyes to her feet and then up to a spot on his chest, before moving back down again.
“What happens to us if you cannot figure out where the key lies?” he asked softly, quietly, not sure he shouldn’t interrupt whatever thoughts laid so heavy upon her shoulders.
When her eyes found his this time, they were sharp as steel and just as unyielding. “Nothing. I shall see personally to that.”
“Why?” Again the same question, he knew it probably bothered her that he continued to ask it, but a point of pride for a centaur—any centaur—was the ability to know their enemy. To inherently understand their strengths, weaknesses, and what made them tick.
The queen was a conundrum, defying all explanation and everything he’d learned about her. It seemed a side of her hadn’t wanted to come, even now he sensed her grappling with her decision, and yet this had also become personal for her.
Enough so that she’d vow no harm would come to them.
Alador knew that the Goblin would not have made this challenge so easy. If he’d snatched them up, there was a reason for it. A purpose for why each one of them had been chosen. Nothing had been done by chance.
He frowned as he mulled their situation over. No doubt there was a penalty for failure. Not just for the three of them, but for the Queen as well.
His eyes flicked to hers, she was already looking back at him and though he said nothing, he knew she knew exactly where his thoughts had led by the sudden lowering of her shoulders and the gentle nod she gave him.
“What is it?” he asked quickly.
And just as he suspected, she did not miss a beat when she answered, “I become human once more.”
His lips parted, his jaw dropped and he might have said more but the babble of laughing children suddenly filled the hall.
Chapter 7
Luminesa
T he children came in skipping and laughing. The girl, Gerda she thought it was, had her blond hair plated down both sides of her head and was gently shoving the raven-haired boy.
“Don’t you look adorable,” she said in sing-song.
Kai glowered, holding onto the belt of his garment with one hand and rucking up the hem of his robes with other. “Don’t either. Shut up, Gerda.”
To which the towheaded child laughed before sticking her tongue out at him.
Luminesa had had no idea what type of clothing to craft them, used as she was to her gowns of ice, she’d had to reach way back into the darkest corners of her memory banks to fit them with something practical.
What she’d come up had been robes made of heavy weighted cloth, tanned, practical. Nothing fancy about it.
Gerda stood several inches taller than Kai, and seemed fine with her robe that looked more like a gown of sackcloth.
Kai however was tripping over his, and she had to admit, it looked more like a dress than the robes she remembered the men of her village wearing.
The child glared frostily at her when he sat unceremoniously beside Alador. And without saying a word, he reached for the platter of magically warmed steaks in front of
She pushed her finger against the icicle her roasted meat had become. A pretty little frown marred her brows. As though it pained her to see it thus.
“I could have stayed on my land if I’d wanted to.”
She shrugged one slender shoulder. And he could almost read the question in her own mind. ‘So why hadn’t she?’
“Haxion came to me.” A brief flicker of a memory slipped through her eyes. “Begged I would come and aid you.”
Hearing those words, Alador wasn’t quite sure that was the only reason she’d come. Though it fit, made sense in many ways, there was more. He could almost hear the ‘but’ lingering idle on the tip of her tongue.
Tossing her hands wide, her long fingers toyed almost anxiously with the crease in her snow-white gown. Another emotion crossed her face then, one he couldn’t quite name. Regret, exhaustion...he wasn’t quite sure. She wouldn’t look at him now, kept nervously flicking her eyes to her feet and then up to a spot on his chest, before moving back down again.
“What happens to us if you cannot figure out where the key lies?” he asked softly, quietly, not sure he shouldn’t interrupt whatever thoughts laid so heavy upon her shoulders.
When her eyes found his this time, they were sharp as steel and just as unyielding. “Nothing. I shall see personally to that.”
“Why?” Again the same question, he knew it probably bothered her that he continued to ask it, but a point of pride for a centaur—any centaur—was the ability to know their enemy. To inherently understand their strengths, weaknesses, and what made them tick.
The queen was a conundrum, defying all explanation and everything he’d learned about her. It seemed a side of her hadn’t wanted to come, even now he sensed her grappling with her decision, and yet this had also become personal for her.
Enough so that she’d vow no harm would come to them.
Alador knew that the Goblin would not have made this challenge so easy. If he’d snatched them up, there was a reason for it. A purpose for why each one of them had been chosen. Nothing had been done by chance.
He frowned as he mulled their situation over. No doubt there was a penalty for failure. Not just for the three of them, but for the Queen as well.
His eyes flicked to hers, she was already looking back at him and though he said nothing, he knew she knew exactly where his thoughts had led by the sudden lowering of her shoulders and the gentle nod she gave him.
“What is it?” he asked quickly.
And just as he suspected, she did not miss a beat when she answered, “I become human once more.”
His lips parted, his jaw dropped and he might have said more but the babble of laughing children suddenly filled the hall.
Chapter 7
Luminesa
T he children came in skipping and laughing. The girl, Gerda she thought it was, had her blond hair plated down both sides of her head and was gently shoving the raven-haired boy.
“Don’t you look adorable,” she said in sing-song.
Kai glowered, holding onto the belt of his garment with one hand and rucking up the hem of his robes with other. “Don’t either. Shut up, Gerda.”
To which the towheaded child laughed before sticking her tongue out at him.
Luminesa had had no idea what type of clothing to craft them, used as she was to her gowns of ice, she’d had to reach way back into the darkest corners of her memory banks to fit them with something practical.
What she’d come up had been robes made of heavy weighted cloth, tanned, practical. Nothing fancy about it.
Gerda stood several inches taller than Kai, and seemed fine with her robe that looked more like a gown of sackcloth.
Kai however was tripping over his, and she had to admit, it looked more like a dress than the robes she remembered the men of her village wearing.
The child glared frostily at her when he sat unceremoniously beside Alador. And without saying a word, he reached for the platter of magically warmed steaks in front of
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