Prophecy Bound: The Lightbringer Chronicles

More than a treaty

“What do I do now?” I ask father quickly. She’s a child and has no idea that what she has done is against protocol; there is no way I am going to allow her to be chastised for it.

“Just be natural, make her comfortable.” He instructs.

I smile and quickly offer her some of my water, smoothing her hair back from her face. The focus in the room shifts quickly away from us.

“I guess my lap is no longer adequate for you, Lyva.” Lycur chortles, his eyes convey his pleasure at her bravado and my quick recovery toward her. The look transforms his face, and for a second, he’s almost appealing. I shake my head to dislodge the thought.

“Well done.” My father and mother both give a quick nod of approval. It makes me relax more, but it’s the look of appreciation on King Lyall’s face that makes my stomach clench in response. He’s smiling, but his eyes hold a haunted look with a sheen of moisture across them. I try to catch his eye and smile back. He looks up and is horrified to be caught in the moment and quickly recovers as if nothing happened.

My gaze moves from him to Malvina and her snarl-like scowl focused on Lyva. I should look away, but the fire in me becomes angry and defensive. I don’t like the way she’s looking at Lyva.

“Careful there, Princess Saoirse, while I would be highly entertained to see what would come out of that confrontation, now is not the time.” Lycur mutters around his wine glass. He might not be watching my directly, but he is aware of Malvina’s stare and my reaction to her.

“Saoirse!” Father yells through the link. “She’s not worth disrupting the meal, let it go.”

Her nostrils flare with anger, and she jerks away her gaze quickly when it meets mine. I watch her search the Lupinel envoy until her eyes fix on a blonde, formidable-looking man. He catches her eye and gives her an almost imperceptible nod; she seems to relax instantly, then turns away, but his eyes shift over to me and then to Lyva.

“Who is that?” I ask Lycur quietly, leaning closer, as the other Lupinel and I continue to stare at each other. Every instinct I have goes on high alert and I find my arms moving more protectively around Lyva.

“That is Halvden, he’s on the Lupinel council, and part of Queen Malvina’s clan. I would keep that temper in check, if I was you.” Lycur’s words are whispered low in my ear. He’s so close I can feel his breath on my cheek, making my reaction to him stronger. I turn to give a biting retort and find Lycurs’ face less than an inch from mine. The retort dies on my lips.

My heart pounds and an unusual heat floods my face, the muscles in my stomach tighten. My reaction disturbs me into complete silence. He gazes down at me; his eyes have turned from green to pure black, revealing the dangerous wolf in him, daring me to play his game.

Father coughs a warning on the other side of me; and I break Lycurs gaze to look over at him, completely bewildered.

What just happened?

I sit back in my seat with a soft thud. Lycur slowly pulls back, his hand going to his cup as he laughs under his breath in a way that infuriates me. If there weren’t a room full of people, and Lyva still perched on my lap, I would give him a piece of my mind. I take notice of Father’s warning and give my attention to Lyva instead, settling her more comfortably on my lap.

“Tell me Lyva, what would you most like to do while you are here with us?” I ask as food platters are presented, and plates are laid out. She leans forward to take a grape from the platter, pops it in her mouth and chews noisily. Her head c***s to the side in concentration as she turns to look at me. “I’d like to see your fire. Everyone has been talking about it, they say it’s scary, but I don’t think so. I think it would be beautiful.”

“Lyva! You can’t ask to see her power, it’s rude.” Lycur’s voice is sharp. He stares pointedly with warning and shakes his at her. She looks at me worried. So, everyone has been discussing my powers.

I laugh, to try and smooth it over for her. Father’s posture has changed slightly, to give the appearance of disinterest. I can feel his senses are now more keenly fixed on our conversation.

“Why am I the topic of conversation when they should be discussing the terms of the treaty? What should I do?” I ask him.

“Agree to show her. She’s a child so they haven’t noticed her listening to their conversations. She may be helpful. Give us an indication of their treaty terms.” He speaks quickly, his gaze focused on the musicians, while he instructs me.

“Well, of course you can see my fire. But not hers and today. Tomorrow maybe we will go up to my tower together, and I can show you there. I should warn you though, the others are right, it can be scary to watch.” I make the promise knowing that it will give me the opportunity to question her further and glean some more information. “Besides that, there are many more interesting things to do. What else would you like to see? How about the waterfall, or the flower garden, maybe the maze?”

“Oh, a maze!” She claps her hands together with delight at the thought, and bounces on my lap. Her spindly legs are surprisingly strong, and it hurts a little. I keep my face neutral but put a calming hand on her shoulder to stop her movements.

“Very well, this afternoon we shall visit the maze.” I had planned on going for a ride to get rid of some of my pent-up energy but will play gracious host instead. It should be fun. I continue my attention on Lyva throughout the refreshment ceremony, listening to her childish conversation, hoping she will reveal more.

She doesn’t. Lycur remains engaged beside us, offering a comment here and there, steering the conversation away from certain topics. He doesn’t try to bait me again; his expression is now thoughtful and guarded.

I'm not sure what bothers me more, him testing my temper or practically ignoring me. What is he trying to hide? He knows something about the treaty and is trying to keep it from me. I hate this. I’m confused. I need time to think away from everyone, to figure out what is going on in my head. Somehow, I know it won’t happen.

The ceremonial greetings finish a few hours later with Mother and King Lyall agreeing to meet again for dinner in the hall. She makes a show of offering sufficient time for the Lupinel party to rest. I stand behind them, Lyva’s holds my hand as I promise to meet her in an hour to tour the Maze.

Her eyes shine with excitement. " Can't we go sooner? An hour is too long, I will wait for you."

She makes me laugh, the sound bubbles out of my throat and catches the attention of Queen Malvina. Her scowl is firmly in place, and now it's directed pointedly at me. Lycur observes our interaction again, and his expression is indecipherable as Lyva leaves me to walk over to him.

We wait until everyone has left the hall, before the three of us head to Mother’s quarters to regroup. We sit around her table, wondering who should speak first. It’s not going to be me. As usual, it is my father, Lothair.

“The child revealed that Saoirse’s abilities have been the topic of discussions.” He pauses, his eyes flick to me for a second before he continues. “I don’t like it, Evadne. They are up to something. I think they want more than just a treaty; the way Prince Lycur was, and Lyalls reaction to Saoirse — this is all looking very contrived.”

He sits back watching her, his voice is soft, the seriousness of his feelings evident in his eyes. What else could they want than a treaty? I watch as a strange look passes between them.

“I know what you are thinking, and I don’t believe that King Lyall would try anything like that, not after the last time, after he saw what I did to the last person who tried.”