Page 16 of Fated Flames: Volume Two
A sleepy hum—distant but unmistakable, like the call of a faraway friend—comes to me from deep beneath the earth. The canteens quiver in response. My eyes spring open.
“Soren,” I say.
He pulls back just enough to glare at me. “What?”
“Water.”
At that singular word, the beast recedes and the man returns. His eyes turn rounded; the hunger fades. He draws a sharp breath, his hands leaping to my shoulders.
“Here?” he asks.
I bob my head up and down. “Yes.”
“You’re sure?”
The sureness of it reverberates through my bones. “I am.”
The king flings a look around him. “This lake has been dry since my grandfather’s time. We’ve tried digging countless wells here.” He doesn’t say this in a tone of disbelief but of amazement.
“This water is deep,” I say. He releases me as I crouch down to lay a tentative hand over the scorching sand. “Sleeping.”
But I can wake it. I can end this drought, win the people’s loyalty, save Vasna.
“How much?” the king asks.
I smile up at him. “Enough to fill this lake to the brim.”
He stares at me in stunned silence. “And how long will it take to bring it to the surface?”
“A week. Maybe two.”
“In just enough time,” he says.
I smile up at him. “In just enough time.”
We gaze at one another, and for a second, I’m struck with the impression he’s going to sweep me up and seize our forestalled kiss. Instead, we both become aware of the crowd’s growing murmur at the same time. I’d forgotten them, the challenge, everything.
Under the heat of his gaze, I almost forget the water.
Clenching his jaw, he turns from me and bellows, “Get a tent out here, now. Our future queen has found water.”
7
Soren
One eye on the princess within, I pace the entrance of the tent as Rally prattles on about the situation outside.
“The crowd has grown past the fifth marker. We have detachments patrolling each sector and marking out tent sites for new arrivals to reduce crowding. Paths have been cleared in all cardinal and ordinal directions…”
I listen with half an ear, probably less. Rally and I have trained together since we were fledglings, and we both know this procedure like our own wings. Next, he’ll tell me about medical tents...
“Medical tents have been erected…”
Then the overseers.
“Overseers from each province are present and assisting…”
And now the stealth guards.
