Page 59 of Fated Flames: Volume Two
I’m met with shocked silence all around.
Water is life, and nowhere is that truer than in a desert. In Vasna, we never wanted for water. Too much water, whether from rain or storms, that was the concern. Here, water is a priceless resource, more precious than gold or jewels; I know this, and I know it can’t be given lightly,not when Tirenth’s cisterns will be empty in less than two weeks.
Yet I also know there is plenty of water for all beneath us. Even now, I feel the water murmuring deep below, like a giant at rest.
“There is enough water here for dragons and wyverns alike,” I say as the silence stretches on. “I’m certain of it and of my ability to draw the water to the surface.”
No one responds. My palms begin to sweat.
“No one in Tirenth or Nialan need go thirsty.”
With difficulty, I resist the urge to say anything more. That would make me look unsure. I think of Mother, of the calm command she can hold over a room, and try to imagine myself doing the same.
Finally, Lord Tallin, who’s only stared at me in slack-jawed astonishment, glances slowly from me to Soren. “You—you would share water with us?”
Soren still holds my hand in his. I dare not look up at him.
“If that is my queen’s will,” he says without inflection, “then I will make it so.”
I fight not to bite my lip. I can’t tell from his tone whether he’s angry or not. He certainly has a right to be. Still, I plunge ahead before he can change his mind.
“There will be terms, Lord Tallin.”
“Of course,” the wyvern says faintly.
“First, you will bring a gift in honor of our wedding. In return, I will offer the wyverns water so that your leader’s suspicions will not be raised about you coming here. Whether he lives or not, he can find no fault with one gift given in exchange for another.”
Demanding a gift feels vulgar, but I can’t think of an alternative in so little time. Tallin only continues staring at me, his mouth slightly ajar. I barrel on with feigned confidence.
“You will choose a dozen wyverns to transport water daily.” I have no idea if that number is adequate. “If any of them act in a manner unbefitting of the generosity being shown, they will suffer the king’s wrath, and you will not intervene.”
Tallin hesitates only an instant before agreeing. “I understand.”
I hear my own voice turn grave as I lay down the final condition. “And whatever your leader may wish, you and all those with you will speak respectfully to any female you encounter. If I hear otherwise, I will toss the offender out of Tirenth myself.”
He can’t know anything about my magic’s capabilities, and yet he agrees as if he wholeheartedly believes me capable of such a thing. “You have my word.”
I force myself to seek Soren’s eyes. “Do you find the terms acceptable, Your Majesty?”
His hand twitches in mine.
“If they please you, Princess,” he says, but his words are devoid of all emotion.
That does not bode well.
I turn my attention back to the wyvern. “Then I believe we are done here, Lord Tallin. Can a gift be brought tomorrow? The gift itself is unimportant. It only matters that the ruse is believable.”
Just as I think I may need to repeat myself to put an end to Tallin’s gaping, he bows himself all the way to the ground, and speaking in a voice muffled by the rug beneathhim, says, “There is no gift to equal your generosity, but I will bring you the best Nialan can offer, my queen.”
I startle at the honorific, but before I can react, he’s rising and rushing from the tent. I don’t think I imagine the wetness in his eyes.
My guards are quiet and Soren even more so. Perhaps they’re all appalled by my behavior. I can’t regret it, though. I won’t. I sit and wait for the condemnation, for the accusation of sympathizing with enemies.
“Leave us,” the Dragon King says.
I hold myself tall as my guards file out and I’m left alone with my betrothed, his dragon-shaped shadow still looming on the wall. Inexplicably, the head swivels toward me even though Soren himself remains still.
Well, I refuse to be cowed by shadows. A water drawer cannot deny someone water when she can give it. If he can’t understand that, then perhaps he should have chosen someone—
