Page 63 of The Truth-Teller's Bargain
“I’m here.”
She didn’t know if she’d been imagining it or if it was real, but he’d withdrawn since the business with Leandro Gregor. His expressions were more guarded, though she supposed that could have been because they were hardly ever alone anymore. Still... perhaps she’d only imagined her importance to him. Perhaps shewas more alone in her desires than she thought. Or perhaps he regretted what they’d done together the night of the attack.
It took her some time to realize, if that were the case, it would be all right. Their goals were still aligned. She still wanted him to reclaim his family’s throne more than anything. Their feelings for each other, reciprocated or unrequited, came second to that. She didn’t know how she’d push them away, but she was determined to try. She could not fail in her mission.
Alethea wished desperately that she could see him better in the pitch-black of the cart. The wind howled outside, and she shivered. Nakir brought her blanket up over her shoulders, tucking her in tighter.
“Are you warm enough?” he asked.
She nodded, though he probably couldn’t see it. “I think so. Are you?”
She thought he smiled, but she couldn’t quite tell.
“I am. I just finished watch. I didn’t mean to wake you.” The darkness couldn’t conceal the tenderness in his voice, and for that, she was grateful.
“You didn’t,” she promised. “I’ve been having dreams I can’t remember. I wake and try to recall them, but before I can, they’re just... gone.”
Nakir made a small sound of acknowledgment, but he seemed distracted.
“Are you all right?” Alethea asked carefully, her concern weaving through her words. She waited patiently when there was a small silence, knowing something was weighing on his mind.
“I forgot to tell you when we left... Leandro Gregor was caught trying to escape. Unfortunately, he was killed in his attempt to flee,” Nakir said, his voice carrying a trace of weariness.
Alethea’s stomach sank. Despite the fact Leandro was an awful man who would have kidnapped and married her againsther will, she didn’t relish in his death. “I see,” she replied, heavy with the weight of the situation.
“We’re a day away from Meseira. Are you familiar with the Great Lord and Lady Imanras?”
“A little. They don’t come to Hyelea often, but I’ve met them a handful of times.” She was rarely invited to stately dinners—her mother didn’t want her accidentally revealing herself to be an Oracle over dessert. Nakir had given her a place at his table, and it was far more elevated than anything she’d experienced as heir to the Lenorean throne—a change she was still grappling with. “Have you?”
“No, I’ve never met them. My mother told me about them many years ago, and Balthasar has brought me up to speed as best as he can.”
Alethea nodded, too tired to think of what to say next.
“Do they know about...?” Nakir began, his voice trailing off, leaving the rest of his sentence unspoken, cautious in case anyone around them overheard.
“No, they don’t know,” Alethea replied, her voice barely above a whisper in the quiet of the night.
“Let’s keep it that way.”
Her stomach turned uncomfortably at the way his tone sounded distant, as if he were far away from her. “Okay,” she agreed, even though uncertainty gnawed at her.
A small silence passed, an awkward tension that made her want to wrap the blankets tighter around herself. For a moment, there were only the gentle sounds of the other cart occupants sleeping. She fought the constant gravitational force she felt whenever Nakir was around, remaining firmly where she was.
“We have a big day tomorrow,” he said with finality. “Get some rest.”
Alethea obeyed, forcing herself to close her eyes, her mind swimming with unanswered questions and lingering uncertainty. She wondered what could have happened to create such adistance between them—a gap that seemed to widen with every passing moment. Sleep, however, remained elusive as her thoughts drifted in the quiet darkness.
In the morning, there were no whispers, no thoughts that begged to be written before they were lost to memory. The cart came to a stop when they reached their final destination.
Emi and Dawes were there to greet her as the other occupants filtered out. She smiled weakly at them, still weary from her injury and the journey.
“I’m glad you didn’t die,” Dawes told her with something like a smile. He seemed to be in a good mood for once, though it was hard not to be when Emi was radiating such bright energy. She practically bounced next to him as he helped her out of the cart.
Alethea had slept through the last leg of the journey, which made it seem as though no time had passed since the attack on the encampment, but as she stepped out of the medcart for the first time, she was taken aback by the sheer beauty of the Meseiran winter landscape.
A thin layer of snow dusted the ground, glistening in the soft morning light. The rolling hills around her boasted a few evergreen trees, their branches weighed down by the snow. The crisp, clean air carried the invigorating scent of pine and frost. Behind her stood Aegea, a sprawling city nestled in the frosted valley. In the distance, she could just make out a castle, its turrets and spires outlined against the pale blue sky. The port city of Hyelea may be the capital, but Aegea was the beating heart of Lenorea.
“I got you something!” Emi boasted proudly, pulling a brown paper-wrapped package from the satchel at her side. Alethea opened it to find a wool gown dyed a stunning shade of sapphire, simple but elegant enough not to feel out of place where she knew she was heading.
