Page 3 of Hymn of Breath and Bone

“As much as you can,” Caspian said with a casual shrug.

“You mean for me to spill my people’s secrets,” I said warily, sitting next to him. He draped an arm over my shoulder, pulling me in close to him. It was familiar, and it made my heart ache a little. If we could convince our peoples to accept us, accept this, it could always be this way.

Not until I told him, though.

“No,” Caspian said, frowning at me. “I promised you a month to decide, Marina. I won’t ask you to reveal anything until you’re ready.”

“I don’t know how useful that would be anyway,” I sighed, looking at my hands. The brown skin was a little paler after the ordeal with Morar,but a few days in the sun would bring back its rich, warm tone. “My father did not include me in important meetings.”

“Your father is a fool,” Caspian said, earning a scowl from me. “I won’t apologize for that,” he said, laughing a little. “Hewasa fool not to trust you. Not to teach and guide you. I will not make that same mistake.”

I didn’t say that it wouldn’t matter, since there was no guarantee I would stay with him, but I could see the thought flit across his eyes as they darkened to a burnished gold.

“Why can’t you be separated from your mate?” I asked.

“Youcan,” Caspian hedged, “but it can be painful for prolonged periods of time. It results in emotional strain. Weakens your magic. The council doesn’t want me weak at the moment.”

And he would be, if we finally took that last step and then something happened to me.

“Caspian…” I began, determined to tell him the truth but unable to find the words.

He lifted a hand to the back of my neck, squeezing gently as he brushed his fingers through my hair. “Are you hungry?” he asked when my pause continued unbroken. “I confess, I don’t feel like eating with everyone else tonight. Just you.”

I nodded, my heart lurching again. “I should bathe first.”

“Do you want assistance?” Caspian purred, his hand at my nape weaving into my hair again as he gave me a heated look.

Seas below, I did. But I also needed a few minutes alone to sort myself out.

Caspian seemed to sense my hesitation and leaned forward to kiss me on the cheek, a frustratingly chaste gesture. “You go bathe. I’ll get food.”

He squeezed my knee as he stood, moving into the bathing chamber. I heard water running and rose to see how it worked. This high up in the cliffs, I assumed water would be carried for baths. But a series of pipes similar to those in the selkie keep were bolted into the wall, water running clear and hot like rain from a fixture in the wall.

“There’s a natural hot spring in the lower levels,” Caspian explained. “If you want to have a proper bath, we’ll have to go down there, but you may prefer the shower for now.”

“And why is that?” I asked, raising my brow playfully.

Caspian grinned. “They’re communal.”

I tried so hard not to blanch, but Caspian’s eruption of laughter told me I had completely failed.

“Relax, Urchin,” he laughed. “If you want, I can arrange a time just for us.”

“A perk of being king?” I teased, trying not to show my continued mortification at the idea of bathing in front of his people. I wasn’t usually a prude, but apparently I had my limits.

Caspian shrugged, his lips still curved in a half-smile. “Therearea few. The water is too sulfuric to drink. That’s the slight odor.” Indeed, there was a faint odor to the water. Not too unpleasant though. “It’s perfectly safe for bathing,” Caspian continued, testing the temperature with his hand, “but try not to drink it. It’s one of the many reasons my people are struggling.”

I nodded, eyeing the shower warily. “Where does your drinking water come from if not the hotsprings?”

“Rain, mostly,” Caspian replied. “We have gutters that catch water and carry it to cisterns in different parts of the cliffs. The system works well in winter, but in summer…”

He trailed off, not needing to tell me what I could easily guess. In summer, there was never enough water. And in winter, not enough food.

Caspian showed me where I could find towels and soap, piling items into my arms as if I were about to take ten showers.

“It’s not really fit for a princess,” he said, looking a bit self-conscious. “But fine for a warrior king.”

“This is perfect,” I said, feeling the need to reassure him. “Thank you.”