Fear of Fire and Shadow (The Fade #1) - Samantha Young Page 0,58

think I didn’t mishear it at all.”

She laughed lightly. “No, you didn’t. But, Rogan, she’s awful. All she talks about is that bloody cat of hers. As if the princezna wants to discuss an overfed spoiled brat of a cat that scratched me last time she brought it to court, over her donating money to the charity I wanted to start for the mountain people of Alvernia.”

A wave of fondness made me smile. “Dear, not everyone is as open-minded about the Alvernian mountain people as you.”

She snorted. “Including you.”

I shrugged, unabashed. “They’re under the same evocation as the rest of us. If they wanted to be civilized, they could be.”

“But—”

“You know I’d be more positively inclined toward this rapidly failing philanthropic idea of yours if I thought for one second it had been your idea.”

Blushing, Haydyn shrugged. “Darren is very passionate about these issues.”

Now I did snort. “Darren is an arrogant troubadour with an inflated sense of importance. He’s never even been to Alvernia! The farthest he’s been is Ryl. Not exactly the best troubadour if you ask me … traveling minstrel, my left butt cheek!”

Haydyn burst into raucous laughter, shaking her head. Once she’d controlled her giggles, she stared up me with love shining bright in her eyes. “Perhaps you’re right. He did write me the most awful poetry the other morning. Something about hair the color of the moon and a sweet lady granting him a boon. I think he may have been trying to get me to kiss him.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You didn’t, did you?”

Pinching her lips together, she gave a sharp jerk of her head. “No. I did think about it, but he’s not really what I expected. None of this is.” She swept the room with a dainty hand.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t think I can do this,” she confessed hollowly. “Decisions and choices and pandering to the court. It’s all so much responsibility. The coronation ceremony is only five years away, and then I’ll be crowned kralovna. Somehow that makes it sound all that much more frightening.

“Why don’t we go away?” She clutched my arm, her emerald eyes pleading. “We’ll jump on a boat and sail the coast to Alvernia. See for ourselves what the people are really like.”

“Hay—”

“Or we could take off on Midnight and Sundown, head for your old family home in Vasterya. We could run through the fields and play by that stream you always talk about. It sounds like paradise.”

I smiled sadly at her and drew her into a hug. “Haydyn, you know we can’t.”

“Why not? You’re the only one I care about and the only one who cares about me. We’ll have a grand adventure.”

“You know you care about the people here, Haydyn. You’re just overwhelmed, and that is to be expected.” I turned so I was facing her. “Phaedra needs your magic, Haydyn. And it needs your goodness. I know it’s a lot to ask of a young woman, but we’ve all had to sacrifice something for our land.”

Her eyes welled with tears. “Oh, Rogan, you must think me terribly selfish and childish.”

“No. I think you’re young. I think you’re scared. But I know how smart and kind and good you are. And like you said, you have me. I’ll help you through. I’ll always be there for you. You’re all that matters, and nothing will get in the way of that. Nothing …”

A strip of heat tingled across my face, slowly bringing me out of sleep. I peeled my eyes open, blinking against the stream of sunlight coming in from a crack in the rafters.

Where was I?

It took me a moment but then it all flooded back and I stiffened, my head whipping to my side. The place where Wolfe had slept was empty. He was gone. My heart raced. No, he was probably just in the house, I reassured myself. I groaned and sat up. Despite feeling less exhausted, I still ached all over. All over. Why, oh why, had I kissed Wolfe last night? I groaned, burying my face in my hands. It was such a silly, stupid thing to do!

You were exhausted.

Yes. I was exhausted. I wasn’t thinking clearly … clearly.

I was in the middle of rescuing my best friend, my sister, the one person in the entire land of Phaedra who meant anything to me. I couldn’t be distracted by kisses from the most inappropriate man imaginable. His father killed my family. He was a vikomt and I was a farm girl.