lightly on my forehead, and I nodded at him, too stunned to speak. This entire time I didn’t think he cared much about me, that he was an exuberant man who enjoyed the company of the court. But he really did want my safety. He’d been avoiding me for much the same reason I avoided things—fear of loving, of losing, of failing. There was no denying we were related.
The king strode away, only stopping long enough to whisper to Kellin and Soran before disappearing back into the palace.
“Tarek, take my sister to the armory and get her a weapon. You’ve worked with her the most and know what suits her best,” Soran said.
Tarek stepped forward, and I followed him awkwardly into the armory. Kellin watched us go.
“I’m impressed you took the initiative to come,” Tarek murmured once we were inside the building by the training grounds which housed all the weapons.
“I feel like it’s where I’m supposed to be,” I replied, following him deeper into the room as he looked over the options.
“It’s where you’re supposed to be, however, I know what your brother speaks of. Prince Soran is worried about you. About this. He has a bad feeling… as do I.”
“You do?”
“Yes,” he said softly, pulling a sword off a rack and handing it to me. “How’s the weight? Give it a good swing.”
I swung it and nodded at him, wondering why I’d been stuck with such a heavy sword during practice when lighter ones clearly existed. Tarek must have guessed what I was thinking because he smirked at me.
“It’s by far better to train with something heavier. It forces you to increase your speed for when you have a weapon in your hands which is actually a better fit. You’ll find I’m right once you have to plunge that sword through your enemy’s flesh.”
“I-I’ll be killing people.” I said it as a statement, a realization.
“That’s what we do when we fight. We kill. We weaken the other army. They weaken us. It’s a dance. An ugly, unchoreographed dance.” He sighed and turned toward me. “Can you handle it, or do you think you should stay behind?”
“I-I can handle it.” I swallowed thickly as Tarek stared me down.
“I don’t think you can,” he murmured, reaching out and tenderly touching my face, his eyes wavering with some unsaid emotion. “I worry for you.”
“You worry for me?” I whispered in disbelief, unable to stop myself from leaning into his touch.
“Why wouldn’t I? You’re the princess. The Oracle. Should a tragedy befall you, it befalls us all. Your safety, your security, is just as important to me as my own. Your success is my success. It’s our success. I helped trained you, Princess. I know what you’re capable of, and I know what you’re not. You’ll find your strength when all you have is your weakness. Remember that.”
“Tarek,” I asked, bravely stepping close to him, my hand reaching out to rest on his hard chest.
“Yes?” he asked, a smirk on his face. So familiar. It tugged on my heart.
“Where are you from? I know you’re not from Dar’ish.”
“Do you now?” He raised an eyebrow at me, the small scar moving with it as he studied me. “Where do you think I’m from?”
“I’m not sure.” I frowned, finally saying what had been on my mind since the day I’d met him. “But you’re different… yet so familiar to me. I want to know why. I want to know why I feel this… this strange pull to you.”
“Princess, I fear when you figure that out, it’ll be at a pivotal point, and you’ll be left with a choice. That choice. Remember we already talked about it before you went off and fell in love.”
“What choice?” I swallowed, knowing full well what he was talking about. Like I could ever forget the conversation we’d had right before I’d left with Kellin that day which felt so long ago. The conversation where he told me Kellin was hiding something from me.
“The choice between me or them,” he answered solemnly.
Chapter 38
“Ana?” Kellin called out.
I stared at Tarek, wanting to make him tell me what he meant. Lately, he’d been somewhat normal, not bothering with his cryptic talks. He was so frustrating. I swore he planned our conversations around potential interruptions. His lips quirked up into a quick smile as he gazed back at me.
“You should answer him,” he said softly, not tearing his eyes away from me, but dropping his hand from my face.
“I-I’m over here,” I