His lover halted and Darshan’s heart almost followed. Was it mere coincidence that they’d come to a stop near the doorway? Or did Hamish plan to leave? Had he pushed too hard? But his lover knew how Darshan felt.
Hamish bent his head.
Those soft lips brushed Darshan’s and he gave not a second of thought towards answering in kind. The taste of bitter alcohol sat thickly on his lover’s lips. Darshan cared nothing about that either.
His legs wobbled. He patted the air behind him. Was there not a wall somewhere nearby?
His fingers met the smooth surface of worn stone. Coaxing Hamish to follow him as he took a few steps backwards took little convincing. Through it all, their kiss remained the same; warm, tender and bursting with emotion.
Hamish broke the kiss first. They stood there, Darshan leaning against the wall and pinned by his lover seeking the same means of strength to remain upright. For a while, they merely shared silence and breath.
Then, like a giant and affectionate cat, Hamish rested his forehead against Darshan’s. “This feeling has a name, then?” he whispered, his voice husky and raw. “So what is an eternal flame? Other than a mortal who got turned into a crown jewel?”
He remembered? Gods, he must’ve told Hamish that tale several weeks ago. Back when things seemed somewhat less complicated. “Araasi’s lover was just the first Flame Eternal. The priesthood believes each person only gets one, that we can love others just as much, but there’ll only be one soul we ever truly, deeply connect with.”
“And you think that’s me?”
“I know it is.” How cold and parched he had been. How had he not have noticed it before? His whole life he’d been dying of thirst and hadn’t even recognised it until stumbling upon this oasis.
Darshan stared out over the railing. Little could be seen from this vantage point, but he could hear the cavorting. “I am going to take you away from all this. I will win.” Duelling one-on-one with limited access to his magic had seemed the trickier task. Two more to go. He just had to keep reminding himself of that and not think on how he wasn’t quite sure what to expect from one and he was uncertain he could manage the other. “I am already a third of the way there.”
A small smile tweaked his lover’s lips, although there was a distinct lack of spark to his eyes. “You are. And I dinnae think I’ve congratulated you on being victorious in your duel.” He laid a broad hand on the side Darshan’s duelling opponent had struck him. “How are your ribs?”
Darshan rolled his eyes. Had the man learnt nothing from his conversations on healing magic? “They are completely fine. Did she break them? I believe so. But—” he swiftly added before Hamish could voice his concerns. “They were already fused back in place before I could take another swing.” Admittedly, that was also due to the breather he had inadvertently managed to garner.
“I wish there was another way.” Hamish scratched at the base of his neck, disturbing the chain holding the ruby heart he would gift to Darshan after the second trial was over. “I dinnae like the idea of you getting hurt because of me.”
“I am fine.” He gave his side a hearty thump with his fist. “See? Nothing.” Unable to fully decipher Hamish’s expression, Darshan pressed on. “What is the worst that can happen in the next trial? A sprained ankle?” Or I get lost. He shook the thought loose with a shake of his head and cupped Hamish’s jaw. “I will be fine.”
His lover nodded. Whether in agreement or reassurance, Darshan wasn’t quite sure. “Of course you will be,” Hamish mumbled as the skin beneath Darshan’s fingertips grew steadily warmer. “I was thinking, since the rest of the competitors are taking tomorrow to recuperate, that you might be willing to join Gor, the lads and me for a little stroll through the forest. Maybe practice hitting a few targets?”
Darshan lowered his arms, gently returning them to dancing in a slow, meandering pace around the mezzanine. “Sounds prudent.” Wandering unfamiliar forests with subpar vision was a risky ordeal. If he had a point of reference beforehand, then he might stand a chance of sticking to the appropriate section.
Hamish ducked his head, peering at Darshan. “And you’re all right with the lads joining us?”
He cocked his head, dread quietly starting to bubble in his stomach. “Any reason why I would not be?” He hadn’t done anything to make Hamish’s nephews uncertain around him. “I rather missed their opinion on the duelling.”
“Really? I didnae think you’d be all that keen on spending time with them.” His gaze slid from Darshan to a spot far in the distance. “What with your lack of a desire to have bairns of your own.”
What had he said about children that’d given the impression he disliked being near them? “I have plenty of younger sisters. Dealing with them takes a little more finesse than that rowdy lot. I—”
“But having your own would be—how did you put it?—horrific?”
Darshan gnawed on his upper lip. His preference to remain without a direct heir wasn’t some clear-cut topic. And it was certainly not a conversation he wanted to have. Be it here or later on.
He had railed against his father’s insistence of him siring children for so many years that refusing the idea was almost second nature. However, if the right opportunity, with the right person, presented itself? Maybe. It was dependent on so many other factors that he had barely given it a passing thought much less decent introspection.
“Dar? Did you even hear me?”
Jerked out of his contemplation, he stared up at Hamish. They had halted in the middle of the room. The music had stopped at some point. When? He wouldn’t dare to guess.
“Forgive me, mea lux. It
