"That's fine. I will just turn into a raven mid-fall and fly back," Ember laughed.
Ashiyn snorted as he started back to the castle's entrance. "Do you have any of your mother's traits in you besides your ears and her elven weakness?"
"I would prefer not to have even those," Ember grumbled as he followed. He stopped short of the entrance when the Nthir swarmed angrily to block him after Ashiyn had passed through the door. "Father, your pets."
"I suppose if you want inside you will have to figure out how to appease them." Ashiyn laughed as he continued down the hall and abandoned Ember to the creatures.
With the elf situation dealt with, Ashiyn's thoughts turned back to Seraphine. If she was truly his rival, perhaps he shouldn't have left her alone in his library.
Sihtaar stirred on his back, still humming with life. I thirst, Master. We must hunt.
Ashiyn ignored it. He was the master after all, wasn't he? Let the sword hunger. He had other things to see to first. He threw open the double doors to the library.
Seraphine sat in the middle of the floor, her simple dress a puddle around her. Piled around her were books. All of them were spellbooks. Books of power. She paused and looked up at him when he entered and gave him that disarming smile, mischief in her purple eyes. "My King, your library has many fascinating things."
"Does it?" Ashiyn approached her slowly, glancing over the titles he could see. They certainly backed up Soryn's suspicions.
Seraphine smiled even more broadly and stood. She hurried to his side with her open book then, with a shake of her hand, an insert unfolded. A prophecy. "Why yes, look. This tells of the battle for our world."
Ashiyn scowled at her. "Prophecy is a farce. Fate is what you make it."
"Oh, I think you should look at this one," Seraphine whispered in a seductive tone as she held the page out. "It tells of a beautiful seductress who meets her match in a handsome seducer."
"Does it?" Ashiyn did not take his gaze from her eyes, waiting for the betrayal he knew was coming. "What does it tell of them?"
"How they fall madly in love with each other. But alas, there can be only one savior of this world," Seraphine said in a sad tone. "It's a tragic love story, my King."
Ashiyn whipped his hand to grab the dagger's blade before it could find its way between the plates of his chest armor. The metal screeched as it clashed with his heavy gauntlet. "Now, Seraphine. This is why you shouldn't put stock into prophecy."
Her purple eyes widened as she tried to free her dagger. When that didn't work, she tried to pull away. Ashiyn twisted her arm until she gasped and dropped the weapon, then he shoved her against a bookcase and held her there.
She struggled in his grip, but she couldn't use her magic with her hands pinned above her head. "You've fought many magic users I see."
"You should have tried a spell. It might have worked better," Ashiyn said calmly, as he kept her there.
"It felt less intimate. I do like to be intimate with you," Seraphine said, as she stopped struggling. "Besides your blood would have been a nice sacrifice."
"I'm immortal. You can't kill me. And I'm afraid I'm not letting you use my immortal blood as a sacrifice either. So, what do I do now, hmm?" Ashiyn shook his head.
"You let me go?" Seraphine asked, her eyes wide and innocent again.
"Nice try. I don't think so," Ashiyn snorted. "Your innocent look won't get you anywhere. Perhaps I should kill you rather than waste my time always wondering when you will try again."
"Then you would be alone again, my King." Seraphine pointed out. "You and I are not so different. What of the prophecy?"
"Either it's wrong because I am incapable of love, or it is a prophecy about someone else." Ashiyn smirked as he leaned closer to pin his body against hers. "I do enjoy you, Seraphine. Why don't you continue to be my lover until we are the only two left that could save this world and rule it? Then we can return to this discussion of whether there can truly only be one, or if the prophecy could be interpreted as ‘two as one.’"
"Two cannot be one without love, my King," Seraphine said, tilting her head.
"That is nonsense." Ashiyn loosened his grip a little. "We are one every time we are together."
Seraphine pulled her hands free of his grip and trailed them over him. "It would be a shame to kill you."
"You can't kill me. You can only irritate me," Ashiyn said as he watched her hands.
The noise of Soryn clearing his throat from the doorway made them both glance that way. He did not look the least impressed by however much of their banter he had. "Dinner is ready. If you two are quite done," Soryn said dryly.
Ashiyn looked Seraphine over. "Are we quite done?"
"Well, I wouldn't turn down unicorn stew. I suppose we shall have to be. For now." Seraphine winked at him then pulled away to walk toward Soryn. "Thank you, Soryn."
"Bring an extra place setting," Ashiyn said as he walked past Soryn as well.
"My King? More visitors?" Soryn asked, surprised.
"Ember will be joining us from now on. Provided the Nthir didn't make a mess of him," Ashiyn said with a dismissive wave as he followed Seraphine to the dining hall.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
When the trio was halfway through the
