Cole gripped one of his arms. The confidencedropped away from Felip’s stance.
“First you will visit with Marshal Burtram,”Russal said. “We’ll determine later who gets to leave thekingdom.”
Her legs shaking with fatigue, Kambry peeredover Russal’s shoulder. How had Sybil come in? She sat by Lenar,rocking him, his arms tight around her waist like a child wakenedfrom a night terror. She crooned and caressed his temple.
A short-lived scuffle between a guard andSarena made Russal glance behind him, but an order from Dorveaended it.
“Let’s go,” he said. He tied the handkerchieffirmly around her hand and lifted her into his arms.
No longer needing to maintain being upright,she gazed about the room “What about the column?” She stared at thethin column she had raised from its base to where it joined theceiling.
Russal’s eyebrows rose as if he hadn’tnoticed it before. “We’ll take care of that later, too.”
Down the corridor, Felip was passing out ofsight around a corner. When it came down to choice, Felip hadchosen her, knowing she had chosen Russal. This was when Russal andFelip needed to be in the same place, not that she’d been in anyposition to keep them apart.
Felip had put Russal and her first. She wasright to trust Felip, and doing so did not mean she couldn’tbelieve in Russal.
She closed her eyes, her head resting on hisshoulder. There was nothing wrong with a little protection. Thoughshe had fought her own battle, she hadn’t done it alone. They couldwork out the give and take needed to protect each other, and maybenext time, she’d make a point of taking along a guard or two, acarefully selected guard or two.
Chapter Fifteen
Kambry set another map onthe stack. So far she’d only damaged one, but she could think ofseveral ways to repair it and let her mind wander over thoseoptions. It was a relief to have something mundane to think about.Even after a night’s rest, she still felt dazed by what hadtranspired. She reached for the next map, her actions slow anddeliberate. Being in the map room had taken some of her fogginessaway. She felt encased by a thin layer she couldn’t describe. Herskin lacked sensitivity, as if cocooned by air. It wasinexplicable, and she hadn’t shared the strangeness with Russal oranyone else.
She glanced at Russal. He’d found a bookwedged beneath a chair and righted the chair before picking thetome up carefully. There was something about that book that stuckwith her, not just that it had been on the table before all theruckus of the previous day. She was going to maintain thatself-delusion. It was a ruckus. A haze of an idea tugged at her,but she couldn’t get past the fog.
“You know,” he said, “I could have called inpages to take care of this.”
Kambry nodded. Her bandaged hand throbbed asshe pressed the edge of a map flat. The pain was a solid sense shecould grip. “I wanted something normal to do.”
Russal crossed to her and pressed his lips toher temple. “I understand.” He drew back and gave the room a quicklook. “Do you want to sweep next?”
“No.” She appreciated the smile he brought toher lips. His presence grounded her.
“We must head to the meeting soon.”
Meeting. Yes, Marshal Burtram hadalready interrogated Felip, Lenar and Sarena. She had sat throughportions of it. Burty was an entirely different man when he wantedinformation and had three notorious traitors before him. But theyhad another meeting planned with Felip for other intentions.Straightening the stack she was working on, she noted the tworings, one on each thumb. She cringed, and not for the first time.She’d been pointedly ignoring them.
“What are we going to do about this?” Sheheld up her hands. “And that.” She tipped her head at the column ofstone that fortunately met the end of the table, allowing it tostand in its usual spot.
Russal took both her hands in his own,careful to hold the injured one low on the palm. “I wondered whenyou would bring the ring up. There’s no rush, but we will have asimple ring ceremony to get these on the correct hands.”
She gave him a challenging look. “I only haveto wear one, right?”
“Yes.” He laughed. “We need to switch out myking’s ring for yours.”
“Can’t I just take it off and give it toyou?”
He nodded slowly. “It’s not quite that easy,but if you want it off at once, we can do that now.”
“Right now?” Please, don’t say no.
“Come with me,” he said, releasing herinjured hand and drawing her toward the stone door to the inner maproom. “We need Kavin magic for both your requests.” He grinned ashe gazed at the column.
After unlocking the stone door, he pushed itopen. “I always forget the lamp.” He strode to the table toretrieve it.
“Why not install sconces and candles like youhave in here?”
“Only Kavin stone and air belong in thecentral tower.”
Stepping into the room behind him, she eyedthe stone pedestal. It was the only item furnishing the room.Without it, there would be only the ancient stone walls and floor.“This is the heart of Kavin,” she whispered.
Russal nodded and carried the lamp to thehooked chain and set it at his feet. “Close the door. Let’s bringKavin in.” He unhooked the chain and pulled. Light streamed down,brightening the center of the tower floor.
Kambry pushed the stone wall back into place.The tower stood as if alone, its walls going on forever, nothingbeyond them.
It was as if Kavin had been waiting. Windswooped in and rushed around the room, lifting Kambry’s hair andtugging at her skirt and sleeves. A finger of breeze curled aroundher bandaged hand. As it ebbed away, the flow ran along her thumband dissipated.
Both her rings brightened with purple hues,and the layout of Kavin castle pulsed with color.
“It almost seems gleeful,” she said andturned in place.
“It has reason to be.” He hooked the chain onits stay. “Join me,” he said, striding to the pedestal.
Kambry faced him across the flat stonesurface.
Russal removed the oak ring from his hand andset it to the side. Then he lay his right hand down. “Nowyours.”
She started to lay her
