“That won’t stop him,” Terrence said.
Faust gave a faint smile. He hoped that was true. He missed Ignas, but if Faust was to be Aris’s High King, he might not be able to have Ignas, too. He hadn’t thought he’d have to give Ignas up until Aris told him he was the High King. Ignas made him feel safe, but so did Aris. If he could have both, he would.
Aris moved in close.
Faust opened the small box. He was met with a beautiful sight and a note from Ignas. It held a stunning white gold ring with polished purple stones in a purple velvet cushion.
Aris peeked over Faust’s shoulder and raised his eyebrows. “For you, gorgeous,” he read.
Faust startled, his face aflame.
“Gorgeous,” Aris teased with a grin.
“Aris,” Faust protested.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Terrence studied the ring. “It is a fine material and expertly crafted. Where on Alimphis did he steal this from?”
Faust closed the box with a hard snap. “It does not matter!” He tucked the small box away in his satchel for safekeeping. Faust had wanted Terrence to look over his hairpin to see if he could polish it up, but he didn’t dare take it out now.
Terrence snickered. “Right, right, my apologies. He would come to seduce you personally.”
“Terrence.”
Yoan laughed.
Mika couldn’t help but chuckle as well.
“I will get you gifts, too,” Aris said.
Faust bit back a smile. “You do not have to buy me anything, just you are enough.”
“You are my king,” Aris said with his brow creased.
Faust kept his face neutral. Aris was jealous. “And that makes you my deity,” Faust said, caressing Aris’s face.
Aris kissed Faust’s palm, his eyes never leaving Faust’s.
Faust’s skin tingled at the conviction in Aris’s eyes. It was a claim, a want Aris would not back down from. Faust needed to move the conversation along before he had the urge to sweep Aris off to a room. He cleared his throat. “Is Ignas here?” Faust asked, although he already knew the answer. He didn’t feel Ignas’s warmth yet.
“He’s here somewhere,” Terrence offered. “We should get going, we’ll be late for dinner, and then Nik will send the whole guard to come escort us home.”
“Home?” Faust asked.
“I told you Nik was happy,” Aris said.
Faust gawked. Nik was quite the charmer, but after hearing of Terrence’s past, Faust thought they wouldn’t hit it off so fast.
Terrence smirked. “He’s good for business.”
Yoan snorted. “Be honest, Father.”
Terrence sighed dramatically. “He is my amorous lover who worries far too much. Now, come, come, let’s be off. I’d rather have His Eminence and the commander here be our escorts than a bunch of stuffy guards.”
“You want to make a grand entrance,” Faust said.
Terrence winked. “Shall we?”
Aris skipped ahead and opened the door.
Chapter Fifty-One
Aris scanned the crowd beside Faust while he spoke with Terrence. Merchants watched, and guards tracked their every move, already alerted of their prestigious guest, each set of guards watching until they were out of sight.
The wind had grown restless, and Faust swore there had been a small ripple in the water veil. It caused the hair on the back of Faust’s neck to rise. Something was wrong. Terrence’s shoulders squared, but the guild master didn’t say anything.
“Someone’s closing in,” Aris whispered next to Faust. “Commander,” he called.
Mika walked up beside Faust, leaning. “We’ve got trouble coming, my lord.”
“How?”
Terrence pulled Faust in by his shoulder. “I had to make the city visible now that you are here. Otherwise, it would have been attacked. I had created the rumors as a way to make Lord Acker believe the knights were just drunk. It kept him from inspecting all the time.”
Earth magic brushed against Faust’s senses—the strength of a Blessed.
“Keep your head down and run when the chance arrives,” Terrence instructed. “My guild will bring you to Nik, Lord Arcus.”
Faust nodded, but he felt far less confident. He wouldn’t be able to run fast enough, not with his side injury. He’d been doing well so far, but that was because Aris and Mika took care of things in his stead.
“Arrest that man!”
Faust stiffened. He’d been right. “Relan.” He swore.
“That man kidnapped the king! He’s wanted by His Excellency Lathil!”
The guards tensed but did not move. Faust turned. Relan barreled toward them in new Volant armor, heading for Mika, with several of his lackeys following close behind him. Faust reached for his magic but was yanked to his left, and Terrence let him go without so much as a pause.
Faust stumbled with a protest on his lips, but warmth rippled through him. He looked at the person who caught his wrist and shut his mouth, a smile biting at his lips. There was no need for words. Faust shifted his hand to hold on to Ignas’s tighter. The gentle squeeze in return was reassuring; he knew this hand well.
The market faded, and dirt crunched under Faust’s boots in the alley. It was a never-ending race as the pair rounded corner after corner anytime Faust heard thundering footsteps. He struggled to keep up, his side protesting and his breathing fast. On one sharp turn, sky blue seared Faust’s vision, and he inhaled sharply.
Aris jumped from a nearby rooftop, sword drawn, his sights set on Ignas.
Faust’s breath left his throat in a rush. “Aris—wait!”
Aris slammed into Ignas with great force, blade pulled back to strike. The wind whirled, and one sky stone sparked.
“Aris!” Faust pleaded.
Aris’s blade hit the dirt and sank into the ground beside Ignas’s head. The air smoldered with heat as the wind licked and crashed against it. Aris held his head to the side to avoid a gun barrel to his face, glaring into a set of angry grey eyes.
Faust let out a shaky breath.
“There they are!”
Faust whirled. Three of Relan’s men crowded into the alleyway with Kingsley Knights not far behind. They wouldn’t make it. “Ignas,” Faust called and reached for the blade beneath his coat, but magic would be faster.
“We run,” Ignas said. He hoisted Aris over his shoulder and tugged Faust’s hand backward.
“I can walk on my own,” Aris grumbled and twisted in Ignas’s arm.
Ignas dropped his arm with a growl, tossing Aris forward. He moved to the side with Faust. “Have at ’em, beautiful.”
Aris rolled his eyes and launched himself at Relan’s men. He slashed at the first and cut the man’s arm off. Aris flicked his hand back, his sky stone bright, and shot a blast of wind behind them. The remaining men flew backward into the market with a loud crash. Aris whipped back to follow Faust.
Faust looked Aris over for injuries. The deity was unharmed but quite perturbed with Ignas from the way Aris’s glare bore into him. “He is an ally, don’t worry. This is Ignas.”
“Ignas, huh?” Aris said as they rounded another corner.
“The one and only.”