“Yes.”
“Because . . .”
“It suits me,” she shrugs, smirking as she bites down on her own dried meat. “You’re very curious, princess.”
“I am,” I admit, my eyes grazing over her clothing, searching for weapons.
“Be at ease,” she laughs. “I mean you no ill will, Taryn of Vanir. I’m simply here, offering food.”
“But why? Are you friends with the dragon?”
“In a way,” she answers slowly, canting her head to the side.
“But you say you’re not a sorceress.”
“I’m not,” she laughs, shaking her head. Her long curls fall over her face and I find myself wanting to touch them. I’ve never seen hair like hers up close. The curls are so tightly sprung, I wonder if I pulled one if it’d bounce.
“Then how did you manage to befriend the beast?” I ask as I close the flask and hand it back.
“You shouldn’t speak about her like that,” she chuckles, her eyes crinkling as she smiles. “She will get offended.” Her chiding tone grates my nerves and I straighten my spine as I lay the food down on my leg.
“I don’t care if I offend her,” I snap. “She kidnapped me. And while she feels vindicated, apparently, because someone loyal to my father stole something from this cave, I am not a thing to be taken or traded. I’m a person.” In my agitation, I sweep my hair up into a knot, tying it around itself until it’s secure on top of my head. “And, to be completely fair, the thing that was taken from her belonged to my family first. She’s the thief. She simply stole the crown so long ago, it feels like hers. Greedy dragons.”
As I open my mouth to launch into yet another spiel about the greed and ridiculousness of this particular dragon, Niressa’s eyes go round and she shakes her head.
“Don’t do it. Don’t shake your head like you’re about to defend her. You’ve been kind, thank you for the food. But I won’t listen to anyone defend my mother’s murderer.”
“If she says she didn’t kill her, then she didn’t.”
I blow out an exasperated breath, standing to my feet to pace. Sitting still when I’m aggravated has never been easy and I’m furious. I’m annoyed that I’m essentially trapped here. I’m furious my father put me in this predicament by stirring up the dragons in the first place. Who is stupid enough to trifle with dragons? Godfrey of Vanir, that’s who.
I’m offended that the beautiful woman in front of me thinks I’m some idiotic child who can’t see her for what she is: a sorceress. And I’m particularly seething over the fact that she thinks it’s alright to defend her friend, my kidnapper and probably the beast who murdered my mother, to me.
“How could you possibly know that?” I hiss, my fingernails digging into my palms as my fists clench at my sides. The dagger glints on the cavern floor, along with the half-eaten cube of cheese that fell from my lap when I stood up.
Niressa takes a deep breath and rises to her own feet before looking over her shoulder at the sunlight outside the cavern. “Come, princess. Let’s show you to your room so you can get some rest.”
“How do you know?” I ask again when she starts walking away from me, toward the tunnel.
“I know her as well as I know myself. She’s not an infallible creature, but if she says she didn’t kill your mother, then she didn’t. You have no power in this situation, what reason does she have to lie to you?”
My mouth falls open as I watch her disappear into the tunnel. Standing here, fuming in the middle of the cavern, I realize she might be right. What reason does the dragon have to lie to me?
I shake my head and bend to pick up the dagger, only to find it missing. I narrow my eyes on the tunnel as I jog toward the opening. Niressa stands farther down, past the bathing chamber, in front of the room I took the torch from. When I draw close to her, she smiles warmly at me and enters the room.
“There’s a blanket and a pillow. It’s not much, but it should keep you comfortable enough until your father sees reason.”
“Even if she isn’t the great murderess I think she is, she still kidnapped me for something that is not my fault,” I huff as I step around the tall beauty. Her hand snakes out, grabbing me by the wrist.
My eyes fall first to her hand, so warm against my skin, then slowly rise to meet her own strangely pigmented eyes. “Hmm,” she murmurs, her nostrils flaring as her thumb strokes my skin. I’m not proud of the goosebumps that small touch leaves behind. I don’t want to be attracted to this woman. She’s involved with the beast who kidnapped me, the one who somehow had my mother’s crown in her possession—even if she claims she didn’t kill her.
Niressa’s tongue darts out to wet her lips before dropping her hold on me.
“I’m not stupid, you know,” I whisper as I quickly pull the dagger from her belt and throw it on the bed behind me, trying to ignore the heat between us. “I know you’re bound to the dragon somehow, sorceress. Your eyes give it away.”
Niressa flashes me a brilliant grin and shrugs before leaving the room, not speaking a word on the subject either way.
I throw myself on the bed and pull the pillow over my face, screaming into the soft down stuffing. Why am I so frustrated that Niressa doesn’t seem to understand where I’m coming from? It shouldn’t matter to me. She’s the enemy, too. She’s here of her own free will, so she may as well be one of my captors.
I groan, pushing the pillow off my face. Staring up at the cavern ceiling, I mutter obscenities to myself over and over. “Why are you so upset?” I ask myself quietly. “She owes you nothing.”
I don’t have an answer.
I wish Mira was here to tell me how silly and emotional I’m being. She’s much better at dealing with adversity than I am, it would seem. I’ve never seen her melt under the scrutiny of the court, and there’s been quite a bit over the years.
Rumors swirled for some time after we became close that she was my lover. She took those rumors in stride and proclaimed, quite proudly to anyone who would listen, that, “The princess couldn’t handle me as a lover, so I’ve decided to keep her as just a friend. It would be improper for me to steal all of her attention, wouldn’t it?”
I still can’t believe she said that in the middle of feast. Father looked like he might die of embarrassment and Lady Sheffield nearly fainted. Lord Sheffield simply laughed with me as the rest of the court stared in awe of the bold statement.
Mira would know exactly why I’m so pissed off that this woman is lying to me, even though I hardly know her. Even though she doesn’t owe me any loyalty or the truth.
And Mira would say it. Bluntly. Because that’s who she is.
I sigh, rolling onto my side as I wonder what my friends are doing. Did she and Dary have that talk I told her to have? When I get home—if I ever get home—will I find her married to the Prince of Tabistak?
And why do I care about any of that right now when I’m being held hostage in a mountain?
I roll my eyes shut, determined to quiet my mind. As the darkness behind my lids closes in around me, lulling me to a soft sleep, images dance across my vison.