“Ector,” I squeaked. “Hi.”
“Hello.”
“Can I help you with something?”
He shook his head, remaining exactly where he stood, feet planted in the center of the hall like an unmovable tree.
Wait…
I inhaled sharply. “I doubt you’re standing there because you have nothing better to do, correct?”
“I have many, many better things I could be doing,” he replied.
“And yet, you’re standing guard outside my chamber?”
“Sure appears that way.”
Anger simmered, threatening to boil over. What good did an unlocked door do when he placed a guard outside my room? “You’re here to make sure I don’t leave my chambers.”
“I’m here for your safety,” Ector corrected. “I’ve also heard you tend to wander off into dangerous areas.”
“I don’t have a habit of roaming.”
“I’m sorry. Maybe I misheard and it’s that you have a habit of entering places without making sure they’re secure.”
“Oh, well, now I know you spoke to Ash.”
“Ash?” Ector repeated. His brows rose. “I didn’t know you two were on that kind of name basis.”
And he wasn’t? I am not that to you. That was what Ash had said when I’d called him Nyktos.
I blew out an aggravated breath. It didn’t matter. “If I wanted to leave my room right now, would you stop me?”
“At the moment, yes.”
“Why?”
“Because if something were to happen to you, I imagine Nyktos would probably be displeased.”
“Probably?”
Ector shrugged.
“What about later?” I demanded.
“That will be different, and we would have to see.”
“Have to see?” I laughed harshly. Unbelievable. “Where is he?”
“He’s busy at the moment.”
“And I imagine he can’t be interrupted?”
Ector nodded.
“So, what am I supposed to do?” I asked. “Stay in my room until he isn’t busy?”
“I’m not entirely sure what you’re supposed to do.” Amber eyes met mine. “And to be honest, I don’t think even he knows what to do with you.”
Chapter 26
The following morning, I jerked upright in bed, wrinkled and dazed as a woman strolled into my bedchamber after knocking once.
“Brought you something to eat,” she announced, stalking past the bed in a rapid clip, her short, honey-brown hair snapping at her rounded, reddish-brown chin.
I blinked slowly, still half asleep. The long, flowing sleeves of her white blouse slid up her arms as she placed a covered dish and a pitcher on the table, revealing a slender, black-bladed dagger affixed to her forearm. That wasn’t the only one. She had another strapped to her breeches-clad thigh. I tensed as the cobwebs of sleep vanished at the sight of the weapons. “Who are you?” I demanded.
“Davina is my name. Most call me Dav.” She whipped around. “And I suppose I should call you meyaah Liessa.”
My lips parted as goosebumps spread across my scalp. It wasn’t her words that drew the reaction. It was her eyes.
A shade of vibrant blue that rivaled the Stroud Sea stood out in stark contrast to her black, vertical pupils.
Pupils that reminded me of the draken I’d seen on the road on our way into the Shadowlands, but his eyes had been red.
She stared unblinkingly at me. “Are you all right?”
“Are you a draken?” I blurted.
One eyebrow rose. “That was kind of a rude question. But, yes, I am.”
At first, the only thing that entered my mind was how in the world someone roughly my height and slimmer than me could transform into something the size of the draken I’d seen. Then again, I couldn’t imagine her shifting into something even the size of Reaver, which was much smaller. But still.
Then I realized I was still gaping at her. Heat crept into my face. “I’m sorry. It was rude of me to ask that. I just…” I didn’t really have a response.
She nodded, and I wasn’t sure if that was in acceptance of my apology or not.
My gaze dropped to the dagger at her thigh. “What does…meyaah Liessa mean?”
That eyebrow seemed to climb even higher. “It means my Queen.”
My entire body jolted. “Your Queen?”
“Yes,” she drew out the word. “You are the Consort, are you not? That would make you like a queen.”
I understood that, though it seemed weird to even acknowledge. But Ash… Another jolt ran through me. Ash had said liessa meant many things, all something beautiful and powerful.
A Queen would be powerful.
A Consort was.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Dav asked.
“I think so.” Giving a small shake of my head, I shoved the covers aside. “Where is—?” I started to call him Ash but then remembered Ector’s reaction. “Where is the Primal?” I hadn’t seen him since I’d caught a glimpse of him entering those strangely colored woods.
“Busy.”
My spine stiffened. “Still?”
“Still.”
I told myself to take a deep breath and to remain calm. I did not know this woman. She was also a draken, and most likely not someone I wanted to anger. So, I forced my voice to remain level. “What is he busy with?”
For a moment, I thought she wouldn’t be any more detailed than Ector, but then she said, “He was in the Red Woods, dealing with Shades.”
Dying Woods? Shades? “I have a distinct feeling that you probably won’t appreciate the fact that I have more questions,” I started, and a faint trace of humor crept into her otherwise stoic features. “But what is the Dying Woods, and what are Shades?”
She studied me for a long moment. “The Dying Woods are the…dying woods. Dead trees. Dead grass.” She paused. “Dead everything.”
My lips thinned, even though I supposed I’d walked right into that one. “Then perhaps they should be called the Dead Woods.”
That glint of humor moved in her blue eyes. “I have said that myself many times.”
Relaxing a fraction, the robe fell around my legs as I stood. “And the Shades?”
“Souls who have entered the Shadowlands but refuse to cross through the Pillars of Asphodel to face judgement for the deeds committed while alive. They can’t return to the mortal realm. They can’t enter the Vale. So, they remain trapped in the Dying Woods. They become…lost, wanting to live but unable to gain that life.
“Oh,” I whispered, swallowing. “That sounds terrible.”
“It is,” she answered. “Especially since they are driven mad by unending hunger and thirst. They tend to get a bit bitey.”
My brows shot up. Bitey?
“Normally, they don’t cause that many problems, but sometimes, they find their way out of the Dying Woods and into Lethe,” she explained. “Then, Nyktos must round them up. Fun times had by all.”
“Fun times,” I repeated.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have much to do.” Dav started for the door. “None of which involves answering questions. No offense meant.” She stopped at the door and bowed. “Good day, meyaah Liessa.”
Dav left the room, closing the doors behind her.
“Wow,” I murmured, my gaze drifting to the table. A short laugh left me. Despite the general unfriendliness of the draken, I kind of liked her.