A Trial of Sorcerers: Book One by Kova, Elise (universal ebook reader .txt) 📕

wooden and stone structures—some looked like they had been built by craftsmen. But most had the “too-perfect” appearance only magic yielded.

She swept her eyes across the field several times, committing as much as she could to memory. In the back of her mind, there was the phantom ticking of a clock—incessantly reminding her that she had to hurry. Cullen had made it clear that him bringing a lady to court would be noted, thus her absence would be eventually noted as well.

Eira turned away from the window and fumbled back into the passage, nearly blind until her eyes adjusted. The tailoring of her skirts would only permit her to move agonizingly slowly down the stairs. Eira cursed with every step. She’d just closed the door to the passage when Cullen’s voice echoed down the hall.

“Ah, yes, I’m just waiting for my guest,” he said.

“We didn’t see her powdering her nose,” an unfamiliar woman’s voice replied.

“Perhaps she left you, Lord Cullen.” That was Allora. “It was too kind of you to bring her, but you should join us instead.”

“Waterrunners can craft illusions, ladies. Perhaps she merely did not want to answer any of your prying questions and hid.”

Was that a huff she heard in reply? A door closing echoed back to her. Eira began moving again and nearly tumbled face-first into Cullen as he rounded the corner.

“What took you so long?” he hissed.

“You didn’t tell me how far it was.” She glared at the tone he took.

“Come on, we have to—”

Just as Cullen was about to wheel her around the corner there was the sound of doors opening and closing again. His face crumpled into panic and Cullen spun, yanking her back into the shadows. Eira opened her mouth and Cullen pressed his finger over her lips.

She was mildly tempted to nip at it in offense. At least until she heard the voices of those he’d caught a glimpse of.

“Here are the washrooms, Ambassador,” Prince Romulin said.

“Ah, my apologies, I was actually intending to retire to my chambers.” Ferro was with him.

“Did someone in the court commit an offense, sir?”

“Not at all.” Ferro chuckled. It sounded fake to Eira. “It’s only that I have planning to do for the fourth and fifth trials. I want to make sure I’ve designed them just right.”

“You are very diligent in your work.”

Footsteps neared. Panic was on Cullen’s face as he pulled them a step farther from the intersection of the hallways. He leaned forward. Eira stepped away but her back hit the wall.

“That is the passage to the royal wing,” he whispered against her ear. Eira shivered at the feeling of his lips moving against her skin. Cullen was oblivious and pointed down the third, unexplored hall. “If they catch us here it’s going to arouse suspicion that we can’t have.”

“I can illusion us.”

“That assumes they won’t walk through the illusion and bump into us. They might head this way to inspect the progress of the trial.”

Eira bit her lip. “We can just—”

“They might take our pins for this,” he interrupted sternly.

I’ll do whatever it takes. If it ever got out, my family would be ruined. His words echoed in her mind. Was the mysterious “it” what had Cullen so panicked at the idea of being caught out of place? What risks did he keep hidden behind his walls? Or did they have more reasons to be afraid that Eira didn’t yet understand?

Her heart beat so hard against her ribs, she was shocked that Ferro couldn’t hear it with his long ears.

“I want to make sure everything goes smoothly,” Ferro said over the clanking of the chain that barred entry being hung against the wall.

Cullen cursed under his breath. He looked to her, wide-eyed. Eira stared up and mouthed the words, What do we do?

If they tried to flee down the hallway, they would be seen. There was no way they’d make it to the nearest door before Ferro and Romulin rounded that corner. And even if they did make it to the door, they would no doubt hear the door closing and investigate.

“Kiss me,” Cullen breathed.

“What?” The word was a soft gasp.

He put his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. The feeling of his palms sliding smoothly over the silk of her dress melted every wall of ice she’d ever erected. The tides of her magic were raging. They were going to boil her alive.

“Kiss me and we’ll both make it out of this unscathed.”

She had two seconds to debate. Two seconds to decide. There was movement in the corner of her eye as a booted foot crossed into the intersection of the halls.

Eira wrapped her arms around Cullen’s shoulders and brought her lips to his.

12

The moment her lips touched his, all caution was thrown to the wind. Her back was flush against the wall as Cullen pressed forward, claiming her mouth with all the bold tenacity of a lover. Eira’s eyes opened in shock and then she forced them shut once more. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, surprised to find sturdy muscle underneath all the lux fabrics he wore as armor to guard against the lessers of the world.

Lessers like you, a nasty voice in the back of her mind whispered.

His hand was in her hair. Eira didn’t know when it had moved from her waist, but his nails were now against her scalp, threatening to draw out a sound that Eira—under no circumstances—had ever intended to make. Especially not with Cullen.

Prince Romulin cleared his throat with a soft, “Ahem.”

Cullen pulled away abruptly, panic in his eyes. The panic she believed to be real. They weren’t out of the woods yet. The faint flush to his cheeks was certainly an act. However, her own flush, that was very, very real.

“I, uh…Mother above,” Cullen groaned with embarrassment. “Forgive us, Your Highness.” He bowed low.

“These things happen.” The prince wore a grin as if he could relate all too well to sneaking off into dark hallways.