A Court of Light and Shadow

Chapter 18

"You mustn't let the shadows diminish your light, your Grace."

"They never would, Ser Dardar." I told him with a smile. "The shadows give my light a reason to shine."

THE WARRIOR

Cadoc had been the best man I had on the Royal Guard. Along with Kael, they were taken by Thesion. My finest men, gone to a battle I'm forbidden from joining.

Captain of the Guard my ass.

I picked the dirt from beneath my nails with a blade as I leaned back against one of the many pillars in the great hall of the Palace. Waiting for the one, and only, person I trusted within these walls.

For Amaya.

I had told her to stay put the other night, to stay out of the halls.

The halls had been quiet, but I still wanted her safe nonetheless.

"I always figured you'd prefer the shadows." A feminine voice said from before me, "I guess you're proving me wrong all over again."

I looked up to find Amaya in one of her finer gowns. An impractical thing, but the females had a reputation to upkeep. Especially royal females like herself.

Her face motioned to the torch on the wall not too far from me, and I could feel my lips tugging up into a smirk. One I rarely allow to happen.

"I do prefer the light, your Grace." I confirmed, "Easier to see."

"Yes." She drawled, her hands intertwined in front of herself. Her eyes fixated on the flame, watching it move. "I don't like fire, though."

The smirk remained. "You may not play with fire, your Grace-" I pushed off the wall, sheathing my blade "-but I so happen to love the warmth."

I was answered with a smile, her gorgeous eyes meeting my own. She was breathtakingly stunning. Her gown accented all her features. Her fair skin, highlighting the soft freckles on her nose, and her cheeks. Her near fire red and orange hair, shaping her face so perfectly. I snapped myself out of that gaze before it could consume my thoughts any further.

"Are they off, then?" She asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I stepped up to her, her arm linking with my own. "The infiltration, is it starting?" She corrected herself, and I could only nod.

"When?" She asked.

A sigh left my lips. "Whenever they reach the lands."

Silence fell between the both of us, and I nearly recoiled at it. It was so sudden, so intense. A deafening silence nobody wished to experience.

"What is on your mind, Hitori?" Amaya asked, giving my lower arm a gentle squeeze with her gloved hand.

"Many things, your Grace."

"Stop calling me that, would you?" She said with a smile. A warning in her voice, yet everything about her stayed sweet. An addiction, if I was not careful.

"Your Grace?" I questioned.

"Please, just call me Amaya. I'm your friend, not your commander."

"But you're the heiress."

She stopped our stride, and moved to stand before me. "Until the time is right, I'm not yet Queen." She said to me.

A rush of some sort shot through my body. From my ears all the way down to my toes. A rush of adrenaline. I wanted more of it, I knew that much. And I had a plan. The perfect plan, to receive just that.