Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 105132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
He nearly shook his head again but stopped himself. Being alone never bothered him. He actually preferred it. So, why had he kept Adira sleeping in his bedchamber?
Dravic went to her. He would prove, if only to himself, that he did not need her in his bedchamber.
He took hold of her arm and brought her to her feet, then he walked her out the door and down the hall to her bedchamber. He opened the door and gave her a little shove inside. He pointed to the room, ordering her to stay and closed the door.
He returned to his room, slipped off his garments and got into bed. It had been a busy day and he was tired. He turned on his side, but sleep would not come.
He turned on his other side and seeing Adira’s bed empty, he turned on his back and stared at the dark green canopy draped over his bed.
It felt like hours that he lay there until finally…
He threw the covers off himself, slipped on his brocade robe, and went to Adira’s room. He did not knock; she would not hear him. He simply threw open the door and found her standing where he left her. Had she stayed there all this time or had less time passed than he thought?
It did not matter. He took hold of her arm and walked her back to his bedchamber and deposited her on her narrow bed. Then he went to his bed, discarded his robe, and slipped beneath the covers. He turned on his side facing Adira.
She lay on her side, facing him, and smiled softly.
His only thought was she was glad to be there in her bed, in his room.
He had set out to prove something to himself and he did prove it, but not the way he expected.
He needed Adira.
Why?
He did not know, but the question lingered.
Whatever could he want with a woman who could not speak or hear?
Chapter Eight
The Council Chamber
The Forest Awaits
Three days later, Dravic stood in the council chamber with Lord Broccan, going over the details of Scotara’s war preparations.
“The warriors stationed along the western shore are to remain there,” Dravic said. “Tharne must cross the Sea of Shadows to reach us, and I want word the moment a Drogath ship is spotted. A small boat got to shore once without notice. See that it doesn’t happen again.”
“Aye, my king,” Broccan said. “I fortified the shoreline with sentinels. Vessels small or large have no chance of not being seen, and messengers stand ready, as do fresh horses. Word will reach Caerith swiftly.”
Dravic kept a stern eye on him. “The attempt on my life in the forest made one thing clear. Scotara’s defense cannot depend on me being here to receive word.”
“You will be here, my king,” Broccan said firmly.
“You cannot promise that and neither can I. If I fall, the plans we have made are to proceed without delay. Tavish will see my orders carried out until a new king is established.”
Tavish, standing nearby, did not look pleased with the reminder, but Dravic had no interest in what pleased him.
“Is that understood?” Dravic asked.
“Aye, my king,” Broccan said.
“Good. Keep all warriors on alert. I do not trust Tharne. He would be foolish to cross the rough winter seas of the Sea of Shadows to strike Scotara, and though Tharne is no fool, he has been known to be unpredictable.”
Broccan bowed. “I will see to it, my king.”
Dravic waited until the heavy door closed behind his Master of Arms.
“The plans for war go well,” Tavish said.
“They had better.”
Tavish remained silent for a moment before glancing around the chamber. “Adira is not with you.”
Dravic turned a slow look on him. “Your eyes work well.”
“I have noticed you have given her more freedom of late.”
“She does not require my constant attention.”
“Nay?”
“I do not need her around me all the time, Tavish.”
The words came easily enough. The lie did not.
He had noticed her absence almost as soon as he entered the council chamber. He had caught himself glancing toward the door more than once, expecting to see her standing there, watching him with those expressive eyes of hers. Even though he had told Feena that Adira was free to spend the day with her. The older woman had been delighted, though Adira had sent him a strange look when she learned of it.
He briefly wondered if she preferred to stay with him. A foolish thought he had chased away shortly after it came to him.
However, he did miss talking with her.
The thought irritated him, though there was no denying it. Somehow, without words, they had begun to understand one another. A small movement of her hand, a lift of her brow, the slightest change in her expression often told him what she thought. Even her touch spoke to him.