Shera & Armand Part 3
I took one step closer and the prince’s guard detached from the tent’s shadow, his knife warm against my throat despite the frigid air.
I stared him in the face until recognition dawned like a lit torch.
“Shera?”
“Is he sleeping, Ji?”
Ji shook his head. “My prince cannot sleep under the Eclipse.”
I tensed at the word that had dragged me across scorching sands and through scalding wind. The Solar Eclipse still loomed behind me, cutting off the sun that used to blaze over Armand’s kingdom. “Will he see me?”
Ji took a sharp angry breath, then stepped back for me to pass.
I eased inside to see Armand slumped over the chess table, twisting the king through his fingers. His eyes were murky pools that slowly cleared as I stepped closer.
“Shera?” he whispered, his voice hoarse.
“I’ve run from you for one year, Armand,” I said quietly. “Your prophecy. It crawls under my skin.” I scratched my palms and shuddered.
He rose to his full height, the stoop gone, his shoulders blocking half the light as he came closer. “Help me fulfill this prophecy, and I swear, I will get you home.”
I squeezed my eyes shut against pricking tears. When I opened them, he stood close enough I could feel the heat from his body.
“I won’t let you wander forever, Shera.” He touched my cheek and I leaned into his smooth fingers. A year of wandering will change a person irrevocably. The belonging that tugged me to this tent was as sweet as water gushing from hot sands.
“And I’ll take away your shadow, Armand.”
The smile that broke upon his face rivaled the sun.