Bastial Energy (67 page)

“What happened?” Cleve asked, feeling the answer might be helpful to know.

“I loved the first one very much. My father arranged the marriage when I was twelve. We were to marry when I reached the legal age at fourteen. He was a shotmarl bowman, big like you and just as quick with the bow.”

“Shotmarl?” Cleve had never heard the word.

“Yes, he was very good at the sport. You would be, too.” She studied his face for a breath, then ran her eyes down to his stomach and back up again. “You remind me so much of him.”

A strange feeling was coming on, like he really was someone else in her eyes. There was an eerie stubbornness about the way she’d been speaking to him, as if they’d known each other for many years. Now she was looking at him in that same way.

Something happened to this man she loved,
Cleve realized.
Do I even want to know? Will the same happen to me?
His curiosity was too strong to resist.

“What happened with the marriage?”

Her eyes fell off him, down to her feet. “He died before we were wed. His team was sent to battle the desmarls.” Jessend spoke as if the words were painful to utter.

It appeared that Cleve finally had found a subject she didn’t wish to discuss. He felt conflicted about what to say.
In that barrel of worms are answers about what she expects to happen between us. Then, there’s even another failed marriage pact to investigate. Terren always says there’s more to learn about someone by how they take defeat, not success. It seems best to wait for a more prudent time, though. I’m not sure I’m even prepared for the answers if she was to give them.

There was something else she’d mentioned that made him curious, so he went with that. “What are desmarls?” Cleve asked.

“Desmarls are a terrible, man-eating creature and why Gen Takary sailed across the starving ocean to look for new land. They are the reason behind the sport of shotmarl.” Her eyes fluttered up from the ground to meet his face. “We have a lot to discuss. I’m sure you want to know more about our marriage. I wanted to wait until after you saw our magnificent palace to deliver the news. You’ll be far more excited when you see where you’ll be living. You’re going to love it, Cleve Polken, just as I’m sure you’re going to love Goldram.” She sounded cheerful, but Cleve thought he heard some doubt underneath her tone.

He could feel himself starting to care less and less about the words coming from this delirious princess’ mouth.
Whatever she expects to happen in Goldram doesn’t matter,
he told himself.
I’ll be leaving as soon as I can anyway.
He thought of Reela fighting without him.

As if she could see it on his face, she told him, “I realize you want to stay here because you’re worried about the war, but you can do a lot for Kyrro in Goldram. You can help me convince my father to send help back here after we arrive in your new home. We have a whole army ready to fight. And you should see the swords! Made with pure Bastial steel, more valuable than gold. Can you relax knowing your friends and family will be safe?”

“I can relax when I’m fighting alongside them.”

She tried to close her hands around his, just as Reela had in the dungeons, but they were far too small to do more than awkwardly hold the edges of his palms together.

“You need to let it go,” she begged. “The sooner you realize that you will not return to Kyrro, the better off you’ll be. If you continue with these thoughts, they’ll just lead to wretched misery. You will not be coming back.”

Cleve and Rek shared an extended look. He didn’t need psyche to tell they were thinking the same thing.

We’ll see about that.

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