King of Flames and Shadows: Dark Epic Romantasy (Gods of Kaldoria Book 1) by Liv Raven

Author:Liv Raven [Raven, Liv]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-12-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20 - Calliope

Pain. It slices through me, heavy and hot, a relentless pulse of agony. I can’t move; my limbs feel weighted, pinned down by invisible chains. But something else—a shadow, looming and watching—keeps me rooted in place even as I come to, my vision blurring in and out, swirling with shapes and smudges of light.

The scent hits me next. Smoke, iron, and the faint tang of some kind of herb—a pungent mix of pain and healing, as though the room itself is caught between the two. I squint at the ceiling, then around me. I don’t recognize the room I’m in. High, iron-detailed windows stretch toward an ornate arched ceiling. It’s incredibly intricate, the room filled with books and complex tapestries, a golden telescope mounted at one window.

And as my eyes adjust to the dim light, I see him.

He’s sitting close, elbows on his knees, broad shoulders blocking some amount of light from me, leaning toward me as though expecting some revelation to spring forth the moment my eyes open. His gaze is a weight of its own, scrutinizing, piercing, not allowing me even a second to gather myself.

“Calliope.”

Arvoren’s voice is a low command, one I’ve grown all too used to, though it strikes differently now, less an order than a strange, forceful plea.

I shift, swallowing hard against the dryness in my throat.

“Arvoren,” I manage, my voice raspy. The name comes out as if dredged up from deep within, coated in the memories of every argument, every fear, every trace of hatred. I find his eyes, dark and unyielding, but there’s something else there, something new in the way he looks at me, though I can’t yet understand why. My memories of what happened are so fuzzy.

“You survived,” he murmurs, almost to himself, his tone threaded with an unfamiliar roughness.

A vision of the sanctum—of glass shattering, relics breaking, colors bleeding into darkness—returns to me in a dizzying wave. I see the tapestry of our wedding night unraveling, feel the stone floor beneath me cold and unforgiving, then the warmth of Arvoren’s arms—no, I can’t think of that. I swallow and look away.

“You don’t look pleased about it,” I say, a touch of bitterness slipping out despite my effort to keep it contained.

He sits back, crossing his arms, his face hardening into the expression I’ve come to know. He’s judging me unworthy.

“Pleased isn’t the word I’d choose.” He pauses, eyes narrowing. “Tell me, Calliope—did you know what you were? Or were you simply hiding it from me?”

“‘What I am?’” I echo, incredulous. “Do you think I wanted this? Do you think I have a clue what that was? You saw what happened. I was …” I stop, forcing the rest of the words down. I was terrified. “I don’t know what happened, or how, or why.”

Arvoren regards me for a long, quiet moment, his gaze flickering as though weighing every word, every breath. “Tell me everything. About your family. Your bloodline. I want details, not some trite tale you’ve told to placate me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.