Children Of The Sky (The Scripts Of Neptune, Book 2)

Chapter 57

The city of Erilian was in ruins, but by some stroke of fate the edges had been left untouched by Naru and his Storm. The inn at which Lillian and Nyle chose to stay was intact and now incredibly crowded; the nightly fare went up significantly after the first day, but they managed to keep their room.

The stress of the last few days had left them both exhausted--the Cassarian council had gone back and forth with them regarding the legality of Naru's claim to Serpentine throne now that he was guilty of attempted genocide. It had eventually come down to a decision that made Lillian's gut twist in fear: if Nyle was to win back the kingdom and expect it to be legitimate, he would have to challenge Naru in a duel to the death. On top of everything else, the worry and consequent sleeplessness of that consideration had at last weakened her body enough to succumb to whatever sickness had been following her the last week.

And so she had stayed in today with crippling nausea and a tiredness that sapped all her strength; she'd barely woken up enough to say goodbye when Nyle left to accept the council's proposal and make his challenge. He'd promised, too, to ask Lacey to stop by and check up on her. Lillian's friend, thank the gods, had been fired from work in the castle when the census began. Naru had been cruel, but he had been faithful to his own standards: anyone not of Serpentine descent was long gone from the castle and the inner circles of the city before he ever made a move.

Lillian forced down some breakfast when she finally got up, knowing she needed to eat, and it nearly made her retch. The nausea thankfully passed later in the morning, and she busied herself with reading while she waited for Lacey. She was nearly finished with the book on anatomy she'd brought from the Serpentine vaults. Oh, the vaults--she didn't want to think about that, not now. The rubble of the castle hadn't been cleared yet; they were still fishing out survivors from the wreckage. There was a chance the great underground libraries were intact, and that all the knowledge Agnir had hidden away had been preserved despite the destruction...but it was slim.

She set her book to the side when there was a faint knock on the door, but instead of Lacey, Nyle stepped in and looked around.

"She isn't here yet?" he asked, setting his satchel on the chair.

"Not yet," Lillian replied, leaning her head back against the wall. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, back to the headboard, and the tea she'd made had gone cold on the table beside her. "You're back earlier than I expected. How'd it go?"

Nyle blew out a long breath as he sat heavily on the edge of the bed. "They accepted my challenge," he said. "I duel him tomorrow."

Closing her eyes, Lillian nodded, and the mattress shifted as Nyle took his shoes off and crawled over to sit beside her. Neither of them said anything for a long while, but he took her hand, and she leaned her head on his shoulder and held on tightly.

"I'm afraid for you," she said quietly after a while. "He was able to beat Agnir. That kind of skill..."

"Hey." Nyle touched her chin and turned her head to look at him. His dark eyes were somber, coffee-black and shadowed underneath from the sleep he'd lost lately. "No matter what happens...things will keep moving."

"I don't want to keep moving without you," Lillian said with a little laugh, grief stinging her eyes, and Nyle took her head in his hands and pulled her close. "I'll get you sick," she said, laughing again as he left a long kiss on her temple. "That's the last thing you need tomorrow."

Chuckling, Nyle moved his head and kissed her on the cheek, then her jaw. "If you've got something, I've already got it, love," he said, poking her in the stomach lightly so she squirmed. "Besides, it's worth it if I get to kiss you."