The Ivory Rite

Chapter 31

It's as though my life has come to a complete standstill.

For weeks it's been rolling forward with the momentum of a crushing ocean wave. Powerful. Unstoppable.

I couldn't stop my unveiling.

I couldn't stop the Ivory Rite.

The ceiling literally came crashing down around me, and I couldn't stop it.

Colter came back from the dead.

I held a piece of the prophecy in my hands.

And now? Nothing.

Despite his promise to train me, Adair has been tied up at the Border for an entire week. I've been given almost no information about the ongoing disturbance, frustration boiling harder and hotter inside of me with every day that passes. I'm told the same thing by courier after courier.

There's nothing to report, Majesty. The Laoch wishes to speak with you personally when he returns.

Adair's watchful stare has been replaced with another dozen sets of eyes in the form of his highest ranking henchmen. They follow me everywhere. The supervision is cold and calculated, making me feel more alone than ever, especially after what Landon told me about the need for guarding my quarters at night.

Speaking of Landon—he's gone too.

We barely had a chance to see each other after the day he showed me the tiny piece of paper that turned my world upside down—after the night he spent in my room, sleeping on the lounge next to my bed. He left for the woods the next morning, as the Ancients hold a semiannual retreat after each Rite. I begged him not to go, but attendance is mandatory. My word is not enough to thwart religious tradition. 

Part of me believes that Landon's timing in revealing the prophecy was strategic. Maybe he thinks I need space to process it.

Maybe he needs space to process it.

Taking into account the signs of jealously he's shown toward Adair, I can't imagine he's pleased by the implication that the world will crumble if I'm to be kept from my one true love.

I still don't know what to think. The fact that I have so little figured out is unimpressive, given all the time I've had to consider these new developments.

Every day has been the same. I wake up and sit alone at breakfast. I halfheartedly weave through the stacks of lessons Landon left for me, not retaining anything I bother to skim through. I sit alone for the afternoon meal. I wander the grounds, sometimes forgetting to eat dinner, because when I do, I do so alone. Raina prepares me for bed and then the next day I get up and do it all over again.

The miniature army Adair tasked with minding me in his absence is a headache, but not difficult to circumvent. These men are only going through the motions, following the orders of a superior. It's not personal—nothing like Adair's supervision. His work does feel personal somehow, making him more difficult to shake. He seems to have an innate drive to shield and protect, and I haven't yet figured out whether this is specific to me or if he's just excellent at his job. These other men want to finish their shift and head back to camp, happy to let the next rotation step in.

I'm embarrassed to admit my surprise at the duration of Adair's abandonment. I left him little choice about leaving when I enforced his father's order, but I assumed he'd find his way back to me before too long. There's work to be done—work I can't do without him. He jumped at my request to be trained in hand to hand combat, and I know he wants to get started as soon as possible. It should be noted he set some unconventional terms for the process, his first request being to train me personally. I would have expected nothing less, but in addition to that he wants to keep my acceptance of the training a secret. This is why he was so quiet about showing me the ruler's training room during our tour.