Mystery Romance Books
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Amber and I left the library, leaving the books on the floor. Amber walked slowly back to her bedchamber, her hand held lightly in mine for a short distance before she stopped, turned, and looked up at me with an uncertain expression in her eyes. “Would you like to go to bed?”
I smiled at that—it had been such a long time since she’d invited me to her bed. I took a deep breath. “That would be wonderful,” I told her honestly. “But if there’s anything you want first—”
“No need—just lead the way.” She moved ahead of me, still holding my hand. Once again we made love until sunrise. When I finally fell asleep once more, it was only briefly. I woke several times during the night and saw her watching me sleep each time, a small smile curving her lips as I dozed off again.
At one point I heard someone coming down the stairs. It was a servant from the kitchen and he was carrying two bowls containing breakfast. Amber watched him approach us without moving. Finally, she said, “Is there anything else?”
He nodded. “Just a moment,” he replied, handing us each a bowl. “It’ll take just a minute or so longer, then I’ll bring the rest upstairs.” He paused in front of Amber and bowed his head slightly to her. The servants knew Amber well; they were never surprised by any of her eccentricities.
The servant brought a second bowl to me. As I picked up my spoon, Amber turned to watch. A moment later I felt her fingers close gently over mine and our hands moved together across the table toward the food. The servant didn’t see our little gesture but when he glanced upward, his face showed that he understood what I was feeling.
Amber and I both ate quietly for a while, savoring the taste of our favorite meal. Finally Amber spoke, saying, “This is all so nice now, isn’t it? I’ve missed this.”
“Yes, but”—I paused a moment—”how are you doing?” I asked, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable about the situation. There was no reason for her discomfort; we loved each other dearly and had no desire to change things. But Amber did hesitate and she looked around the room before answering.
“Not badly,” she admitted softly, “not bad at all. You’re right, though—this is very nice. We have a lot of time alone—much too much time in fact. If anyone should ask why you’re staying with me—you know—” She laughed suddenly. “We can always tell them ‘we found out there weren’t enough rooms.'”
She reached over and squeezed my hand. “Thank you for understanding,” she said simply. Then she leaned back against my shoulder and said, “You don’t have to wait here with me, you know.”
“Why would I?” I replied, wondering how much longer we could keep this up. After all, the next time I was sent to retrieve one of the lost swords was likely to come soon. And if I was lucky, maybe Amber would be ready to return to the palace with me. “If you want to stay in the city, you can.”
“No,” she said firmly, “that won’t work. Besides, I’d miss you.” Her fingers brushed my cheek, her touch soft and gentle as she leaned closer. “And you wouldn’t like it, anyway. They say you don’t even know when your name is spoken. Or when you’re being teased about your height.”
“True, true,” I agreed. “I’m just too stupid to realize it, am I?”
Amber shook her head sadly and smiled at the joke. She was trying to cheer me up after I’d mentioned something unpleasant about myself. That’s Amber for you—always making everything better. “What will happen if you find one of the swords?” she asked curiously, taking hold of my hand again.
I gave her an honest answer: “It might make matters worse, but I doubt it. We have a truce now and no matter what, I’m pretty sure the High King won’t break it.” I hesitated and added, “But I don’t think we’d ever be able to go back to the way things were.”
Amber was quiet for a long while. At last, she said, “Then I’d rather we didn’t try if you don’t mind.”
I sighed and closed my eyes. I wanted nothing more than for this all to end, and yet I wasn’t willing to give up Amber either. My heart ached. This was not the life I’d imagined for myself. I thought I knew the way the world worked and now… Now I had no idea at all.
***
When I returned home after retrieving the Sword of Light, Amber was gone. All my clothes were neatly folded on the bed and there was no sign of her anywhere. I called for her repeatedly, using every word I knew but there was no response.
Eventually, I went into the kitchen and asked the cook for a message to the palace. A few moments later, one of my guards handed me a parchment and told me to meet Prince Daren at the gatehouse within the hour.
Daren waited impatiently for my arrival, leaning against a large wooden post near the entrance to the courtyard. He wore a black robe that seemed somehow familiar to me; I’d seen him wearing it before. “Where have you been?” he demanded as I approached. It wasn’t until I got closer that I realized he was looking at me strangely. The black robe I wore wasn’t mine.
“I couldn’t find the sword,” I replied quickly, trying to remember where I’d seen that robe recently. But then another thought occurred to me and I stopped short.
“Oh, yes,” I continued hurriedly, “I’ll tell you later—if we can talk somewhere else. Do you need some place to rest? There’s plenty of room in Amber’s apartments—”
Daren cut me off and said, “The king has requested that you come immediately to his quarters. Please go straight there—do not stop or ask anyone any questions along the way.” With those words, he turned sharply and strode away from me toward the palace gates.
With no choice but to do as I was told, I took a different route to the palace and followed the directions Daren had given me. I found myself passing by the Great Hall of the Royal Palace many times throughout my journey, always keeping to one side and never going inside.
Now I passed through its main entrance and made my way down the wide hallway to King Kirit’s office. The place seemed empty as well.
King Kirit’s door stood open when I reached it and a small group of royal guardsmen was standing around the doorway. I glanced nervously at them before I entered. King Kirit was nowhere to be seen.
“I take it you’ve heard of the Sword of Flame?” the king finally said, stepping out of one of the rooms behind the throne and coming to stand beside me. His voice was low and he spoke slowly and clearly. “We have no other option now. If we let this go unanswered, our people will suffer for it.”
“Yes,” I replied, “but Amber—”
King Kirit silenced me with a raised hand. “There is no time. You must go immediately, or she may die.” He paused and then continued, “You’ll understand soon enough.”
My eyes widened. I hadn’t considered how Amber would feel. She could be dying right now and I’d done nothing about it. I’d been so preoccupied with finding the Sword of Fire that I’d left her alone to fend for herself. My heart ached for her.
“She’s in the garden,” King Kirit went on, “and I’m sure she wishes only to see you one last time.”
He looked deeply sad and I felt bad for him. I nodded my understanding and headed for the gardens outside. As I passed the guardsmen, they bowed politely and backed away from me. They were probably used to having Amber around because she seemed quite popular. It was a good thing too since I was the first person Amber had seen upon returning to the palace.
As I stepped into the garden, all the trees in the grove seemed to sway gently with the breeze. Amber sat on a stone bench, staring out across the courtyard below her and holding tightly to the Sword of Light. In my hand, it felt warm and comforting.
I held it out to her and waited for her to notice me. When I did not speak, she turned and regarded me carefully. I was relieved to see that she appeared uninjured; however, she looked exhausted and pale. I guessed it was only a matter of time before she collapsed from exhaustion if she didn’t get some sleep.
“I’ve brought the sword,” I explained quietly. “If we’re able to use it, your life could be spared.”
Amber looked at me curiously. “How did you manage to find it?”
“It just came to me,” I answered. “But you need to hurry—we don’t know how long King Kirit has left.”
Amber stared at me a moment longer before she rose to her feet, leaving the sword resting on the ground beside her. Without asking me, she walked up next to me and rested her head against my shoulder. She was cold and stiff. No doubt she hadn’t slept since leaving the castle grounds two days ago.
I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her cheek. I felt her relax and I knew it wasn’t just because of what I’d said. Amber trusted me completely with this gift. That was why she’d asked me to bring it to her instead of the others.
“Let’s go back to your chambers,” I suggested gently. “You look tired. I’ll take you there while the king continues his search.”
At first, Amber refused to move, saying that she’d prefer to remain in the garden until her time came to depart this world. But I pressed on, trying to convince her that staying here wouldn’t change anything and that I’d stay with her even if she wanted to wait here forever. Eventually, she gave in and we returned to her chamber.
The End