Anastasia stepped out of the tub and Ileus wrapped her in a towel. "You need to be dried first," he said and pulled her towards the fire before drying her up. Brows drawn together, he dried her slowly as if this was the most important thing and rinsed water out of her hair. Once he was done, he made her wear his shirt. "Lie down, Ana. We will talk after that."
Feeling languid, Anastasia lied on the bed. The hot water bath had seeped her tension and tiredness out of her body. She didn't want to admit it but she was feeling relaxed and even turned on. She had noticed his erection too. Minutes later Ileus joined her after changing into freshly laundered breeches. He covered them both in a blanket and then turned to look at her as he folded his arm beneath his head and held her hand in his free one. They stared into each other's eyes for a long time without any word flowing between them. He picked up her hand and kissed it drawing a deep breath in. She was back in his bed, with him, near him, tended to… and well fed.
"You didn't answer my question," she said with a half lidded gaze.
"Hmm…" He sighed. "Everyone in the group knew about the mission," he replied. "The aim was to abduct you. I used to sometimes sneak out of Vilinski to meet my group. They stayed with me for a year near the borders with great caution and supported me in every possible way." He turned his body and gazed at the ceiling still holding her hand to his chest. He used to run crazily in those snowclad mountains during full moon nights. "But they didn't know that my plan had changed. I was too selfish to reveal it to them." He didn't trust anyone.
Anastasia recalled his conversation with Kaizan when they were just about to take off to the Gavran Falls. He wanted him to stick to the plan and had chided him. So this was it? She asked, "So it is highly likely that someone knows of my presence in Óraid? Because according to you, no one in your group is going to give you that letter about me?"
"It is impossible but we must leave Óraid as soon as possible!" He wanted to keep her safe.
Anastasia frowned and then became quiet. "That leaves us with one probability. There is someone who already knows about my presence."
"And I wouldn't let that 'someone' come anywhere near you!" He said and suddenly tendrils of shadows rose around him. They traveled towards her and caressed her.
Sharply drawing a breath in, she touched them but they receded and disappeared. She was left staring at his face. Changing the topic with a playful voice, she teased, "So you are the dark prince, the dark wizard? Huh?"
He chuckled. "Over the past few years, we have been trying to help the establishments here to grow, to develop. My group and I are pretty invested in this but our identities are a secret even though there are plenty of rumors around us."
"I have heard that Draoidh is an extremely poor kingdom that is in shambles. People are destitute and that is why you have become a rogue bandit. Do you steal from others for your own people?" Anastasia asked with wide eyes that were full of pity. "I also heard that you, the dark wizard, is the heir of that dilapidated kingdom."
Ileus laughed heartily. "Who told you all that?"
She shrugged. "We all know in the Fae Kingdom."
He laughed more with humor in his eyes. "That is amusing. You will be surprised to see Draoidh then. It is one of the most beautiful kingdoms, very organized and very rich. I mean we all are either wizards or witches. What do you expect?"
Her eyes widened. That disclosure was earth-shattering. "Really?"
"You all are fed with wrong information. Draoidh is a powerful and rich kingdom. We have ties with almost all other kingdoms in the Lore, except a few. In fact you would be amazed how modern we are. Many of the places in our kingdom match the human realm. Our species is highly progressive."
She became more intrigued.
"You would love it and I can guarantee it," he added with a smug smile.
All her beliefs, misconceptions, and notions… were crumbling down. The picture that Aed Ruad and his council had presented in front of the Vilinskians was completely different from what Ileus told her. "Why do they call you the dark wizard? Do you have dark powers?"
He traced his finger over her lips and said, "What exactly are dark powers?"
"I don't know," she dawdled. "Summoning the dead, I guess?" She threw in a conjecture.
"I can call the spirits from the dead, but that is one thing I would never do."
"Oh my god!" she rasped. This was just a wild guess and it was true?
"But why would I do that? And all the spirits are locked in the Land of Gaira. We don't go there and we don't summon them."
"You are dark," she said in a jarring voice and placed her hand on her heart.
"One is dark when one abuses their power. My abilities are unlimited, but I don't want to use them until required. However, if you want to call me dark, I am fine with it. After all there are only three people in this world who can summon spirits—my mother, Isidorus and me." He didn't add that if he wanted, he could be their Master too. He could hear their call every now and then. But that would really push him into the darkness. And he would be pushed, if she left him.
"Just how powerful are you?" she asked, feeling proud of him. She should feel scared. But it only made her feel… appreciative of him.
He turned to look in her sapphire blue eyes. "Do you want to talk about Darla?" He changed the topic.
Darla!
Anastasia rolled her eyes. A bitter taste came in her mouth. She didn't want to. After a moment of framing her question carefully, she asked it very straightforwardly, "Do you have feelings for her?"
