Chapter Three
Callen
None of us speak as we walk back to the suite. We dropped Brigid off at her room first, after she declined the new dean ’ s offer. Tiernan tried to convince her to stay with us, but Brigid still seems—rightly—worried about Lochan, and she wanted to be on her own.
I ’ m trying to wrap my head around all of this—how Brigid ’ s old friend is now our new dean. Nothing makes sense, and yet...
The door to our suite creaks open, and I freeze. My father stands at the window, his silhouette cutting a dark shape against the misty grounds beyond. Fuck. The high king leaving his palace is never a good thing.
“ Well, this is unexpected,” I say with a smile that I hope masks my unease.
Tiernan ’ s eyes widen.
Lochan ’ s face remains impassive, but tension radiates from his shoulders.
“ And the shit has hit the fan,” Lochan mutters under his breath.
I nod imperceptibly while my mind works. Why is my father here? What does he know?
King Cillian turns, power emanating from his arrogant stance. His cold gaze sweeps over us.
I force a casual tone. “ To what do we owe the pleasure, your highness?”
Lochan shifts uneasily beside me. I can practically hear his teeth grinding.
King Cillian ’ s lips thin. “ Mind your tone, boy. I thought it was time I checked in on you. See what extracurriculars you ’ ve been getting up to lately?”
Does he know about Brigid? About her power? Of course he must. King Cillian knows everything that happens, and he controls the Council.
I keep my voice light. “ Of course. Why wouldn ’ t you visit your only son out of fatherly love and concern?”
His eyes narrow and I know I ’ ve struck a nerve. King Cillian is a lot of things, a loving parent is not one of them.
“ Remember who you are speaking to, boy,” he warns.
I bite back a smart ass reply, forcing my face into the picture of contrition. “ My apologies, Your Majesty. I meant no disrespect.”
King Cillian ’ s gaze slides to Lochan and Tiernan.
“ And your... companions?” His tone drips with disdain.
Lochan grew up playing in the palace with me. He ’ s seen my father ’ s temper on more than one occasion.
“ My friends,” I say firmly. “ You remember Lochan. And this is Tiernan.”
“ Ah yes, I remember your father well, Lochan. A loyal subject. I ’ m sure that runs in the family.” King Cillian pauses, lips curling. “ And tell me, son, have you been keeping up with your studies? No, shall we say, distractions?”
Shit. He knows. But how much?
I force a lazy grin. “ Oh, you know me, Father. Always the dedicated student.”
His lips thin. “ Indeed. Make sure you channel that dedication in the right direction. Keep your wits about you. I hear this year ’ s Harrowing is imminent.” King Cillian peers at me sharply. “ Always a spectacular event. Unfortunate that not all the students make it through.
My heart pounds.
If my father thinks I ’ m going to give anything away about my feelings for Brigid, he obviously doesn ’ t know me at all. I learned from the best to never give up any information to the enemy. Is my father the enemy? I ’ m starting to think so. In fact, I ’ ve thought so for a long time now.
I see Tiernan ’ s posture stiffen as he too clocks the thinly veiled threat towards Brigid. We ’ ve already completed the Harrowing, but she hasn ’ t.
I lock eyes with my father, refusing to back down. “ I ’ ll keep that in mind. Any other fatherly advice you ’ d like to impart?”
He smirks. “ Just remember your duty, Callen. To your family. To the crown.”
Duty. What a fucking joke.
“ Always,” I reply, voice dripping with false sincerity.
King Cillian nods curtly and sweeps from the room without another word. The door slams behind him, echoing in the sudden silence.
I turn to Lochan and Tiernan, jaw clenched. Tiernan ’ s eyes are dark, his fists balled at his sides. Lochan ’ s face is a mask, but I can see the tension in his shoulders. The mention of his father has put him on edge.
“ Well, that was fucking ominous,” Lochan growls.
I laugh humorlessly. “ You think? Seems dear old dad is rattled by something big enough for him to get off that golden throne of his.”
“ Brigid,” Tiernan says quietly.
My stomach twists. He ’ s right. This is all about Brigid, always has been. And I ’ ll be damned if I let him touch her. “ So what ’ s the plan?”
Lochan ’ s eyes narrow. “ Plan? There ’ s no plan. You saw what happened. If the Council ’ s involved, nowhere ’ s safe.”
Tiernan steps closer, voice low. “ We could take her off-campus. Hide her.”
My mind races. It ’ s tempting, but... “ Too risky. They ’ d notice. Track us.”
“ Then what?” Tiernan starts pacing.
I pace, running a hand through my hair. Fuck. What would they do to her? Imprison her? Worse?
“ We do exactly what the new dean told us to do. We stay at the academy. We keep her close,” I decide. “ Watch her. Protect her.”
Tiernan nods.
“ And what about that asshole, Marius?” Lochan says. “ Where the fuck did he disappear to, anyway?”
“ He ’ s a problem.” I admit. I ’ m not forgetting that Marius saved Brigid ’ s life, but I ’ m also not forgetting that he ’ s the reason Rory is gone. “ We keep Brigid away from him. Don ’ t give him the chance to be alone with her. I don ’ t know what he ’ s after, but he can ’ t be trusted.”
“ And the king?” Tiernan asks quietly. “ Him being here is bad, Callen. You know how he feels about shadow magic…the rebels.”
I ignore his pointed stare. “ My father, my mess. I ’ ll handle it.”
Lochan snorts. “ Your mess? We ’ re all in this shit now, princeling.”