Tortured: An Epic Dragons and Immortals Romantic Fantasy (Fallen Emrys Chronicles Book 3)

Chapter 10

I exhale a breath as Kelyn drags his hands down his face. “There you have it. My harrowing tale.”

Queen Sorfrona’s grip tightens on my forearm. “I’m so glad you’re alive. Did you really have to leave Niawen? We could have kept her safe here.”

I shake my head.

I told every detail, from the moment I jumped on my horse, to being captured and flung into prison and tortured by Caedryn, all the way to my visit with the High Emrys. And even after telling them how Niawen found me near death and after describing every assassin attempt, Mother still believes Niawen and I will be safe from Caedryn in Cynwrig.

“Mother.” I take her hand. “No one will ever be safe with me around. I must leave. He hears my thoughts if I’m not careful. He breaks through my consciousness. He can find me. He will take his vengeance on all those I love. I must go far away from everything, from every place I love and every person and every dream I ever had for myself.”

Kelyn leans forward in his chair. “We can kill him. You and I will go, with our men, and destroy that despicable man.”

“We would never be able to get at him. He has defenses. He knows things, and he would see us coming if I were with you.”

And Niawen made me swear that I would never go after him.

This is a promise I don’t have to keep.

“No one’s unstoppable.” Kelyn clenches his hand. “I don’t believe that.”

“I promised Niawen. I promised her I wouldn’t go back.”

Kelyn jumps up. “That doesn’t matter!”

I rise to my feet. “I know you’re angry. You’re even angry at me for chasing Niawen off. Please forgive me. I was shortsighted, thinking with my heart instead of my head. She is too young for this world. Too na?ve in the ways of mortals. She had to go off on her own.”

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t go after Caedryn.”

“You need to have faith in me, Kelyn. Believe that I’ve seen and done the impossible because of my new light, but when I tell you that he will be impossible to get at, you need to believe me.”

Kelyn narrows his eyes, studying me.

“You’re not the one making the sacrifice,” I say. “All my dreams of settling down with a lovely wife and having half-a-dozen sons and daughters on an estate in the northern highlands are destroyed. I can’t endanger anyone by making a life here.”

My mother gasps a sob.

I take a deep breath and squeeze Kelyn’s shoulder as I look him in the eye. “Promise me you won’t go after him.”

Kelyn’s eyes brood with emotion.

“Promise me.”

Kelyn huffs air out of his nostrils. “Fine. I swear it.”

“Good.”

“So that’s it, then?”

“Fraid so,” I mumble. This is it. Time for me to go. I’ve seen my family. Now I must leave them.

Be brave, Seren says.

“The High Emrys knows where Niawen is?” Kelyn asks.

“Yes. She’s safe.” I remove the note from my breast pocket. “I can’t know the information on this paper. The High Emrys scribed it herself, for your eyes only. You must burn it in the fire once you read it, and never speak of where Niawen is. Even with all those precautions, Caedryn could still learn of her whereabouts.”

Kelyn quirks his brow as he takes the paper.

“Don’t open it while I’m here. The High Emrys left specific instructions.” I finger the dragon stone around my neck, reluctant to part with my gift from Niawen. Farewell, Seren. Kelyn will see your stone safely into Niawen’s hands.

Farewell, Kenrik. May the Creator protect you.

I lift the dragon stone from my neck. I take Kelyn’s hand and drop the stone into his palm, letting the chain dangle between my fingers one last time.

This is my last link to her. Giving this stone up is like giving Niawen up.

Forever.

Kelyn opens his mouth, but my hand shoots up. “Not a word. The devil knows too much already.”

“I understand.” Kelyn smashes me into an embrace after pocketing the stone. “I love you, little brother.”

“Likewise, Kelyn. Likewise.”

My mother sobs in the background, shredding my heart into pieces. We went through so much to heal her, to save her, and now I’ll never see her again after this day.

“Let’s get you geared up. I’m thinking some blades. A couple of swords and a knife or two.”

I grin at Kelyn, and we walk off to the armory while mother shouts with a broken voice directions at a maid to prepare a backpack of provisions.

I follow Kelyn down the rows in the armory. He stops in front of a rack. “Here. I know you like them.” He gestures to the twin swords hanging in their scabbard on the wall.

“Those are your blades.”

Kelyn takes them down and hands them to me. “And now they’re yours. They’ll fit right underneath your pack so you can draw them from the tops of your shoulders without removing anything.”

He helps me strap them on. His eyes redden more by the second.

“Cut it out.” I pick out a knife and shove it into my boot.

Kelyn holds out another knife as I straighten. “I’m not ever going to see you again, am I?”

I shake my head as I take the blade and strap it to my thigh. “Not in this lifetime.”

“One more for in your pack?” Kelyn hands me a hunting knife.

“I look fit to meet an assassin now, don’t I?”

Kelyn ruffles my hair and sniffs. “Show no mercy.”

“Never, bro. Never.” No mercy is our motto. We never show mercy in our sparring matches.

“You’ll make a great king someday,” I say as I follow him out to the main hall with the knife in hand.

Mother gasps when she sees me. Father’s brow furrows. A servant takes my hunting knife from me, puts it into my pack, and slides it onto my back.

“This is it.” I embrace Mother and leave her in Father’s arms, her sobs following me as I depart.

Be brave, I tell myself. Be brave.