Chapter 44
Kaid grabbed Asta by the hand. It was not the time, nor place, to show such a weakness to the high fae, but he needed the small comfort. He needed something to ground him—to remind him that the fears he envisioned were not real and never would be.
If Kaid had been subjected to thoughtrus a few months ago, his greatest fears would likely have been misfortune, being tied down to one woman, and—materialistically—never ingesting a drop of liquor again.
However, Kaid’s life had changed drastically since he arrived in Orntali.
And so, it made perfect sense that the lost siren prince would fear loneliness.
Not only loneliness, but losing Asta and his parents.
Kaid saw himself in the dining hall of his Haalberg estate, a feast laid out with no one to share it with.
They had lost the war. Kaid had lost his parents.
Asta had sacrificed herself. He heard the empty echo of the home while he cut into his meal, the metal on porcelain scraping the silence like nails on granite.
Kaid found it somewhat amusing, how his greatest fears had changed so quickly. Now, he did not care for riches. He did not care for parties, royalty, or philandering. He cared for Asta and his family. He could lose everything, but if he still had them, he had everything. More than everything.
Asta’s gentle squeeze on his hand broke Kaid from reliving his nightmares over and over again.
He wondered what she had seen. He couldn’t hear what Sabella had whispered to her after her assessment, but he was glad the fae’s words brought her comfort, as Asta’s shoulders had relaxed gradually during their interaction.
The air in the room felt stagnant as Lord Karlana and the other council members evaluated them. They all passed, so what was the delay?
“We’ve passed. Give us the trident,” Kaid said, growing more impatient by the second. The fate of his family and kingdom laid in the hands of these cunning fae.
Lord Karlana balled his hands into fists so tight that his knuckles turned white.
“The agreement was that if you all passed the thoughtrus magic, you would receive the trident. Well, you did not all pass.” Karlana gestured to Tova, who was sitting on the ground at Gyrial’s feet as he supported her weight with his legs.
“How do I know there aren’t more traitors waiting for you back home?
How am I to know that you won’t simply take the relic and pass it to the wrong hands? ”
The room fell silent again. The bouts of stillness were wearing on Kaid. He was tired of wasting time, which was exactly what these fae were trying to achieve.
“Give us a blood oath,” Gyrial’s deep voice boomed off the stone walls, demanding attention from everyone in the room.
The council snickered, exchanging hushed words. However, one face remained like stone. Lady Tressa approached the edge of the dais where Gyrial waited with squared shoulders and an unrelenting gaze. “You would swear a blood oath for these creatures? For those who are not fae?”
Lady Tressa stood so still that the light reflecting off her gaudy jewelry did not waver.
Though he knew what she meant by her referring to him as a “creature,” it still rubbed him the wrong way.
Afterall, sirens were half fae. They only existed because the fae placed their trust in the wrong “creatures” to begin with.
Gyrial’s eye contact never broke as he responded.
“I would give my life for any member of this group, as they are the most trustworthy beings I have ever met.” Which was saying a lot, since Gyrial had lived such a long life thus far.
“So yes, my Lady, I would take a blood oath ten times over for anyone standing beside me now.”
The other council members laughed again, but Lady Tressa remained still. She assessed each and every one of them, and for the first time, Kaid acknowledged how truly predatory fae were. Being a siren, he was a predator too, but he was still not accustomed to thinking in such a way.
“Everyone step forward. I will do it,” Lady Tressa gestured to the foot of the dais.
Kaid had not expected the stone-faced, unreadable council member to be the one to put her trust in them, but then he turned to Asta and it made more sense.
Asta had an incredibly hard exterior and even harder, fortified mental walls, but she gave everyone a chance.
One chance. Then, if you failed her, you were banished from her life. This female fae must operate similarly.
Kaid approached the dais while still holding Asta’s hand, followed by Soren, Revna, and Gyrial who guided Tova’s steps.
They followed the Lady’s instructions to add a pool of their blood to the large golden bowl that was passed around.
They each sliced their palms using their own blades and watched the crimson red splash into the bowl below.
When they were done, Lady Tressa gave three drops of her own blood. Then, she trained them on what words to say once she performed the oath. Kaid’s palms were sweating profusely. Luckily, the small incision he had made on his palm was already a faint pink scar thanks to his siren magic.
“I will now state the terms of the oath,” Lady Tressa announced to the rock ceiling as though she were speaking directly to the goddesses and gods above.
“These beings swear to use the sacred siren trident for the greater good. They swear that the trident will not be gifted to those who wish to use it for tyranny. They swear that the trident will be concealed when its use is complete. On their lives, they make this promise.”
Kaid knew that once he responded, his life would be tied to the trident. It was one thing to give your life for someone you cared about, but to willingly shackle your future to an inanimate object felt irresponsible. Still, it was the only way the sirens could ever win this war.
“On our lives, we make this promise,” they all responded in unison.
Then, the bowl was passed down, everyone taking a sip of the blood mixture.
Kaid let the warm, thick liquid slide down his throat and resisted the urge to gulp down the entire dish.
His bloodlust was finely tuned without him ever intending it to be, but drinking pure blood like this made him second guess his will power.
With that thought, he passed the bowl to Asta, whose hands shook uncontrollably.
Unlike everyone else here, Asta’s bloodlust was still new.
“It’s only a sip,” Kaid whispered in her ear and she nodded in return.
The princess lifted the bowl to her lips and ever so slightly tipped it.
Something about seeing the red liquid smooth over her lips sent shivers down Kaid’s spine.
Drink, drink, drink. Drink until only residue remains. Drink from the bowl while I drink from you.
Kaid closed his eyes tightly, willing the siren voice in his head to silence.
When Kaid noticed Asta had drunk a little more than the rest of them, he pulled the bowl away, leaving a dribble of blood at the corner of her mouth, which she wiped away with her sleeve. He knew he was fucked when he wished he could have licked it off her himself.
Lady Tressa retrieved the bowl and drank what little was left. Kaid felt a jolt run through his body for a fraction of a second, then it was over.
Lord Karlana caught everyone’s attention as he approached the edge of the dais holding a golden, glinting object. The trident. He held it out begrudgingly while glaring at Lady Tressa, who watched the exchange carefully.
Kaid reached forward and wrapped his fingers around the cool metal staff that held a three-pronged fork at the end.
A gentle glow emanated between his fingers, then drifted down the rest of the relic, the metal humming and warming under his touch.
A familiar song infiltrated Kaid’s thoughts, the trident singing to him the way the ocean did, but with no distinguishable lyrics.
It was the symphony of the sea—the smooth waves, the stirring currents, the sharp edges of the rocks below, all blending together to sing him a song of home.
The light traveled up Kaid’s trident tattoo on his hand, extending up his arm and illuminating the fine lines of the mark. It was like being reunited with an old, dear friend.
As if the journey to the Spellid Mountains hadn’t been hard enough, the journey back posed to be that much more difficult now that they were transporting a massive relic—and a heavy one at that.
Kaid took the first turn, strapping the trident to his back the way a warrior would secure a sword. Everyone rode in silence for the first day, likely reflecting on everything they endured during their thoughtrus assessments.
Everyone was also taking turns having Tova ride with them, as she was not fit to lead her own horse. She stared blankly ahead, every so often blurting out gibberish. Every time it happened, Asta would hold Tova’s hand, offering soothing words and cooing her back to silence.
During the second day of travel, the mood was a bit lighter.
Soren began his usual storytelling while Gyrial mumbled softly to Revna regarding travel and battle plans.
Kaid could not decipher if Asta was truly enthralled by Soren’s tales or if she was simply using them as an escape from their current situation.
At the end of it all, they were preparing for war.
With one more day of travel ahead, they stopped a little earlier in the evening to enjoy a proper meal and good rest before the last leg of the journey. Revna and Gyrial took off to hunt for any form of meat while Soren began building a fire.
“Help me forage?” Asta asked Kaid, nodding her chin to some prickly bushes a little further into the woods.
They walked in comfortable silence until they got to the blackberry bushes and began picking. “Do you think you can wield it? The trident?” Her eyes flashed to the golden prongs sticking up from behind Kaid’s head.
Kaid shook his head. “I’m not sure. All I know is that it feels right, having it in my hands. Like it belongs with me.”
“That’s because it does. You’re the long lost siren prince, remember?”
Kaid grinned. “And don’t you forget it.”
Asta rolled her eyes and dropped some berries into the small satchel they were putting them into. Kaid held up a plump blackberry between two fingers. “This one looks particularly juicy. Here, for you.” He held it forward and Asta went to grab it, but Kaid snatched it away. “Ah ah ah. No hands.”
Asta scowled, realizing how close to each other they had drifted, then opened her mouth enough to wrap her lips around the tips of his thumb and index finger, flicking her tongue over them before pulling the berry into her mouth.
Kaid’s breathing hitched and he dropped the handful of berries, letting them softly thump on the forest floor, before pulling Asta to him and crashing his lips to hers.
Kaid swept his tongue into her mouth tasting a mix of Asta and the blackberry.
His arms wrapped around her, while hers brushed his face, his chest, his arms. Fuck she tasted so good mixed with berries.
Kaid wished they weren’t in the middle of the woods.
He wished they were back in Orntali, locked in Asta’s suite where he could show her how intoxicating he thought she was.
It was better than any black-out night he’d ever had.
“Ugh, go find another cave.”
The voice behind Kaid made his back stiffen, ice solidifying his veins. He knew that voice.
Asta backed away from Kaid, who turned around to look at Maren. Asta dropped the satchel of berries and pulled her sword from its sheath.
“Hi sissy. Miss me?” Maren asked. Svanhild stood next to her, sword aimed at Asta.
Kaid pulled his dagger from his hip, not entirely sure what he could do with it in a sword fight, but he would try. Maren stepped with slow, feline grace toward Asta. “I was here to deliver a message, but if you want a repeat of our last fight, I would be more than happy to oblige.”
“What do you want, Maren?” Asta’s eyes followed every move Maren made, so Kaid focused on Svanhild.
“Just checking in to see if you know where your sweet cousin is,” Maren smiled. “Because I know, and I also know exactly where a pack of Ryktarvans are headed right now. Funny, I think they might share the same location.”
The air left Kaid’s lungs. Halsten. He feared for everyone in the group, but Halsten was his best friend, his partner in crime. He couldn’t lose him. And Kaid knew that Asta felt the same about Linnea.
“What the fuck did you do, Maren?” Asta shouted, lunging forward and swinging for her sister’s throat.