13. Chapter 13
Chapter thirteen
Cyrus stood on the docks as the large ship from Pryam pulled into the harbor. The young Queen Miriel waved frantically from the bow with a grin that showed all her teeth.
Essandra laughed beside him. “She looks happy to see you,” she said.
Yes, she did. This was her first visit to Rael.
And Cyrus was happy to see her, but his mind was on a letter that had just come from Gregor.
Cyrus had sent him four legions, which his council was still not aware of, but Gregor remained reluctant to pull his trade and break his alliance with the Shadow King.
He said he needed to prepare, although Cyrus wasn’t entirely sure what he was preparing for. He knew he should have waited.
The gangways were lowered to the dock, and Cyrus tried to push his frustration with Gregor aside as Miriel came rushing down.
“Cyrus!” She threw her arms around him. It was a nice distraction. He’d forgotten how much he liked her warmth. He smiled down at her. She was a sweet girl.
Miriel pulled back and gasped. Then her eyes moved to something behind him. “You must be Essandra!” She pushed past Cyrus and pulled Essandra into a hug, who laughed in uncomfortable surprise. “Cyrus has told me so much about you!”
“But not that much,” Cyrus hurried to interject.
“Oh!” Essandra laughed again. “All good things, I hope.”
“Wonderful things! Like how incredible you are.”
Okay, that was a little much. “I don’t think I put it like that,” he said.
“And how beautiful!”
Essandra looked at him, and he shook his head, although he might have actually said that.
Miriel clutched Essandra’s hands. “Oh, you’re exactly as I’d imagined. I’m so honored to meet you.”
Essandra smiled. A real one this time. “I’m honored to meet you too, Queen Miriel,” she said.
“Call me Miriel!” The girl let out a squeal. “I can’t believe I’m here!”
Cyrus couldn’t help a smile of his own now.
However, as happy as Miriel was to see him, she was just as happy to forget about him as she walked arm in arm with Essandra to the carriage.
He was glad Essandra had told him to bring it.
He had a hard time imagining Miriel riding a horse back to the palace.
Brant and Bash stepped off the ship and smiled when they saw Cyrus.
“It’s good to be home,” Brant said.
Cyrus cuffed him on the shoulder. “How was the sailing?” he asked.
“All right. That woman talked the entire way.”
Bash chuckled as he clasped arms with Cyrus in a warm greeting. “She was just excited.”
Cyrus could imagine. They mounted their horses and followed the carriage back. Brant took the opportunity to give him a very brief update on how things were faring, although Cyrus was eager to hear more.
When they reached the palace, Cyrus helped both Miriel and Essandra down from the carriage.
“You have to show me around!” Miriel said. “I have to see everything!”
“Brant and I have a few things to catch up on,” Cyrus told her. “Maybe Essandra can show you how the schools are coming along, and then I’ll take you around after.”
Miriel clapped her hands together. “Yes! I have to see the schools!” It was an effort Miriel wanted to pursue for Pryam as well.
Essandra’s face held a warm smile. It wasn’t often she had someone as excited as she was about the schools. “They’re not finished yet, but I’d love to show you.”
Cyrus hadn’t expected they’d go right away; he’d thought maybe Miriel would want to settle in first, but the two of them struck off immediately, and he watched them go in amusement.
Then he turned to Brant. “Shall we?”
Everan and Kord joined them in the council room, where Brant laid out records and reports.
The Etrean Union, the collective of kingdoms surrounding Pryam, still wouldn’t entertain a conversation with Miriel—wary of her witchcraft—but things seemed stable for now.
Brant updated them on how the army was progressing.
The training was proving effective at developing skills of warfare, despite many of the relocated refugees having no prior military experience.
Kord was pleased: it was his training regime being employed, the same one he’d crafted for the Raelean army.
Additional councilmen joined them throughout the afternoon, and they moved to an army office by the barracks, where there were more detailed table maps.
Brant walked them through his additional observations and recommendations and what he’d like to continue advising Miriel on.
They discussed resource options, trade balances, and ways for those who couldn’t join the army to still contribute to the community and economy.
Cyrus watched him with pride. Brant had come a long way from their time together in the arena.
Now he was a leader, a strategist, someone Cyrus depended on, the same as he did Everan and Kord.
His mind wandered back to Gregor, who still pressed him for a man he could trust to lead his mercenary armies. If Cyrus considered Gregor a true ally and friend, he’d send him someone like Brant.
But Gregor wasn’t a true ally. Or a friend.
Cyrus would be sending Brant back with Miriel.
It was late into the evening by the time they finished. As Cyrus walked back into the palace, a sudden tiredness hit him.
“There you are!” Miriel called out as he passed the dining room. She and Essandra sat at the corner of the long carved table with hot cups of tea.
A pang of guilt stabbed at him. He’d entirely forgotten he’d told her that he’d take her around.
“I’m sorry, I lost track of time,” he said.
“That’s all right.” She shrugged. “We can do it tomorrow.”
“Of course. Tomorrow.”
“Well, I guess I should turn in for the evening.” Miriel stood and smiled at Essandra. “I had the best day.”
Essandra smiled back and stood as well. “I did too. And it will be a great day tomorrow. Do you remember the way back to your chamber?”
Miriel nodded. She leaned in and gave Essandra a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you so much for everything. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then she flitted to Cyrus and stood on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek as well. “Good night!” And she toed out of the room and down the hall.
Cyrus sank into the chair Miriel had vacated and leaned his head forward in his hand.
“She just wants to spend time with you,” Essandra told him.
“I know, and I don’t mind. I’m just tired.”
“Do you think you’ll actually sleep tonight?”
He snorted. “Probably not.”
She smiled sympathetically. “At least try.”
He looked at her for a moment. Things were almost back to normal between them.
“I’ll see you in the morning?” she said.
He nodded, but as she moved to leave, his eye caught on something, and he grabbed her wrist.
She tried to pull back, but he held her.
“What are you—”
“What is this?” he asked, and pushed her sleeve up to reveal inked markings that hadn’t been there before.
“I just needed more power to try a few alternative spells.”
“Dark magic?”
She finally pulled her wrist free. “It’s nothing.”
It wasn’t nothing, now that he knew about it. Dark magic had destructive properties for the one who wielded it, and the markings served to protect against it.
“The markings are only a precaution,” she said. “I’m perfectly fine.”
He eyed her. “I don’t like it.”
She pursed her lips. “Noted.” She pulled her sleeve back down. “Good night, Cyrus.”
“Did using my brother as an anchor not work?”
She paused, and her eyes shifted to the ground. “I didn’t do it.”
He rose from the chair. “What?”
Still, she wouldn’t look at him.
“Why not?” he asked. “Why didn’t you try it?”
“Because it feels wrong.”
“What about it is wrong? I told you I was fine with it.”
“That’s what’s wrong!”
He shook his head. This didn’t make any sense.
“I usurped your right to decide whether to use your brother,” she said.
“I chose for you, and I shouldn’t have done that.
But I told you I was sorry, and I’ve committed within myself not to do it again.
You overrode a decision I made for myself, you haven’t apologized, and I know you would absolutely do it again.
So, accepting this agreement from you now and moving on…
” She shook her head. “It feels like I’m accepting it as payment for your wrong.
I’d be using him and allowing it to mend things between us, when, really, what should mend things is us agreeing to respect each other’s right to decide for ourselves. So, you see, I can’t do it.”
“That’s ridiculous,” he said. “I told you I was fine with you using Alexander as an anchor before I even knew of the assassins.”
“No, you didn’t. Not really. ”
“Essandra, please just use him.”
“Do you not hear what I’m saying?”
“So, you’re just going to waste this opportunity? Because I won’t apologize for trying to keep the Jackals from coming after you?”
She closed her eyes, pushing out a breath. “Good night, Cyrus,” she said again, then turned and walked away.
He watched her disappear around the corner. This woman was impossible sometimes. He sighed and struck out toward his own chamber.
As he walked, a pull came in his mind, and he was too tired, too defeated, to do anything other than lean against the wall and accept the bond.
Jaem entered his mind with a smile. He was way too cheery for Cyrus right now.
“ Did it ,” he said triumphantly. “ Got some information about that woman you’re looking for. ”
All tiredness quickly left him. He’d almost forgotten about Orion’s woman. “ Vitalia? Did you find her? ”
“ Well, not exactly. But there was a green-eyed dancer from Elam who was given as a gift to Gregor. ”
That matched the information Orion had given him, all except the dancer part. This was good news. “ So, she is there, then. ” He wished he would have known she’d been a gift to Gregor. He could have just asked Gregor for her while he was there. He’d write to him.
“ No, he lost her in a bet. ”
Damn. “ A bet with whom? ”
Jaem grew more serious now. “ The Shadow King. ”