Chapter 34 Kieran
Kieran
The time passed slowly while we waited for Sybil to finish her talk with Solaris.
After dropping Sybil off, Edris returned and took us to the royal library to wait.
Samian and Viv happily began browsing the shelves of books while Daelan slumped in a chair, his head tipping back as he lifted the front two legs of the seat in the air.
As a male who lived for adventure, being stuck in a library was his worst nightmare.
I, however, could not busy myself like Samian and Viv, nor could I sit still.
So instead, I paced the damn library, my thoughts solely on my mate.
I didn’t like her being here without one of us by her side.
There were too many things that could go wrong—too many what-ifs and no plan of action if any of them did.
My heart stopped at that thought, my mind betraying me, playing a scene where the piece of shit Xandros found Sybil, harming her before Solaris could stop him. My breathing felt sharp in my chest, my hands shaking from not knowing where she was.
“Kieran, sit and drink some tea,” Viv murmured, watching me carefully. “You’re making everyone here nervous. The poor archivists don’t know whether they should save themselves or the books because of you.”
Scowling, I grunted, moving to the seat across from Daelan. I sat down, but my body couldn’t relax. Crossing my arms, my leg bounced restlessly as I forced myself to breathe. She’s okay, I repeated silently to myself. She must be okay.
“Relax, brother,” Daelan said smoothly, his eyes still on the domed ceiling. “I’m sure that shadow creature of hers would probably murder anyone who gets too close with the wrong intentions.”
My gaze zeroed in on Daelan. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I growled.
“I would think so, yes,” Daelan sighed, bringing the chair back down to give me an exasperated look.
“If anything, that just makes it worse. If the creature does attack someone, that will mean another god will get involved, putting Sybil in even more danger,” I snapped back. My skin felt itchy as I ran through that scenario in my mind. I didn’t even think about that damned cat.
“Solaris is capable of keeping Sybil—”
“Kieran,” Sybil’s voice excitedly shouted through the library, cutting Daelan off. “Samian!”
I shot up from the chair and rushed toward her, Samian right beside me. Sybil bound toward us, only stopping when she crashed into our arms. Breathless, Sybil smiled up at us, her grin stretching wide across her face.
“I know how to break the bargain!” Tears lined her eyes as Sybil choked out a laugh. “I can really break it!”
Heat spread through my body, an exhilaration and hope unlike any I had ever felt, bursting inside.
I let out a small, weak laugh, my mind still failing to wrap around what she just said.
Samian pulled her from me, wrapping his arms around her waist, spinning her in a circle.
Their joyous laughs echoed through the library.
Wiggling out of Samian’s arms, Sybil came up to me, her hands grabbing onto my shirt. “Did you hear me, Kieran? I can free myself from the bargain, which means I can stop what Queen Cassia warned me of!”
My eyes burned as I wrapped my arms tightly around her, pulling her in close. I rested my head on top of hers, deeply breathing her in. She’s okay. She will be okay. She will break this bargain, and I won’t have to lose my mate.
Taking a shaky breath, I pressed a light kiss on the top of her head. “Let’s go home.”
After Viv returned us to the council room, I left Sybil and Samian to check in with Orin. He casually stood at the back of the crowd, watching Aster and Bryony mix herbs. The two females worked in harmony, their faces bright with contentment.
“They seem to work well together,” I said, coming beside Orin.
“They had an awkward start,” Orin chuckled. “They both have their own ways of doing things, but they found their groove, I believe. How did it go in the Seelie Court?”
“It went better than expected,” I sighed with relief. “We came back as soon as Sybil finished, but she said that Solaris showed her how to break the bargain.”
“Kieran, that’s amazing!” Orin laughed while grabbing my shoulder, giving me a small shake. “This is the good news we have been needing!”
“Let’s just hope that it stays that way,” I chuckled, pushing away the odd feeling strangling my heart.
I know I should be happy—I needed to be happy—but I’d been fighting a losing battle between that thought and the sense that it would not last. Half of me wondered if it was because of the past, of my younger self finally being allowed to return home, excited and overjoyed to see how much my sister had grown, only to find everyone gone.
They vanished without a trace after Ambrose raised taxes on the farmers in my town and were never seen or heard from again.
I made headstones for their empty graves beside my sister’s favorite tree.
Sensing my spiraling thoughts, Orin squeezed my shoulder tight. “It won’t be like last time. Sybil will break the bargain and survive this.”
“I know,” I whispered, nodding my head. “I know. I just—I just need to see it happen. I need to keep making sure she’s safe; that’s all.”
“That’s exactly what we’re training her for.”
I released a tight breath, looking back at Aster and Bryony. “Where did Ivara go?”
“She said that if Ambrose expects us to bring back blood flowers, she’ll need to gather some herself. She should return shortly—she knows her territory better than anyone.”
“Definitely more than Pasian, that’s for sure,” I chuckled. Ivara’s brother was more of a scholar than anything. His taste for adventure was almost non-existent—at least until he joined the rebellion. “Have we heard anything from him?”
“Just the usual. They are lying low while they find more recruits to send our way. They have seen an increase in new members, though. The people are getting restless, especially with hints of a war brewing.”
We spread the news of the potential war as soon as we learned Sybil had been brought into the realm, not wanting to risk towns and villages being blindsided.
Still, it’s been a constant struggle to keep the people quiet enough that Ambrose hasn’t caught wind of it.
Surprisingly, Lady Lowell has done an amazing job of keeping the peace.
Viv was right when she pushed me to let her join our ranks.
“How is everything going with planning the mission for the execution? Anything you need?”
“There is something we need to discuss about that,” Orin said, shaking his head.
His brows furrowed in thought before leaning closer.
“Sybil will pave the way for us getting into the colosseum, but we may need one more person in the palace before the execution is set to take place. I have a feeling Ambrose will keep Samian and Sybil close to him that day, but we will need to have one of our own to replace a guard or two that will be in the colosseum itself.”
I hummed, going through the play in my head.
There will be five of us going, including me.
Thinking it best to keep this small, I was to lead the group through the tunnels and into the colosseum.
Sybil will leave the door open for us to cause enough disruption to free the prisoners.
But having a few from our side to hide among the guards would help us tremendously.
“I’ll talk to Samian and see what we can do. Find a few who would be willing to infiltrate the palace either tonight or tomorrow.”
Clapping Orin on the back, I made my way back to the council room, my heart feeling lighter than it had in days.
When I came inside, everyone was huddled together, talking and laughing.
Their faces were bright, and the feel of the room was spirited, except for Ezra, however.
Lately, he had been distancing himself from us, some unknown anxiety pulling him into the confines of his mind.
Whatever it was, it was eating away at him.
His face had been losing its color; the skin under his eyes was dark from a lack of sleep.
As if he sensed my gaze, Ezra looked up and met my eyes. I crossed the room and took a seat beside him.
“You doing alright?” I asked, though my attention drifted to Sybil’s smiling face. Warmth spread through my chest as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“I’m fine,” Ezra grunted, pointedly ignoring me when I looked back at him.
“You sure about that? It looks like you haven't slept for the past few days. If there are any issues, I can have them dealt with.”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” Ezra sighed, leaning back in his chair.
“Just some trouble with a few of the rebels. I’ve done things I’m not proud of.
I know this, nor am I asking for anyone’s forgiveness.
I’ve worked in the shadows to help Samian, but that doesn’t change anything I’ve done in the past. The camp is wary of me, as they should be. But I’ll be fine.”
I hummed, drumming my fingers on the table. “Do you want me to move you to another camp? There are others who have dealt with the same issues and can help you.”
“No,” Ezra said quickly, “I-I need to stay here. I am Sybil’s combat instructor, after all.”
“One of her instructors,” I reminded him with a pointed look.
“While I still don’t agree with how she’s being trained, I’m grateful for your help.
” Ezra let out a low chuckle, his eyes moving to Sybil.
There was something in his gaze that looked sad, almost regretful.
“Still, let me know if you need help with anyone in the camp. It’s my job as the leader to make sure everyone is in line.
Just because they need to adjust doesn’t mean they can disobey my orders and cause trouble. ”
“Yeah, yeah,” Ezra grumbled. “Should I call my daddy, too? Let both of you handle all my problems?”
I barked a laugh; the sound pulling everyone’s focus our way. “Fine, don’t come crying to me if anything happens.” Ezra’s deep laugh followed, but I turned toward the rest of the group. “Alright, let’s hear what Solaris told you, Sybil.”
Sybil nodded, and she took a deep breath.
“Solaris was the one who was forced into the bargain. She told me what happened and how. After the bargain was made, she noticed how oddly the male who’d forced her into it began to act.
Like Ambrose, he began to spiral and became very manic.
She learned he was hearing a voice that was causing his mental break.
However, she noticed another thing.” Sybil paused and pulled up the sleeves covering her wrists.
Flipping them, everyone sucked in a breath when we saw how the edges of the bands were fading.
“Solaris explained that as time went on, her mark began to disappear. It was as if the magic of the bargain were weakening. That’s when she was able to break it. ”
“Did she explain how?” Viv asked, her eyes wide as she studied Sybil’s wrists.
“She did,” Sybil nodded. “It was pretty similar to how I was able to break Ambrose’s commands.
She told me to go to the place of my magic, but once I was there, she explained I needed to search for something that felt foreign.
I walked through the field until I reached a dense forest that was dying from these odd vines.
I tried to pull the vines away, but,” Sybil paused, wincing at the memory, “it hurt. It was like the vines were so cold that they burned through my skin. Solaris told me I had to wait until I could bear its touch before I could break the bargain.”
“Did she say how long that would be?” I asked her, my brows furrowing together.
“No,” Sybil exhaled, “only that it would happen soon if it were anything like what she dealt with.”
“Alright, keep trying to break it. Hopefully, it will be sooner than we think.” Sybil flashed me a smile, her body relaxing until Samian glanced at her. Her face paled then. She swallowed hard and cringed.
Sybil cleared her throat as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “There is one other thing I need to tell you. And everyone,” she said, her voice wavering, while looking at the group. “I—um—received a letter this morning from someone, asking me to meet them.”
“And?” I said slowly when she paused.
Sybil opened her mouth, but closed it, giving Samian a pained look. When Samian jerked his chin at me, Sybil sank lower in her chair. “I went to meet them.”
“Tell him the rest,” Samian urged, his tone hard.
Sybil took a tight breath before the rest of her words came rushing out.
“Samian was called away late last night, and I woke up when someone pushed a letter under my door this morning. They signed the letter as H, asking me to meet them, so…I did. Alone. When I got to the meeting spot, Hale was waiting for me.”
“Hale?” I interrupted her, my eyes going straight to Samian. “Isn’t that Ambrose’s personal attendant?”
“Yes,” Samian frowned, “it is.”
A heavy silence filled the space around us as my mind fought to comprehend what Sybil had just said. “You went out to meet Ambrose’s personal attendant alone?”
Sybil flinched at the outrage in my tone. “I did, but I was okay! Everything was fine. Hale wanted to meet to ask for help. He wants us to help his brother escape with the prisoners, and I think we should. I want to help them both escape the palace and Ambrose.”
I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“You realize what you did was entirely reckless, yes?” When Sybil mumbled out her agreement, I opened my eyes, fixing her with a sharp stare.
“Hale is not someone who can be trusted. He has done things in Ambrose’s name that are unredeemable, and you want us to put our lives on the line to help him? ”
“Yes,” Sybil said, straightening in her chair. The nerves she felt, the anxious look on her face, all of it disappeared, leaving behind a look of pure will and strength.
“Why?”
“Because we are the same, Hale and I. You may try to argue that I’m forced to do things because of the bargain, but are people really going to care about that in the long run?
We only meet in the forest, and on the off chance you do allow me to come to the camp, you keep me hidden away in this room because you’re too afraid of what the rebels will do to me if they ever find me here. Hale and I are exactly the same.”
Everyone stared at Sybil, their eyes wide in shock, though it was Viv who broke the silence when she looked in my direction. “She has a point, Kieran.”
I ran a hand through my hair, and my head tipped back. “You've got to be fucking kidding me.”