Chapter 19 #3
“Maybe.” Thalen pursed his lips, probably trying to aggravate Bryn more.
Bryn rolled his eyes and focused on me. “You cannot even begin to know what she will suffer if she remains. More than that, she doesn’t belong here.
She has a home and family on Earth. A sister and a brother-in-law.
A pack . In time, she will have nieces and nephews.
Can you give her all that? I think not.”
The idea of losing Briar had my heart wanting to be ripped out.
I tensed, and a growl rose in my chest. “I can give her everything she will ever want or need, and I will see to it that she can visit her sister. I will be her family.” The words slipped out.
It was as if he had known my feelings for Briar all along, and that troubled me.
Worse than that, even I could hear that desperate note that tinged my words, and I knew he could use them against me.
But it was his words that disturbed me most as they settled into my mind. Could I truly ever give Briar all that she deserved?
His brow softened, and he spoke more calmly.
“If you love her, then you must let her go. It isn’t safe for her anywhere in Nytheria.
She was dragged here against her will to a realm she knows nothing of and into a role she neither wanted nor prepared for.
” His fingers brushed the medallion, and he glanced down at it.
His brow tightened. “She has endured more than enough, and she is not your future queen. She cannot be. Not unless you want her to die because of it. I will not help you if you are not willing to make this vow, and her death will be on your head.”
Panic and desperation clawed at my insides and my throat. “What gives you the right to say that? She has performed admirably and under great duress. She has inspired great loyalty.” And I loved her. She was my heart, my beloved. I couldn’t imagine a life without her, and I had given her a choice…
Thalen paced back to my side and cast a challenging look at Bryn. “Shouldn’t you all ‘let Fate decide?’ You know…not interfere, and let things be what they are. This feels an awful lot like not allowing Fate to do what Fate wills.”
“Fate has decided. It is our duty to go along with it, but there are some who are rebelling and trying to prevent it from happening.” He clenched his jaw, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Thalen’s brow quirked. “If you can defy Fate, is it really Fate?”
I wasn’t interested in a philosophical debate, and every fiber in me knew that Briar was meant to be here and at my side.
“I will give Briar everything. If she wants to be with me, I will never deny her that. I can protect her. I will give her a family. We’ll bring her back and crown her queen. That will solve everything.”
Bryn’s gaze snapped back to me. “Except it won’t. You’ll give her everything you can . It isn’t the same, and it won’t keep her safe from harm. It doesn’t take into consideration what is needed.”
She needed to be with me .
The hollow sensation in my chest expanded with every breath. Was it accurate to say Briar needed me, or…was it I who needed her?
What life could there possibly be for me without her?
Perhaps I should not be thinking of my own life.
To be near her and with her was a physical need, but there was nothing to say that it was the same for her.
What did Briar need? My throat tightened again.
I’d tried to give her a choice back in the observatory, but what if that hadn't been enough? What if she’d felt that she had to accept me, regardless?
He stepped closer, his demeanor almost gentle despite the hardness in his eyes.
“I know you love her. Even if you denied it, I wouldn’t believe you.
You might as well pretend you can keep the moon from rising with just your words.
As you love her, you must do what is best for her.
I can make sure that she is brought back, given what she needs, and ultimately taken to safety all before the night is out and fulfilling what Fate demands.
” His jaw tightened for a breath. “I have already vowed that I will protect her and help you. If you love her, how can you possibly reject my help? All I ask is that you make your own vow.”
My lungs stopped working. The thought of her not being here made life feel empty. But if he could free her… at least she’d live. “What is this plan? Tell me first.”
He glanced toward the door. Then he canted his head.
“No. You see…my vow’s fulfillment is in some respects contingent upon your agreement.
If you do not make the vow, I cannot guarantee that I will succeed.
But I will give it all my efforts. If you want me bound, then you must vow as well.
Can you live with the risk of her remaining there?
Do you not love her enough to do anything for her? ”
Those final questions pierced my soul. My head spun, and pure agony devoured me. Loving Briar meant doing what was best for her . She deserved a rich, beautiful life. Was there not some way that we could share that life? Blood thundered in my ears.
“With all due respect, sir, you’re full of it.” Thalen glared at Bryn and glanced at me. His wings twitched and tightened as he flexed them. “If Prince Vad?—"
“Three hours.” Bryn held up three wrinkled fingers, the thick rings catching the light.
“Three hours with a plan to get her back to her home before midnight, safe with her sister and her pack. Precisely where she wanted to be from the beginning. If you truly love her, this isn’t even a choice.
How long will it take you to get her back and ensure that this place is safe for her until all of this can be resolved? ”
Thalen cast an apologetic look at me. “It’ll be at least a day and a half before the prison here is deemed ready, unless there's a way to expedite that.”
A muscle in Bryn’s jaw jumped. “At this point, minutes count, Your Highness. Firellan’s Spine is worse than you know.
Simply being in that place will drain her mind, her body, her spirit, everything.
Even the terrain is hostile. It is far worse than you have been led to believe in the bowels of that dungeon.
There is no better way for you to ensure her safety.
I am aware you most likely made some deal with Colm Ainle.
A wise choice, but it is not without flaws.
Others not under his command could enter and harm her.
Ainle is not as clever as he likes to believe. ”
My knees weakened. How could he possibly know?
He raised an eyebrow in open challenge. “I am aware you gave him something of great value. If the rumors are true, it was something quite dear to you, as well as powerful. He isn’t the most discreet individual.
No matter the bargain you made, it is not safe for her there.
You must take this vow. My method will not require delays or additional councils or permit any petitions.
It is already enshrined in our laws and customs."
“Briar wouldn’t want you to make her go back.” Thalen gripped my arm. “Vad, you can’t just decide this for her. She should have the say.”
“Even if it means she suffers longer?” Bryn tapped his finger on the medallion as he fixed Thalen with his heavy stare.
“Even if it means she will die?” He scoffed, shaking his head.
“If you truly love her, Your Highness, then you will make this vow and prove it. True love is not selfish. It does not think of its own desires. It thinks of the one who is loved. What does she need? Does she need to waste away in a place where time does not follow our laws? Where, at every moment, her energy and magic are sapped by their cruelty? Even now, she will struggle to recover from all they have done. Your plan requires that she suffer longer and puts her life at risk. Mine reduces that harm.”
His words cut deep, speaking to my fear and the knowledge that I failed her. The nausea and throbbing in my skull warned me that what power I had was failing fast. What good would I be to her? “Three hours…and she won’t be harmed?”
“I have sworn it.” Bryn’s piercing eyes held knowledge.
I opened my mouth, but my tongue didn’t move. Everything inside me was fighting against this vow, but if my beloved died due to my selfishness… that would haunt me even in the afterlife.
Clenching my right hand into a fist and pressing it against my side, I gritted. “I, Vad, son of Merrick of the Shadows, vow upon my life and breath to do all that is within my power to ensure Briar is happy and safe and that she gets… home .”
The spiraling agony that lanced through my chest and down my spine wasn’t magic of any sort, and I realized something was wrong.