Chapter 17 #2
“It’s not just you, my boy. I’m certain that is by design.” He straightened and tightened his grip on the railing. “We’re not supposed to know until they—whoever they are—are ready to show themselves. And I don’t mean the thing wearing your sister’s face.”
My spine went rigid, and all the blood slowed in my veins. “You’ve… seen her?”
“Several times. But…she doesn’t know that I can see her. Or rather it.”
“How did you know she wasn’t Zyrra?”
“She had no aura. And no soul. The magical signature is fractured. Like it’s been borrowed and wedged together.
I have the power to see things like that.
” He nodded. “This… entity was little more than a puppet. It’s not a ghost. Not a shape shifter, either.
Something else. Something far more dangerous.
War is coming. But you already knew that. Didn’t you?”
I blew out a ragged breath. “War was always on the horizon, even before Father was murdered.”
“I have to agree with you.” He nodded. “That’s why you must find that ring, Wolfe.
“The quest to find it has consumed me. It has been my mission for the last five years.” I sighed. “Sometimes I fear madness may take me.”
“Your mage...”
I hardened my stare, suddenly feeling protective of Elariya. “What about her?”
“There’s a break in her memory. A wedge. And within it, traces of the ring’s magic.” He narrowed his gaze. “Like a curse.”
My stomach plummeted and cold settled deep in my bones. I stared at him, my heart galloping. “You can see it?”
“I can.” He relaxed his shoulders. “Earlier, she looked at me like she didn’t know me. Forgive me for saying so, but she hardly seemed to know you. My guess is she has some sort of memory curse. One given to her by the ring. A means to help you track it.”
“Gods.” I breathed out, glaring at him. “How in the six hells did you figure that out?”
“Young Nightblade, your father and I were the best of friends. Long before I became a merchant, we fought side by side in many wars. I was his most trusted friend and advisor.” He held my gaze.
“I know a lot about the ring’s magic, how it protects itself, how it will be seeking to find you.
I knew from the first time I met your mage that she was in your life because of the ring. ”
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his. I was trapped in his stare and the knowledge he just shared.
I released the breath I’d been holding and straightened. “Kaem, I need to know you’ll keep this matter between us.”
“You never have to ask me such a thing. I swear to you whatever we speak will stay here.”
“My uncle must never find out.” He knew my feelings toward my uncle. I’d never been able to hide them from him.
“He won’t. Not from me.” A steadfast determination filled his eyes. “I can see how comfortable your uncle has become on the throne. I’m sure he’s in no rush to find the ring and hand the kingdom over to you.”
“No. He’s not.”
“Be warned, my boy. You have my allegiance but there may be others with the gift of sight who will be able to put the pieces together.”
“It’s already happening.” I thought of everything that had happened up to this point. “That’s why the entity masking as my sister is here. It knows Elariya is my tracker. As for my uncle…I’m not sure what part he played yet.”
“Then let us pray to the Gods you maintain the element of secrecy.”
I nodded. “I need all the help I can get.”
“Well, you have me.”
“Thank you.” I dipped my head. “You have my deepest gratitude.”
A tight-lipped smile slid across his face. “So, now that we’ve talked, do you think I’m ready to hear about Morg?ven yet?”
I was beginning to see he was so much more trustworthy than I'd realized.
“There was an attack,” I began, voice hoarse from the memory. “And that’s where I ended up with a sword wedged in my heart.”
Kaem studied my face with a hardened expression. “Who? Who could have gotten to you in such a way?”
I smirked without humor. “That part… that’s the part that’s still grating on my nerves.”
“Tell me.”
I told him about Thayden. And when I was done, I told him about everything else.
Kaem stood frozen, his knuckles white against the railing. The color had drained from his weathered face, and his mouth parted slightly as if words had abandoned him entirely.
He blinked slowly, as though trying to process the nightmare I'd just laid bare.
"Gods above and below," he finally whispered, his voice roughened by shock. “Things are worse than I thought.”
“They are.”
“Your father would never have wanted any of this for you or Alaric. Gods be good—a kingdom on the brink of war and insurgency from the inside out.”
“It’s up to me to fix it. The days of me training dragons are long gone. Now I must save my people. But to do that, I have to save myself first.”
Kaem’s eyes crinkled at the corners, and a lock of his graying her fell over his eye as he nodded. “What do you need me to do?”
I didn’t have to think for too long. “I need someone on the outside. Someone to investigate in the mortal lands. I want to know who helped Thayden. Mark my word, he had more help than mere Scabbards.”
“Indeed.”
“See what you can find out.”
“Leave it with me.” He glanced at the cabin door as though he could see through the wood. “As for you…your mage…she’s the key.”
I drew in a sharp breath. “She’s more than that to me.”
“We Galaythians, we keep keys close to our hearts.” He rested a steady hand on my shoulder.
His words settled over me like a prophecy I wasn't ready to fulfill. He wasn’t telling me to give Elariya up, and he wasn’t telling me to keep her, either.
Yes, we did keep our keys close to our hearts.
But what did close mean for me?
Should I let her go and cling to the memory of the love we shared?
Or should I keep her—and start a new war when war was already on my doorstep?
What was the right choice when the fate of kingdoms hung in the balance?
One option would damn me. The other was selfish and would still damn me.
And deep down I knew I was pissed Thayden was in love with my girl.
“Every choice feels like the wrong one.”
“A king’s greatest strength is what he’s willing to protect. Take that to mean whatever you want, for better or for worse.”
I stared into the dark waters below, where shadows danced like the choices that would define us all.