Chapter Nineteen
Ladon
I made quick work of the maze of halls that led to my brother’s office—the office I had occupied for the past few weeks. I was thankful to no longer claim it as my own, but my legs carried me there as if it were second nature. Like I’d never left at all.
It was unnerving and a reminder that I should’ve left for Fort Malek as soon as my brother resumed his position. I would’ve, too, if it hadn’t been for Emilie. As long as she stayed in Renoa, so would I.
Plus, I still needed to divulge my big secret.
I opened the door without asking permission, and Cyrus looked up, clearly startled by the intrusion.
When he realized it was me, his face softened, and he gestured for me to come inside.
Jade and Emilie followed. He seemed to expect the former, but the latter…
He gave Emilie an odd look before he composed himself.
“Reyna has been found?” I asked, not bothering with pleasantries. Patience had never been my strong suit.
Jade snorted. She’d already told us as much, but I needed to hear it from my brother’s mouth. I wouldn’t believe it until someone I trusted told me it was the truth.
Cyrus nodded.
My fists clenched at my sides. Anger coursed through my veins. Up until now, I hadn’t had anywhere to place it. But now… now I had a clear target.
“When do we leave?”
There was nothing worthy enough to keep my feet planted in Renoa while Reyna stood on the other side of the continent. I was restless and hungry for vengeance.
Cyrus raised his eyebrows. “Hold on a minute. We can’t just go barging into Murvort.”
“Actually, we can,” Jade interrupted. We all turned to stare at her, and she shook her head.
“It’s one advantage of our treaty. Murvort no longer belongs to Reyna.
You don’t need her permission to enter, nor do you need my brother’s.
I am here to act on his behalf, and I’m telling you it’s okay to go after her. ”
Maybe she wasn’t so terrible after all.
Emilie looked like she could’ve hugged her but thought better of it when Jade scowled at her.
Okay, she was still awful.
“Perfect. I can be packed and ready to go by dawn.” I glanced at Jade. “It won’t take long to reach Sage Harbor now that the old travel routes are open, right?”
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t recommend it. They’re open, yes, but they haven’t been maintained for years. There are looters and violent criminals who patrol many of our roads.”
“Why would you allow that?”
Jade pulled back. “We haven’t allowed anything. You can thank Reyna for that. It’ll take some time before my brother can clean up all the delinquents.”
I might’ve felt a little remorse for my outburst, but her negative attitude made it so easy to lash out.
Emilie stepped forward, positioning herself between us. “What do you suggest, then?”
Jade turned to Cyrus. “Do you have a map of Murvort?”
“I do.” He stood from behind his desk and rifled through the center cabinet on the left wall.
It took a minute before he found what he was searching for, but he pulled out a few large sheets of paper that curled at the edges.
Placing them on the desk, he used some thick books to hold the corners down.
“This is the most recent I have. I’m afraid it’s at least a couple decades old, so I’m not sure how much has changed. ”
Jade scanned the map, rubbing her chin. She pointed to the northern part of the continent, dragging her finger through what appeared to be wilderness. It was covered in forests, and I couldn’t spot a single landmark or distinguishable path. “This is the best route.”
“What route?” I asked. “There’s nothing there.”
“Well, it’s old,” Cyrus said. “Perhaps there’s a road now.”
Jade shook her head. “No. There’s no road. The northern forests are mostly abandoned. Some recluses have made homes in the wilds, but there aren’t any settlements.”
Cyrus frowned. “Then why would we go that way?”
“This is the best way if you don’t want to alert Reyna that you’re on to her. She still has loyalists who would report any sightings. This way you’ll avoid the vigilantes and remain unseen. I know my way well enough.”
“Who said you were coming?” I growled. “Emilie and I can do this on our own.”
“Emilie?” Cyrus asked. I wasn’t sure why he was caught off guard. Of course she would be coming with me. But maybe he didn’t know her like I did. There was no way she would stay in Renoa. This retribution was as much hers as it was mine.
“Is that a problem?” she asked. It was subtle, but I noticed she took a step closer to me. Like some kind of magnetic pull of destiny that refused to see us divided. When threatened, the draw became stronger.
“I don’t know,” Cyrus said, still trying to assess the situation. To assess her. His eyes softened. “I assumed you’d rather be safe here in Renoa, protected from danger.”
“I will never feel safe until Reyna is dead.” Emilie’s words both sent chills down my spine and warmed my heart.
She said it with such determination, and I knew she wanted to be the one to take Reyna’s last breath.
And I would happily give it to her, even if I wanted it for myself too. Perhaps we could share it.
Cyrus looked at me, silently asking whether I thought this was a good idea.
“Emilie has been training with me for weeks. She’s more than capable of joining this mission.”
A small laugh left my brother’s lips. “I’m surprised. Not that long ago, you were demanding I leave her behind in Renoa while we visited Fort Malek. I had hoped the two of you would get along eventually.”
Jade snickered, and I shot her a look to shut the fuck up. I didn’t know how much she’d seen on the training field or what she had made of it, but now was not the time.
Cyrus didn’t seem to notice any of this. He sighed. “Maybe if I’d listened to you then, we’d be living in an entirely different reality. I trust your judgment, though.”
Taking his seat once again, I couldn’t help but notice he looked older and more exhausted than I had ever seen him.
Was it because of his prolonged illness or the effect of resuming his ruling position?
On top of that, his fiancée had just broken off their engagement, and I would make that wound double in size when I told him the truth.
I couldn’t bear to think of it any longer, so I focused on the task at hand. “It’s settled then. Emilie and I will track Reyna down and take care of her.”
“And me,” Jade added. I rolled my eyes, but she carried on. “I’m the one who knows how to navigate the northern woods.”
“How hard could it be?” I mumbled under my breath.
She shot me a look that said she’d heard it. “And if you encounter any trouble, having the new monarch’s sister at your side will offer some protection.”
I couldn’t deny that. If we came across a small group of vigilantes, we could handle them ourselves, but it would be nice to settle things with words rather than violence. It didn’t make it any easier to accept her choice to come along.
“Fine,” Emilie agreed, removing my chance to argue further. “The three of us—”
“Four,” Cyrus said. “The four of us will travel to Sage Harbor.”
Now I’d really had enough of this strategy session. “Cyrus, you’ve just recovered. You need to be here, resting and reassuring the people that you are well and fit to rule. Not to mention, Mother will be furious if we both leave her again. You don’t know what it did to her last time…”
“I know perfectly well what losing a son did to her,” my brother said quietly. “And I’m going to make sure she doesn’t lose him again.”
I paused my rant to take in his haunted expression.
Was this what had aged him so quickly? The months I was gone, when for all he knew I was dead…
how deeply had it hurt him? I knew my mother had mourned my loss, still did in some ways, but I hadn’t considered that my strong and resilient brother had mourned too.
There was sadness in the air. An indescribable agony for the innocence and naivety stolen from all of us. Like shattered glass—the pieces had all been accounted for, but they’d never fit together the same.
Jade was the first to disrupt the silent suffering, clicking her tongue. “The four of us, then? I’m looking forward to it.”
Without another word, she spun and left the room.
I sent my brother an apologetic look. After all, it was my fault Jade had entered our lives.
He shook his head. “Have you ever met someone so self-centered and oblivious to her surroundings? Gods, you’d think she was living in her own world and we were all of zero consequence.”
Emilie chuckled reservedly, and I let the corner of my mouth turn up into a hesitant smile. “She is quite a character,” Emilie said.
Cyrus gave her a nod, and my stomach twisted in knots. I hated this. How would I travel with them when guilt and jealousy exploded inside me every time they looked at each other?
“We should go,” I said. “If we’re going to leave at dawn, we need to pack and get a good night’s rest.”
“Of course,” Cyrus said, waving to the door.
I let Emilie leave first, and just as I was about to exit, Cyrus stopped me.
“Ladon,” he called.
“Yes,” I asked, looking over my shoulder rather than turning around completely.
“Can you do me a favor?”
“Anything, brother.”
“Will you keep an eye on Emilie? While we’re on this mission, I mean. I know I’m still weak from being bedridden for so long, and you’ve always been a better warrior than me. Will you protect her?”
My mouth felt dry, and I struggled for words. “I meant what I said before. She is strong and has exceeded even my expectations with her training.”
He huffed a laugh, and I turned fully to face him. He was grinning widely.
“What’s so funny?”
“I was just remembering the day I told you to train her to fight.” He leaned back in his chair and gave another shoulder-shaking chuckle. “You were so angry with me. It’s nice to see that you’ve changed your mind.”
My throat closed. I could barely manage a single word. “Hmm.”
“I’m thrilled to hear that she’s a natural fighter, but I’d still feel better knowing that you were looking out for her. If we are attacked and it comes down to it, I’d prefer you defend her rather than me.”
I finally managed to wet my tongue. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re the king. My duty is first and foremost to you.”
Cyrus shook his head. “Then listen when I command you.”
I hated when his requests as my brother turned into commands as my king. There was no arguing with him now. Still, I didn’t understand why he would make this choice. Why would he put Emilie’s safety above his own? Unless…
“You care about her?” I asked. “Even though she ended your engagement?”
He shrugged. “It’s hard not to. I know it’s difficult to understand, but when you’re one half of an arranged marriage, it’s easier to live with the situation when you choose to go all in.
I thought she was going to be my wife. I forced myself to envision a life with her—what our kids would look like, how we would spend our free time, our shared interests. It’s not easy to move on from that.”
The gods were punishing me. There was no other explanation. They’d seen the way I’d fallen for Emilie, and this was their reminder that in doing so, I’d betrayed my flesh and blood. He didn’t deserve this.
And yet… I knew I was doing the right thing. If my actions and my feelings were wrong, then why did every fiber of my being demand to be tied to hers?
Cyrus would understand. He had to.
My head spun and my palms began to sweat, but this seemed like the best opportunity I could hope for. If we were leaving in the morning, I wouldn’t get another chance to speak to him alone for gods knew how long.
I cleared my throat and made a feeble attempt to swallow. “Cyrus, I—”
A light knock sounded on the door, and a low voice came from behind me. “Pardon the intrusion. I was told you needed me, King Cyrus?”
“Yes, Hudson. Please come inside. I wanted to go over a few things for you to handle while I’m away.”
Our mother. He meant for Hudson to handle our mother. He’d been employed by our family for my entire life, and if anyone could keep her calm while we were away, and keep her from following us, it would be Hudson.
“Ladon, I will see you in the morning,” Cyrus said, and then began listing the responsibilities he expected Hudson to cover during his absence.
My chance to tell him the truth disappeared yet again.