Chapter 17
Seventeen
RONAN
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
C heryl has been asleep for hours. Phylia moved her to a bedroom after she finished bandaging her wounds. Then I had to tell the female how Cheryl and I ended up in Ellnesari while her son, a soldier from the Aquila Kingdom, listened.
I expected him to take me prisoner, but perhaps he’s waiting until Cheryl recovers to take us both in. All I know is that we have to be gone before he decides to take action.
When he leaves the house to return to the castle, I follow him with my eyes. Phylia notices and says, “You don’t have to worry about Ronwen. He won’t say a word about what he heard here.”
“He’s a soldier in Queen Maewe’s army. Forgive me if I can’t trust that to be true.”
Phylia takes a seat across the table. “I’ve heard your tale; now let me tell you mine. I come from a rather large family—at least, it was very large. I’m the youngest of seven siblings, and now I’m the only one left.” She flattens her lips, and her gaze seems to turn inward.
I don’t speak, even though her story makes me think of my own. I haven’t thought about that awful night in a long time, and remembering it now makes my throat constrict.
“They were all killed by those awful monsters.”
“The shadowbeasts.”
She nods. “My town was near the Hydra border. But after the attack, we all migrated here to Featherlight Village to be closer to the castle for protection. I didn’t birth Ronwen, even though he calls me Mother.
He is, in fact, my nephew, the son of my oldest brother, who died fighting those monsters alongside his wife and other children.
” She pauses and takes a deep breath. “Ronwen saw his entire family die in the most brutal manner, and he’d have perished too, if it weren’t for a human king who alone killed ten shadowbeasts that evening. ”
“King Raphael,” I say.
“Yes. He saved Ronwen’s life, and my nephew will never forget that. So when I say he won’t betray you to the queen, you can trust my words to be true.”
I thread my fingers through my hair, pulling the strands back. “King Raphael saved my life as well when I was just a young lad. I lost all my family in one evening.”
“Shadowbeasts?”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “No, a different kind of monster.”
Her eyes fill with compassion. “I haven’t met your king, but I reckon he’s a good leader and beloved by his followers.” She leans forward and whispers, “Probably better than the sovereigns in any Ellnesari kingdom.”
Darkness seeps into my heart as I glance at my folded hands. If we can’t convince the Nightingales to return to the human world, we’ll lose King Raphael too. What hope will there be for the survival of our race when he’s gone?
“He’s an honorable male, but he’s in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
I shouldn’t have said as much, not when the king asked for my silence.
“I’m not at liberty to disclose, but it has to do with the closure of the portals to the human lands. It’s affecting all of us.”
She sighs heavily, hunching her shoulders forward.
“I never understood why the rulers of all the kingdoms in Ellnesari agreed to seal the portals. The vampires saved us, and this is how we repay them?” Her voice rises, and her face becomes flushed.
“I’m sorry, this is a topic that makes me furious, especially now that the shadowbeasts have returned. Who’s going to save us now?”
I don’t disclose that the population of Aquila doesn’t have cause to fear the shadowbeasts, because their own king is controlling them.
“How long do you think Cheryl will be out?” I ask to change the subject, and because I really need to know. We have to find Karl and Manu and get back home before we die in this godforsaken land.
“It’s hard to say. Her body needs time to recover, so it depends on how strong she is.”
“She’s the strongest female I know,” I say, my chest swelling with pride.
Phylia’s sharp gaze focuses on my face. “You love her very much, don’t you?”
“Yes, with all my heart. She’s the reason I wake up every night, even though we aren’t together.”
“And why is that? She doesn’t reciprocate your feelings?”
“I… I don’t know if she does.” I push my bangs out of my eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh. “I keep messing up. I can’t seem to do or say the right thing. Whenever I’m around her, I act like a fool.”
I’m not sure why I’m saying all these things to Phylia, a veritable stranger. There’s just something about the Nightingale healer that loosens my tongue. She either put something in my tea to make me spill my secrets, or her aura puts me at ease.
She smiles. “Love has the power to turn the sharpest person into an idiot. Have you tried telling her what’s in your heart?”
I want to answer yes, but in reality, I never got around to confessing to Cheryl that she’s my everything. I’ve been a coward when it comes to her.
“No.” I look down once more.
“Maybe all you need is practice. Why don’t you sit by her side for a moment and let everything out?”
“She’s sleeping.”
Phylia smirks. “Precisely.”