Chapter 17 #2
Veralt loomed nearby, his red hair tousled and his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. Rhielle shifted closer to him, her shoulders stiff, while Myantha’s wide-eyed gaze darted helplessly between them.
Behind them, Vyraetos was using a mortar and pestle to grind something up.
Several bottles of herbs and oils and some of the medicine sat beside him, as well as the vials with the glowing hairs.
Near him, the boxes and crates from the closet and Finbar's supply drop-off had been stacked into a makeshift seating area surrounding a cracked basin filled with flickering lamp light.
Bottles of salves, dried herbs, and strips of bandages sat nearby.
Briar moved around Myantha and stared Quen and Rhielle down. “We are not doing this. Not here. Not now.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the room like tempered steel.
Anger still simmered behind Quen’s glare, and Rhielle’s lips were pressed into a bloodless line, but both women hesitated.
“I brought them because we need answers,” Briar continued, her voice unwavering. “I understand you don’t like it. Believe me. Kaylen would’ve stolen Vad away if given an opportunity, but she isn’t a threat to us anymore. Right now, we have to not only survive what’s coming but win.”
My chest warmed with pride. Briar was such a fierce leader, and these women would listen to her more than they would me.
Kaylen opened her mouth, but Briar cut her off with a look so sharp it might have well been a dagger. “And you? You’d better prove your loyalty fast. Because if you’re not forthcoming with us, I won’t stop Silus next time.”
And there was that edge that made her fecking sexy.
The room went quiet except for the slow drip of water from the corner sink and the low hiss of burning oil.
“Well said.” Elara crossed the room, her limp pronounced but her posture regal. She turned her cool gaze to Kaylen and Siray. “I’ll give you one chance to behave as guests. Otherwise, there will be consequences.”
It was all the others needed to hear. Quen exhaled through her nose, looking not quite appeased but willing to let it go for now. Rhielle stepped back. Myantha offered Briar a small, grateful smile.
Rhielle rushed to Briar first, throwing her arms around her with a relieved gasp. Quen followed next, muttering something about “Stupid girl” and “Don’t ever vanish like that again.” Even Veralt offered a nod of respect.
Thalen shut the heavy stone door behind us with a groan of effort. “Well, that was heartwarming. But I, for one, demand answers. You two look far less destroyed than we feared. I was preparing a eulogy.”
“It could’ve been far worse,” I muttered, glancing at Briar.
Fear still coiled tight within me. Her wolf flickered faintly beneath her skin like a dying ember.
Our bond had thinned into just a thread of gold where once it had roared like fire.
I wrapped an arm around Briar’s shoulders and continued.
“Briar needs food, and we have much to discuss.”
She gave me a tired smile, one corner of her mouth tilting upward. “You need food too.”
It would’ve been dramatic to say she was all I needed, but my stomach growled, betraying me.
She raised a brow. “I’m not eating unless you eat.”
“As you wish, beloved,” I murmured.
“You are so whipped.” Thalen laughed.
I cut my eyes at him. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed where your attention’s been focused lately. You aren't acting like it's just a fling.”
“Never said I couldn’t relate,” he shot back with a smirk. "And it definitely isn't a fling. But we do have actual food now. Not just soldier stew.”
Over the next few minutes, we settled into the chamber, gathering near the stacked crates that had been turned into makeshift seating around a cracked oil basin.
Elara and Vyraetos distributed bread, dried meat, hard cheese, salted nuts, seed cakes, and fortified wine.
Vyraetos moved efficiently, checking on wounds and doling out medicine as needed.
I kept my focus on Briar, making sure she had enough food before I took my first bite. Her fingers trembled slightly as she broke off a piece of bread, and the fading strength of our bond echoed in my chest like a distant heartbeat.
Kaylen and Siray lingered in the middle of the room, most likely unsure of their place. Siray finally made an effort, offering to help Elara distribute supplies. Kaylen said nothing and stood there, tense with unease.
Good. She deserved everything that had happened to her for being greedy and power-hungry.
Vyraetos returned to his post, grinding herbs with a mortar and pestle, his expression unreadable.
Briar sat beside me on one crate, Rhielle standing behind her like a silent guard. Quen had taken a seat on Briar’s other side, her arms crossed and her foot tapping. Elias sat close to Quen, watching everything with a sleepy wariness.
Veralt stood behind Rhielle and gently rubbed her shoulders, his protective stance impossible to miss.
Elara perched on my other side, with Silus beside her, the two of them speaking in low tones about the tunnels and patrols.
Thalen and Myantha had wedged together on a crate nearby, Myantha resting her cheek on Thalen’s shoulder, his arm loosely wrapped around her waist. Siray paced behind the group, brow furrowed, while Kaylen finally took a seat opposite Briar, her hands plucking at the threads of her torn skirt.
I took another swig of the fortified wine.
The aftertaste from the skin couldn’t quite hide the sharp tinge of herbs, but the wine settled the tension in my limbs, making me feel a little steadier.
“All right. We don’t have much time. Captain Finbar is preparing his forces for an attack on the Ceremonial Hall during Colm’s coronation.
We need to be ready to reveal the truth. And to fight.”
Briar leaned forward, her attention on Kaylen. “You said you had information that could help us. Start talking.”
Kaylen let out a long breath and raised her chin. “Let me start by saying I never intended to be involved in any coup, and I never really did anything wrong—”
“Fecking shut your mouth if all you’re going to do is spew lies,” Quen snapped and wrinkled her nose.
“Oh, please.” Rhielle rolled her eyes. “Don’t pretend you left your viciousness in the arena. You were probably the one who slit my throat.” Her hand brushed the scar on her neck.
Veralt tugged Rhielle back gently against him and pressed a kiss to her temple, but his eyes stayed locked on Kaylen.
Groaning, Kaylen pressed her face into her hands. “That wasn’t me. I don’t cut throats.”
“No,” Quen said. “You stab people in the back.”
Kaylen peeked between her fingers, unapologetic. “Well, yeah. That way, they don’t see it coming. It's like a mercy kill.”
This woman was a worse person than I’d imagined. “Enough.” I raised a hand, letting command bleed into my voice. “Kaylen, you’re alive because Briar spared you. You’re going to repay that by telling us everything you know. Now.”
Briar sat beside me, silent and steady. However, although she was close, her soul felt distant, the bond between us strained and threadbare. I resisted the urge to reach for it and to ask her what she needed. That could wait for later, when we were alone-ish.
Taking a deep breath, Kaylen set her shoulders.
“Calla Lily came to me with a member of the Aureline Council, Bram. The one with light blue eyes, freckles, and red hair. They told me I’d won.
That the Council had chosen me. They said I had to be ready to make my claim and that they’d support me. But it was a lie.”
Her voice cracked, and she looked away, shame flickering across her face.
I watched her, completely unmoved by the tears trailing down her cheeks. No one else rushed to comfort her either. Even Myantha, the kindest among us, lowered her gaze and shifted further into Thalen’s side as if to separate herself from the weight of Kaylen’s words.
“The guards dragged me off.” The skin around Kaylen’s eyes tightened. “They locked me in a cell for what felt like forever. Then they brought me to the royal quarters. I thought maybe the Council had changed its mind, but…that’s when I met Colm.”
She looked up, and her expression twisted with a bitterness that almost masked the tremor in her voice. “He said I’d been useful. That I’d served my purpose. But I wasn’t going to be queen of anything.”
Briar pursed her lips. “You’d never seen Colm before that moment?”
“No.” Kaylen’s upper lip curled. “I’d remember someone that ugly.
I had seen Bram, though. From the beginning.
He helped me a few times. Said I was… beautiful enough that Fate would obviously choose me.
” Her lower lip wobbled, but she breathed the weakness away with a sharp inhale.
“I know it was foolish. But I wanted to believe it. So I did.”
She squared her shoulders. “He brought me stronger healing salves than the others. Told me which trial was coming next so I could practice. He even made sure my gowns were lighter, my weights adjusted.”
Expression tightening, Rhielle crossed her arms. Veralt stood behind her, protective, his hand resting on her hip, acting as her silent anchor.
“But I didn’t cut Rhielle's throat,” Kaylen said quickly, her voice rising. “That was Calla Lily. She bragged about it. Said she could do the same to me. Told me I’d never be queen. So… I punched her and set her on fire. All right?”
“You didn’t stab her in the back?” Rhielle snorted. “That’s more your style.”
Kaylen huffed and flicked her hair over her shoulder. “If she'd turned her back, I would've. I'd have come up with a better plan too. But I got mad. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.”
“She’s Ignis Fae.” Quen scowled. “You know we’re fire resistant. What exactly was your plan?”
“I never said it was a good plan, Quen!” Kaylen snapped. “She said that, and I lost it!”