Chapter 22
Cai
In the days that followed, Elara and I spent countless hours in meetings with her council discussing our preparations for reclaiming Mistwood and the possibility of sending Everness’s army to Norrandale should it become necessary.
The council members agreed that if I could take back Mistwood and round up the loyalists, there would be enough ground for us to stand on for a counterattack while still leaving enough soldiers in Everness to keep it defended.
It would take some time to gather all the men and prepare for the journey.
In the meantime, a group of us would leave for Norrandale.
I’d been in correspondence with Lord Burrow, a trusted member of my court, and we’d agreed to meet, along with all the men he could supply, on the way to Mistwood.
He was in the process of convincing the other members of the council to also send men to join our cause.
I could only hope that he would be successful.
It was a potentially treacherous journey to make in the winter. But the longer we waited, the more damage Aries might do. Most of his army had yet to arrive. Now was the time for us to strike.
The sun was just beginning to set and Elara lounged on one of the chairs in my rooms while I sharpened the sword my father had given me.
I hadn’t used it since the day we’d run from Norrandale.
The thought of returning tied my stomach into knots but I couldn’t live in exile for ever.
Nor could we let Aries get away with what he’d done.
“I’m coming with you, you know,” Elara said, breaking the silence in the room. I looked up from my sword. The thought of being separated from her nearly killed me, but knowing where we were about to go, and what we were about to do, I worried for her safety.
“I don’t want to leave you here. But I also don’t want to bring you into the middle of a battle.” Elara had never experienced an easy life and had survived many atrocities but she was not trained for battle. And while she was capable of defending herself, this was different. This was war.
“I can’t imagine you being a kingdom away while I have no idea whether or not you are safe.”
Nor could I. As long as she was close by, I wouldn’t live in the constant fear that something might have happened to her.
“If something should happen to me, how will I protect you? How will I make sure you stay safe?” These were the very thoughts that had kept me awake for the past few nights.
Elara sat up, meeting my eyes. “Don’t say something like that.”
I took a deep breath. “We both know I might not walk out of this battle alive.” And I could live with that as long as I knew she was all right.
“No,” she said, getting up from the chair and making her way towards me.
She kneeled in front of me. “You are going to make it through this.” Elara took my face in her hands.
“Both of us are. And then years from now we will look back and this will all be a faint memory.” For her sake, I very much hoped so.
I gave her a sad smile and she pressed a soft kiss to my lips.
“Does this mean you’re leaving Lance in charge again?”
The corner of her mouth turned up a little. “I suppose it does.”
* * *
The forest was cold and dark. Heavy clouds hung over the high tree branches, many devoid of their leaves. Our riding party was a long straight line of horses and men, slowly making their way down the half-frozen path.
Part of me couldn’t believe we were really making the journey back to Norrandale. That we would attempt to take back the palace and hope none of us died in the process. But with all the information Alastor had gathered and a few allies awaiting our arrival, the best time to strike was now.
I worried about Elara’s safety in coming with us but felt better when she was at my side, knowing I was unable to protect her if she remained in Everness.
We had a few men with us, spared by the council.
It wasn’t enough to take on Aries’ army, but if we could win back Mistwood Palace, it might give us the foothold we needed.
Gwen remained behind in Levernia, her ankle not yet healed enough for such a long journey. I would have preferred her not to stay back alone with Lance, but if there was anyone who could hold her own, it was Gwen.
I wondered, though, had she been able to travel, would she have been able to face her brother and his betrayal?
I didn’t know how I was going to face Thatcher myself. According to Alastor’s information, he’d been living at Mistwood as if he were the king. How would I look him in the eye and not wrap my hands around his neck, the man I once used to call brother?
My eyes searched for Elara riding ahead of me. It was easy to spot her burgundy cloak with her dark hair hanging in waves down her back.
Rhen rode next to her. I couldn’t properly hear what they were saying, but it sounded like they were discussing King Evrin’s diary. I nudged my horse forward, hoping to join the conversation.
“It’s very difficult to read his handwriting and the pages are extremely fragile. I’m trying to be careful but it’s going to take me some time to get through it.”
“Anything of value yet?” Elara asked.
“Afraid not. He’s mostly written about the responsibility of ruling the kingdom and how he’s trying to assemble a proper council and so forth.”
Initially I was worried that she would leave the diary in Rhen’s hands, but I understood that while the old king’s words were being dissected for information about ancient magic and powerful gemstones, Elara had to gather an army.
If the diary proved to be useless, we needed men to fight.
We needed men regardless of the Myrgonite objects.
She looked at him. “I can’t say I’m surprised but let’s hope you find something soon.”
We made camp close to the Norrandish border that night, many fires lighting up the surrounding forest.
I sat on a log, staring into the flames in front of me, trying not to think of what was to come but knowing it was unavoidable.
There was a crunch of leaves behind me, and I looked over my shoulder, dagger already in hand.
“Sorry.” Elara climbed over the log and took a seat next to me. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s okay.” I slid the knife back into my boot. “I suppose I’m a little jumpy.”
“I understand.” She took a breath. “If I were you, I don’t know how I would be able to go back.”
I looked down at my nails, the dirt under my hands suddenly very interesting. “They haunt me,” I said softly, but Elara heard me well enough.
“Who?”
“Thatcher, my family. I dream about them almost every night. It’s why I don’t sleep. Why I offer to take the night watch. Every time I close my eyes, I see him. I see him killing Jack, killing my family.”
Elara interlocked our fingers and placed my hand in her lap. “I think you’re brave for fighting and for going back.”
I looked at her, the firelight reflecting in her eyes, and I found myself comforted by the way she looked at me.
It was different compared to the way she used to look at me a few weeks ago.
There was always so much hurt and desperation behind her gaze.
But now, she looked at me like she wouldn’t mind spending the rest of her life in my presence.
Or maybe I was just projecting my own feelings onto her.
“I don’t know what else to do,” I admitted. “I don’t know how to save my kingdom.”
She rubbed her thumb across my hand. “Together. We do it together.”
“Right.” I pressed a long kiss to the back of her palm.
“How long do you think it will be before we reach Mistwood?”
“A few more days.” I took in our campsite. The men were tired from days of travelling in the cold. “Let’s hope the weather holds up.”
The closer we got to the mountains, the colder it would get. She shivered slightly and I pulled her close to me.
“Do you think Anesta would mind sleeping alone in your tent tonight?”
Elara pressed a kiss to my cheek. “No, I don’t think she would mind at all.”