1. Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
Dynalya
M uch could be said about one’s name. It marked where you came from, where you belonged, and where you may go. As the sound of Klyde’s true name settled in the silence of the room, Dyna knew what it meant.
Canting her head, she studied the captain hovering in the air in nothing but his trousers, bound in purple magic. Klyde’s dark blue eyes looked back at her calmly. The sun began to rise past the window curtains, and it highlighted the edge of his jaw and dark blond hair. Now that she knew who he was, Dyna could see past his thick beard to the face he had tried to hide.
He was a Morken, brother of her enemy. And he had hidden his identity from them the entire time they had been trapped in Skelling Rise.
The air in Klyde’s bedchamber charged with electricity. It prickled against Dyna’s skin, and she glanced at Lucenna beside her. The furious sorceresses’ lilac eyes glowed brightly as her Essence wound tighter around the captain, making him grimace.
“Easy.” Zev crossed his arms over his broad chest and leaned against the wall. “You’ll kill him before we can learn anything of use.”
Lord Norrlen’s kind gaze fell on her. “We owe the captain a chance to explain himself, my lady. He has done much for us in our time of need. We very well may not be alive if not for him.”
Hmm, Dyna supposed he had a point. He came to their aid with the trolls and against the Vanguard.
“We don’t owe him anything,” Lucenna hissed. “Everything out of his mouth has been nothing but lies.” Her eyes flared brighter as she glared up at the captain. “I told you what I would do to you if you lied to me.”
Klyde’s brow tightened. He didn’t seem afraid of her, but he did look regretful. His eyes flickered to Dyna next, and she read his silent request for a chance to be heard.
Leader to leader.
The bedroom door slammed open. Eagon and Tavin burst in, armed.
The boy aimed a loaded crossbow at her face. “Put him down or this bolt goes straight through your eyes.”
Oh, she almost found him endearing, coming in here to rescue his uncle. Her Guardians braced themselves with magic, claws, and bow.
“That would be a poor decision on your part,” Dyna said.
Eagon had his throwing stars ready. “You’re mistaken if you believe you’ll make it out of here alive, lass. The manor is crawling with mercenaries. Hurt him and nothing will stop us from taking you down.”
Tavin fixed her with those pretty, pale blue eyes. They weren’t hardened or sharp, but they were the color of frosted ice. “Release him! I won’t tell you again.”
Familiarity washed over Dyna as she studied his youthful features. The truth had been in front of her since they arrived, but she had been too preoccupied with frivolous matters to see it.
“Well, well.” She smirked at Klyde. “You have been keeping many secrets, haven’t you, captain?”
Things were now beginning to get interesting.
His eyes grew wide. He strained against his gag to say something. Dyna nodded to Lucenna, and she removed the magic covering his mouth.
“Get out and shut the damn door,” he ordered Eagon while still looking at her. “No one is to disturb us. That’s an order.”
“What?” Tavin gaped at him. “But?—”
“Aye,” Eagon cut him off at Klyde’s look. He hooked an arm around Tavin’s chest and hauled him back out the door. It closed after them, and the lad’s angry voice faded as they left the hall.
Now what was she to make of this new knowledge? The others glanced at each other questioningly as she and Klyde stared at one another in stony silence.
“Set him down,” Dyna said.
Lucenna’s mouth pinched in disapproval, but she relented by placing Klyde in the chaise. With a wave of her fingers, she bound his wrists with glowing ropes of magic, then his ankles.
“It’s not what you think,” he told her as she worked to secure him to the chaise next.
“Spare me your breathing.”
“Lucenna,” Klyde said, a warning in his tone. “You know I enjoy it when you’re mean to me.”
“Be quiet before I strangle you,” she snapped, tightening the bonds around his neck. “I should kill you right now.”
“If you keep flirting with me like that, I’m going to fall in love with you.”
Lucenna turned bright pink, though it was overshadowed by the fury on her face. Electricity sparked around her ominously.
Humor may have been Klyde’s way of dispelling tense situations, but now was not the time to test them.
Zev shook his head. “Either you truly have a death wish, or you don’t know when not to make a jest out of everything. She is seconds from sending you through Death’s Gate.”
Dyna’s patience was beginning to thin with all their bickering. “Leave me with him.”
They all looked at her as if she had gone mad.
“That wouldn’t be wise, my lady,” Rawn said.
“I am not leaving you alone with him for a second,” Zev added.
Dyna tried not to let their overprotectiveness annoy her, but it reminded her too much of the absent presence she was working hard to ignore. She squeezed the velvet sachet in her fist tightly, releasing the scent of sage in the air.
Then stand back and let me speak to him. Don’t interfere.” They obeyed her curt order and silently moved to stand by the door. Dragging a chair over, Dyna sat across from the captain. Warmth from the hearth pressed into her back, the burning wood crackling gently as they studied each other. Does he know?”
“No,” Klyde said. As far as Tavin knows, his father died a hero during the overrun, and I’d rather keep it that way.”
Chuckling, Dyna crossed her legs. I was not speaking about your nephew, Captain.”
The drag of quiet was heavy as a muscle in Klyde’s jaw flexed. Slow realization crossed the faces of her Guardians as they finally understood.
I suppose your silence is answer enough,” Dyna said. Interesting.”
All amusement had long since faded from Klyde’s expression. It was now hard and cold, resembling his brother’s almost perfectly. Instead of ice, a severe hurricane churned in his gaze. One that promised retribution if she tried anything against his family.
This was a monumental secret that could serve in her favor, but for now, she would play nice.
Don’t worry,” Dyna continued. I don’t care about Tavin or why you kept his existence a secret. I’m sure you have your reasons. What I want to know is why you kept your identity hidden and what your intentions were with us. As you can see, naturally we assumed the worst.”
He opened his mouth, but Dyna held up a finger. She glanced at Lucenna. The sorceress drew the rune for truth in the air. It pulsed bright purple above the captain’s head before fading away.
Klyde shivered as the spell fell over him, and he scoffed. I would have told you the truth regardless, lass.”
Dyna shrugged. It’s merely to dispel any suspicions. I hope you don’t mind.”
He already had his chance to reveal everything before, so why would she believe him now unless spelled to speak the truth?
“I don’t work for Tarn if that is your concern,” Klyde began. His gaze flickered to Lucenna. “I don’t intend to turn you in for the bounty. But you’re right about one thing. I did intend to use you.”
A muscle flexed in his jaw as he let that confession settle. Otherwise, he was completely still.
“To do what?” Dyna pressed when he fell silent.
“To find him,” Klyde replied tightly. “That was the only thing I wanted from you. The means to track Tarn down and stop him—by whatever means necessary.”
That was the last thing she had expected to hear, as had the others, by the silence that crept back into the tension between them.
Klyde’s attention drifted past her to the hearth, and the firelight shone in his distant gaze. “Aye, our father was Lord Morken, earl of this manor. Regardless of our nobility, there was no warmth in these halls, but my sister, and brother, and I, we had each other. Until the Horde came.” Klyde’s brow furrowed, his mouth thinning as he remembered.
Dyna easily recalled it, too. It wasn’t difficult when she had borne witness to the slaughter. The hair stood on her arms as the picture formed in her mind. The screams of the men as they died, the stench of swamp trolls in the summer heat, her feet slipping through the mud drenched in blood.
“All the knights were called to arms that day. As a squire, I was charged with gathering the others, and we evacuated the women and children to the dungeons. So many died … devoured and torn apart before our eyes.” Klyde’s brow furrowed. “But I noticed Aisling was missing. She was…”
“Tarn’s wife,” Dyna murmured.
“Aye…” Klyde blinked at her, surprised she knew. “My brother was out fighting back the Horde. It was my duty to protect her, so I returned to his estate … but … a troll had broken through the door.” Desolation weighed down his expression and he rubbed his face. “Her death was instant. There was nothing I could do to save her, but…”
Dyna’s memory flashed with the image of Aisling’s wounded stomach. Not torn but cut . Her eyes widened. “You saved Tarn’s son…”
This was another part of the story. One she had not glimpsed when Dream Walking through Tarn’s past. She imagined a frightened boy, finding his sister-by-law dead, shaken and afraid by what he had to do to save his nephew.
Lucenna’s soft gasp came from behind her.
“What happened next?” Dyna asked.
“Nothing.” Klyde’s tenor hardened, and the muscles in his arms flexed with the clench of his fists. “There was nothing left of our town but a graveyard. When I reached the square, I found my father with a gaping hole in his chest and my brother’s broken sword. The viceroy told me Tarn had killed him with magic, but I didn’t…” His gaze lowered to the ground, his jaw clenching. “I didn’t believe it. No one was left alive, so I assumed Tarn had fallen as well, but then he returned that night. Not for us. He didn’t care about us.” Klyde laughed drily, shaking his head. “No, he only came to sack the coffers and steal my mother’s jewels. When I asked him what he had done to our father … I saw the truth in his eyes. Then he left with Von. They abandoned us without ever looking back.” Klyde’s face was expressionless, but she could feel his ire and misery. Or perhaps Dyna simply knew it was there because those same emotions now lingered beneath her own mask. “Over the years, I heard of all the wicked things Tarn had done. He escaped justice time and again because no one could ever find him. So I waited for his return. And finally, after fifteen years, he came back…” Klyde’s eyes lifted to her. “For you.”
Rays of the morning sun rose higher and cast an orange hue in the room. It reminded Dyna of that evening in Landcaster when she met Von. That led to Tarn learning of her existence and her map to Mount Ida. How different would things be if fate had not brought her there?
“I think it’s only fair that you tell me the truth now,” Klyde said. “Why is my brother hunting you, Dyna? Why did he risk returning to Azure merely to put a bounty on all your heads?”
She leaned back in the chair, linking her fingers. “I am not the one on trial here, Captain. My business is my own.”
Revealing the existence of her map had brought enough conflict to her life. Klyde might not seem like a greedy man, but she was finished being na?ve.
A look crossed his face, a knowing one that made her tense. “Aye don’t tell me, then. I don’t really care why he wants you. The only thing I care about is finding him.”
There was only one way to do that.
“You want to join us,” Dyna concluded.
Lucenna scoffed. Her heels clicked on the floor as she drew up to her side. “You think we would allow that after all of your lies?”
Klyde searched her face. “I kept the full truth because I needed to, love. But I didn’t outright lie.”
“The truth spell is not perfect,” Zev said gruffly. His tall frame came to Dyna’s other side, and he crossed his arms, making his white tunic tighten across his broad chest. Sharp fangs peeked past his lips as he spoke, “You may have told us the truth now, but how are we to know what else you have omitted? You’re a Morken . You could easily change your mind later about whose side you’re truly on.”
“I am only on one side.” Klyde looked out through the window at Skelling Rise. It offered a view of many farmhouses on distant hills past the forest, smoke drifting from the many chimneys. The snowy landscape glittered beautifully, like a blanket of diamond dust in the morning. “The side that protects this town and its people. Tarn deserves to be brought to justice for what he has done.” He met her gaze again. “But as of now, no one has the power or the strength to defeat him.”
And they never would if Tarn gained immortality. It was his ultimate ambition, and she had made it her purpose to stop him.
“You are quite right about that, Captain,” Dyna said. “Tarn is dangerous, and you have no idea how much so.”
His mouth curved in a harsh smirk. “Oh, but I do. The viceroy told me enough before his death, and I learned the rest from my mother’s journals. Tarn is a descendant of the Ice Phoenix. And I know exactly what he used to put that hole in my father’s chest.”
Something about the way he said it made Dyna go still because she sensed there was far more to Klyde than they fathomed.
“Then what makes you believe you can stop him, Captain?” Rawn asked.
Klyde’s smirk widened into a sharp smile. One that was callous and cunning. Confident. “Because, mate, he isn’t the only one with a powerful ancestor.”
The statement drew a pause as Dyna took in his meaning.
She glanced at his mercenary coat draped on the chaise, the firelight gleaming over the white sigil of a bird’s skull. It was a symbol that represented more than their town, but who they were.
She inhaled a faint breath. “You’re a Skelling.”