50. Chapter Fifty - Leigh
When we burst into the Aurora garrison, the heavy wooden doors slam against the stone walls with a bang that startles several uniformed Blades and their leader, Commander Eddo.
The commander takes in our rain-soaked clothes and worried expressions.
“What the hell happened to all of you?” Eddo asks over the distant thunder rattling the windows.
I eye the Blade Commander.
Wilder can bring him up to speed.
I need to find a phone charger to call Janus.
I need to tell her Lua invaded and have her order Soter to detain Alden at the palace before he becomes aware I know about his brother being in Aurora.
If we can use him as leverage, we can avoid going to war altogether.
It’s a risky plan, but our best chance at preventing bloodshed.
“Did you know Stellan had an agreement with Zeus Lupas?” Wilder asks, marching straight to the commander in the large foyer.
Eddo’s eyes widen.
I peel off my sodden jacket and say, “I need a phone charger, or can I borrow someone else’s phone? Mine is dead.”
“I knew Stellan had friends in high places,” Eddo says, scratching his head, “but I swear I didn’t know it was Zeus.”
Both he and Wilder ignore me.
“I knew,” Brigid says smugly, entering the room.
I roll my eyes.
Of course, the girl trying to steal my boyfriend knew about Stellan’s misdeeds.
How trite.
Pallas appears by my side and hands me his cell phone.
“Thanks,” I mutter.
“You realize that’s treason, right, Brigid?” Wilder asks.
Brigid sighs.
I don’t stay to hear the rest.
My footsteps sound harsh as I walk toward the courtyard for privacy.
Once there, I dial Janus’s number with trembling fingers, praying she picks up.
I shut my eyes as fury directed at Alden and myself fuels me.
I knew he would betray me, yet I allowed it to happen by foolishly believing I could outsmart him.
My fists clench.
Alden will pay for his treachery, and I will see to it that he answers for every lie, every false promise, and every moment he spent deceiving me.
The call fails, and I sigh, redialing Janus’s number, when I hear stomping to my left.
“You fucking bitch!” Isolde charges Marlowe.
Gianna grabs Isolde’s shoulders, stopping her.
“Release me,” Isolde demands in a growl.
“She is a wanted criminal. She also attacked an officer!”
Marlowe frowns at the bloody gash on Isolde’s forehead.
“You should see a healer for that wound, Faez.”
Isolde throws her weight against Gianna, but Gianna pushes back.
“You can’t touch her. She’s under Leigh’s protection.”
“You better be joking,” Isolde says to me.
I clutch my phone tighter.
The phone stops ringing after the first ring, and Janus’s sharp voice fills my ear.
“Hello, this is President Janus Dyer.”
“Janus. It’s Leigh. We need to talk,” I say.
“I just found out that?—”
“Ah, I heard the good news. Congratulations,” Janus warmly interrupts.
I blink.
“For what?”
“Your engagement. When I spoke with Alden, he told me he would travel back to Lua to share the good news with his father.”
“What? There’s no engagement.” My knuckles turn white around the phone.
“Did he leave?”
But then Janus speak in a hesitant voice.
“Yes. Not long after you—he and Ravi left together.”
Black dots dance in my vision.
Alden left Borealis.
He is on his way here to join his troops.
If he left after me, he’s probably already here.
I lean against a pillar for support.
My terrified expression reflects in the puddle of water at my feet.
“Did he say anything else? Anything about his plans or intentions?”
“No. Leigh, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
“You shouldn’t have let him leave!” I exclaim.
“Zeus invaded Corona, using Alden’s troops. He is here in Aurora, and they have my grandmother . Alden was distracting us this whole time.” I gasp.
“I told you he was bad news!”
“You can’t trust Alden,” Ravi told me his first night here.
Did Ravi know what Alden planned to do this entire time?
I need to talk to him.
Maybe he knows what Zeus is planning.
I wasn’t willing to listen before, but now I am.
“Zeus likely wouldn’t have invaded if you had agreed to Alden’s proposal,” Janus replies tightly.
I gape at the phone.
“Are you serious? If that was the case, they would have waited until I refused him to move their troops. Did you not hear me? They’re here , in Aurora, already. They’ve made their base camp here.” If we had negotiated for peace, like I’d wanted, maybe we could have found something to appease Zeus.
But no, the Council insisted on falling for Alden’s farce of a marriage proposal and focused all their attention on that.
I watch a Blade with curly blond hair enter the foyer, heading straight for Gianna as she converses with Isolde.
He says something that makes Gianna’s eyes widen before they flicker to me.
The temperature in the room drops.
I take a deep breath.
“We need to figure out a plan on how to handle Zeus and Alden. Stellan is with them, which means they know I am here, too,” I tell Janus.
I’m sure they’ll reach out to ask for our surrender before they officially enter the city.
I want to have a plan before I receive Zeus’s summons.
“You need to call an emergency war meeting with the Council.”
Janus sighs, and the sound grates on my already frayed nerves.
“Leigh, there’s no time for that. If Alden is joining his troops, their next plan must be to march on Borealis. I need to prepare. If the capital falls, so will the country.”
I want to throw the phone across the yard.
“Make time, Janus. What about the innocent people in this city?”
Bennett charges toward me, his eyes are slits behind his glasses.
“Where the hell did you go?”
I hold up a hand, indicating I’m on the phone.
He can be pissed at me for leaving him out of the meeting with Stellan later.
It was a colossal waste of time, anyway.
Stellan had no plans to work together.
“Leigh, we need to talk,” Gianna says to my right.
I eye the curly-haired Blade at her side before covering the mouthpiece on my phone with my hand.
“I am on the phone with the president,” I say as Bennett seethes beside me.
“It can’t wait,” Gi insists.
I close my eyes, willing myself the patience to deal with one fucked up situation after another.
“Janus, give me a second,” I say before muting the call.
Then I turn to Gianna.
“Yeah?”
“Ry just got back from scouting,” Gi says, gesturing to the Blade.
In a deep voice, Ry reports, “The wolves are indeed in Aurora; they’ve set up camp on the outskirts of the desert, just three miles shy of the train station.”
My mouth grows dry.
They are closer than I thought.
“It’s worse,” Gianna adds, her voice wobbling.
“They’ve taken Stellan prisoner.”
“I thought they were working together?”
“So did we, but someone reported seeing a man matching Stellan’s description being blindfolded and taken against his will. The call came into the precinct an hour after Stellan left Furies. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”
Did Stellan’s usefulness expire?
Or was this part of a larger plan?
“Leigh!” Janus’s voice screams from the phone.
Fuck.
I take her off mute, my hand still trembling as I bring the device back to my ear.
“Yeah?”
“I need to address the Council, then the city,” Janus says.
“Don’t go yet. I just learned they’re camped three miles outside Aurora. The city will fall if we don’t act fast. We need to send more Blades to Aurora.”
Janus gasps, followed by prolonged silence.
When she speaks, her voice shakes.
“Leigh, we can’t afford to saturate our army. You focus your efforts on Aurora, and I will focus on what needs to be done everywhere else.”
“We need backup,” I say.
“How are we supposed to convince the wolves to leave if we don’t have a strategy against them? They will take the city, and they’ll take me as their prisoner.”
Janus curses.
“If that’s true, then the Council and I will figure out how to get you back.”
“But I am the queen. I should be involved in your decisions with the Council to keep Aurora safe. Someone working on the Council still has ties to Stellan and the wolves. We need to be cautious.”
“Yes, well, you’re not here,” Janus snaps.
“You ran off to Aurora alone, against our wishes. Your inability to listen has cost us greatly, Leigh. It pains me to say this, but I will hold a vote of no confidence in your favor so that you don’t interfere with whatever we decide to do. I understand someone on the Council may be working with the wolves, but I will deal with that my way. We’ve already tried yours.”
My lungs feel as if they’ve shrunk.
It sounds like she’s kicking me off the Council.
“You’re going to vote me out?” I ask.
“It’s nothing personal and, hopefully, temporary,” Janus says.
“B-but I’m the queen.” I can’t believe my ears.
“And as the president, my duty is to my people. It might be too late for Aurora, but Borealis has a chance.”
Tears fill my eyes.
I can still save my kingdom and people if they listen and give me a chance, but with the Council casting me out, they will turn their backs on me when I need them most.
“Janus, you’re making a mistake,” I rush to say.
“If we lose Aurora to the wolves, we lose valuable resources. You might as well give Borealis to them as a gift, complete with a pretty bow, and hand over the kingdom without a fight.”
“Maybe so, but I can try to devise peace negotiations with Alden and Zeus,” Janus declares.
“Since Alden likely knows you’re in Aurora, I suggest you have Commander Eddo take you someplace safe. I will contact him soon.”
“You can’t do this. I am the rightful ruler of this kingdom. I must protect it.”
But even as the words leave my lips, I know they’re futile.
Janus has made her decision, and I can do nothing to change it.
I’m over a thousand miles away.
If I’m going to save everyone, I need to do it on my own.
I need to contact Ravi.
“Fine,” I make myself say.
“You are in charge.” I hang up.
“What did she say?” Gianna asks, but I have no words.
“Leigh,” Bennett snaps.
“We need to talk.”
“Bennett, not now.”
My pulsing strides thunder as I race up the stairs to Wilder’s room.