Chapter 9 What Would You Do
What Would You Do
Rhalyf felt cold then hot then cold again. Vex was here. Vex was here. At the Dawn! How was that even possible? Of course, he knew how that was possible. Vex had opened a rift and walked through it. But to come to Tyrael?! To rent a room in Helgrom’s inn?!
For what purpose?
There were so many possible answers and all of them were bad.
That was when he heard the clinking of crockery in the hallway and felt the sweep of Aquilan’s magic following after. Declan was already on his feet. The young man’s lips parted, color bloomed on his cheeks and he drew in a deep breath. The look of love was unmistakable.
“Aquilan,” Declan whispered.
Of course, he knows when Aquilan is present! And it’s not just love that tells him this, Rhalyf thought. He’s completely untrained in magic and yet he uses it as naturally as the rest of us breathe.
He let his eyes go unfocused and saw the glittering cloak of stars–Declan’s magic–settling around him. One tendril had snaked out into the hallway towards Aquilan. That was how he had known the Sun King was there. It was likely always attached to Aquilan in some way.
“The Sun King?” For the first time, his sister sounded nervous.
Now that was interesting.
He blinked and refocused on her instead of his cousin.
She had met countless kings and queens of many species, but the Aravae…
Well, they had always been paired with the Kindreth.
Their greatest ally and their worst enemy.
When he’d met Aquilan, he had been prepared to be unimpressed.
Another vapid royal in a world that didn’t require killing everyone to get to the top? Please. Hardly impressive.
But the moment he’d entered the Sun King’s presence, he’d felt his goodness.
He’d never really believed in goodness. If anything, he’d believed that people were simply kind to one another to avoid getting knifed in the back.
They were weak so they sought to be liked.
Aquilan had turned that belief straight on its head and then ground it to dust. Even his sister could feel this about Aquilan upon her first meeting.
Yet whatever sharp joy he experienced at the thought of Haera being on the back foot was diminished by the immediate stab of guilt at the thought of seeing Aquilan.
And continuing to lie.
But now he would have to lie about Haera, too.
And if they actually went to see his uncle and talk to him at the Dawn…
Well, the lies would multiply endlessly and they wouldn’t just be his.
All of them would have to lie. Declan. Finley.
Helgrom. Haera. Snaglak. Even Glom. This meant that the chance for things to go sideways also multiplied.
It was impossible for who he was to remain a secret from Aquilan for long when so many people already knew.
But these are harmless lies… aren’t they? Who cares what the color of my hair or eyes are? Or who my family is? Or… or…
But he knew better.
So much better than that.
Declan glided to the doors of his bedroom suite. He was going to bring Aquilan here. Rhalyf almost stopped him. But that was just foolish and avoiding the inevitable. He had to face Aquilan again. Why not now?
If I’m really bad at lying and Aquilan guesses who I really am, will Vex still kill me? Yes, yes, of course, he will.
Declan opened the doors, stepping away from the cone of light that flowed inside. “Aquilan! I’m here!”
The Sun King was already coming down the hallway to them.
He had sensed Declan as well. Like two magnets.
Rhalyf heard the jingle and clink of the tray growing nearer.
His throat felt tight. He tugged at the top of his soft green tunic, but it was nowhere near his neck.
It was sliding off his shoulders as was his wont to wear it.
The tightness increased, but it wasn’t his clothes’ fault.
He felt Finley’s hand gently touch his lower back.
Steadying him. He glanced down at the young man.
Really, he had no business being so wise and calm at his age.
But he supposed that humans had to mature faster.
Still, he was certain that Finley was an extraordinary human.
He smiled at Finley. Finley gave him a smile back.
“Declan, what are you doing down here? Oh! You wanted to see Rhalyf and Finley and…” Aquilan’s confusion over Haera’s magical signature caused his voice to catch. “And who might this be?”
The Sun King appeared in the doorway. His gaze unerringly fastened on Haera.
Declan quickly and expertly took the tray from his hands while bumping the door closed again with one hip.
Darkness fell once more. Declan brought the tray to the gaudy, overly carved table while Aquilan lingered by the doors.
Finley joined his best friend and, probably just to have something to do with their hands, they began unloading the dishes of eggs, bacon, fruit and a basket of pastries.
“I did want to see them, but that’s not why I left your rooms,” Declan told Aquilan.
“He jumped down onto the balcony,” Haera offered.
“It was quite exciting. Ah…” She suddenly must have remembered that Aquilan was a king.
The king. And since she was supposedly an Aravae, he was her king.
She swept into a graceful curtsey if it was a bit delayed.
“King Aquilan. I’m Haera, by the way. Haera Neres. Rhalyf’s older sister.”
“Sister?” Aquilan’s blue eyes widened. “Rhalyf, I didn’t know you had a sister!”
Rhalyf opened his lips, but nothing came out.
He literally could not speak. Could not say the words he needed to say.
He needed to make up some ridiculous lie to explain why he had never mentioned a sister.
But, then again, he had never mentioned any family and Aquilan had been good enough not to ask, sensing somehow that there was a wound there.
But he had no idea how deep and raw that wound was.
“He wouldn’t have mentioned me. I imagine he wouldn’t have mentioned any of us,” Haera said, still keeping to that curtsey.
What in the Under Dark is she going to say? That we’ve been estranged? Oh, Gods!
“Please rise, Lady Neres. It is a great pleasure to meet you,” Aquilan greeted her with all his usual–actually more than usual–warmth.
Of course, he’s kinder than ever! She’s my sister and he is inclined to love her because I am his best friend. What have I done?
Rhalyf blinked and half turned towards his sister. He needed to stop her from speaking and lying anymore. His sister was going to ruin everything. That’s what she did. That’s what she always did. Not just pushed him down, but held him down. But his guilt was strangling him.
His sister slowly rose. “Oh, well, the honor is all mine. I know the correct phrase is: the Sun shines brighter when I am in your presence, but, indeed, you are the Sun. It could not shine brighter than you.”
He studied her face. Every Kindreth learned to hide what they felt. They knew how to pretend to feel things. But this… this expression was true. She looked upon Aquilan with a touch of awe. His eyes flickered to Finley who was pouring out fresh juice for no one. Finley gave the briefest nod.
He’s trying to tell me that everything is going to be okay. To keep going. But how can it?
“Your light adds to mine, Lady Neres. But you flatter me too much,” Aquilan answered her with an inclined head. Then he asked with bright inquisitiveness, “Did you arrive here this morning?”
She had no bags with her. Those had, evidently, been lost in the lake or devoured by monsters.
Or both. The Blood Tattoos were hidden by magic as his sister was not inclined to cover her body in any way.
Currently, she wore a tight, white crop top with flowy sleeves and a high collar, low-slung, caramel-colored leather pants and slightly darker suede boots.
She’d magicked this outfit from somewhere.
While he hoped to hurry her back to Nhamashel and their parents, a lack of clothing wouldn’t dissuade her from staying.
She wouldn’t even need his Aravae money to buy things, because she’d just conjure what she needed or sweet-talk or steal what she couldn’t make herself.
No, he’d have to get rid of her some other way.
I thought I had more time to put a plan in place before she met Aquilan!
“Last night,” she answered as her eyes darted over to Rhalyf as if seeking his guidance on what to say next.
They hadn’t had a chance to discuss her backstory.
His backstory really. Again, while he’d hoped to run her off before she ever met the Sun King, he’d truly thought that they’d have time before there was even a chance of a face-to-face with Aquilan.
Simply put, he’d assumed that Aquilan would be wrapped up completely in Declan and wouldn’t have any time for anything else.
And he would have been if not for Declan being here instead of upstairs in Aquilan’s bed chambers.
But still! He should have been prepared.
He was normally so much better at lying and scheming and planning.
I’ve gotten soft. No, no, I just didn’t want to even think of lying to him.
“And you already know about…” Aquilan’s gaze went to Declan who was clearly a Kindreth.
“You mustn’t worry about any of that!” Haera waved her hands before her. “I can keep a secret. Rhalyf, tell him that I am excellent at keeping secrets.”
“She… she is. I can assure you that she will tell no one of Declan,” Rhalyf finally spoke. His voice cracked and creaked.
“And, as I’m sure you know, the Neres are connected to the Kindreth by blood,” she said with an easy smile. “So we have no prejudices on that score!”