Chapter 29
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
LYRA
“Absolutely not,” Siran snapped, a muscle pulsing in his jaw as he looked from Sorsha to Kaden before finally settling his gaze on Adriel.
The royal guard narrowed his eyes, and Siran’s nostrils flared in irritation.
I folded my arms across my chest. It might have been petty, but it annoyed me that the leader of the Drathen forces hadn’t so much as acknowledged my presence.
“Siran, please,” Sorsha begged, following the captain as he turned and strode across the tower.
Though I wasn’t surprised by Siran’s answer, it wasn’t what we’d hoped for after flying for hours in the frigid rain. My leathers were soaked, my hands were numb, and my belly churned with a gnawing hunger.
Frankly, I was not in the mood.
“If we don’t kill Semphrys, there will be nothing to stop the scourge that’s spreading across Anvalyn,” Sorsha continued.
“You and I both know the Dark King cannot be killed.” Siran’s gaze flicked to Kaden. “His kind isn’t just long-lived. They are truly immortal. Indestructible.”
“Not for a huntress with a witchwood blade,” Kaden murmured, scarcely loud enough for the captain to hear.
For the first time since we’d landed, Siran’s attention slid to me.
“Alfrigg may be in denial about the Ravaging, but even you must have noticed that the realm is dying,” Kaden continued.
“My sister tells me you rotate your troops regularly between here and the mainland. Probably so they can replenish their magic, which grows weak after being stationed here for months on end. What do you think will happen if things continue as they are? Anvalyn won’t be able to sustain life if its magic weakens much more. ”
Siran paled slightly, but he pursed his lips. “Be that as it may, I cannot send troops to Dorthus simply because you ask me.” His gaze flicked to Sorsha, his tone apologetic as he said, “My orders are clear.”
“Your orders from Alfrigg, the false king,” Sorsha pressed, her eyes wide and pleading.
The captain’s expression hardened. “Do not put me in this position, Highness. You know that I, of all people, am sympathetic to your plight. But I do not condone treason.”
“Treason?” the princess cried, following him as he started toward the stairs once again. “How can you defend Alfrigg when he sent troops into Klod?sch to slaughter innocent civilians?”
Siran froze but did not turn around. “Klod?sch?” He shook his head. “You must be mistaken. There would be no reason to —”
“No reason except that the fae there are Drathen,” Sorsha spat. “Have you not been listening? The king you are so loyal to sent soldiers to a remote mountain village for the sole purpose of destroying a Drathen settlement and slaughtering innocent fae.”
The captain turned to the princess, his face ashen. When he spoke next, his voice was barely a whisper. “I would never question your integrity, Highness. But if what you are saying is true, then things are even more dangerous for you than I feared.”
Siran gripped her arm, drawing her close. I glanced up at Adriel, expecting to find him glowering at the captain, but the royal guard’s expression was devoid of emotion.
“Highness, if Alfrigg is breaking the accord struck by your mother, then you are no longer safe here. If he is so brazenly slaughtering Drathen fae, I can’t imagine he would hesitate to kill the former queen’s only legitimate heir. Especially if he were to catch wind of your . . . sympathies.”
“Sympathies?” Sorsha wrenched her arm out of his grip, looking disgusted. “How can you say that about your own people?”
Siran’s expression tightened, and he cut a quick glance at Kaden before lowering his voice even more. “They are not my people, Highness. Nor are they yours.”
Sorsha paled, her turquoise eyes narrowing in an icy glare. “All the fae of Anvalyn are my people,” she hissed. “Just as they were my mother’s people.”
For the first time, the captain looked sheepish. “Forgive me. I did not —” He broke off. “I only meant that these are dangerous times, politically speaking. For you in particular.”
Siran reached for her again, but the princess bared her teeth, and he seemed to think better of it. His brow furrowed. “I do not wish to see you get hurt.”
“Do not concern yourself with me,” Sorsha seethed. “Concern yourself with the wishes of your future king, even if he is Drathen.”
Siran blanched.
Kaden looked much more smug than he had any right to, standing on the battlements of an outpost under Alfrigg’s command.
“Highness,” the captain spluttered. “You know that I would do anything for you, but this battalion is not under the command of the demon prince. I will not send my soldiers to their deaths.”
Her nostrils flared. “Then you send me to mine.”
Siran winced. “Highness —”
“Forgive me, Captain. But I will not stand idly by as my people are slain, their homes and livelihoods destroyed. My brother will take the throne. But he cannot stand against the false king until Semphrys is defeated. Until we have stopped the scourge that is killing our lands.”
Siran opened his mouth as though he might interject, but the princess rolled on. “If you will not stand with me, then you stand against me.”
The captain sighed, looking much older than he had before as he dragged a hand down his face. I could see him warring with himself, caught between his sense of duty and his loyalty — and whatever else he might feel — to Sorsha.
“I will not order my men to fly on Dorthus. I cannot.” He turned to Kaden. “You have the night to rest and replenish with whatever supplies you need. Tomorrow, you must depart.”
Siran paused, seeming to steel himself for what he had to say next. “I cannot allow the exiled princess to take command of my battalion. But if her half-demon brother attempted to sway my troops before his departure . . . that would be out of my hands.”
We were on our own.
That thought kept ringing in my head as one of the Drathen soldiers led us to the barracks after evening mess.
We had no army. No advantage. It was us against the demon king’s forces.
Coming here had been a waste of time, despite Sorsha’s best efforts. Siran was duty-bound to a fault. He would not risk his troops or his position to help the princess, no matter what he might feel for her.
The dark-haired fae didn’t say a word as he led us down the cold, narrow passage to our quarters, though I did see him glance at Kaden before averting his eyes.
How strange, I thought, for this soldier to be in the presence of his prince. Kaden shared the male’s heritage, his culture, his customs. And yet, he was an outcast. Unwelcome in the fort that had once belonged to his people and was now under the command of a tyrant king.
Our quarters were cramped and modestly appointed. A single bed stood against each wall, draped in scratchy linen blankets that smelled faintly of mildew. A wooden chest sat opposite each bed, and between the beds, a small table with a flickering oil lamp.
A fire burned low in the hearth, and there was a copper bucket filled with what I could only assume were dehydrated dung pellets. There were no trees on the island for the soldiers to burn for heat, and the smoke gave off a strange, earthy aroma.
“Quite the warm welcome,” Kaden quipped as we took in the tiny room. “Chambers fit for a bastard prince and his concubine.”
I tossed him a sidelong glare, but my heart wasn’t truly in it.
I’d nearly lost him back in the Ravenous Woods. With our hurried flight to Cragsmuir, I hadn’t had much time to dwell on it, but now that we were finally safe –– at least until tomorrow –– it hit me like a punch to the gut.
I was still furious with Kaden for all his secrets, but I didn’t want to fight. Not now. Not tonight. Not when this might be our last evening together.
Perhaps I’d inadvertently sent some of my terror down the bond, because Kaden’s eyes softened. “Why don’t you take a nice hot bath? It’s the only thing that will chase away the chill on this godsforsaken rock.”
At his words, I felt a soft wave of magic, and I wandered into the attached bathing chamber and found a deep copper tub filled to the brim. A small window overlooked the raging sea below, and tantalizing tendrils of steam drifted from the water’s surface.
Closing the door, I began stripping out of my soaked leathers and the sweaty layers beneath. The cool air of the bathing chamber nipped at my skin, and when I finally sank into the gloriously hot water, I could not suppress my groan of pleasure.
The heat seeped into my bones, chasing away the chill of our flight and the spartan barracks. My muscles relaxed after hours spent clutching Kaden as he flew us over the sea, and yet the warmth of the bath could not thaw the icy dread that had taken root in my gut.
I closed my eyes. Tomorrow we would fly to Dorthus to kill the demon king. Without the aid of the Drathen army, I couldn’t fathom how we’d infiltrate the palace, let alone make it out alive.
I wasn’t afraid for myself, but I couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.
“Kaden?” I called, my voice carrying inside the stone chamber.
Slowly, the door to the bathing room creaked open.
Kaden stood in the doorway, shirtless. His leathers were slung low on his hips, revealing the V of sinew that led below his waistband. His tattoos were a chaotic swirl of ink, undulating in time to his ragged breaths as his gaze flitted to the tub.
“Need help washing your back, little huntress?” Kaden purred, his voice sending sharp tingles humming from the base of my spine all the way down to my toes.
“Are you volunteering?” I’d meant for the question to sound bold, but it came out breathy and high-pitched.
A devious look swirled in his eyes, which seemed to crackle with heat. “Always.”
My breath caught as he prowled toward me, his bare feet silent on the smooth stone floor.
Sinking to his knees beside the tub, he grabbed a bar of soap off the ledge, along with a small linen towel draped over the side.