Chapter 46
Chapter
Forty-Six
Tap, tap, tap.
My fingernails clicked against the wood of the desk I sat in front of.
From beyond it, King Franlow stared at Sawyer and I, his eyes refusing to blink until one of us spoke, which neither of us had the guts to do.
We weren’t exactly sure how much he heard, so the better option was waiting for him to have the first word.
After minutes of pure silence and heated glares all around, the king leaned forward and sighed, his tone threatening when he finally spoke. “I owe Mr. Hawthorne no favors, and I will not hesitate to throw you both out on your asses if you refuse to speak.”
I ground my jaw. On the walk here, Sawyer had whispered in my ear and told me to lie, and I could, but what was the point? We needed this man as our ally, and if I got on his bad side, we were screwed.
“I am not exactly sure what you think you heard, Your Highness, but I’m sure this is a misunderstanding,” Sawyer chimed in, using his charisma and a half smirk to try and get us off the hook.
“Yes you do,” the king contested, no room in his tone to disagree with his assertive claim.
I glanced over at Sawyer, giving him a subtle shrug of dismissal before turning my attention onto King Franlow, focusing my gaze on his gold and silver crown instead of his disapproving scowl.
“In addition to mind compulsion, I can manipulate the stars. The working theory is that I hold all of the other godly power that Blythe formerly had. Hence the extent of my powers that you witnessed.”
Before the king could open his mouth to explore his barefaced confusion, I continued.
“I’ll answer any questions you have, but before I do, you need to swear that this stays between us.
If this information gets out…” I shook my head as I tried to search for the exact words I desired that could accurately describe the importance of keeping this information secure.
“More specifically, if Cyprian Beaumont finds out, we might just be even more fucked than we already are.”
King Franlow dipped an eyebrow, at my word choice or my whole spiel, I was unsure..
“Doesn't he know of your magic?” was all he asked.
“The starlight and mind compulsion, but I don’t think he knows the extent of it. He claims he knows about the markings, but I don’t believe that he truly does.” I scratched my head. “I’m not sure exactly what he knows.”
“Sebastian should have told me this,” Franlow groaned then leaned back in his chair, his polished robe melting into the velvet cushion.
He crossed his arms over his chest before twirling a strand of his beard around his finger.
“I don’t need to, nor do I want to ask any questions.
The less I know, the better. But this changes things.
I can’t help you now that I know this. It risks too much, my civilians most importantly.
Pack your bags, and I’ll have a rider escort you back to where you came from in the morning.
When you return, make sure you tell Sebastian how disappointed I am in him. ”
Without another word, he gestured towards the door with a nod, silently directing us to exit his premises.
Shit.
Maybe I should have lied—played it off as an inside joke. But I really thought he would see right through that. If I had learned anything in the past few months, it was that I was better off being honest.
Sebastian was going to be pissed.
Sawyer was going to kick my ass.
Did I even bother trying to sweet talk my way out of this?
During my moment of hesitation during which I swiftly contemplated all of my options, Sawyer took the reins.
Sawyer cleared his throat. “With all due respect Your Highness, no. We aren't leaving, and you are going to stick to your end of our deal. You said you would help us when Azain returned and acknowledged our claims, and that is what you are going to do. This changes nothing. Your kingdom and civilians are in a great deal of danger regardless of this information, and you will help us if you want to save them,” Sawyer snarled the order, his voice so fierce that even I wouldn’t try to argue with him.
Franlow looked taken aback, his eyebrows arched into his scowl. “I don’t take orders from guards,” he spat.
“I don’t take shit from men who won’t hold their end of a deal,” Sawyer shot back with a look that was a force to be reckoned with.
Franlow clicked his tongue, glaring Sawyer and me down while he carefully contemplated his word choice.
“Just think about it,” I spoke up, my arms positioned in surrender.
“Although my friend here didn’t have the friendliest approach, he is right.
And I know that deep down, you know it, too.
We are the best chance you have at keeping your kingdom in one piece.
My potential title changes nothing as long as it stays between us. ”
When he didn’t respond, I inquired, “Can we put this conversation on hold? Discuss again this evening after you have had some time to think about it?”
With a heavy sigh, King Franlow’s heated gaze dropped to the desk. “Fine. Go to your rooms and stay there until I send someone to retrieve you.”
He didn’t speak another word, nor look up as we left.
I followed Sawyer out, and once in the hall, we began to speed walk back to my room.
“Do you think he’ll go for it?” I asked.
“I dunno,” Sawyer whispered, not breaking his attention from his long strides up a pearly white staircase. “I would pack your bag. Just in case we get thrown out on our asses tonight.”
My lips fell into a frown. “I sure hope he doesn’t do that. It’s getting cold in the evenings now.”
Sawyer snorted. “The weather should be the least of your concerns. I’d be more worried about getting eaten by a Hykah on the journey back.”
My feet kept moving, but my body felt utterly frozen. “Do you think they're out there? The Hykahs? Just wandering about the forest?”
“Probably a few. Beaumont let at least one loose to go to Lumosia. I would bet my right arm that he set more than one free.”
Sighing, I pushed open the door to Sebastian’s and my room. Sawyer stopped in the doorway, not entering until I ushered him in. “Come on. I don’t want to be stuck in here all night alone. How boring,” I whined.
He entered, closing the door behind him while I moved to a chair and threw myself back into it. “You were right. I should have lied.” I blew air out in bubbles through the tight seal of my lips.
Sawyer shrugged and leaned back against the doorway, crossing his arms. “I have a tendency to be right.”
I rolled my eyes.
After playing a very competitive game of chess, flipping through a few books that had been on the desk, and taking a two hour nap on the floor of all places, we watched the evening fog roll in through the window panes, a thick layer of condensation covering the glass.
I traced my finger over it, drawing stick-figures in the dew.
Three little people. Sebastian, myself, and another person—smaller.
“You want kids?” Sawyer broke the dead silence that had encased us for the last hour.
With my entire body curled into the chair I sat in, I answered without looking at him.
“I always did—my entire life.” I sighed, pulling my legs closer to my chest. “Now with all this shit going on, I don’t know.
Selfishly, yes, I want kids. But I know that bringing a child into my mess wouldn't be fair to them.”
“Fair-schmair,” Sawyer drawled. “It’s not selfish to want the things you've always wanted. You deserve to have some say in your life; especially after all the shit you have had decided for you.”
“I suppose.” I nodded and turned to face him, where he still lay on the floor, tossing his unsheathed dagger back and forth between his hands in a dangerous game.
“Do you want kids?” I asked.
“No,” he answered before the question had even fully left my lips.
My head cocked. “Why not?”
He caught the dagger in one hand and tucked it into his thigh sheath before rolling up to sit. “Do you know how many siblings I have?”
I shook my head, having not even known that Sawyer had siblings. “How many?”
“I don’t know.”
My head shifted to the other side. “Oh?”
“I don’t know because my birth parents gave me away the moment I took my first breath. At least so I’ve been told.”
I sat up straight in my chair, giving him my full attention. “Wait, the duke isn’t your real father?”
Sawyer shook his head. “Not biologically, no.” He pushed to his feet, granting me a stern glare accompanied by a pointed finger. “That stays in this room, though. Him and my mother don’t know that I know they aren’t my birth parents.”
“What does that have to do with you not wanting children?”
His jaw tightened and relaxed a few times before he answered softly under his breath. “I would never want a child to know how it feels to not be wanted.”
My heart sank into my stomach. “But if you wanted them, then they wouldn't feel that way. I mean, I’m sorry about your birth parents and I am not trying to diminish your feelings about that, but clearly the duke and your mother wanted you. If they didn’t want a child, they wouldn’t have taken you in. ”
Sawyer shuffled a little where he stood. “People lie about what they want.”
My heart fell out of my stomach, plummeting downward until it hit my toes. “Sawyer…” I stood up, speaking softly as I approached him. “Don’t say that. I’m sure that isn’t true.”
“Oh trust me, Maeve, it’s fucking true. It’s not as black and white as you think. Sometimes I swear they only took me in because it made them look good.”
I wanted to ask follow up questions on that, but refrained, as this was clearly not a topic he planned to delve deep into. I wondered if Sawyer’s typical sarcastic demeanor was simply a deflection of his true feelings.
Changing the subject, I asked, “What do you want for the future then? Where do you see yourself in ten years?”
Without hesitation, he answered, “Dead.”
My eyebrows cocked upright. “Seriously? Come on. Give me a real answer.”