Chapter 39 Erik #2
Kole shrugged. “In a way, perhaps she has, but the poison there was my own. She helped to clear the fog created by my mind. Someone who can show that kind of patience, to care enough to help the male who is keeping her prisoner, is someone worthy of my faith.”
Iver scrutinized Kole a moment before his features smoothed, and he again took on a casual and relaxed demeanor. “Well, that settles it. She will be free to decide her future without our attempt at forcing her hand.” He then turned to me. “Unless you disagree?”
“We will wait and see what happens,” I stated.
Edmond’s eyes grew wide, as if he could not believe what was being said.
He had not expected Eislyn and Kole to both agree with me.
“You have spent far too long with this Bavadrin, brother. She has clearly wormed her way through your brain. Have you forgotten the entire reason she was here? That our sister is out there somewhere while we sit here entertaining protecting some enchantress!”
A growl rumbled through my throat. “Mind who you are speaking with, brother. For I am first your King.”
“She needs to be killed, if not for our sister, then to free you all from her spell.” Edmond seethed.
“If not for our sister?” Iver exclaimed with mocking surprise. “Spirit knows Iona is a troubled soul. But I doubt our sister would desire the blood spilled from an innocent girl in her name. Especially one who may yet be a powerful ally.”
“You truly agree with him?” Edmond looked at Iver while pointing a thick finger at me. It took all my strength not to reach out and snap it in half.
Iver shrugged indifferently. “If you are looking for a brotherly vote on this subject, then I am afraid it’s looking like it would be a draw. But we do not vote in such manners. Our King decides.”
Somehow, Iver and I found ourselves on the same side of something. He likely enjoyed watching Edmond crumble from the situation he found himself in.
When had Iver decided to give the Bavadrin such a benefit of the doubt?
I heard Ariana and him speaking that night when they slept by the fire outside the tent after her Ascension.
He did not torment her, nor did he show any aggression towards her.
On the contrary, they seemed to genuinely have enjoyed each other’s company.
Was it possible that they found an odd friendship in one another?
“Ashes, she has completely wormed her way into your head too!” Edmond exclaimed.
Iver laughed, which only further fueled Edmond’s anger. “The only person who could handle being inside this impressive skull is me.” He tapped his head with a finger. “My brilliance is too powerful. It would turn any other brain to mush.”
Edmond stood abruptly, his chest rising and falling in quick succession. “I’ll take care of this Bavadrin witch as we originally planned.” Without waiting for a response, he flew across the room, fully prepared to track down Ariana and end her life.
“Edmond!” Jorn called out in warning, which was not heeded.
“Brother,” I spoke with a deathly calm.
Edmond broke his march, wavering just enough to hear my words.
“If you take another step, then I will see it as a challenge for the throne.” Though my voice was low, the weight of the warning riding on my words was heavy enough that it felt as though I had yelled them.
Edmond froze.
The King’s decision was not to be defied, and I had decided.
Acting against my desires at this point was a challenge for the throne itself.
And if it came down to that, then it would end in his death, for never again would the option of an exile be viable.
Not after the last one led to the problem we now had with Hedrek and his followers living in the mountains.
Edmond spun around on his heels, facing me.
“You choose that little sorceress over your family?” he yelled, angered by the invisible shackles he thought I had just put him in.
But those shackles had always been there, tied to a rope that at first was held by our father, and now me.
He was never free to decide such things.
“I choose not to unnecessarily ruin innocent lives,” I stated.
“What of our sister’s innocent life?” He was blinded by rage, unable to see the complete picture.
“I intend to find her, but I refuse to do it through the murder of someone not deserving of it. Our forces are still growing and in training. Preparing to defend our home from two fronts. Once they are ready, we will reach out to the Bavadrins to request access to move through their lands, and then we will attack the Sidhe. The goal is still to free our Lysians and our sister. That has not changed.”
Edmond did not respond, and for an entire ten seconds, we simply stared at one another while he fumed within. His hands balled into fists that he was powerless to throw.
Through clenched teeth, he finally spoke. “May I be excused?” It was about time he remembered his place in this family.
“You may, but I do not want to hear another word of attacking the Bavadrins if they have done nothing to provoke such a response. This is the last we speak of this.”
“Fine.” He turned on his heels and marched out, taking most of the tension in the room with him.
Iver released a low whistle, leaning back in his seat. “Now that was exciting.”
“I don’t have the patience for your games, Iver.” I glanced at him while he smiled.
He shrugged a carefree shoulder. “It’s no game. I agree with you, Erik.”
Jorn chortled. “To see the two of you agreeing on a matter like this—” He shook his head.
My attention shifted to our brother. “If you dislike my decision, then the invitation to challenge is open for you too.”
“No, Erik. I will not be challenging you. We both know I stand no chance against you. I just hope you know what you are doing.” Jorn rose to his feet to leave. He likely wished to console Edmond.
“Killing the girl would deprive the world more than it would do anything to help bring our sister back,” Iver commented as he watched Jorn walk away from us.
Jorn stopped, turning to view our little brother. “Deprive the world of what?”
Iver appeared to think it over a moment. “Someone kind, intriguing, and clever.”
Eislyn looked at Iver as if he were crazy. “Kind? Since when do you place any value in kindness?” she asked, unable to keep the surprise from her voice.
A broad and cavalier smile crossed Iver’s face. “Just because I do not care for it much myself does not mean that others cannot provide it for people.”
“You couldn’t care less for the weak. Isn’t that what you always thought? That kindness only benefits the weak,” Jorn pointed out.
“Oh yeah, the weak are of absolutely no use to me. The world would probably be better off getting rid of most of them. But it’s also nice of Ariana to be willing to help those less fortunate.
I certainly have no intentions of doing it myself.
” He stroked his chin. “Also, I would like to amend my previous notion, for the strong can also benefit from kindness. If it were not for Ariana’s kindness, then we may have lost our King a few weeks ago. ”
“You are remarkable.” Eislyn shook her head in disbelief.
“Thank you.” Iver grinned, knowing fair well that she was not complimenting him.
Jorn grunted a laugh, shaking his head as he left the room.
“Erik,” Eislyn said while glancing at the tables covered with paper. “Mind if I look through some of these things.”
“Help yourselves.”
Both Eislyn and Kole went to separate tables.
“What?” I turned to Iver, who was the last of my brothers left in the room. Yet, he was strangely staring at me.
“You surprise me,” he stated, tilting his head. “I would have never thought you would let a threat go, no matter how small. If we are wrong, then she is much more than a simple small threat. You know this. You have already considered all possibilities, yet you still let her go.”
I smiled tightly. “And look at you, cruel Iver caring about a weak Bavadrin woman.”
His eyes narrowed. “We both know she is not weak. As for me being cruel, I am certainly capable of it.” He looked at Eislyn and Kole.
Though the two of them were not interacting, they were in the same room with the furniture still intact.
“That’s new.” He nodded to them before turning to me once more.
“I think our Bavadrin friend may have had something to do with this.”
“How would she?” Kole and Eislyn had been at war for years.
We all felt the effects of their broken relationship.
When their bond broke, it reached my brothers and me as well, cracking ours.
We all used to be one unit, and now we were always divided.
After what happened between Kole and Eislyn, there did not seem a force powerful enough to quench the raging fires within both of them.
How was Ariana, someone who had not known their history, able to have a meaningful impact?
“I told her what happened between them. And now, several days later, Kole seems to have lost some of that deep-seeded rage. Do you think it is a coincidence? He even commented today that Ariana saw him for who he was, that she helped to clear a fog in his mind.” Iver smiled.
“Anyway, I am famished. See you later, my King.” He dipped his head in an embellished performance before taking his leave.
When Iver left the three of us, I too took to one of the open tables, combing over the documents. Hours passed, and each of us had not even reviewed half of the papers on each of our tables.
With a grunt, Kole’s hands slammed on the wood. “How can there be so much paper with such little information about the Sidhe.”