Chapter 32 #2
“What is that?” he hissed.
“Be quiet, or they’ll hear you,” I whispered.
I kept one hand firmly on the stone and the other tucked in Varius’s palm. A few seconds later, the first of the soldiers emerged from the barracks. Some were jogging down the hill, while others ambled at a leisurely pace. One tall, wiry figure shoved another and laughed at something he said.
A low hiss emitted from Varius’s lips, and I followed his gaze, my stomach hollowing.
Warwick was here.
“How the hell did he escape his cell?” Varius breathed, his chest rumbling with a growl.
I shook my head, warring between terror and anger. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Warwick. He was the tallest soldier, his bulky frame impressive compared to his peers. He strode downhill with a confident swagger that made my blood boil.
Bastard.
When over two dozen men were crowded at the bottom of the hill, Warwick clapped his hands together.
“All right, soldiers, you know what to do. Start with twenty laps. The one in last place has to take my spot in the dungeons tonight and relieve poor Rylen.”
Laughter and howls met his words, and Warwick grinned in response .
Varius was rigid beside me. I turned to look at him, and his eyes were dark with fury.
“They broke him out,” he whispered. “And left a decoy in his place. They… defied me. For him.”
His dark brows were knitted together in confusion. Something akin to hurt and shame filled his features.
He had been betrayed by his own men. I couldn’t imagine the pain this was causing him.
“Why is Warwick giving orders?” I asked quietly, changing the subject.
“Because Murvo is dead,” he said softly. “And Warwick is the First Lieutenant.”
My blood chilled. Murvo was dead? What the hell had happened? I scanned Varius’s expression again, but his face had transformed into a hard mask, giving nothing away.
“But none of that should matter because Warwick should be in the dungeons ,” Varius seethed. “These soldiers shouldn’t be running drills with him at all . Why are they acting as if everything is normal?”
Black shadows crept along the ground in front of us. I dug my fingernails into the back of Varius’s hand.
“Stop that,” I snapped. “I can’t camouflage your shadows.”
Varius’s gaze jerked to me. “How are you camouflaging us, exactly? I thought humans didn’t have magic.”
I bit down on my lower lip, considering how to respond. If I dodged the question, he would assume I had magic of my own.
I made a calculated decision and withdrew my hand from my pocket, showing him the topaz stone. “With this. It has magical properties. I found it in a cavern near my castle.”
Varius’s eyes sharpened as he looked over the stone. He reached for it, but I tucked it back into my pocket.
“If I let go, the magic stops,” I said by way of explanation, hoping he wouldn’t press further.
I returned my gaze to the soldiers, who had begun running laps around the length of the yard. Their strides were lengthy; at least twice as fast as I could ever run.
And Warwick was in the lead.
I felt Varius’s gaze on me. I hoped he didn’t notice how my palm began to sweat.
To distract him, I asked, “What does it mean that Warwick is in charge? Will all the soldiers follow him now? If so, that would explain why he seems so confident he won’t go back to that prison cell.”
“There’s a captain for every squadron,” Varius explained. “Until I appoint Murvo’s replacement, Warwick would have been in charge of this one. The others are commanded by different fae.”
I nodded, chewing on my lip. Just because these soldiers were loyal to Warwick didn’t necessarily mean they all were.
But was there a chance Warwick could persuade the entire regiment of soldiers to follow him instead of Varius?
No, I thought at once. Varius is their king. Surely he inspires more loyalty than some arrogant prick of a soldier.
Even so, doubt crept into my mind. I didn’t know anything about this court or its politics. For all I knew, the Necro Shadows looming nearby had caused the citizens to lose faith in their king.
And if Warwick claimed to know of a solution to the shadows, he could easily exacerbate the issue.
Varius and I remained silent as we watched the men run laps. It took them half an hour before Warwick stopped them. Panting, the men crowded together once more.
“Fallon is sleeping in the dungeons tonight,” shouted a soldier, and several others laughed.
“Shut up,” said the soldier who had to be Fallon.
“All right, all right,” Warwick said, raising his hands to silence everyone. That same cocky smirk was back on his face. I wanted to punch it right off .
I hadn’t noticed my fingers had clenched around Varius’s until he whispered, “Easy. He can’t hurt you here.”
“I’m not afraid. I’m furious. I want to claw out his eyeballs.”
Varius looked at me in surprise. Then, he chuckled. “You’re a violent little creature, aren’t you?”
I shot him a glare. “I’m not little.”
“To me, you are.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, by human standards—or rather, female human standards—I’m taller and thicker than the ideal wife. Father always said it was a good thing I’d be married to you instead of a human prince or noble. Nobody else would want a body like mine to warm their bed.”
I wasn’t sure why I was saying this. But the more I spoke, the more my anger dissipated. The rambling had a strange way of calming me.
At least, until a low hiss expelled from Varius’s mouth, and his shadows started swelling again. At first, I thought Warwick had done something.
Then, I realized the king was looking at me with venom in his eyes.
“Your bastard father actually said that to you?” he said through clenched teeth.
My lips parted as I realized he was enraged on my behalf. I snorted. “Don’t worry, I didn’t take it to heart. It’s not the worst thing my father’s said to me.”
“Well, he’s wrong,” Varius bit out.
I blinked up at him. “About what?”
“About your body being undesirable.”
My face flushed, and something hot coiled low in my belly at the intense way he held my gaze. “Is he?” My voice was slightly breathless.
Varius leaned closer until his mouth was mere inches from mine. “Do you not recall the way my body responded to yours at the revel?” His voice was low and sultry and made my blood heat. “That should be answer enough.”
My eyelashes fluttered, but I didn’t want to look away from him. I didn’t want to break this moment.
“No!” shouted one of the soldiers, jolting Varius and me from our heated moment. “Warwick, it’s too soon. We can’t .”
Shit. We had missed something important. Cursing myself for being such a fool, I loosened my grip on Varius’s hand and shifted slightly away from the alluring warmth of his body.
The Shadow King was far too distracting.
Other soldiers were shouting now, their protests melding together until Warwick stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. The crowd fell silent.
“I know you’re all concerned,” Warwick said loudly. “But with Murvo dead, our timeline has to be adjusted.”
Beside me, Varius went perfectly still.
“We need to rally whatever forces we have,” Warwick continued. “We still have the element of surprise on our side.”
“What if your contact isn’t ready?” asked a soldier.
“He’s been ready,” Warwick said. “I’m in direct communication with him. As of yesterday, he had a thousand men ready to march on the Shadow Court’s doorstep.”
My breath hitched, and my blood turned to ice in my veins.
Shit, shit, shit .
But which court was planning to invade? How could Warwick have rallied so many allies willing to attack Varius?
And who was his contact?
Warwick’s voice lowered, so I had to strain to hear what he said next. “In three days’ time, we’ll rendezvous at Chesser Road. I’ll give the signal for the all clear. And from there, we can make our move.”
Horror pooled in my gut, churning so violently I thought I might be ill. Varius sensed it and looked at me with a question in his eyes .
I couldn’t speak. If I did, I was certain I would be sick.
“What?” Varius whispered. “What is it?”
At long last, I found my voice. “Chesser Road… is the road that leads directly out of Terrona Castle,” I said in a shaky voice. Slowly, I looked up at him with grief and regret swelling in my chest. “ My castle. The kingdom that’s invading is the Earthen Court.”