Chapter 29 Audryn
AUDRYN
The day pushed on, and after several attempts, I failed to get my father alone. Leanna kept me busy, rushing me from task to task and leaving zero time to myself. We barely had enough time to eat. And when we did, lunch was brought to us while she showed me the flowers she had chosen.
As if I wasn’t already sick from the dizzying plans and details, the cake still needed to be sorted. Dessert was normally my favorite course of any meal, but with little sleep, nausea edged my throat.
“We will have petit fours with almond cake and raspberry filling. In addition, chocolate truffles will be served to the guests,” Draven continued. “What is the final selection for your cake?”
I shrugged and looked down at the seven plates of half-eaten dessert. “Whichever is easiest for you.”
His face fell. He’d been so kind to me, yet I couldn’t be more uninterested in the entire spectacle. It wasn’t like I planned to even make it to the dessert table after the ceremony.
“Maybe you need to try the flavors again.” Leanna batted her lashes and pushed a plate toward me.
I sipped water from my glass. “I don’t think I can make another decision—you decide.”
She looked at the dishes thoughtfully and took another bite of each. “The lemon sponge is light and not too sweet. It is perfect for the event.”
“Okay. You know where to find me if you change your mind,” Draven said before leaving.
I stared out the window and at the sun setting over the sea.
Ironically, the water was calmer than ever, while my stomach was rippling.
I’d spent the day brainstorming how I’d get Jaspar inside the castle gates, but fell short.
If he couldn’t come to me, I’d need to go to him.
I couldn't leave my father behind while I met with my friend, so I’d need to get us both out.
I stood to leave, but Leanna placed a gentle hand on mine, encouraging me to stay. “Are you having doubts?” she asked sweetly. “I had doubts too. There are even days now that I wish I had waited to marry.”
My free hand fidgeted as I contemplated her angle.
If I opened up to her, she’d likely only try to convince me to push through.
She had dedicated herself to finding a wife for her brother.
Plus, the garden was prepared, and the castle had been beautifully decorated.
She couldn’t possibly support me in calling off the wedding.
“You can still walk away.” Leanna’s lips pursed. “There’s nothing that says you have to do this right now. My brother will understand.”
“I—”
The door opened, and Ryder sauntered in with a wide smile adorning his face. He picked up the fork and took several bites of each flavor of cake. “The chocolate is what we’ll have,” he said to nobody in particular.
Leanna scowled for a moment before she straightened her skirt and stood. “I will advise Draven of the change.”
“Let’s take a walk in the garden.” Ryder extended a hand to me.
I shook my head and left his hand hanging. “I don’t feel well and would like to sleep.” There was no reason to waste time pretending with the prince when I could focus my efforts on finding a way into town.
“That’s a good idea.” Leanna rested a hand on my shoulder. “It only makes sense that you still need to rest. I’ll walk you to your room.”
“Actually, we need to talk,” Ryder said to Leanna. He turned to me and placed a sticky kiss on my forehead. “I’ll take you to see the garden tomorrow.”
Not waiting, I hurried to my room and plopped down on the sofa.
I found the book on Kuroden still sitting on the small table where I’d left it several weeks prior.
I’d briefly scanned it before, but suddenly had a greater interest in reading about Col's heritage. As the sky fell dark, I found myself fully immersed in the kingdom’s history.
There was a light tap on the glass of my window, knocking me from my thoughts. I glanced at the door, half-expecting someone might barge in to investigate the noise. Tiptoeing, I locked both the main door and the one to the bathing room.
I lifted the corner of my bed and retrieved the resistance dagger I’d wedged between the footboard and the lower mattress. Pulling the drapes back, I peeked through the small space and jumped as Jaspar’s face pressed against the glass.
Heart pounding, I slid open the window. “What are you doing here?”
“Visiting an old friend.” He turned and looked down the path. “Are you going to let me in, or do you want me to get caught first?”
The instant I fully pushed the glass open, he jumped through and closed it behind him. He drew the drapes and peeked outside, pulling the fabric back less than an inch.
I gasped, seeing he wore a royal guard’s uniform. “Did you kill a guard?”
“You suddenly have a fondness for the guards? So much has changed since you’ve been here.” He tilted his head and smirked. “Or do you only have a thing for a man in uniform? Because I’m a man and, what do you know, I’m in uniform.”
Seeing his smile was something I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed. He was the closest thing I had to Kamden, and I’d spent so much time resenting him that I hadn’t appreciated him as a constant in my life.
“I missed you!” My arms wrapped around him, pinning his to his sides. “I can’t even believe you’re here! How did you—”
“Let’s save the ‘I miss you’ and ‘you’re so handsome’ for later,” he said through a chuckle and pulled back to look at me. “Did you fall?” He frowned. “You’re hurt. Fuck—your father said Sutton was all sorts of fucked up, but I hadn’t expected you to—”
I waved a dismissive hand and interrupted. “It’s fine. We have bigger things to deal with.”
Moving to the sofa, I gestured for him to sit. Filling him in on my relationship with Ryder was a waste of our limited time.
“I’m just going to come out with it.” I exhaled. “We’re set to be married Friday, but I need to get my father away from here. The king is unconscious, and I’m going to try to get to him tomorrow. But worst-case scenario—I’ll have to do it Friday after the ceremony, and then I’ll leave.”
“Has your father agreed to leave?” He scanned my face. “Because I can’t see a world where Kenelm is going to abandon you here while he flees to safety.”
“You need to convince him,” I urged. “He can’t get caught up in this, I don’t want him getting hurt.”
Jaspar sighed. “So you’re just going to marry the prince?”
“I’ll never have another opportunity. There’s no other choice.”
He shook his head, blew out a breath, and stared down at the floor.
“I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that, but I need to get a missive out to Kuroden’s King. He’ll let my father flee there, but I need you to send it.” I looked for a reaction, but his face remained plain. “He needs to go now, and I’ll leave as soon as I kill King Sutton.”
“I—”
“I can’t do it without you,” I said, not waiting for his words. My stomach dropped. Only a few times in my life had I truly needed to ask for help, and I hated every moment. But my father’s life was more important than my pride. “Will the resistance help?”
His face was strained. “I’m … I’m not sure anyone will help you at this point. Aside from me.”
“My brother did so much for the group though,” I continued. “They’ll want to help Kam’s sister.” He sat unmoving, and realization punched me in the gut less than a breath later. “Jezelle,” I whispered.
He nodded. “Yeah. We all knew how much you hated us, but that really solidified just how much.”
I couldn’t explain the way my mind twisted when Ryder was around and how I hadn’t thought things through properly. Even if I could convince him to believe me, it wouldn’t make up for my actions.
“I—” My breath stuttered. “I never hated you.”
“You blamed me.” His tone was firm. “You blamed the entire group. And maybe that’s why you did what you did.”
“He died because of the resistance.” The hurt in my voice couldn’t be masked. “How can you expect me not to blame your group for Kam’s death?”
Jaspar let out a long exhale. “He didn’t die because of us. He wasn’t doing any work for the resistance.”
“What?” My lungs clenched. “What do you mean?”
“He wasn’t caught using magic on our behalf, our members only risk using it when necessary.” He paused. “Kamden wasn’t doing work for the resistance when he was arrested.”
“What was he doing then?” I hadn’t thought of getting into the specifics of his arrest. It seemed pointless—knowing the details wouldn’t have changed the outcome.
“Growing peonies for a girl.” Jaspar picked at the fabric of the sofa.
“He was in the right place, but it was the wrong time. Guards turned the corner and swooped in before he had the chance to fight. He’d already been taken to the prison by the time word spread.
There was nothing I could do, not that I didn’t try. ”
I couldn’t consider the possibility that I’d had it wrong all along. Re-living the last year and a half and trying to right my wrongs with apologies wouldn’t help with my current crisis. With an aching chest, my resolve deepened.
“I’ll pay for their help—fund the endeavors of the resistance.
” My mind moved to the gems embedded in the cave and how Col said I could use them as I wished.
Of course I wouldn’t take them for free; I’d fix every seep in the mountains and work every inch of land into a garden to make up for their value.
He took a moment to consider and stole a look out the window again before returning to me. “I’ll try to convince them as a matter of goodwill, but if that doesn’t work, what sort of financial backing can you even promise?” He shook his head. “Your father doesn’t have much.”
“Our home.” Nausea swept over me at the thought of giving away the house I’d spent much of my life in. “Not just that. I have access to a gem-filled mine.”
I told Jaspar about the mine and Col’s promise. Not only about the mine, but I explained that all of my family and friends could live in Kuroden as well. I even offered to take anyone who wanted to leave with me, including those in his group.
“Get them to help my father,” I urged. “Even if they won’t help me, they’ll want to help him.”
His eyes flitted down to the couch and landed on his dagger. “Still going to use my dagger?”
“As if there’s any other way.” I smirked and dipped my chin.
“There’s a subset of the resistance within the castle—a chapter. It’s very secretive, more so than our neighborhood chapter. I don't even know all of its members, only know a few of them.” Jaspar lowered his voice. “Keep your eyes up for rubies. If they agree to help, they’ll display them.”
My mouth fell open. I’d assumed everyone within the castle walls had been loyal to the Suttons—until now.
“I’ll work on my people.” His hand gripped the back of his neck. “I’m sure you have reasons for what you did.”
“I—”
He continued, “Now isn’t the time. We owe Kam and I’ll make them listen. But ultimately, each member gets to choose if they want to take part in a mission. There will be some that refuse, but I’ll fight to get as many as possible.”
I stood and moved to the table of stacked books, selected a sheet of paper, and picked up the nearby pen. Carefully, I scribbled a note, folded it, and handed it to my friend. “Get it to Col, please.”
He placed the missive in his uniform shirt pocket.
“Roark,” I whispered as I read the aqua-colored thread woven into the shirt. “Is he ...?”
“You can’t ask questions, just look for the rubies. A hairpin, a necklace, the lapel of a shirt or the cuff on a sleeve.”
“How will I know what the plan is though?”
“You won’t. You’re going to have to trust those who choose to show up.
I need to determine how many commit first before I can even form a plan.
” Jaspar’s eyes went wide as the knob of my door jiggled, followed by loud banging.
He rushed for the window, sliding the glass open fast, letting it bang when it landed.
“The rubies,” he whispered, and he leapt out the window into the night air.
“Open this door!” Ryder’s voice boomed from behind the thick wood.