Chapter Thirty-Eight
Wyatt
My blood pumps in my ears, my fists clench at my sides, itching to take my frustration out on something. Anything. I knew something wasn’t right with him, I knew he couldn’t be trusted.
I had every intention of giving Andi the bad news about her family, but now. How can I put yet another burden on her shoulders? No, this one is mine to bear.
My thoughts spiral, and I need to do something. My focus darts between the training field and Caelan’s hut. I could release the pent-up anger, or I could put it into a discussion with Caelan. Better yet, I could take it out on Myles.
No. Andi won’t like that.
Grudgingly, I force myself to the chiefs, before I do something I know I’ll regret. Marching up to Caelan’s door, I don’t even knock, I just barge in. Caelan slumps over paperwork on his chaotic desk, his hands gripping his hair.
“Caelan, I need to talk to you.” With a huff, he swivels around impatiently waiting for me to continue. “I want to go and get my family back. Andi needs them.”
“I can’t spare you right now, troops are still advancing in the mountains.”
“But I—”
“Just listen to me. Please.” He gestures to a chair and heaves himself up, lumbering over into his large throne. I fall into the chair, my knuckles blanching against the hard wooden arms.
“With so many injured, we need time to recuperate. To heal. My usual scouts for Zury are out of action. What we need to do is come up with a plan, but in the meantime, I want to show you something.”
Caelan reaches into a wooden chest, with a heavy iron latch on the top, he pulls out a black stone about the size of my palm.
Holding it up between his fingers, golden swirls swish and sway, like the aurora lights are trapped inside this little vessel.
Caelan places the stone on the floor, and after mumbling words I don’t understand, the stone ignites, blinding light spills into every corner of the room.
In the centre of the light, floating above the stone is a castle.
“This is an Echo stone.” Entranced by the strange image, I ease closer, and Caelan stands behind me.
“This is Adrian’s castle. For years, we have been scouting Zury, looking for the secret entrances and the best way into the castle.
Every trip, people add their memories to the stone to build us an identical picture. There is a lot we’ve still to build.”
The castle mirage opens at Caelan’s touch, transporting us into a mirror image of inside the castle.
Furniture, paintings, and decorations are cleverly displayed in their rightful spots within the castle.
With a swish of his hand, the image drives us forward, down hallways, into rooms, spiralling down staircases.
Until we reach the lowest level of the castle.
“The dungeon is down this way, however, we have yet to find a way in. But… I don’t believe Adrian would risk keeping such valuable prisoners in his dungeon.
Our intel tells us this at least. He is vain, but he is far from stupid.
Until we know the full layout of the castle, it would be suicide to storm it now. ”
“Then let me go. I can sneak in unnoticed and figure out the rest of the layout.”
Caelan shakes his head, “I can’t do that. Andi needs you here. With everything she has suffered, she needs the one person she can rely on.” He steps forward, mumbling another set of unfamiliar words, and the piercing light dwindles into nothing. All that remains is the golden swirls of the stone.
My heart is tearing into pieces. One for Andi and how she needs me here, the other for Nia and Elana, and the last for Nu’cov. Each is equally important to me, if I proceed in one direction, the others suffer. Nothing I do can help all three. How do I choose?
I slump into the chair, with my head in my hands. “What am I supposed to do?”
“There is no easy answer. But I propose, we send someone out. Someone who can blend in well with city life. I will give them one of the twin Echo stones, that way they can relay messages and updates as they go. You will stay here. Help Andrina in whichever way she requires.”
“You’ll keep me posted with the updates?”
Caelan nods. “When I know something, you’ll know it too.”
Pushing up from my knees, I saunter towards the door. “Did you tell Andi that you knew her family? The Tanith’s, I mean?”
Caelan shakes his head. “I carry a lot of guilt in regard to them. I don’t want her to feel like I’m putting unnecessary pressure on her. When, or if, she chooses the throne, I will be there to guide her as I did her grandfather.”
“I just hope all these secrets don’t hurt her. She is already so fragile at the moment with everything going on.”
“She’s stronger than you realise.”