Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE
Rylan
I barely register the guards’ greetings as I pass them in the hall. For once there’s a spring in my step when I leave the council meeting, my mind on Eira and telling her about my plan to have her join me on the trip I’ve just been re-assigned to to Larethia. I’m buzzing with the thought of all the time we’ll have to ourselves, away from the prying eyes of the castle. Already, I have a list of places I can’t wait to show her on the way, some of the places I’ve grown to love in my beloved kingdom, places I never thought I’d take another single soul.
The doors to my father’s private library loom ahead, and I step through them quietly, anticipation dancing in my chest at seeing her. And there she is, practically dwarfed by the piles of leather-bound tomes on the table in front of her, as she pores over some thick book, completely lost in her own world. Creeping up behind her, I lean in and plant a quick kiss on the side of her bare neck. She jumps, letting out a startled yelp .
"Rylan!" She glares at me, her expression a mix of irritation and amusement. "You scared the life out of me!"
I chuckle, settling into the chair beside her, and lift my feet to rest on top of one of the stacks of books, crossing them at the ankles. "Well, if you weren’t so absorbed in these dusty old books, you’d have noticed me."
She swats at my feet but gives me a smile that warms every last corner of my only recently cold, armoured heart. "These ‘dusty old books’ are full of fascinating histories and secrets. You should try reading one sometime."
Nibbling on her ear, I whisper, "Or you could read them to me, while I find something entirely more enjoyable for us both to do with my mouth…"
A flush rushes up her neck, followed by her eyes turning dark with want, but before she can respond, the door swings open, and Caelum strides in, looking even more excited than usual.
He triumphantly holds up a folded piece of parchment. "Here it is!"
I growl at the intrusion, but Eira ignores me and claps her hands together, excited. "Yay! You have it?"
Caelum pulls out the chair on the other side of her and sinks into it, blatantly ignoring me when I throw him a warning glare not to sit too closely to her. He hasn’t said much to me since I left him with no doubt that Eirabella and I are involved. Not that it’s stopped him from taking up too much of her time with their shared love of puzzles.
"Well, I thought we should read the actual clue, so that we can get the exact wording. You know how that could make all the difference with these puzzles." He places the letter between them on the table. “It was so clever of Aunt to write it in this special ink! I wonder where she found it? It’s just lucky that I was in bed last night thinking about your idea that she could’ve hidden it on the actual letter and had to use my Strength for light to read it.” He glances up at me, with a look of mischief I know all too well in his eyes. “Oh, and Stumpy, want to know what else I was thinking about you while in bed last night?” He flirtatiously winks and reaches out as if to touch her.
I snarl, my insides burning with jealousy that he has a nickname for her that has some secret meaning to which I’m not privy. Lowering my foot to the bottom of one of the stacks of books, I let out a single cough, poorly disguising the sound of me giving the stack a solid kick and watching the heavy tomes tumble all over my cousin’s stupid head. It’s hard to snicker silently when he yells out in pain.
“Hey! What the fuck was that for, arsehole?” Caelum jumps to his feet, picking up one of the books as if to fling it at me.
I plaster an innocent look on my face. “What? My foot slipped when I was coughing. Had something in my throat.”
“Like what?”
“It tasted like a speck of ‘stop fucking calling her Stumpy!’ ”
He smirks, knowing he’s gotten to me. “Fine. I’ll just call her ‘honeypie’. Do you prefer that, Eira?”
“Try it and die , dungpile,” I hiss, low and threatening.
“Dungpile? That’s the best you can do as crown prince? More like the mayor of I’m Such A Huge Fucking Dick-ingtonville,” he taunts.
“Sounds like you’re just jealous I have a huge fucking dick,” I reply with about as much maturity as the first time I taunted him with that line almost twenty-five years ago.
Eira clicks her tongue. “For Morath’s sake, stop it, you two! Caelum, stop antagonising your easily riled-up cousin. And Rylan, stop being so easy to rile up.”
“But he started it!” Caelum and I protest both at once.
She reaches around and slaps us both upside the head. “ Shut up, the both of you, I’m trying to read!” Her eyes start intently reading off the letter, her fingers tracing the lines on the page. Throwing one last glare at my cousin as he sits back down on his chair, I drape my arm over the back of Eira’s chair and glance over at the parchment on the table between them. The sight of my mother’s elegant handwriting sends a streak of almost unbearable grief through me.
I shift in my chair, trying to distract myself from the surging ache in my chest.
Eira immediately senses something’s wrong, and a quick glance at my face still staring at the letter tells her all she needs to know. Without a word, she reaches under the table to lay a warm hand on my thigh. The touch instantly grounds me, and I place my hand on top of hers, lacing my fingers with hers, taking a deep breath, feeling the pain ease to a bearable level.
Feeling my muscles ease under her touch, she gives me a smile and reads aloud from my mother’s letter, “The puzzle reads: ‘In light, truth is revealed; in shadow, it is concealed. Seek where the colours of dawn and dusk intertwine, and there the future will be unlocked by the flow of water’s strength’ . Do you have any idea what that might mean, Rylan?”
Her gesture of including me fills a void deep in my chest. I give her a soft smile in gratitude. “Not really. I’m not as cunning as you,” I add with a wink, to which she responds with an adorably wolfish smile.
"Colours of dawn and dusk?" she murmurs, turning back to her musings and furrowing her brow. "It has to be somewhere specific. Somewhere where light and shadow meet?"
"Maybe it’s in Aunt’s courtyard. She spent so much time there, just sitting sipping her tea and staring out at the sky," Caelum suggests. "Oh! And there are those twin statues of Dawn and Dusk, standing by the old fountain. Perhaps there could be a clue hidden there. "
I nod. "Quite possibly, she did like to sit there, and that sounds like it fits the clues."
Eira gifts me a smile for my contribution and squeezes the hand on my thigh before turning to face my cousin as he paws at her arm, trying to get her attention. I lean over and say in a loud whisper so he can hear, “Would it be awfully rude of me if I dragged him out of the library by the back of his chair? Or maybe I could just call Mathis in and have him taken out by the guards.” She shushes me with another squeeze of my leg, without looking back at me.
For once Caelum doesn’t notice; he’s too engrossed in the puzzle. “What do you think of the line ‘flow of water’s strength’ , Eira? Could it be tied to one of the rivers running through the kingdom? Water and light…”
Her face screws up in intense concentration. It’s mesmerising to watch, and somehow I manage to refrain from leaning over and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Well, is there a place where two rivers meet, like at the Elowyn Bridge?" Her eyes widen, sparkling. "Or it could be something more metaphorical. Water’s strength could represent flexibility or adaptability. Maybe the puzzle is telling us to be open to different interpretations, not just literal ones."
Caelum nods, absentmindedly as he weighs up the options. "You might be right… Let’s write down all our ideas. And then we can rule them out one by one."
Eira nods and picks up her quill, laying out a blank piece of parchment. "We can start with any that might require us to check the archives while we’re in the king’s private library. There are all those ancient scrolls with references to the elements, especially water."
I lean back again, keeping my hand on hers, watching them go back and forth, tossing out ideas. They have some promising theories, but I’m not sure any of them fit just yet. As much as I loathe to admit it, my cousin does have an affinity for these puzzles, something he shared with my mother. It was the cause of no small amount of envy for myself and my sisters.
Just as Eirabella and Caelum get up to search through my father’s library for a specific text, Elara strides in, her expression as cool and composed as ever.
"Rylan," she says, her voice firm. "I need to speak with you. Alone."
I glance at Eira and Caelum, giving them a nod before standing up. "I’ll be back."
Elara leads me into the hallway, her face unreadable, and hands me a piece of parchment without a word.
"What’s this?" I ask, warily.
“It’s a list of names of prospective wives.”
“Oh, I’d hoped you were just teasing when you said that it was time for me to marry.” I half-joke, trying not to think that if I were to actually have to marry soon, I’d hardly need a list of suggestions. There’s only one name I would ever consider.
"Relax. That’s not for you," she replies, with a roll of her eyes. "The council has come up with a list of candidates for Father’s next wife."
My blood runs cold. "A new wife?" I can’t keep the edge of anger from my voice. "They’re already talking about this?"
Elara meets my gaze evenly. "The mourning period is over. You knew this was coming, brother. Our queen is gone. This is what needs to be done. This is always how it’s been done.” She points at the list in my hands. “I strongly suggest you look at the list. Give your input.”
I grip the parchment tighter, the fury bubbling up in my chest. Not for the first time, I wonder how antiquated the rules of this kingdom have become. "How can you even think about this? About replacing her? She’s barely cold, and you’re already planning the next marriage? "
Elara’s eyes flash, but her tone remains calm. "It shouldn’t be me at all; this is your job. I’m thinking about the stability of Celador, during a time the kingdom needs it."
I shake my head, my anger rising. "I thought you would be the last person to want a new queen. After all, once Father remarries, you’ll no longer get the freedom you’ve enjoyed since taking on Mother’s duties. You’ll go back to being just ‘Princess Elara.’" It’s unfair, and I know it. She’s actually done a good job holding the family together when we all wanted to fall apart. It’s not her fault that we disagree on how the kingdom should be run.
Her jaw tightens, but her voice is steady. "Unlike you, I’ve always been perfectly content with my role. I’ve always known exactly where I stand."
I take a step closer, lowering my voice. "What exactly are you suggesting, Elara?"
She gives me a searing look. "Nothing. Just that I have always known that I’m just a princess, not the queen. Just as you, Rylan, are the crown prince. Not the king. Not yet, no matter what you think. And I bet sometimes that eats away at you, doesn’t it?” The bite in her voice stings. These are thoughts I’ve always known she has, but has never outright spoken. “To not be in power. Bothers you so much that you’d do anything to change it."
I want to fire back, to tell her she’s wrong, but the words stick in my throat. She’s always known how to get under my skin, how to push the right buttons. Before I can respond, I hear soft footsteps approach us and Eira steps around the corner, her face bright and unaware of the argument in session.
"Caelum and I are going for a walk in the gardens to have a look at… something," she says with a cheeky grin, enjoying the conspiratorial nature of the puzzle. "Would you like to join us?" Her eyes flick to Elara. “Princess Elara, we’d love the honour of your company as well. It’s such a lovely day out,” Eirabella adds, her kindness never knowing any bounds.
My sister has the temerity to glare at my disciple for interrupting us. If I wasn’t worried about giving up the secret of our relationship to her, I’d be giving my sister a very angry piece of my mind about how she treats Eirabella. For someone who always hoped she could fill my mother’s shoes, Elara lacks the compassion that the late queen was beloved for. I take a deep breath, pushing aside the fury and the knot of emotions that Elara stirred up. My sister and I may never agree on many things, but I need to pick the fights that matter. Giving Eirabella a soft smile, the anger in me dissipates at the mere sight of her smiling back at me.
"Elara is busy ensuring the stability of the realm. But I’d like nothing more than to go for a walk with you and my dear cousin."