Chapter 19
The Previous Day – Edras Mora
August continued to stare at Jai, a lecherous grin revealing yellowing teeth. His eyes were the color of watered-down mud, and his shoulder-length brown hair hung in greasy tendrils around his face.
“After all this time, the prodigal son finally returns,” he said, his nasally voice grating on Jai’s nerves.
“So this, the whole time, you knew,” Jai said. It was not a question but a statement. “You knew who I was when you ordered that archer to take me out,” he growled.
Adaryn, who had thought the injury was caused by their escape attempt in Idatia, slapped her hand to her mouth in shock. “You. Did. What?” she asked, pinning the haggard man with narrowed eyes. They normally held the innocence of a fawn, but at the thought of her uncle intentionally hurting Jai, they filled with barely contained fury.
“Yes, why don’t you tell her how you paid off an assassin to take out your own nephew?” Jai continued, coming to her side.
“I am quite offended that you would insinuate such a thing. Especially considering, since our sweet Princess Adaryn over here is unwed, I will be labeled steward, which makes you a traitor to the crown.”
Adaryn had heard enough. She shook the rafters when she yelled, “Guards!”
The two guards stationed outside the king’s quarters came rushing in, swords raised, expecting the worst.
Adaryn was about to have August arrested, but he spoke first.
“Arrest this man,” he said, pointing to Jai.
The tracker scoffed. “On what grounds?”
His uncle’s lips curled, as if hearing the punchline to a joke that only he understood. “For illegal tracking ventures and the assassination of the king.”
“He lies!” Adaryn screamed in Jai’s defense, unable to control her temper.
“The poor girl is distraught. He is her lover, you see. She has been seeing him behind the duke’s back and is no doubt an accomplice to her father’s murder.”
“You’re insane!” she spat as the guards moved to make their arrests. “He tried to kill Jai during my kidnapping. He was probably the one who had me kidnapped in the first place,” she said as they pinned her and Jai’s arms behind their backs.
“We will find a way out of this, Addy. Save your fight for later,” Jai said softly. He could have easily taken out the guards and cut down August himself, but what would that get them? It would leave Patrivah in political duress, and they would live a life on the run.
He turned his gaze to August and, to his uncle’s surprise, he smiled. “Maybe not tomorrow, or the next day,” he said, his voice eerily calm, “but you will receive everything you have ever deserved. I can only hope I am around to see it.”
And with that, they were removed from the room, stealing final glances at their late king, knowing they would not lay eyes on him again.
* * *
Frustrated,Jai slammed his fists against the stone wall of his cell until his knuckles bled. Finally, after unleashing all his anger toward his uncle on the stone, he sat down next to Adaryn in the ten-by-ten-foot cell.
“I wish you wouldn’t have done that. Now look at you,” she said, using a strip of fabric torn from the hem of her dress to wrap his injured hands.
“We need to get out of here,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Everett will come; you know he will.”
Jai’s plan had solely depended on the trust he had built with his childhood friend, and he was frustrated that Everett had yet to come to them.
“Well, you look like shit.”
The couple turned to see Everett and Erick standing next to the cell, holding a torch.
“About time you showed up,” Jai said, grinning. It had been a day and a half since they had been tossed into the dank cell with nothing but some hardened bread and water to satiate themselves. The chamber pot in the corner had been a whole other ordeal.
“We had to wait until everything settled down a bit. The entire castle is in an uproar, as you can imagine.”
Jai nodded. “I assumed as much. Now get us out of here.”
“I can’t.” Everett’s words were almost a whisper. “Your uncle made strict orders that he be the only person with access to the keys to your cell until you meet the noose.”
“Why has no one come to tell us we have been sentenced to death?” Adaryn asked, horrified.
“Your uncle seems to think you should not be provided such niceties,” Duke Erick answered. “He has turned our wedding day into a public execution. He plans to hang you both in the main market square to make an example of you.”
“How do you know all of this?” Adaryn asked.
“He seems to think I would be angry with you for committing adultery before our nuptials,” he said with a smile.
“So, where does that leave us?” Jai asked, pacing the cell.
“I have a plan, but it is risky,” Erick said. “The execution is set for three past noon, and they have decided to continue with the grand reception as a sort of celebration in the king’s honor.”
“Of course he did,” Adaryn scoffed. “Because why would anyone want a moment to mourn their king before going to a royal party?” She had been wringing her hands so hard that the knuckles had turned white.
“Mrs. Ferndale also received correspondence from Braexmirth that your friends are due to arrive sometime before lunch tomorrow. She had the letter burned, wanting to keep your uncle from knowing you have backup coming.”
“What about the letters of heritage? Do they mean nothing?”
Everett pressed his lips together, wishing he had better news. “Your uncle is the only one who can currently confirm or deny their legitimacy, and he is saying you had them crafted so that you would be named king upon the death of your father. He is saying it was all an elaborate plan.”
Jai groaned loudly, rubbing his hands down his face then grasping the bars of the cell. “I’m going to kill him!”
“And rightfully so, brother,” Everett replied. “But not before we get you out of here first.”
Jai’s eyes grew wide as Everett held up a baggy of questionable powder. “Is that what I think it is?”
“The cleanest batch you’ve ever seen.”
Jai wiped the smile off his face before admonishing his friend. “I thought you quit when I stopped drinking.”
“Yeah, well, I had to find some way to pass the time after you left.”
“Well, thank the Maker for your lack of self-control.” And just like that, their plan was set in motion.
* * *
Braexmirth - The Following Morning
Soren,Baz, and Enara were still shaken from their meeting with the king. They had struggled to hide their concern for their friend, not wanting to be seen as accomplices. News of Jai’s arrest had hit them all hard, and they could feel their hope dwindling.
Their concern for saving Entheas was multiplied ten-fold when a short, stout man came huffing and puffing to interrupt their breakfast with terrible news. Their hometown of Vreburn had been burned to the ground, and three other attacks had occurred across the provinces. Dhamtra had been leveled to nothing but a pile of rubble and sand, and the Esinian Isles had been ravaged by black beasts that no one could seem to describe.
“I worry, sir, that we may be next,” the informant said through a fit of coughs. “The attacks seem to be moving west. It won’t take long for the scourge to reach us once they enter Estelar.”
“I see,” was the king’s surprisingly simple response. “Thank you, Odhran, I will handle it from here. I recommend you stay with your family for the time being.”
The informant nodded and said, “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” before scurrying off.
The whole table had fallen into an uncomfortable silence as they waited to hear what the king had to say.
He eyed them one by one before he spoke. “Why do I have a feeling these attacks have something to do with you showing up on my doorstep?”
“Well,” Baz started, “there is no use beating around the bush now.” He stood, crossing his left fist over his chest and kneeling before the king. “I know I am a commoner to you, born to the country of one of your enemies, but there is true evil coming that does not care where we are born. They seek to destroy us all, and we have come to ask for your help.”
With impending war, the time for secrets was over, so the trio launched into a recap of everything they had experienced since the death of Soren’s father then held their breaths as the king seemed to contemplate their story.
By some miracle of the Maker, he sensed the truth behind their eyes and placed a large hand on Baz’s shoulder. “You are brave, son, just like your grandfather. Where you hail from is of no consequence to me. If our world is at stake, you can count on my soldiers to fight with you as your grandfather did for his people all those years ago. I’ll have Callan ready your horses. He will accompany you, along with Ikei and Ori. They are three of my finest soldiers, and you may need their help to free the new King of Patrivah.”
“Who will stay to protect you?” Soren asked, not wanting to leave the King of Braexmirth at a disadvantage.
He gave her a sly grin and responded, “My dear girl, if I can survive my wife, I can survive this.”
The trio laughed at his candor.
“My forges will rage once more. Give my metal smiths the week then return with your army. If we are going to face gods and monsters, we will do it with the strongest of armors and the sharpest of blades.” With that final statement, he waved them off, his twin guards trailing close behind.
They swiftly grabbed their belongings from their rooms and, along with Callan, the twins, and Saoirse, who refused to be left behind, they headed for the stables at the base of the mountain.
Their chattering stopped short as they entered the building.
“Well, this is a welcome party I wasn’t quite expecting,” Rook said, his blue eyes glinting.
Callan went to unsheathe his sword, but Soren stepped between them, halting the soldier’s attack.
“It’s okay,” she said and, to Rook’s surprise, followed it up with, “He’s with us.”
* * *
“Thinkshe will ever stop staring daggers into the back of my head?” Rook asked as they clopped along down the dirt road toward the ferry.
Over the course of the previous day’s travel, Enara had threatened Rook’s life no less than eight times, and Soren had to hold Baz back from punching him out twice. She couldn’t blame her friends for their reaction to him. She was still debating on smothering him in his sleep herself.
“Well, if you stopped antagonizing Baztien, she might hate you a little less,” Soren said with a pointed look.
Rook gave her that boyish smirk that filled her mind with frustration and other places with heat. “It’s not my fault the guy is a walking joke.”
The comment made Soren bristle. “At least he has a sense of humor, unlike someone I know.”
“If I recall, I made a few well-placed one-liners back at the manor.”
Soren snorted. “Oh, please, you have the humorous capacity of a chamber pot.”
“Did you just make me the butt of a joke?” Rook responded, the corners of his lips curling up into a smile that Soren couldn’t resist returning.
“Okay, fine, that was mildly funny.”
They rode on in companionable silence as Saoirse chatted animatedly with Callan.
Ori and Ikei had surprised everyone by being the most loquacious of the bunch. Throughout the morning, they had regaled the group with the story of how they had ended up in the king’s care. The beginning of their tale was hazy due to the fact that they had only been five when the events had started. They had a hard time remembering details of their parents, though they mentioned they had a sister who was two years their senior.
“They all think we are crazy,” Ikei said.
“The kids in Patrivah are another thing,” Ori continued. “They are not laughing now, though.” He grinned at his brother.
They had apparently excelled so highly in their combat training that they had been sent straight to the king’s guard after graduating, and then guarded the king himself after the previous men had aged out.
They had not been demoted, per say, but put into a position better suited for their skills. They had become trainers and teachers for the new recruits to the Patrovian army.
Loyal to the king and with a skill level to match their intellect, Ikei and Ori went on about growing up in the castle with Callan. They seemed forever grateful that the king-to-be was so accepting of his new adoptive siblings.
“My mother was no longer able to bear children after having me, so I was happy to gain two new brothers,” he explained.
Saoirse, it seemed, had joined the Olecastor boys six years prior when she’d joined the castle staff as a chambermaid, but her positive attitude and work ethic had gotten her promoted to head of house within two years. She had become fast friends with all three of the boys, but Callan was the one lucky enough to have gained her affections.
“I still think I could have you, if I didn’t feel so bad for my brother’s lack of courting skills,” Ikei said, leaning forward on his horse to poke Callan with his staff.
“You wish,” he replied, turning swiftly, causing Ikei to lose balance and fall off his horse.
“Are you just going to stand there?” Ikei asked, looking at his brother through the dreads that were blocking his view from the ground.
“No, I think you got this,” Ori replied, trotting onward.
Something inside Soren warmed as she looked at them. They reminded her of her friendship with Baz and Enara and, in some aspects, even Jai. Each its own group of misfits brought together by sheer chance and ended up being closer than any blooded family.
Her heart sank when her gaze fell back on Rook. Even with the explanation of what had happened to her father and the feelings she had been trying to ignore, she was still having a hard time trusting him. She worried that if they ever made it through all this alive, whatever their future held, it would not be this. It would always be them and him. She knew that it would never work, because if she had to choose between her friends and the man who stood before her, she knew what her answer would be. She would rip her own heart out and bury it in the sand before giving up on her family.
“What’s wrong, little bird?” Rook asked, his sapphire eyes searching hers.
“Nothing,” she replied.
He gave her a look that said he knew better, but he did not ask again.
* * *
Enara huffedout another breath as her and Baztien trudged along behind the rest of the group. She preferred to have everyone in her line of sight, especially Rook.
What does she see in him? she thought angrily.
“You know, I can practically see steam coming out of your ears,” Baz chirped.
“I want to trust her, Baz—you know I do—but I think she has a blind spot when it comes to him. I’m worried about her.”
“And that’s okay,” he said, reaching a hand across the space between them.
She reached back, giving it a squeeze before returning her grip on her reins.
“You’re allowed to worry,” Baz continued. “But you also have to let her make her own mistakes.”
“But if she makes a mistake now, it affects all of us,” she said in a resigned tone.
“Don’t forget that I have eyes, too. If there is anything, we will figure it out together, okay?”
She gave him a soft smile and nodded. “Okay.”
“We should probably also discuss what Rook said about Vreburn,” Baz prompted, brushing his hand through his hair nervously. It wasn’t a topic he wanted to bring up, but they were getting close to the provincial crossing, and he wanted to know Enara’s mindset going into the next stage of their journey.
She looked off into the distance for a moment to gather her thoughts. Rook had informed them of the fires that had ravaged their homes and that there had been few survivors. Baz thanked the Maker that his mothers were okay and that they had received his most recent letter, but Laraline and Alondra had also shared that the entire Montgrove clan, apart from her mother, had perished. Mrs. Montgrove had escaped their house with a broken arm and a few other scrapes and bruises, but Altair and Enara’s brothers, Rayden and Hawk, had been at the tavern. The Crow’s Nest had not had a single survivor.
Baz waited patiently for Enara to mull over her thoughts and was surprised when she said, “I don’t feel anything.”
This concerned him, as he had assumed she would be relieved to know her abuser was no longer living.
“I just mean, what difference does it make?” She fiddled with her reins as she fought to voice her feelings. “I thought I would feel a weight off my shoulders, but I don’t think I realized he already couldn’t hurt me anymore. The power he had over me was lost years ago when I moved in with Soren. The tether that bound us had already been cut.”
She released her breath slowly as she went on. “I don’t feel much for my brothers because we both know they would have ended up just like him. I pity my mother, and I don’t know how I will approach her if I see her again, but I wish her well. Will I be thankful that I will not have to see my father’s face again if we make it home? Yes. I am happy for that, I suppose, but Altair has been dead to me for a long time.” She shrugged. “At least now I don’t have to attend the funeral.”
“I’m proud of you, you know,” Baz said.
“Why?”
“Because you are an unstoppable force, Miss Montgrove,” he replied seriously. “You have lived a life of abuse and mistreatment from those who should have protected you the most. Every time he beat you down, you came back stronger and proved them all wrong by never giving up. You are beautiful inside and out. You are who I strive to be—unbreakable, unyielding, a force stronger than the sea. You are the hero of your own story, and now you are also the hero of mine.”
Enara brushed the tears from her cheeks and stifled a sob. “I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you, too.”