Chapter 12 #2
My understanding of why King Elion has Ren in the brotherhood suddenly jolts through me as I watch him.
His brows lower as he strides forward with a steady calmness, gray eyes sharp and calculating, as if he’s looking right through Alec.
His wide shoulders steadily sway with each step, like he’s the hunter and Alec is his prey.
He’s absolutely terrifying.
Alec glances at me just as Ren lunges, swiping with his blade. Alec lifts his arm to protect his face with a loud cry, only to be sliced from his wrist to his elbow. My breath stalls as I watch it play out before me.
Ren darts behind him and kicks his knees in, forcing Alec to fall to the ground. He catches himself with his hands, blood dripping, when Ren comes up from behind him to grab a fistful of auburn hair, exposing his neck with a knife to his throat.
“Are you going to tell me how you’re alive, or did Isa really fail this time?” Ren grinds out, his mouth grazing his ear while meeting my gaze.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” Alec growls in pain, wincing as the knife nicks his throat, blood dripping to his collarbone.
Ren snarls, gripping tighter. “Back at the Silver Lily. How are you alive?”
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alec stutters, tears streaming down his face. “I-I’m just a simple businessman in the area to visit my niece.”
He’s so persuasive that, for a moment, I almost forget who he really is, especially with him gasping for air as Ren tugs his hair.
“I’ve never seen either of you before, I swear!” Alec pleads.
“Well, it looks like Isa really did fail then. Too busy with her own affairs, it seems.” Ren sneers, and I know what he’s implying by what was found at the Silver Lily.
His assumption of me. “The king will be thrilled to learn that tidbit, won’t he?
” Ren’s words are sharp, but I maintain my composure with a small grin.
“He’s lying,” I interject softly, stepping forward to stand in front of Alec as he kneels on the ground, a sneer plastered to my face. “It doesn’t matter now, does it? We’ll be finishing the job tonight and then bury you after,” I say, keeping my tone icy.
Ren chuckles menacingly low in agreement, dark hair falling over his brow.
My gaze locks on Alec as I look down my nose, noticing a hint of pride shining through his blue eyes.
Resignation settles in my chest when Ren gives me a small nod, exposing Alec’s neck to me.
My lip curls, and within a second, I sweep my dagger across his throat with a sudden movement of my right arm.
Life drains from Alec’s face, so similar to the inn, leaving him slumping forward into the leaves as Ren steps off to the side.
Then I let my fury build, my eyes swiveling to Ren.
I whirl to him. “Where were you?”
He shoves a hand through his dark hair, slicking it back. Anger shines beneath his gaze as he takes a step forward. I can’t help but step back out of caution, recalling Rydian’s memories. Then I shove him—hard. He stumbles back with a growl, his hair falling to his brow once again.
“I thought you were supposed to be my watchdog tonight, but you didn’t show, and I was left to handle this myself,” I growl, and the accusation is sharp in my tone as I tilt my head to the side.
I do my best to have him believe it’s his fault that he wasn’t here when I needed him.
That he abandoned me to do it all on my own.
And despite the anger still etched on his face, something unreadable crosses his features before he turns to me.
He strokes his jaw, dismissively replying in a calmer tone, “Since when do you need help, wench?” His eyes flash with anger.
“You know what? Whatever. It doesn’t matter now—the job is done. We’re leaving at dawn.”
He strides over and nudges Alec in the ribs with a boot, ensuring he is truly dead. My breath catches, and I can’t help but flinch, but he doesn’t seem to notice.
“I say we leave him here for the Grokees to devour,” he mutters, spitting on Alec’s lifeless body.
“We need to bury him like we usually do, or the town will come searching for us,” I say.
“Let them. We’ll take care of whoever gets in our way.”
“Ren,” I press, undeterred.
He glances at me, giving me a final once-over. “Fine, find a shovel and bury him yourself. I don’t care. I’m heading back to the inn to clean up,” he says, signaling an end to the conversation.
Ignoring his dismissal, I close the distance with precision, my head tilting up with my dagger pressed against his chest.
“If you tell King Elion I neglected my duties because I was preoccupied…” I scan his face, a small grin tugging at my lips. “I’ll tell him you slept through yours, since I’m assuming that’s what you were doing.”
He growls, eyes flicking over my face, knowing that what I threaten will get him fewer and fewer missions as a result. He only nods, something unreadable briefly crossing his face before it’s gone.
Then he leaves me alone to bury Alec in the dark. Ren strides down the path toward our inn, and when he’s finally out of sight, I lose what little composure I have left.
Quick breaths escape me. I feel something close to the panic I felt earlier before collapsing against the trunk of a nearby tree. With a few more long breaths, I close my eyes, focusing on controlling my breathing. Adrenaline still runs through my veins.
My eyes flick open to Alec’s lifeless body before I muster enough strength to meet him at his side and flip him over, suddenly not convinced that he’s alive.
I find myself lifting his head to cradle him, sitting in the shadows for a few minutes as my breathing finally slows. What the fuck just happened?
“He’ll be fine.” A female voice echoes deep within the shadows of the trees. My head whips up as someone approaches on soft leaves, twenty feet away with her hood up.
“Who are you?” I demand.
Reaching over Alec’s body, I grip the dagger that fell. She strides forward, slow and steady as she approaches, before gripping the edges of her hood to reveal her face.
She’s beautiful, with dark skin that’s smooth and rich with almond-shaped eyes—expressive and deep, framed by her long lashes.
Her black hair is wild and curly, cascading around her shoulders.
The white streak lining the crown of her head makes her overall appearance noteworthy, if it wasn’t for the air of confidence she radiated.
I briefly recall seeing her from Rydian’s memories.
“I’m Ivy,” she says, hands resting on the hilts of her swords peeking out from beneath her cloak. “I’m his second-in-command.”
She’s captivating, and it’s easy to see why Rydian chose her as his second, standing with a fierceness that commands attention. With wide eyes I glance down at Alec, who remains lifeless, noting a faint pink mark indicating that the cut is already healing.
“I can take him from here if you need to rest.”
“No, I need to stay,” I insist, shaking my head. “Just until he wakes up, please. I don’t want to go back.”
She looks at me with understanding, a flicker of compassion passing through her eyes when she finally nods. “It won’t be much longer. He’s already healing. To us it would be fatal, but to him, it’s a minor wound. He’ll be fine,” she says.
“I’m Isa.”
She gives me a soft smile. “I know. We’ve met.”
“We have?” My brows knit.
“Yes, at the inn. I tried to speak to you.”
My interactions at the inn run through me, and I realize that she must have been the innkeeper who grabbed my arm at breakfast.
“You can change your form like Rydian?” I ask.
She nods. “Yes. In Aurelia anyone from the realm can shift and enter the Veil, but the Shadovar have their own unique abilities like the Aetheri.”
“Like what?” I always knew they did. I just never bothered to learn the specifics considering speaking of the Shadovar was forbidden. Now I realize I just might need to, especially if I’m a princess. My pulse climbs at the thought.
Before she can answer me, movement rustles my lap, forcing my gaze to shift down.
Alec breathes. His form suddenly ripples, mindlessly changing back into the male I saw before Ren arrived—the king of Aurelia—and my eyes go wide. His auburn hair rests on his brow, though dark swirls of ink appear down the left side of his neck. Something I must have missed before.
“Rydian, can you hear me?”
He opens his eyes, a small smirk forming. “I hate dying. But if this is how I wake, I might not mind doing it again,” he mumbles, leaving me to groan at the untimely humor.
“Welcome back, Your Majesty.” Ivy grins, stifling a laugh as she bows at the waist.
“Stop that.” He sits up, angling his body toward me. “You stayed.”
“Well, I can’t go back now.”
“No, you can’t,” he agrees.
“Well…” Ivy says, holding up her finger.
Rydian suddenly whips his head in her direction, rising to his full height, as if he didn’t just lose his life for the second time in three days. He’s in her face now, and I draw my knees up to stand, confused as to where this is going.
“No, she is not going back with them.” His eyes grow hot with fury. “We’ve already discussed this. She stays with us, and that’s final.”
“She’s our only way in.” Ivy pushes, leaving him to growl.
My brows draw close together. “What do you mean—your only way in?”
“Ivy.” Rydian glares so intensely, as if warning her to remain quiet.
Ivy only throws him an apologetic glance, knowing she is probably going to be punished later, and steps forward.
Her hands rest on her hilts. She speaks in a way that any commander would relay information. As if I have sway. Do I have sway?
“We still don’t know where Elynor is. We don’t even know if she’s alive or dead. We’ve had no leads since you two were taken twenty years ago,” she manages to get out, lowering her eyes. “If you can go back with your brethren, maybe we can find something regarding her location.”
My mother. She could be alive? Knowing Elion, she’s probably already dead, but there’s really no way to know that.
“This is not up for discussion. She stays with us, and that’s final. She needs to be in Aurelia. We can keep searching for Elynor as soon as we get back,” he grinds out.
“We’re already here, Rydian,” she counters again.
“No, she’s right,” I say, their gazes swiveling to me. “I can help. It makes sense. They have no idea that I know anything and don’t suspect it because technically, we completed our mission. I could resume my life and gain information from the castle about her whereabouts… if she’s still alive.”
Rydian growls in frustration and starts to pace. Ivy and I watch him as he’s clearly at odds with the situation, watching him scratch the back of his head in agitation. He finally halts with hands on his hips and then looks up with a decision.
“No. I can’t risk you being near anyone who can Siphon your memories again.
I can’t do it—I won’t do it again. It’s too much of a risk.
I lost you twice already. There’s no way around it, and your safety comes first. We will get you back to Aurelia as soon as possible,” he says as if it’s final. Like he’s my king.
“No,” I say, my words hanging between us. I’m deciding for myself this time.
Ivy stiffens when he whips his head in my direction, but I hold his gaze, lifting my chin as he steps forward. The silence hangs in the air when he stops a few inches from me to slowly, firmly grip my chin. He’s not aggressive with the movement but stern as he searches my face.
Our gazes lock while he holds me in place. A challenge.
My words come out a quiet whisper. “Let me do this, Rydian. Let me be your informant. I am no more important than my mother—the queen.”
“You are the queen, Isa. I won’t risk you again,” he whispers back.
“Not yet. Not until a ritual is done from what I gathered from your memories. For right now, I am still Isa Valedara, bound to the Veiled Brotherhood.”
He knows that I’m right. I’m not the queen of Aurelia yet, and I live here, in Elderheim, and I have a choice—my choice is to stay.
Rydian holds my stare, like he’s calling my bluff. His gaze is so intense it would bring anyone to their knees in submission, but I stand my ground in a silent challenge. There’s an anger in his eyes as he studies me, and a quiet minute passes before a look of resignation flicks across his face.
His scent of oakmoss fills my senses as I steadily breathe in, willing my heart rate to slow. I never thought I would like the earthy scent, but the more that I’m around him, the more I find myself searching for it.
He finally nods and releases me, folding his arms across his chest. “Fine, that’s what we’ll do, then. First, we’ll need to strategize a plan before they notice your absence.”
And I look at Ivy, who was already watching me, catching her staring, her eyes darting back and forth between me and Rydian. Her brow slowly arches as if she’s just realizing something.
Her face reflects awe of the scene that just unfolded, her gaze flicking to Rydian, who is now rubbing his forehead back and forth with his thumb and forefinger. She swings her gaze back to me and throws me an inquisitive glance, curiosity written across her face.
Like how I just convinced him to let me go.
Again.