Chapter 14
Once done gathering the horses, I tie them off at the front of the inn.
Ezra and Ren open the door to the building, saying their goodbyes to the innkeeper, who I now know is Ivy in disguise.
Giving them a happy, glowing smile, she waves them off, meeting my gaze with a firm nod before slowly shutting the door.
“I see you did something useful for once,” Ren quips as he strides up to pat Myst, his smirk more menacing than it is friendly.
Of all the males in the brotherhood King Elion could send, it’s him. My temper has gotten the best of me recently, the weight of the current events bearing down, so I try not let him get under my skin. Yet I find myself snapping at him.
“Why do you do that?” The sharp words leave my lips before I can stop them. I don’t know what it is about Ren that makes me snap, my calm facade shattering with only a few words.
He halts mid-stride, scarred brow lifting in confusion. “Do what?”
“Are you so bored that you have to constantly undermine people to make yourself feel better? Or is there a deeper reason you’re such an ass?
” I take a step toward him, eyes narrowing as my frustration bubbles over.
“You know, I think you do it so you don’t have to face how sad and lonely you are, like a shield.
A protective barrier to hide who you truly are, and it comes out in snide remarks,” I mutter, now standing a foot away.
I’m not sure why I say it, but I can’t stop myself. “Am I right, brute?”
His smirk falters for a moment, eyeing me, the cocky mask slipping just enough to reveal that I’ve hit my mark.
It’s rare to catch him off guard, but he tears his gaze away from me and places his hands in his pockets.
He takes a deep breath, letting out a steady exhale, almost like he’s centering himself.
I watch as he carefully pieces his composure back together, smoothing his face out like a mask slipping into place. Still, I catch the tight clench of his jaw, the only indication that I’ve struck a nerve.
Then he scoffs with a shake of his head, giving me one last glance before turning his attention back to Myst, mounting her without another word.
After last night, I’m not quite sure where my loyalties lie at the moment. I want to do well for the king—be who he created me to be. But after seeing Rydian’s memories, I can’t help but question the king I serve.
I served King Elion all those years like he could do no wrong. Perhaps deep down, I knew something was going on and I chose to overlook it. It’s easier to justify killing someone when you choose to remain hidden from the truth.
“Are you ladies finally ready to go?” I tease.
“You’re not going to eat?” Ezra asks from beside Freya, hazel eyes shimmering in the golden morning light.
“I already ate. I want to arrive in Dryborn this afternoon.” The lie rolls off my tongue. I’m desperate to search for answers within the castle of Alvonia.
Grabbing the pommel, I swing my leg over Bjorn. Rydian’s young gaze catches mine from across the road, and then he nods at me. Silent understanding passes between us, even if I still feel as though I’m betraying my brethren. As though I’m being pulled in two directions—two lives.
After I give Bjorn a gentle nudge, we take off at a gallop as Sylvanor fades behind us. Rough wind whips at my face, the shops passing by in a blur as he leads me through the heart of the town.
I begin to wonder how Rydian keeps up with the speed of our horses, figuring it has to do with Veil Walking.
He told me it was similar to wearing a cloak—hidden with the ability to jump from one place to another if he wished.
The Veil’s time is different from that of the realm, allowing you to walk alongside someone unseen, making them the best spies.
I close my eyes, inhaling the cold, brisk air straight into my lungs. My cloak dances behind me as Bjorn picks up speed, shooting us further into the valley.
After a few hours of pushing the horses, we finally slow our pace to a steady walk on the mountainside, overlooking the hills and rocky terrain.
What was sunny earlier is now a darkened sky, the air coated in a soft mist as water dews on the shoulders of my cloak.
High into the altitude, Dryborn comes into view, but we’re still hours away from arriving.
Something brushes against the edges of my mind, similarly to when I experienced Rydian’s memories. This time, it catches me off guard, as it’s sharp and jolting, like ice across my forehead. As if someone is pushing my head into a frozen river.
“I really wish I had a horse right now,” Rydian groans, suddenly appearing in the depths of my mind. A gasp slips from my lips at the sudden intrusion, causing Ezra to turn around with pinched brows.
“A branch hit me,” I say with a small smile. He mindlessly faces forward again, Ren a couple hundred feet ahead.
Just as Ezra faces forward, my eyes narrow, darting them across the valley. Searching for anything to tell me where Rydian is, only to come up empty. A huff of frustration leaves me.
I attempt to concentrate, palming the black coin he told me to keep as it warms in my grasp. Its energy spikes.
“Try feeling my presence and then push your thoughts out,” he explains, which just annoys me even further.
I search my mind for what I felt the previous night when a tingling sensation forms between my eyes—warm and inviting, yet unfamiliar. This must be the Veil. I grasp on to the feeling, using my energy to push the thought his way.
“Your timing is admirable,” I retort, sending it out with as much sarcasm as I can muster. “I was almost caught.”
Rydian’s presence flickers with amusement, a faint echo of laughter brushing the edges of my mind. Despite myself, a smirk tugs free, having figured out how to talk in the Veil. It almost feels as if I’m talking to myself.
“Consider it as motivation to control your noises,” he says.
My teeth grind. “Where are you anyway?”
“I’m right beside you.”
A faint touch brushes against my knee, down the length of my calf, and I swat him away, making contact with what I think could be his hand. A loud smack hitting the air forces Ezra to pivot around, pinching his brows again.
“Bugs,” I explain, giving him a tight smile. “Stop doing that!”
Even though I can’t see him, Rydian can see my annoyed expression flickering across my face as I glance down. I find myself wondering if he haunts people for entertainment like a spirit of the woods.
His laughter echoes across my mind, and I realize then that he’s toying with me. The king of Aurelia has untimely humor, especially with Ren and Ezra nearby.
“Keep talking like that and I’ll start to think that you like me,” he teases.
I ignore him as I’m enjoying the ride on Bjorn, listening to the sounds of the horses trudging down the dirt path.
A few silent minutes go by when the Ashen River comes into view, a mile ahead where the road meets the water’s edge.
Mountains reflect off the surface, water bright and clear, even from a distance.
“Move over,” Rydian says.
“What?” My eyes narrow, glancing down.
“Let me on your saddle. Just slow down for a second and I’ll slide in behind you,” he grumbles, though amusement coats his tone, and my eyes widen with disbelief.
“Are you joking?” I let out a breath.
“Do I sound like I’m joking?”
“I’m not sharing a horse with you—you won’t fit,” I stutter, but just as I’m about to send Bjorn into a trot, Rydian slides in behind me.
Bjorn shuffles at the weight a little, then continues walking, as if nothing happened. A gasp threatens to escape me when Rydian slaps his hand over my mouth, silencing me in seconds.
“Are you this noisy with lovers?” he whispers low in my ear, leaving me to think about that night at the brothel.
Despite myself, blood pounds in my ears, coating my face a deep shade of red as desire shoots through my veins. He slowly releases my mouth from his hold.
“You’re going to get us caught,” I whisper, but he quietly chuckles, the sound low and devious. The Ashen River fills the air—rushing water wild against the current. The same river that runs through the Twin Valley.
“The only thing that’ll get us caught is your breathing. You’re incredibly loud,” he mutters, certainly too low for Ezra to hear now that the river fills the air.
Rydian is huge—too large to be sharing a saddle—and has squashed me forward, pushing my legs wider in a way that’s pressing against a certain body part of mine. I’m too afraid to lean into him, feeling the hardness of his chest behind me as I sit perfectly between his legs.
My face flushes at his hands resting on my hips. Even though I can’t see him, I can definitely feel him, sending shivers of need across my legs. The sound of him sniffing the air behind me has me stifling a groan.
“Are you… aroused?” he asks as if he’s shocked.
“No. Stop it. You’re distracting me,” I frantically whisper, trying to hide what seems to be my body’s betrayal, yet here I am, practically panting. My lip pulls between my teeth to refrain from saying anything else when he shifts behind me.
He chuckles. “Are you that depraved?”
Yes, I want to say but keep the thought to myself. In need of a distraction, my mind frantically drifts to the memories he shared with me last night—the former king of Aurelia being my father.
“How did you know my father?” I ask quickly, suddenly thankful for the sounds of the mountain water in the distance. I’m also itching to learn more about the former king across the continent I never knew.
“I was taken in at a young age by King Malvain, your grandfather. My father was his second-in-command when he…” He trails off, sighing.
“Let’s just say something happened, and King Malvain felt an obligation to take me in.
I was raised alongside Andre when I was only eleven.
I became your father’s second-in-command shortly after he took the throne. ”
“Oh,” I say. “How old are you?”