Chapter 17
“Isa, I know you can hear me. It’s been a week,” Rydian says in my head.
It’s been more than a few days, and I had every intention of meeting with him, but for a reason I can’t explain, I felt the need to stay put. I didn’t want to raise suspicion for leaving the castle, and the extra space away from him hasn’t hurt.
But I’m starting to really hate the fact that I tossed him the Veil coin, losing my only way of communicating.
Not because I want to talk to him, but because I can’t talk back.
He’s been in my head every single day since I arrived, and with my magic still coming in, I haven’t quite figured out how to attach myself to the Veil just yet.
I can feel it. I just can’t quite grasp it.
As for my other capabilities, I’ve successfully been able to light a fire and use my elemental magic. But why is it coming in now and not before?
“Isa,” Rydian croons, exaggerating my name, and it takes everything in me not to scream. Does he ever shut up?
The constant badgering is starting to get to me and is impossible to ignore. It’s not just his words, but the way his voice has started to echo in my head, overlapping my own thoughts until I can barely tell where his end and mine begin.
All week it’s been, “Ivy is headed back to Aurelia to take over for a while,” or “I know you miss me,” followed by the ever persistent, “Have you found anything yet?” over and over again.
But I haven’t found anything, and that’s been annoying. Other than eavesdropping on a few guards with nothing substantial. Turns out, guards know just as much as I do, which is pretty close to nothing.
I clench my jaw, trying my best to focus on the task at hand, but his voice continues to loop back through as I take the steps in the commons two at a time. It’s like having someone constantly in your ear and you can’t mute it.
I stand outside Ezra’s door and bang on it.
It’s around five in the morning, and we planned on going out to hunt today to do something.
Hunting is not my favorite activity, but idle hands make me stir crazy because neither of us has had a mission since we’ve been back.
At first I thought it was King Elion’s doing, allowing us to rest, but that doesn’t sound like something he’d do.
“I’ll be out in a minute!” Ezra calls out from behind the door, groggy from sleep.
I step back and lean against the stone wall behind me when a door creaks open at the end of the hall. Ren halts, eyeing me down the corridor before he takes slow, deliberate steps toward me, boots echoing off the stone.
“What are you doing?” he asks, tone sharp.
I flick my eyes to Ezra’s door, nodding toward it. “Waiting on Ezra to hunt. You?”
“Giving out orders,” he grumbles, and I spot the white envelopes in his hand with the king’s seal. So missions are happening. That’s when I remember that Ren is captain, which I find odd, given we’ve never had a captain before.
My eyes narrow. “Why are you captain and not one of the others?” I ask, genuinely curious.
Because why not one of the others? What makes Ren so special that he was picked out of everyone here? I personally thought the king forgot about him.
“Are you questioning the king?” he says, crossing his arms. “You must have been too busy with yourself to notice me doing everything right.”
I scoff, muttering under my breath, “I wouldn’t count that as a good thing. If you’re doing everything right in the eyes of the king, then you probably play just as dirty as he does.”
Ren’s eyes narrow slightly, and then he very, very slowly shakes his head in a subtle warning, eyes flicking across the hall just as Ezra opens the door. Ezra’s hair is mostly dry other than a few damp strands at the top of his head, an indication of bathing.
“Stay out of my way,” Ren growls at me, the sudden tone switch catching me by surprise. He quickly nods to Ezra, acknowledging him as he walks past, throwing me one last glance over his shoulder before descending the stairs.
“Gods, he really hates you. Are you ready?” Ezra chuckles, clasping his thick cloak at his collarbone.
In the last week, the weather has taken a substantial turn, giving us our first snow in the realm. The temperature has continued to drop more and more as the week has gone on.
“Yes, please,” I groan, already itching to leave the walls of the castle and get away from Ren.
“Do you want to cook these now or at the castle?” I ask.
The snow lightly crunches beneath our boots on the walk back, still ten minutes from arriving.
The snow made our hunt more difficult than usual given the noise, but we managed to catch three rabbits with our bows.
Ezra looks around, scanning our surroundings before giving me a slight nod.
We like to hunt in the woods behind the castle, still far enough away from the walls to light a fire.
“I can get a fire going. The biscuits we ate this morning weren’t enough.” He chuckles, tossing our catch to the ground with a wet smack. “Let’s gather some wood.”
After gathering some branches, we’ve successfully created a small fire, just enough for us to cook and eat while sitting on a couple of large logs. Sparks float in the air. I’m still too wary to use my elemental magic around Ezra for fear of him looking into it.
“Do you know why Ren was placed as captain?” I ask, tossing the remainder of the carcass on the ground.
He shakes his head, shoving a chunk of meat into his mouth.
“No, I don’t. I can see why the king wants him as captain though—he’s ruthless.
I’ve been with him on a couple of missions, and if you’re a threat to him or the mission, he’ll take you down without hesitating. I think King Elion loves that.”
“You think that’s enough to be a captain?” I huff.
He flicks his gaze to me, then squints. “Are you jealous of Ren?” Ezra asks, amusement flickering behind his warm eyes.
“What?” I scoff, rolling my eyes. “Why would I be jealous of Ren?”
Ezra chuckles, shaking his head while he grasps his meal, hands between his knees, the juicy meat dripping near his boots. “I wouldn’t look into it too much or King Elion will look at it as questioning his decision. I think he’s a good choice though. Don’t take it personally.”
I groan, sitting up. “Why would I take it personally?”
“Because you’re Isa, and you always take it personally.
” I throw a bone at him with a grunt, and he laughs, dodging it.
“What? You do! You probably see it as you not being good enough for the position, which you are, but Ren has more experience. He’s a better fit.
Plus I don’t think you’d want that responsibility anyway. ”
“You’re right. I don’t.” I huff and slump back. I’ve always known that Ren is ruthless. I just didn’t think it was captain-worthy. But what do I know? I’m not jealous. I just don’t understand why he would be chosen out of all of the males in the brotherhood.
I glance at Ezra sitting across from me, now finishing his meal and wiping his hands on the outside of his pants. I notice how much his hair has grown over the last couple of weeks, brushing his forehead, and find myself wondering when he’s going to cut it next. He always cuts it.
The cold wind bites at my eyes as I watch him stand and stomp out the remainder of the fire.
“Let’s get going. I’m eager to see who went out for a mission today,” Ezra says with a grin.
My breathing slows as I inch toward the stairs in the courtyard, steps quiet and nimble.
The only light cascading down is the soft glow of the moon coming from the windows above.
The courtyard looks like one you’d have outside with all its outdoor features, but a domed glass ceiling protects it from elements.
It’s late, and for some reason, I decided that tonight would be a good time to explore the castle to try and find… well, anything regarding my mother.
But now, I’ve noticed a couple of extra guards walking in from across the courtyard, near the king’s private archives. Two of them to be exact, and I’m afraid of getting caught as I know two more rest just inside those heavy wooden doors.
That archive stores every piece of information given to King Elion by the elite, holding valuable information of the castle and the realm. The only reason he has extra security guarding them.
Curiosity burns a hole through me as I think about everything that’s in there, itching to get my hands on something.
I stick to the shadows, scurrying up the stairs, and pause against the stone wall, ensuring that I remain unseen. Guards stop in front of the doors and begin chatting.
I sigh. Looks like I’ll be taking the long way back to my room, but I’ll have to go down the corridor near the kitchens to get to the back of my stairwell. Especially if I want to get back without being questioned.
“I’ve sent you something, little fawn. Have you gotten it?” Rydian asks.
A warm tingle behind my eyes accompanies his soft-spoken words. I attempt to respond, still unable to grasp the Veil long enough to reach him, and it’s infuriating.
But his voice causes my stomach to flip, and as annoying as he is, I enjoy the sound of him across my mind. Then I begin to wonder what he could have possibly sent me.
Heading down the hall near the throne room, I veer right. Luckily, the king doesn’t require guards to stay on duty inside the castle, other than his precious archives and entry points to his wing. Most guards just stay planted outside the castle walls.
I reach the corner near the kitchens and immediately come to a halt, spotting someone exiting a door down the corridor. I remain quiet, inching myself closer to the wall behind me, melting into the stone.
But something shifts against my back, a rough scraping noise brushing the air. Fuck. My eyes widen as I realize that it’s the wall that moved. Just as I attempt to dart around the corner, his head suddenly swivels in my direction.
I’ve been spotted.