SIXTY-SIX
WILLOW
I want to take a shower and wash this sand off me. I want to sleep and relax for a moment because it’s been a long couple of hours, but my curiosity burns way too much to even attempt.
Caz insists I return to the manor to wash and get some rest, but I want to know who this man is that just landed in Blackwater.
When he landed, I thought for sure he was targeting us. But then he took a look around, spotted us, and immediately apologized—right before Caz and the Kessel warriors appeared and attacked.
“I didn’t see you. I am terribly sorry,” the man had shouted in a thick, posh accent. I think he meant it.
All I cared about, though, was making sure the twins were safe. The last thing I wanted was for something to happen to them while they were on my watch. It would’ve proven again just how useless I am in this world…and how terrible of a mother I’ll become.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Caz says in a hushed tone to Hassha. “Alora has never spoken of a cousin. I need to contact her and confirm this.”
“If it helps, there is a reason Alora has never spoken about me,” Valden interrupts. He’s tied to a tree, bound by Korah’s magic, but he doesn’t put up a fight like before. “She’s just like my uncle that way. Her father. They don’t want to bring shame to the Vanorian Kingdom so they keep many of our family affairs private.”
“Why would she be keeping you private?” Caz demands.
“Because my mother was a part of the Turi Tribe.”
Caz can’t help but grimace. “The what ?”
“Turi,” Hassha answers. “The most powerful tribe of Gilded.”
“I’ve never heard of this tribe,” Caz counters. “He’s clearly lying.”
“Just because you’ve never heard of us doesn’t mean we don’t exist.” Valden flashes a smug grin at Caz. “We prefer keeping ourselves hidden. It’s for the best, of course.” His eyes shift from Caz to me, and his head tilts. “What a gorgeous woman. If I weren’t wrapped up, I’d take your hand and show you my respects, my lady.”
Um. What?
Caz’s nostrils flare as he takes a step toward Valden and glares him down.
I’ll rip his fucking head off. Feed it to the wolves. Arrogant bastard. My mate. Mine.
“Caz?” I call.
He ignores me, locking on Hassha while pointing a stern finger at him. “We need to kill him.”
“We will do no such thing, Caspian,” Hassha says back.
“Why not? He came into my territory without warning, nearly hurt your daughters, and now he’s flirting with my mate and expecting me to tolerate it. If it were up to me, he’d be dead already.”
“Well, it’s a good thing his fate isn’t up to you, isn’t it?” Hassha strolls toward Valden while nodding at Korah.
Korah releases him from the invisible grip, and he sighs as he rises to a stand. He’s nearly as tall as the Regal sisters with skin as tan as Alora’s. I see the resemblance in the shapes of their eyes and the color of the strands of hair peeking out of his helmet.
“He’s here to gather information.” Hassha scans him thoroughly. “It is true that he wants to fight with us in this war against Selah.”
Caz shifts on his feet. “How can we trust him?”
“We learn to. And if you can’t do that, you use him. The Turi Tribe may be small, but they are known to be incredibly gifted and very hard to kill.”
“Well, I don’t give a shit what he is. Until I contact Alora, I don’t want him roaming my territory freely.”
Hassha’s head turns a fraction as she looks over her shoulder. “We won’t let him roam free. But you don’t have to contact Alora to find out who he is. I read him on the shore, and I’m reading him now. He does not lie.”
A growl builds in Caz’s throat as he glares at Valden, who simply grips his chin and pushes his head at an angle so his neck cracks.
Caz takes my hand and after one more glare at Valden, leads the way to the manor.
“You don’t think he’s here to hurt anyone, do you?” I ask when we’re inside.
“I don’t know, but I already don’t like him,” Caz grumbles, finally releasing my hand. He stalks into the kitchen where Makoto is chopping vegetables. The pots on the stovetop are bubbling, and there are several baskets spread around the counters.
“This is a lot of food, Makoto.” I eye the baskets, noticing each of them is stuffed with breads, fruits, vegetables, and other miscellaneous things.
“It’s for the Kessel tribe. Maeve suggested I prepare food for everyone,” Makoto informs me, cutting a glance at me. He does a double take, eyes rounding. “Oh—what happened to you?”
“Long story.” I sigh.
“Where is Maeve?” Caz asks, planting a hand on his waist.
“The garden.”
“Right.” Caz leaves the kitchen as quickly as he came in, and I follow him.
He doesn’t stop until we’re walking through the gates of the garden, and Maeve appears. A red scarf is on her head, concealing most of her hair, and a pair of large sungoggles covers her eyes.
“Caspian,” she greets, lifting a basket from the ground.
“Do you know anything about a Turi Tribe?” he asks, leading with no greeting.
Maeve’s eyes narrow. “Hello to you too. And why do you ask?”
“Because a man just landed on our shores claiming he’s from that tribe and that he’s Alora’s cousin, but she’s never mentioned anything about this tribe. How do I not know about them?”
“They keep a very low profile. There aren’t very many of them, in fact. I’m surprised any of them are still alive.”
“Tell me everything you know about them.”
“I know Alora’s father had a sister who ran off to join their tribe.” Maeve stops to inspect a stalk of beans. I don’t know how she can be so calm as to pick vegetables knowing a war is coming. “We aided the sister in escaping, back when I used to do a lot of work for the Vigilante. But she lied to us. She told us the king was hurting her when in fact, she was the one hurting him . I only know because we requested a meeting with him and he told us the truth about her, along with a few other witnesses. She despised her brother.”
“Why doesn’t Alora talk about them?” Caz asks.
“From what I remember, Alora’s aunt married the tribe leader and returned to try to claim Vanora as her own. After that, the Turi Tribe was banished from Vanora. Last I heard, they were living in Bao Forest with a Mythic who keeps outsiders from venturing there.”
“I’ve heard of Bao Forest. It’s centered between Vanora and Ripple Hills.” Caz’s eyes bounce around the garden as he thinks. “Is that all you know?”
“It is. But if you want more answers, I suggest you pay Alora another visit.”