CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO ISI
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
ISI
Syllavar’s towers had never looked more beautiful than when they rose from the lake at dawn.
Eighteen rescued prisoners rode on dragonback, their eyes wide as they took in the castle that would become their new home if they chose to remain.
Six had chosen not to continue with us after we rescued them.
Pherin trilled from my shoulder, her exhaustion clear in the way she leaned against my neck. Gavelle flew beside us, though he’d ridden recently as well. All of us had pushed ourselves to the limit to get here quickly.
The aerie buzzed with activity as we landed. Stable hands rushed to help the rescued prisoners dismount, gentle hands steadying those too weak to manage alone. Mae stood on trembling legs, tears streaming down her face as she looked around at the magic being openly used to help everyone.
Grayson met us at the aerie entrance, his eye twitch more pronounced than ever.
He bowed to Trew. “Welcome, Your Majesty. Thank the fates you’ve returned.
” His gaze swept over the new arrivals. “Because I knew you’d succeed, I’ve arranged for each person to have a guide, someone who can help them adjust to Syllavar. ”
The thoughtfulness of his action made my throat tighten. While we’d been racing against time, Grayson had been preparing for our arrival.
Malcolm stepped forward, his face creasing into a warm smile as he approached Willard, a middle-aged man who looked ready to bolt.
“I’m one of the trainers here,” he said.
“Can I help you with your things?” He took one of the two bags Willard had quickly grabbed back at the village. “Syllavar will give you a purpose.”
“I’d like that.” Willard glanced back at the others. He dipped into a bow in my direction. “Thank you, Princess, for saving us.”
Similar scenes played out around the aerie and once we’d reached the castle foyer.
Warriors sharing their stories, offering reassurance, building bridges between fear and hope.
Shock rippled through my people. Several of the rescued flinched when companions shifted forms, others stared at the casual use of magic with wonder and excitement.
They were here. Alive. And free.
Mae rushed to me. “Is Leo here?”
“He’s a few hours flight on dragonback from here. I’ll arrange for someone to bring you as soon as possible.” I gave her a hug. “You’re safe now. And soon you’ll have your son back.”
“I’ll be happy to take her to the village tomorrow,” Maddox said. He couldn’t seem to look away from her, and she must’ve felt the intensity in his gaze, because she looked down, color rising into her face. She’d lost her husband not long after Leo was born. Maybe she and Maddox…
This was no time for matchmaking, however.
Mae wiped her eyes and looked up at him. “That would be wonderful.” Her smile rose through her tears. “I can’t wait to see my boy.”
“Thank you, Maddox,” I said.
He scuffed his foot on the foyer floor and nodded.
I squeezed Mae’s hands. “I’ll come visit you and Leo as soon as I can.”
After the new Syllavar citizens left with their guides, the exhaustion I’d been fighting swamped me. Trew’s arm came around my waist, giving me support, though he had to be as tired as me.
Grayson came over to join us, nodding as the last of those from Caldrith left with Syllavar warriors. He spoke low. “I realize you must be eager to bathe and rest, but we have an interesting situation.”
Trew sent him a raised-eyebrow look.
“An envoy from Velmire arrived yesterday, and I placed him in one of our best suites and placed guards at the door to keep him from…wandering about the castle.”
“An envoy?” Trew asked, his eyebrows lifting. “What does he want?”
“It’s actually King Darvon himself.”
The king who was supposed to marry Addie before she was attacked.
Trew and I exchanged glances. This couldn’t be good. In my experience, when things seemed too convenient, they usually were.
“What does he really want?” I asked Grayson. “Darvon doesn’t make moves without calculating every angle. There has to be more to this than mutual defense.”
Grayson’s expression darkened. “That’s what concerns me. His timing is too fortuitous. Almost like he was waiting for this exact moment to make his move.”
Shivers tracked across my skin. Were we about to trade one threat for another?
“Have him delivered to the throne room,” Trew said. “We’ll wait for him there.”
Trew and I strode to the throne room and he sat, gesturing for me to take the smaller throne beside him.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to hide behind your chair?” I asked with only a touch of spark in my voice, all I could host when my eyes felt sealed shut and my body was begging me to lie down and rest if only for a moment.
“You could sit on my lap if you prefer.” Smirking, he patted his thigh.
With a grin, I perched on the smaller throne. “This will do for now.”
His growl rang out. “For always, Minx. Always.”
Grayson appeared not long after, escorting a man in his early thirties dressed in a formal tunic and pants.
No crown on his head but maybe he’d chosen not to wear it.
A crown could make a variety of statements, as could the lack of one.
I’d wait to see what kind of statement this man hoped to make to the court who’d been a rival for many years.
Guards entered along with them, spreading out to surround both the king and us, their hands on their weapons. A hint of a threat, and this man would be dead.
King Darvon stopped in front of the dais, and I studied him further. Dark hair, strong features, and eyes that showed both kindness and calculation. He held a coiled document in his hands, and his gaze swept over us with the same assessment we gave him.
“King Trewyn. Princess Amarissa.” He bowed, the gesture respectful but not subservient.
“You know who I am, so I assume you use spies,” I said, keeping my tone neutral.
“Admitting to such a thing could be taken in a variety of ways.”
“How would you like it to be taken?” I asked dryly.
“I come in friendship. I apologize for arriving unannounced, but circumstances demanded swift action.”
“King Darvon,” Trew said. “Your presence is unexpected but not unwelcome.”
Darvon’s mouth quirked. “Diplomatic of you, considering I was supposed to marry Princess Adelaine.”
The bluntness surprised a laugh out of me. “At least you’re honest.”
“I prefer it to the alternative.” His expression sobered.
“I won’t pretend disappointment about the failed alliance.
I…met with your sister Adelaine at the healers.
She impressed me, and a marriage would’ve benefited both of our courts.
But I’m pragmatic enough to recognize when circumstances have shifted beyond political arrangements.
” He lifted a coiled document and gestured to a large table by one wall.
“If I may, I’d like to show you why I’ve come. ”
We rose and went to the table with him, where he spread out a map, pointing.
“My spies report Skathe movements along our shared borders,” he said. “They haven’t attacked Velmire yet, but I’m not foolish enough to think we’re safe. The controllers, whoever they are, will eventually turn their attention our way.”
Trew leaned over the map, studying the markings. “You’re remarkably well-informed.”
“I make it my business to know what threatens my people.” Darvon’s gaze met mine. “Including the Day of Mercy you so spectacularly ended yesterday. That performance will spread like wildfire through all the courts.”
His spies were very good. Too good, maybe. Or good enough to be exactly what he appeared to be. I’d trust him for now and watch him carefully.
“As it should,” I said. “This practice needs to be abolished immediately.”
“I have one question, if I may.” Darvon’s tone was careful. “You had him. Disarmed, humiliated, his own guards standing down. Why did you leave Cyril breathing?”
I’d been waiting for someone to ask. “Because I spent sixteen years being his executioner. I’m done deciding who lives and who dies.
” I held his gaze. “And because I’d just told that crowd he was deceived, that the real villains were those controlling the Skathes.
Killing him in the next breath would’ve made me a liar and him a martyr.
A dead king unites people. A humiliated one makes them question everything they followed him for. ”
Darvon studied me for a long moment before he nodded. “You think like a ruler.”
“I think like someone who’s tired of unnecessary deaths,” I said. “There’s a difference.”
“When a princess publicly defies her father and reveals magical harvesting to an entire court, people pay attention, myself included.” He smiled, but his eyes remained serious.
“Which brings me to why I’m here. I’m offering Syllavar full military support.
Two thousand warriors, five hundred mounted cavalry, and whatever supplies are needed to support my troops. ”
The number stole my breath. That kind of force could make all the difference.
“What do you want in return?” Trew asked, his voice carefully neutral.
“Mutual defense against the Skathes. Access to your knowledge about sealing the veil breach. And…” Darvon paused, his gaze lingering on Pherin perched on my shoulder. “The opportunity for my people to enter the Rite of Bonds.”
Trew’s eyebrows rose. “Your court frowns on magic.”
“My court is full of sycophants clinging to outdated fears.” Darvon’s voice hardened. “I’ve watched what bonded warriors can accomplish. The strength, the connection, and the purpose it gives them. If magic is the future, I’d rather embrace it than be destroyed by my own prejudice.”
I studied him, searching for deception and finding only determination. “You’re taking a risk. Your nobles won’t appreciate this.”
“My nobles will appreciate being alive if the Skathes come.” He turned back to Trew. “Do we have an agreement?”
“What other conditions do you have?” I asked.