Chapter Ten #3
Onyx stood from the table and regarded Draven and Reign. “Word of advice? Should the opportunity arise for you to slit the new king’s throat, I suggest you take it. Cut the head off the snake before it has chance to strike.”
With that, he bent to kiss the top of my head and left the parlor.
***
The Shadow Realm took on new life at night, revealing things not seen during the day.
Plants glowed in various shades of luminescence, a mix of purple, blue, and green.
Leaves in the trees faintly jingled with a whispering evening breeze.
The grass sang as well, the tops of the blades glimmering in fluorescent hues of green as musical chimes rang out.
I listened to the chimes and turned my face skyward. Stars twinkled above us, shining in constellations I wasn’t yet familiar with. No Big Dipper or Orion’s Belt.
A splash came from the nearby pond. Fish darted from one end to the other, their colorful scales luminescent beneath the water’s surface.
Fish that may or may not have a taste for human flesh. I inched closer to Callum’s side and grabbed hold of his bicep.
“If you’re scared, darlin’, you can always hold on to me too,” Reign said, tossing me a flirty wink.
Maddox shot the spy a lethal glare and moved closer on my other side, winding his arm around my waist.
“Or not.” Reign sighed and faced ahead. He and Draven walked with Rowan at the front of our group, while the trio of knights kept pace behind us.
Wolves howled from the surrounding woods, echoing through the night air. Fenrir, probably. The sound had Oreo moving closer to my legs, his fluffy ears rearing back as he growled.
“If anything tries to eat us, I vote that we give the rabbit to it as a sacrifice.” Rowan grabbed a low hanging branch and swung up into the tree.
“Worry not, snake.” Callum sneered up at him. The branch subtly creaked as Rowan moved through the leaves. “Nothing would ever try to eat you. You’re much too vile.”
An acorn fell and smacked Callum in the forehead.
“Oops,” Rowan called down from the tree. “Damn thing slid outta my hand.”
Lake breathed out a rough laugh. “Behave. My tail hasn’t whacked anything in a while.”
“You’d have to reach me first, pup,” Rowan countered, and I could almost see his smirk. He was in a more playful mood than usual. Probably the good news he’d gotten from Onyx.
Callum halted in step and picked up a pebble from the grass before hurling it toward the branch. Target hit. Rowan cursed and launched more acorns.
Maddox sighed as he watched them. “They’re worse than children.”
The assault of pebbles and acorns continued until both of them ran out of ammo.
“It’s not too late to change your mind.” Hopeful, I looked between the spies. Friends I would miss like hell and worry about constantly. “You could just stay here.”
“We must leave,” Draven said, his voice muffled by the mask he’d slipped back on. Covering that sharp, chiseled jaw once more. “Your sad toad face won’t change that.”
Rowan’s raspy laugh sounded from above us before he dropped from the branch and landed in the grass.
“Or…” I held up a finger, ignoring the jab at my sad expression which did not look like a toad at all.
“You can leave long enough to grab Prince Sawyer, Kuya, Ban, and Sir Noah and bring them all back to the Shadow Realm. Then we can all stay here and not have to worry about Cedric, the war with Haran, or the mercenaries.”
It really was a great idea. Why hadn’t I thought of it earlier?
“Prince Sawyer won’t leave his people,” Briar said. “Especially not under Cedric’s rule. He’s spent too many years trying to improve their lives in the kingdom and would never abandon them.”
“And Kuya won’t leave the prince,” Lake added, kneeling down to pet Oreo. “He loves him too deeply.”
I sighed. I knew this already. Of course I did.
Every time Sawyer invited me for tea in his study, I’d seen the large stacks of legislative papers and documents he’d been working on, day and night, to sign into law.
Protections for demi-humans being his main focus, not only in Bremloc but beyond the borders of the kingdom and to the cities and towns outside the capital.
Cedric despised demi-humans, thinking them lower than the dirt he stepped on. With him being crowned king, there was no way in hell Sawyer would run away. In turn, that meant Sir Noah would stay as well.
Ban too.
A sharp ache shot through my heart at the thought of the mountain-sized castle guard. How his ears jutted out just a tad, giving him a boyish cuteness that was further shown in how easily he blushed when I spoke to him. How his gray eyes watched me so carefully. Protectively.
“There’s one other option,” Rowan said, tipping his head to the trees. “What Lord Onyx suggested. Killing that asshole Cedric would stop the war with Haran and make life easier for the people of Bremloc. Problem solved.”
No one had mentioned that little suggestion yet. But I suspected it had been in the backs of all our minds.
“No. Definitely not.” I shook my head. “Cedric is an ass, but murdering him isn’t the answer.”
“Why not?” Duke asked, jaw tightening. Any tighter and he’d snap a tooth. “The boy’s a tyrant who will destroy the kingdom I spent so many years of my life protecting.”
Baden nodded. “The demon lord made a good point. Cut the head off the snake before it bites. And I feel Cedric’s bite will be packed full of venom.”
“Venom that has already spread throughout the ranks of knights,” Draven said. “Many of them can no longer be trusted. Especially not the Second Order.”
Maddox’s gaze narrowed. “Explain.”
“Roth has taken your place as captain. Promoted by Cedric himself,” Draven told him. “As such, Roth has let the power go to his head. In the short time you’ve been away, he’s already reformed the ranks to be less like protectors of the kingdom and instead merciless enforcers of Cedric’s decrees.”
“Like Cedric’s personal band of thugs?” Quincy asked, scratching at the scar on his cheek. “That’s what Roth has turned the Second Order into?”
“Yes.” Draven’s gaze shifted to me. “And they’re top priority is finding you, boy.”
Something sour and acidic landed in my gut, traveling up my esophagus and to my tongue, as though I could taste the venom they mentioned.