Chapter 34
QUESTIONS
KAL FOUND SANTHE AND ADDER in the living room when he emerged with Kitty. Adder sat reposed on the couch, long arms spread along the headrest to either side, settled back into the cushions. Santhe perched on the edge of a chair, arms crossed, fingers tapping. They both looked up when he entered.
Kal lowered himself into the chair opposite Santhe, and Kitty sank onto the side of the couch nearest him.
Kitty sat with her hands clasped in her lap, trying not to fidget.
He could sense her anxiety, the worry that knotted her muscles and tensed the delicate arch of her brows.
Kal clamped down on the urge to protect her.
He had no trouble shielding her from an enemy.
In fact, he doubted he could help himself at this point. But these were his friends.
Santhe opened her mouth.
“Before you assault me with questions, San,” he interrupted with a hand, “—and I promise you’ll get to pose them—I have a few of my own. Namely, Adder, what are you doing here?”
He’d left his friend with the fleeing citizens of Cindamar after King Domitan’s hunters had discovered the hidden city in their pursuit of Kitty.
They’d killed two of the hunters, but the third, Tavene, had escaped.
Kal convinced Trade Master Grisham to mobilize his miniature trade empire and make for the mountainous High Country, where they’d be shielded from any potential Asterosian retaliation.
Adder, as a member of Grisham’s personal guard, had assisted with the evacuation.
“Grisham reached the High Country without issue,” Adder said.
“He met with the mountain lords and entered negotiations, urging them to combine their forces. The whole range is preparing for a potential conflict. Every shurii with a shred of fighting experience is being put to use. Ophelia remained behind to assist in their training. Even Meryl commands a battalion.”
Kal felt Kitty stiffen next to him. He didn’t have to look at her to know why.
She and the Trade Master’s sister, Meryl, had been friendly upon meeting in Cindamar.
When the hunters arrived from Asteros, Meryl’s new husband wound up a tragic casualty.
Despite assurances to the contrary, Kitty felt responsible for his death.
Meryl’s involvement in the battle preparations didn’t surprise him. The need for vengeance had hammered her easy smiles and jubilant demeanor into armored resolve. Kal could relate. Grief had a way of warping souls.
“I’m here,” Adder continued, “because our scouts found Asterosian soldiers sniffing around the Saraat not far from Cindamar’s old settlement.
If Domitan doesn’t already know something, he likely will soon.
Grisham is worried he’ll send his army into the High Country.
We have the advantage of terrain, but they’re not ready to face a host of that size, mate. ”
Kal rested his chin atop his knuckles. “I assume the Trade Master wants to move up the shipment of silverskin we agreed upon, but something tells me it’s more than that.”
Adder nodded. “He wants—”
Santhe’s patience expired. “Wait, Adder,” she interrupted, pegging Kitty with a hard stare. “Before you say anything else, I want to know if we can trust her.”
Kal reclined with confident ease. “She wouldn’t be here if we couldn’t.”
“Curious,” Santhe replied, “considering how duplicitous she’s been. When last we spoke, you weren’t using the term trust to describe your feelings toward her.”
No. He’d used the word hate—that sentiment he possessed so abundantly yet remained incapable of directing toward Kitty. He’d moved past it. Santhe, quite clearly, had not.
Adder glanced between the three of them. Kal was the picture of aplomb, but inside, his hackles rose. Tension rippled in the air.
Santhe continued, uncaring. “We all risked our necks to pull off this little heist. I want to know who we risked them for. Because it sure as shit wasn’t Rask Harless’s sister.”
Kal felt Kitty’s concern as a bitter tang in the air. He took her hand. Squeezed it. He’d assured her this was the right move, and she trusted him. Kal met Santhe’s scornful gaze, then Adder’s curious one.
“You’re right, Santhe. You both deserve a proper introduction. But before you receive it, I trust you remember where your loyalties lie and that mine have not wavered. Not for a moment.”
At this, Adder’s eyebrow cocked in confusion. Santhe waited.
Kal inhaled. “This is—”
And then he faltered. He knew the word. Saw it blazing in his mind, had it half-formed on his tongue. But he couldn’t say it. He couldn’t fucking say her name. What the hell was wrong with him? Kal’s fingers clenched.
“Felíne,” rasped a voice beside him. Kitty cleared her throat as his friends’ focus shifted to her. “My name is Felíne Lochlan Faelstrom.”
Santhe drew a sharp breath. Adder stared.
“The…Prima of Asteros.”
Adder’s mouth dropped open. Kal would have found it funny if his gut weren’t twisted in knots. The beast of his second form gnashed its teeth.
Santhe’s stunned silence shattered. She shot to her feet. “Are you out of your godsdamned mind? The fucking Prima, Kalevar?”
“Mind your tone, Santhe,” he warned.
She barked a laugh. “You’re daft! Have you forgotten what’s at stake? Or who? You said we could trust her!”
Kal’s voice was granite. “We can.”
“She’s the Prima! The Prima! Her blood murdered your parents! Destroyed your family. Her fucking father has been ra—”
“That’s enough!” Kal was on his feet, though he couldn’t remember standing.
Red crept in at the edges of his vision like crimson ink spilled into clear water.
Santhe regarded him with stark disbelief.
Kal took a forced breath. Retracted his claws.
When he spoke again, his voice was even.
“I know precisely what is at stake, Santhe. And who. Kitty is not her parents. She will not be held responsible for their crimes.”
“Kitty?” Santhe hissed. She took in his rigid posture, heard the hammering of his heart, and caught the rapid rise and fall of his chest. Realization twisted her features in disgust. “You’re a damned fool.”
Kal growled.
“Easy, mate.” Adder no longer lounged. His torso angled forward, legs tense beneath him.
He looked ready to leap between Kal and…
who? Santhe? Kal’s self-awareness returned in a rush, blowing over him like a winter wind, clearing his mind.
Was he really primed to attack? He instantly dropped his aggressive stance.
He swallowed. Fucking divine. Kal found Adder’s eyes and recoiled at what he saw there.
Sympathy.
“I think Adder and I would like a private conversation,” Santhe said.
Kitty stood.
Kal reached for her. “No, you don’t have to—”
She placed a hand on his forearm. “I do. It’s alright,” she assured. “Speak with your friends. I’ll go check on Sig.”
Kitty left, the front door clicking shut behind her, and Santhe faced him once more. “What are you thinking, Kal? The Prima? Gods, if I had known…No wonder Asteros is in upheaval! Do you have any idea what kind of danger this poses to Cinah? Are you trying to get him killed?”
Exhaustion settled over Kal like an impossible weight, smothering his anger like damp wool over an unruly flame. His shoulders sagged. “You know I’m not. How can you even ask me that?”
“Then what? Hunters tracked her to Cindamar! Where do you suppose they’ll look next? This could start a war!”
“War has been long on the horizon, Santhe.”
She stared at him, incredulous. “Kal, we aren’t ready for a war!
The whole point of us joining this rebellion, of allying with the Cozened, was to oppose Asteros on our terms. To strike them when we were prepared.
Gods, Kal, we’ve been working so hard. Risking so much.
You gave years of your life to this. Cinah has given everything. Sett died.”
The mention of Santhe’s older brother was like a lance between Kal’s ribs.
He’d been younger than Kal is now, so eager to fight, so hungry for change.
He hadn’t even lived long enough to witness the scope of the resistance that existed in Meress, to learn they had allies.
Sett had died stealing from militia stores in Asteros.
Murdered for petty theft. Dead because of a miscalculation.
Santhe’s eyes burned. “Have we not given enough?”
When Kal didn’t answer, she looked at Adder.
His friend remained silent.
Santhe shifted tactics. “How could you keep this a secret? The moment you realized who that woman was, you should have—”
“Should have what?” Kal asked sharply. “Given her over to the Conclave to be used as bait for the crown? Let them fight over who gets to tear off a piece of her?” Santhe stiffened.
“Do you know how many people in Meress have been hurt by Domitan and his witch queen?” Kal leaned forward, eyes flashing.
“All of them. That’s why they’re here. Kitty wouldn’t last long enough to be used as a bargaining tool.
As soon as they realized who she was, they wouldn’t be able to resist ripping her apart just to spill Faelstrom blood. ”
Santhe’s jaw clenched. “They wouldn’t. The prophecy says—”
“You think they give a damn about the prophecy? Fuck, San.” Kal grimaced.
“Half the people outside the capital denounce it because Asteros fits it about their throats like a noose. They’re all choking on scripture.
We know the godscripts have multiple translations, and that Asteros just picked the one that served them best. But many still associate the prophecy with the Faithful Cursed. With Asteros and oppression.”
“We still can’t trust her,” Santhe insisted. “Have you even considered her upbringing? You think a lifetime of indoctrination can be undone in a matter of weeks? What, because you believe she cares for you?”
Kal’s voice did not waver. “She is not our enemy.”
“Oh, fucking gods, Kal, did you bed her? Are you even thinking with the right head?”
Kal’s chest vibrated with menace. “You do not get to ask me that.”