Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
R eturning to Saeren was the easy part. The surviving soldiers in Jarryn’s retinue, numbering six, had escorted Leander back with complete haste.
What had taken seven days in leaving had only taken two and a half in returning.
They rode their horses into the ground, with Leander and the soldiers each having a common goal: regroup and save Jarryn.
The difficulty was that Leander was not a free man.
A slave entering the city without his master was a concern in and of itself. That slave being a fallen demigod was of greater concern.
The remaining soldiers had agreed to Leander’s plan: they would wait in the forest outside the city limits while Leander entered the city to enlist the help of Verin and, with any luck, Venser.
So he came alone to the gates of Saeren.
He was, as expected, immediately impounded by the City Watch.
They searched him for contraband, then did a secondary survey to confirm it was him by checking for his brand.
With no Jarryn in sight, and the full knowledge that they had both been seen leaving Saeren in each other’s company a mere week ago, the Watch were at a loss as to what to do with him.
It was Leander who suggested returning him to his family to decide what to do and, given Flavian’s influence and power within the city, the Watch jumped on the solution.
Conveniently enough for Leander, Verin was the only member of the family at home when Leander was brought manacled (yet again) to the front door. Verin had stared at his younger half-brother for a long while before nodding to the guards and taking formal custody of the masterless slave.
“What happened?” were the first words out of Verin’s mouth as he turned the key in the lock of Leander’s manacles, freeing him.
This was why he loved his brother, Leander mused, as he rubbed his raw wrists. Were it Venser, or worse, his father, the question would have been ‘ what have you done? ’
But Verin wanted to believe the best in him, and his language reflected that entirely.
“They took him. Mercenaries. That’s my best guess, paid for by Nevari Eleinium. Who else would be so efficient if not those hand-picked by royalty? They attacked us and took Jarryn.” Leander spoke quickly, urgently, and went on to explain in detail exactly what had happened.
Verin remained silent throughout his tale. When Leander had finished, Verin fell onto the sofa in a slump and dragged a hand through his perfectly brushed locks of blond hair.
“Please, Verin. The only reason he left the safety of Saeren was me. This cannot be my legacy.”
When Verin spoke, without pausing, his voice was rough, harsh. “Pull yourself together, Leander, because I prioritise Prince Jarryn’s safety over whatever internal bullshit you have going on.”
It was clear, suddenly, that Verin hadn’t slept in days, and Leander was painfully aware that he was on a short fuse. His story had only added to the scion’s growing stress levels.
Leander had seen his brother angry and had felt that anger directed at him countless times over the past few months. He was, truth be told, frightened of this twin more than he was of the other, despite being significantly closer to Verin than he was to Venser.
So, instead arguing back, Leander simply nodded.
“We knew. About what you did,” Verin explained after a moment. “We could see your crime in your mind from first meeting you, and I knew what damage that might do if it got out. Venser has been shielding that small part of your mind from a distance ever since that first session with you.”
That… was unexpected.
Verin was silent for the longest time, staring his brother down.
On the periphery of his mind, Leander felt the gentle touch of Verin probing. He did his best to think thoughts of loyalty towards the exiled prince of Desanne, rather than his true feelings towards Jarryn. But he knew he had failed when he saw his brother’s eyes narrow.
“What have you done, Leo? You bedded Desanne’s crown prince?”
“It just… happened! But it’s not just that, he had me confessing my feelings. I admitted my love for him. But really all I do is take advantage of his kindness! I knew from the very start I didn’t deserve?—”
“Who really deserves anything?” Verin waved his hand dismissively at his brother’s crescendoing feelings which were threatening a full-blown cataclysm of emotion.
“You might find it refreshing to disavow yourself of the mistaken notion that there’s some kind of cosmic reinforcement system for your actions. ”
“Actually—”
“No, Leo. Bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people, and it doesn’t mean anything either way.”
But he knew he had failed when he saw his brother’s eyes narrow as he perused Leander’s thoughts. “It might surprise you to know that the eyes of Saeren never left you or the prince when you left the city.”
It didn’t surprise Leander. He indicated as such.
“I have been tasked with rescuing Prince Jarryn and returning him safely to Saeren. As the one ultimately responsible for this utter sham of a life the prince has been living, my plan had been to conscript you to join my mission.”
It was more than Leander could have hoped for, exactly what he wanted. He allowed a relieved smile to fall onto his lips, eternally grateful that the gods had granted him with such a brother.
“This is not a reward, Leander,” Verin continued. “Your manipulations and machinations are well known to the world. You whisper into the ears of commoners and kings alike, it transpires, and we mere mortals are innocents caught in the crossfire, here to deal with the fallout.”
Leander remained silent, colour rising in his cheeks as he grew more and more angry the more Verin spoke. He was glad they were in private—it had been a long time since he had had such a vitriolic dressing down by an equal.
“Your loyal followers might be able to turn a blind eye. Nine above, I doubt they even know what despicable things you whispered into their ears, or the ears of their rulers. But you forget that you are my brother. And I know you. I know your thoughts; I know what you did. I know why you were cast out.”
Leander’s eyes narrowed at that.
“You’re looking at me like I’m being unreasonable. Which means you’re an idiot, or you’re lying to yourself. Which is it?”
“Neither. It’s just taking a moment for me to process that you’re actually going to help me.”
“Oh make no mistake, Leo, I am not doing this for you. This is for Jarryn, for the king, and for every poor soul in Desanne and Vyrica who is suffering because of what you’re making Nevari do.
” Verin paused, but he clearly wasn’t finished speaking.
When he continued, it was with emotion fuelling his words and reminding Leander that this was about more than just a lovesick demigod trying to save his lover.
“This is your mess and I am not fucking around when I say that I require you to clean it up. Prince Jarryn does not deserve the fate that awaits him in Desanne.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Exile had done for Jarryn what it had not for Leander. Jarryn had accepted his exile and grown as a result of it. Leander, on the other hand, had become resentful and had withered instead. He didn’t even need to be able to read Verin’s thoughts to know that, he could see it plain as day.
He was glad, for once, to be rid of Aesthesia, because Leander did not want to see what Verin saw when he looked at him.
But it went deeper than simply duty. Leander had come to care for Jarryn. He knew it and so now did Verin.
Verin allowed a smile to grace his features as he, so softly touching the other’s mind, saw the truth of the younger Talius’ heart. “Good.”
Leander had known that Verin wouldn’t be hard to persuade. Recruiting Venser, even if this task was an official missive, to help Leander was the difficult part.
Venser agreed to meet with Verin, but when he saw Leander sitting at the table, face hidden by his hands holding his head up, he was far from impressed with Verin’s subterfuge to get him to meet at the house.
“No.” Venser hissed.
“Venser—”
“This boy is a disgrace, it’s a wonder the family and its reputation has not been destroyed by his actions. You should not be consorting with him.” Venser was gesticulating violently as he spoke. “If our father sees him here, he will lose it.”
“That’s an unfair assumption, son.”
Three heads snapped to the door to see Flavian leaning against the doorframe examining his fingernails with an air of complete disinterest.
He did not look apoplectic, but that didn’t make Leander feel any safer.
“It seems our young Leander feels responsibility… maybe even some guilt,” Flavian uttered, unmoving. “It only took you a year.”
Leander raised his chin, staring at his father as if daring him to have him thrown back in the cells.
“Father, we have a limited amount of time to?—”
“I know exactly that it is you are preparing to do, Verin. Whether it is wise or foolish to bring Leander with you remains to be seen. I fear he will be more of a hindrance than help, but it is not my directive to find our guest and rescue him.”
Leander glanced between Flavian and Verin, knowing there was a silent conversation happening between them.
For the first time in his life, he prayed. He prayed Flavian wouldn’t convince his brother to leave him behind.
Soon, it seemed their arcane conversation ended. Flavian caught Leander in a calculating stare. Then he pushed himself off the wall and left the room, a silent blessing for the three brothers to continue with their scheming.
“Fine,” Venser broke the silence after a few moments. “ But we are not going to storm the palace at Desanne with three men—two of which have no combat experience and one of whom has no arcane powers and is subsequently useless!”
“He is coming, Venser, please do not attempt to change my mind.”
Leander felt a rush of warmth for his eldest brother, overwhelmed with gratitude because he could not sit on his arse and read a book while other people went on a dangerous mission to save his prince.
“But I agree, the three of us are not enough for this little venture. King Caisa asked me to lead this, I am sure he is expecting me to find some sort of a diplomatic solution. I see no such solution coming to mind, so it will need to be combative and covert. Venser, do you have any men in mind? We already have six of Jarryn’s own, waiting outside the city limits, according to Leander. ”
Venser considered for a moment before nodding his head in confirmation.
“Good. Collect those men, swear them to secrecy, then bring them to me. We don’t have long—Jarryn has been gone for two days already. I want this plan to be hashed out and see us leaving the city tonight.”
“Don’t forget to water the horses and prepare them for immediate departure,” Leander called at Venser’s retreating back.
Venser paused in his exit, as if debating telling Leander exactly where he could stick it. But the man did not turn around, instead continuing on his way to do as bid by his brothers.
The two of them alone again, Leander glanced over at Verin. “Thank you for defending me, brother. But Venser may be right. I am not sure how much help I can be on this mission.”
“You let me worry about that.” Verin did not look up from the map he had previously laid across the table, moving his finger from point to point.
“Now, you have been on the road for some seven days and by the grace of the Nine do you smell like it. Go and have a bath. I will have a set of clean clothes laid out for you.”