Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
BEFORE
“One . . . two . . . three . . .” Adriel leaned forward, covering the sides of his face against one of the statues at the center of the courtyard. A depiction of Ures, clad in armor, his helmet angling around his face.
“Six . . . seven . . .”
The giggles of two small girls sounded behind a row of wildwind bushes.
“Nine . . . ten! Oh where, oh where have my sisters gone?” Adriel carelessly strolled with his hands behind his back, whistling softly. “I could have sworn they were just here.”
More restrained laughter poured out through the glossy leaves and white flowers.
A rush of hands came crashing down on the two sisters, sending a flurry of soft petals raining down on their faces. Simultaneous high-pitched shrieks of glee spurred from the shrubbery.
“Got you!”
“No fair, you peeked!” Krysta objected.
Helaina grabbed her hand and proceeded to pull her in the opposite direction. “Start counting again! You won’t find us this time.”
Adriel smirked, rolling his eyes playfully. “Okay, but this is the last time!”
Before he could turn his back, a hard voice projected from the entryway of the courtyard. “Adriel . . . Krysta . . . come, we’re leaving.”
The game was over. Helaina stopped dead in her tracks as she registered the words of their father. They were leaving her behind again.
“May I come too this time?” her timid voice chimed hopefully, although she already knew the answer.
“No, Helaina,” King Oren replied sternly.
“But Krysta gets to—”
“Enough, we’ve talked about this.” More like he had talked and she was forced to listen.
She couldn’t help but wonder why she had been left out of so many things when her brother and sister got to go.
She was ten years old now, not a baby. Krysta wasn’t much older, only a year, and she had always been invited on these royal errands.
It didn’t seem normal to always stay behind, nor to be sequestered to her room so often.
Maybe it was that she was third in line and her presence was unnecessary?
Maybe she was too much of an embarrassment to include.
Helaina watched her father lean in to speak to a nearby guard. She could just barely hear his warning. “Double the night’s watch, there was another attack outside of town. Two more scouts are missing.”
They were still no closer to explaining these disappearances. She had heard castle guards whispering about it in passing far too often. They had tried sending scouts and soldiers to Ash Cliff to investigate any activity in the mountains.
None of the men ever came back.
The kingdoms had been meeting often to share their reports, yet they couldn’t create a reasonable solution or strategy. How could they? A known army they could face head-on, but this enemy was invisible like the wind, picking off innocents one by one.
“Krysta, Adriel . . . now.” Oren motioned his hand impatiently, and his elder children obeyed.
Krysta cast a remorseful glance at her sister. Though already beaming with angelic beauty, Krysta’s most admirable trait lay beneath her exterior. She had a fiercely protective heart and hated leaving her sister alone.
Krysta sidestepped, nudging her elbow into her brother’s arm, giving him pause. His eyes darted back and forth between the king and his sister.
At the last moment, he ran toward the youngest Ironblood. He kneeled down and caught her in a tight embrace.
“Come on now, none of that,” he said, swiping a tear from under her eye. “We’ll be back before you know it, kid. I promise.”
“What if something hurts you?” She sniffled through her sleeve, attempting to wipe more tears away. Her father’s words were all she could think about. “And I’m not a kid.”
Adriel didn’t have an answer for the first part. The open roads were getting unpredictable. More and more travelers and caravans were being found ransacked and bloodied.
“You’ll always be a kid to me,” Adriel teased, squeezing her shoulder firmly. “We’ll be fine, but we’re going to be gone for at least a month. Do you think you can care for Toby while I’m gone?”
His newest stallion. He always rode Len when he traveled. Toby, being the young and incorrigible beast that he was, couldn’t be trusted for the long journeys.
She gave a reluctant nod in agreement.
“Good, teach him some manners while I’m gone.” He winked, bringing a tentative smile to her face.
They both laughed at the thought of anyone being able to teach that horse an ounce of propriety.
“Adriel,” the king bade again.
The prince turned toward him, then back to Helaina. “Stay out of trouble.” His eyes were pleading.
Cedric and Teirn strode up beside the king, always punctual when it came to their duties.
Helaina huffed at the sight of them.
Adriel laughed, then placed a kiss on her forehead before he walked away.
Stay out of trouble, stay with your guards.
Stay behind, stay hidden. Those things did no one any good, other than herself.
She didn’t just want adventure and grand quests like the characters in her favorite stories, she wanted to aid Lynor in its most dire time.
She wanted to be like her brother and sister.
Safe . . . alone. That was all there was for her. Mother was around, but Helaina rarely saw her.
Her breath became uneven with panic at the thought of being by herself.
A one-month journey could easily turn into two.
Helaina closed her eyes, attempting to calm herself.
She could have sworn the wind around her shifted, almost pushing against her back.
A strong force circled her body for a split second, forming a cocoon.
In a way, the sensation soothed her. She opened her eyes, but there was nothing there.
She patted around the air, but whatever it was, it was gone now.
She looked toward the gate. Her brother was still standing there, staring back at her, his face contorted in horror.
“What?” she asked innocently, looking around for the cause of his sudden upset.
He shook his head. “Nothing. Stay safe, we’ll be back soon.”
She watched him go, so many questions swimming in her head as Cedric and Teirn closed the gate.