Chapter 62 #2
Not a single one of the fae even tried to put up a fight.
Around me, pure slaughter reigned supreme.
Every second I’d spend dealing with the High Court was one too many.
Prowling through the fading cacophony of screams, I ended all lives as I reached the exit.
The only remaining sound piercing the air was Galrach laughing, and I forced myself not to dwell on how delighted the cackle of the male I’d soon be annihilating sounded.
The brown stallion beneath me must have some sort of name, but I hadn’t bothered to learn the moniker. Cath was too exhausted for the journey ahead, and I’d paid and blackmailed a stable hand to bring him away from Alaiann once my horse had recovered.
Since we’d headed out a few hours ago, I hadn’t spoken a single word to Antas. Instead, I was brooding. My uncle left me alone and kept his quiet, although his eyes drilled into my back on a regular basis.
Our speed was unacceptable, and no matter how hard I pondered, nothing changed this truth.
“I’d be much faster if I shadowwalked to the Cuirt.”
“And how would that play out? Arriving alone, drained, if not burned out?”
My teeth clamped together so hard that I wouldn’t have been shocked if they cracked. I despised when someone who wasn’t me was right. “Your brother orchestrated all this shit. He even had the audacity to gloat about his ministrations.”
“I am not surprised he is behind this plot. And his intentions are not especially hard to read.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you remember that my mother was a member of the Cuirt?”
“Vaguely.”
“I spent my first five decades there before my father learned of my existence and relocated me to his lands so I could receive an education alongside Galrach.”
My furious gaze settled on Antas. He normally never spoke about his early winters, and although I’d always wondered why, I was too out of myself to appreciate him opening up. “So, since you’re such an expert, why did your brother orchestrate for Nayana to join Cantarlann?”
“Because the Cuirt houses the Graigh. They are rumored to have the ability to undo divine magic under certain circumstances. And since you made your intention to escape Galrach’s control very clear, my best guess is that he is attempting to break you, or at least to weaken you in case you consider declaring an open war. Even if you cannot harm him.”
“Have you just implied that the Graigh can break the binding between Nayana and me?” A cold fist wrapped itself around my chest and squeezed.
“According to rumors, yes. Though there is no definite proof.”
“Then we need to speed up.”
“We have more time than your panicked mind suggests, Dion.”
Glaring at Antas, I narrowed my eyes. Why was he so calm? Was he—
No.
Or—
Had he switched loyalties and was secretly working for my grandfather?
“The Cuirt plays by its own rules. Even if Cantarlann brokered a deal with my brother—someone like him, so embedded in their philosophy, would not subject anyone to their rituals on a whim. And the ancients would never force their most holy services onto outsiders who do not have a certain level of initiation. And not only do they preach free will, but also have the Graigh never accepted Galrach as their sovereign and could not care less about his wishes. So, if Nayana refuses, nothing can convince the ancients to separate your connection.”
Silence was my answer of choice, allowing Antas to speak while I was trying to discern if he’d changed sides. Paranoia draped around me like a cloud, something I’d never experienced in such intensity before.
“For an outsider, the Cuirt is a wonderful place. Everyone is living in harmony with each other, everything is peaceful, and love is the greatest good. But when observed critically, it is undeniable that the core is rotten.”
“Elaborate.”
“Leadership claims anyone can leave whenever they please and without a reason, but once they assume someone has the intention to abandon the Cuirt, the Courtlings unpack an array of tactics, from showering the individual with affection in abundance to administering mind-altering drugs. In the past, I spoke to quite a few former members who escaped, and all their stories match.”
“What about you?” Luckily, my apprehension had calmed, and I was less inclined to brand Antas as a traitor.
“As I mentioned, Folai appeared out of the blue and took me to the family estate, where I grew up alongside Galrach.”
“And Thain?”
Maybe—
Fuck.
Oh, I knew it from the start. He was a betrayer. And this wasn’t only psychosis speaking.
“His case is unique. And he still glorifies what the Cuirt stands for. But his story about why he abandoned his beloved home is not mine to tell. However, I can assure you, even swear you an oath on my wife’s grave, he is not involved in Galrach’s scheme.”
Convincing arguments, but I wouldn’t give up on my theory just yet.
Another thought forced itself to the forefront of my mind and distracted me.
“I can never return to Alaiann for as long as Galrach lives.”
“Not only you, Dion. Every single one of us has burned all bridges. We are defectors, deserters, traitors. Pick your poison.”
“Archenemies of High King Galrach Folus Iadrann holds a certain charm.”
The only reaction my lame joke received was a sigh. “I hope Fiolar, Ireas, and Carthain escaped without trouble. Additionally, there are a few others who we had convinced to abandon Alaiann to lie low until summoned, as well as allies who had offered to remain at the High Court as spies.”
“You were busy.” I tried my best to clamp down on my anger and the anxiety detonating whenever I thought of Nayana. Maybe concentrating on facts would help.
“Yes. If we are lucky, what we started will, in time, diminish my brother’s forces, especially when the rumors that you broke with him take root and spread. Did you depart peacefully, or did you make a scene?”
“A few dozen guards and courtiers died. Nothing big.”
“Strange how little resistance Galrach showed.”
“He didn’t try very hard to detain me.”
“I figured. After all, the palace was still in one piece.”
“Oh, don’t be mistaken. I’ll tear the place down another day when I’m not in a hurry to protect a human who is so damn tiny and breakable and very susceptible to getting herself into horrible situations.”
Antas had the audacity to chuckle, and I bared my teeth at him, which made him laugh even harder.
“What?”
“It is just—well, the situation is dire, and yes, Nayana has a tendency to wind up in trouble, but still, it is a relief that you returned to the living, Dion.”
“I was never not alive.”
“No. You existed as an empty shell of a male. Now you have gained agency, and one day, hopefully soon, you will thrive.”
“I’m not in the mood for weirdly deep conversations. I’d rather concentrate on facts.”
My uncle sighed and nodded, but I wasn’t in the least sorry for not engaging with one of his sermons. I suspected I’d get enough of those during our upcoming days of travel.
“What might be of interest to you is that while you were decimating Galrach’s private forces, I discovered he had sent Danartha away from the High Court the same day Nayana had departed, but I could not unearth the reason in the available time frame.”
“So, where did she go?”
“To Scamall.”
“That’s suspiciously close to the Cuirt an Ghra.”
“Yes, she is likely spying for my brother.”
“Danartha has become a tremendous problem. One I plan on solving the next time we cross paths.” How I’d stomached her for so long remained a mystery to me.
Maybe because I simply hadn’t cared about anything, and using her as a means to pass the time had been as good a distraction as any.
And though I’d never given her any indication that our dalliances were anything more than casual sex, she’d obviously developed other ideas.
That was worrisome—especially considering she was most likely fucking Galrach—and so she posed a threat that was mandatory to eliminate.
She was too cunning to risk her interfering again in the future.
“Next village, we are going to swap horses. Otherwise, we cannot maintain our speed.”
“Good idea.”
Silence reigned once more, and my fear for Nayana’s safety returned with a vengeance, coating my lungs like hematite and intensifying every minute she was separated from me. I’d ride day and night, as fast as possible, to reunite with her.
My love was in danger, and the worst was how clueless she was about the threats looming above her head.