Chapter 33
“Well…” Jasper drew out the word from where he sat in one of the closed-off rooms beyond the Great Hall of the fortress. Delano and Lyra were trailing the Ascended to make sure they left, but the rest of us were here. “That was unexpected.”
I almost laughed, but I didn’t think that was appropriate. I was already wearing a path in the stone floor, pacing the length of the room. I couldn’t sit. Not with how my mind was racing. Not with my emotions all over the place, bouncing from sorrow to hope to disbelief.
Ian was still in there.
For him to say what he had, he had to be.
And I…I could’ve stabbed him. My stomach roiled and then lurched.
Ian was still in there. Good gods, I wanted to shout with joy and also sink to my knees and sob because that meant he was himself while surrounded by Ascended.
What he must deal with. I couldn’t let myself think about that.
He was smart and clever. Obviously, he was stronger than I ever realized for him to survive as he had.
But the implications of Ian remaining himself? Being able to put on a convincing act to survive so young in his Ascension? There could be others—many more.
“What do you think he meant by Nyktos’s guards?” I asked.
“That, I am not sure.” Casteel watched me from where he sat. “It would be hard to imagine that his guards would leave him.”
Nova frowned from where she stood by the door. “You think he spoke the truth? That this is not a trap of sorts?”
“He said he knew the truth,” I told her—told the room. Casteel had been close enough to overhear my brother’s whisper. The rest hadn’t. “He had to be talking about the Ascended.”
“He didn’t sound like he knew the truth about the Ascended,” Jasper remarked with a scowl. “He sounded like every Ascended I’ve come across.”
“That had to be an act,” I said.
“Then he’s one hell of an actor,” the older wolven retorted.
It was a good act, but we were thinking about two different situations.
“Growing up, Ian made up these stories and then told them to me. He did it because he knew I was…I was often lonely and bored.” I started walking again, fiddling with the edge of my braid.
“Anyway, when he told me those stories, he acted them out, adopting different accents and mannerisms. He was good at it—good enough that he’d be at home on a stage. ”
“And I barely heard what he whispered to Poppy,” Casteel commented. “There’s no way the knights did.”
I nodded. “He made sure they couldn’t hear. That’s why he moved so far from them—something I could tell made them uncomfortable.”
“Truth or not, the fact that Ian even brought up Nyktos makes me think that he knows about your heritage,” Kieran began, leaning against the table beside where his sister sat perched on the edge, her feet resting on a chair.
“And that means the Blood Crown likely does, as well. Which isn’t exactly a surprise, but it could mean they have some understanding of your abilities. ”
“They may.” I stopped playing with my braid and instead started worrying the skin of my thumb.
“I mean, it sounded like they orchestrated my creation,” I said without going into too much detail.
It was strange how twenty-four hours ago, I had been caught up in the knowledge that Malec was my father.
Now, replaced by something far more important, it felt like a non-issue.
“Then they probably have a good idea of what my gifts could grow into. But these Revenant things? I’ve never heard of them before. ”
“Neither have I,” Casteel said, which was unsettling since he’d spent time in the capital far more recently than I had.
“But whatever they are, they must be bad for Ian to say a large army couldn’t beat them.”
“That is if what he said is true,” Kieran pointed out.
“It may not be. It just might be.” Casteel squinted as he drew his thumb along his lower lip, watching me. “Wake Nyktos.”
Our gazes connected. What my brother told me to do sounded too bizarre to even consider, but…
“I doubt any god would be all that happy with being awakened, let alone Nyktos,” Vonetta said. “What if he said that in hopes the god takes you out?”
My stomach tumbled at the thought. Angering a god would be a surefire way to remove me from the picture. But I also thought about what the Duchess had said. That I had succeeded where she couldn’t. Could waking Nyktos be a part of that?
I didn’t think so. Duchess Teerman referenced Atlantia, and I truly believed that Ian was trying to help us.
“But the Blood Crown wants Poppy alive,” Casteel pointed out. “And they want her at this meeting. If the plan is to get her killed by waking Nyktos, why set up the meeting?”
“Good point.” Vonetta’s fingers tapped on her bent knees as she glanced between Casteel and me. “You two are seriously thinking about it, aren’t you? Waking Nyktos?”
Casteel still held my gaze. “If what Ian said is true, we may need Nyktos’s guards. Either way, Atlantia has lost the element of surprise when it comes to our armies.”
I nodded in agreement. “Are you familiar with Oak Ambler?”
A smoky smile appeared as he shared a quick glance with Kieran. “We’ve been to and infiltrated Castle Redrock.”
My brows lifted. “Do I want to know why you did that and what the outcome was?”
His gaze sharpened, burned. “Probably not.”
“Let’s just say some Ascended there won’t be missed by those who call Oak Ambler home,” Kieran commented. “It’s probably best if you don’t know more.”
“It would be wise for us to arrive before they expect us,” Casteel said, and I nodded.
“I can agree with that. I can also say for sure that your father will be pissed when he hears that the Blood Crown knows that Atlantia has been gathering forces to the north,” Jasper muttered, dragging a hand down his face as he looked at Casteel. “Hell.”
I stilled, my gaze finding Casteel’s once more. When Ian had dropped that unexpected tidbit, I couldn’t understand how they knew. Now, I did. “Alastir.”
Casteel’s jaw hardened. “From what my father said, only the Council was aware of the true purpose behind the armies being moved to the north. The public believes it’s a training exercise, but Alastir knew.”
“And he’d been communicating with the Ascended.” I shook my head. “How in the world could he have justified sharing that kind of information with the Ascended as something that would’ve benefited Atlantia?”
Jasper snorted. “I think Alastir had a lot of beliefs that didn’t make sense, but maybe he did that in hopes that Solis would strike first, forcing Atlantia’s hand. A backup plan in case all else failed.”
That made unfortunate sense. “Who knows what else he could’ve told them?”
That quieted the room, and in the silence, my mind returned to bouncing between Ian and what it meant for the Ascended before finally settling on something I hadn’t really allowed myself to think about.
The Crown.
The plans already in place wouldn’t change with the news that Ian wasn’t evil incarnate—and it was possible that other Ascended were the same.
Once the King learned that Solis was aware of the Atlantian armies, it would spur an attack.
Ian and any Ascended like him may die if the Atlantian armies were successful.
If not, and these Revenants were something terrible and powerful, able to devastate the Atlantian armies?
Not only would Spessa’s End fall, but the entire kingdom of Atlantia could.
Either way, innocent people would die on both sides.
I stopped as I neared Casteel’s chair. He looked up at me, his gaze searching my face.
Casteel and I could stop this.
That meant only I could stop it.
My pulse picked up as I stared down at him. I knew what we had to do—what I had to do. It felt like the floor shifted under my feet. A kernel of panic bloomed, and I used everything in me to shut it down.
Casteel reached out, extending a hand. I placed mine in it. “What?” he said quietly.
“Can we talk?”
He rose at once, sending the group a quick glance. “We’ll be back.”
No one said anything as we slipped from the room and then moved through the empty Great Hall where the Atlantian banners hung on the walls.
“Where do you want to go?” Casteel asked.
“The bay?” I suggested.
And that’s where we went, Casteel leading the way around the half stone wall that remained. Under the bright light of the moon and in the much cooler air of nighttime, the grass and dirt gave way to sand as the scent of lavender surrounded us.
We stopped on the edge of the midnight bay, the waters so dark they captured the stars above. Stygian Bay was the rumored gateway to the Temples of Eternity. I suppressed a shudder at the thought that the God of Common Men and Endings slept under the still waters.
“You doing okay?” Casteel asked.
Knowing he was talking about Ian, I nodded. “It’s strange. When I decided not to give Ian peace, I was both relieved and disappointed.”
“What made you decide not to do it?” Casteel pulled his gaze from the bay and looked over at me. “Because I really thought you were going to do it.”
“I was. It was the perfect chance. I knew you all would’ve been able to handle the knights.
But besides the fact that we have no idea what these Revenants are, we’re also trying to prevent a war.
If I’d ended Ian, the Blood Crown could have taken that as an act of war against them and struck at Spessa’s End. I couldn’t risk that.”
He reached over, rubbing his hand down my back. “I’m proud of you.”
“Shut up.”
“No. Seriously.” A faint smile appeared. “You made the call before Ian spoke to you, when you thought he was truly lost to you. You didn’t think of what you wanted, but what was best for the people of both Solis and Atlantia. Many wouldn’t have done that.”
“Would you?”
His forehead creased as his attention returned to the bay. “I’m not sure. I’d like to think I would have, but I think it’s something you really can’t know for sure until you’re in that position.”