Chapter 18
Leila
The sun hadn’t yet risen, but Leila stood in front of Her wardrobe mirror, too troubled to sleep.
Her late mothers waited in the mirror’s reflection.
It must have been ages since the last time She’d seen them, and their presence was both a comfort and an aching pain.
Their gazes were consumed with sorrow and pity, and it shamed Her.
She pressed a hand to the reflective surface.
“My light betrays Me,” She whispered. “Why won’t it do as I command?”
Silence filled the chamber. Her mothers never spoke, but the question pestered Her nevertheless. She dropped Her hand and sighed.
“I wish you were here.”
The sadness in their eyes became too much to bear, and She closed the wardrobe door, freeing Herself from their visages. She’d tried three more times to bless Enzo, but for some reason Her magic refused to take—another mystery that left Her further removed from the very power She wielded.
A faint snore sounded off behind Her. Tobias was still asleep, his nakedness wrapped around the empty spot Leila used to occupy.
She’d let him sleep a while longer. He needed the peace, certainly after his discovery the day prior.
The news of Flynn was a blow to Her gut, but for Tobias, it was a slow poison ravaging his insides.
He’d arrived from the capital in a reddish cloud of his own hatred, and Leila had known instantly that their circumstances had worsened.
How much more of this could he take? Could She take?
A knock sounded at the door, and Leila cracked it open. Delphi was waiting on the other side, her arms crossed. “Are You still angry with me?”
Leila frowned. “A little.” She glanced over Her shoulder at Tobias and stepped out into the corridor, closing the door behind Her.
“Pippa is safe.” Delphi came in close, her tone pleading. “I’ve told You this a thousand times.”
She had indeed repeated herself ad nauseam, though it had done little to assuage Leila’s dread. She picked at the folds of Her dress. “Safe can mean many things.”
“Talos adores You. Loves You as if You were his own. He’d never allow harm to Pippa.”
“He stabbed Tobias in the leg.”
Delphi waved Her away. “That was ages ago.”
“You’re sure I can’t speak to him?” Leila said. “To her?”
“They’re not in the palace. I checked a thousand times.” Delphi’s eyes became large and sad. “They’re someplace else. Someplace far away.”
“But Brontes is at the palace.”
“Exactly.” Delphi’s face lit up. “You see? She’s fine. She’s nowhere near him.”
Leila cast her a glare, resuming Her anxious picking. “This place . . . you don’t know anything?”
“It’s Brontes’s little land of secrets. That’s what the servants call it. One by one, all his indiscretions disappeared to somewhere unnamed.”
“Somewhere in the north?” Leila said. “That’s where his sellswords are stationed.”
Delphi opened her mouth to speak but stopped short, frozen. “Nine days.” She began pacing the corridor, her mind turning behind her eyes. “It took nine days for Brontes to reach his sellswords and return to the palace.”
“I don’t follow.”
“When Brontes took Pippa away, he returned in nine days.” She stopped short. “He left them in his little land of secrets. Do you see? It’s the same place. It has to be.”
Fire filled Leila, a sweltering sense of victory and rage. Her father’s face permeated the corners of Her mind, but for once it wasn’t accompanied by fear.
She would burn Brontes to the ground.
“Once we have an army, we’ll go there first.” She curled Her hands into fists, eager for the day when they would be covered in Brontes’s blood. “We’ll free Pippa and slaughter the sellswords.”
Delphi’s demeanor softened. “Cosima’s there too.”
“Good.” Leila bit back a growl. “Three birds with one stone.”
Footsteps echoed down the corridor, and Raphael appeared, visibly tense. He offered Delphi a cordial nod before looking to Leila. “We’re ready.”
Leila flared Her nostrils. She knew exactly what was coming, had been prepared for it since the night before, but that didn’t lessen Her dread.
“For what?” Delphi said. “Are we leaving now?”
Leila’s and Raphael’s eyes locked, and a knot wound in Her stomach. Bracing Herself, She took Her sister’s hand. “We’ll explain everything.”
She wasted no time waking Tobias, who made himself presentable before they set off to Raphael’s chamber.
Perhaps the walk there would last for miles, delaying their misery, but they arrived within seconds much to Her dismay.
Yucana and Naomi were already seated at the table, waiting impatiently with fidgeting hands.
Leila flashed them a meager smile that only Naomi returned, and Her gut wound tighter.
Reluctantly, Leila took Her seat. Delphi sat across from Her, her face awash with confusion, and the look of it was nearly enough to make Leila ill.
Raphael clasped his hands on the table, daring to end the silence. “Now seems like an appropriate time to address our plans moving forward.”
“Our plans?” Delphi let out an incredulous laugh. “When did we make plans?”
A strained quiet hung in the air. Leila, Tobias, and Raphael had met with Enzo the night prior, discussing the journey ahead by candlelight.
The meeting was civil, the decision unanimous, and all that was left was the grueling task of informing the others.
Enzo was conspicuously missing from the table, which was for the best. His presence would’ve no doubt stoked the flames.
“Our things are packed,” Tobias said. “We leave tonight.” He looked into Leila’s eyes, and something about his gaze was a comfort, like a warm embrace even though he was out of reach. “Leila, Raphael, and I will travel to Kovahr with Enzo as our guide.”
“And what of the rest of us?” Yucana said.
Tobias’s throat flexed. “The rest of you will stay behind.”
Naomi gasped, while Yucana’s eyes widened, then narrowed into a glare. Leila sucked in a breath.
Here we go.
“You’re leaving us?” Naomi said.
Scoffing, Delphi crossed her arms. “Like hell.”
“It’s safer for you here, blending in with the workers and courtesans.” Raphael spoke with a delicacy that was unusual for him. “We don’t want you getting hurt.”
“When have you ever cared about our wellbeing?” Naomi snapped.
Raphael flinched as if Naomi’s words were a slap to the cheek. “I care a great deal.”
“We’ve discussed this at length,” Tobias said.
“Not with any of us.” Yucana spun toward Leila. “Is that how You intend to rule, Your Holiness? Dictating the lives of others without their consent?”
“This decision wasn’t made lightly,” Tobias cut in. “A large traveling party would be extremely dangerous—for all of us.”
Yucana scowled. “So, we’re a nuisance.”
“I never said that.”
“You can’t leave us here.” Tears welled in Naomi’s eyes. “You can’t just abandon us again.”
“Have you no understanding of the pain you caused us?” Yucana spat.
“My sister has been kidnapped,” Leila finally spoke, Her voice the tip of a blade.
“She’s imprisoned somewhere, and we have no means of freeing her.
” Her words caught in Her throat, but She took in a calming breath.
“I don’t know if she’ll survive this war.
I very well might lose yet another member of My family.
And I can’t bear the thought of the same fate befalling any of you. ”
The chamber fell quiet, and for a moment Leila could’ve sworn Her crown had returned to its rightful place atop Her head. Tobias offered the slightest nod, a silent thank you that made Her sit tall.
“The quickest route to Kovahr is cutting through Trogolia,” She continued.
“Enzo will show us the way. We can reach the border in a day’s time if we leave at nightfall.
From that point forward, our travels will be precarious—more so than they’ve been thus far.
” She scanned the others, no longer diminished by their stares.
“I cannot guarantee anyone’s safety, let alone My own.
And while this is a risk I must take, I am begging you to accept the refuge you’ve been given, for your own sakes. ”
“Horse shit. I’m going.” Delphi pointed a slender finger at Leila. “I’ve been Your advisor my entire life. You need me.”
“And how will you advise Me on this journey? You haven’t traveled through Trogolia, or Kovahr, or anywhere else. This is your first time leaving the palace since you were a child.”
Delphi’s eyes shrank into slits. “You’re punishing me because of Pippa.”
“I’m protecting you because I love you,” Leila said. “Be honest with yourself. We’re not battling senators any longer. These are dangers we’ve never known.” Her gaze became pleading. “I can’t lose another sister. Please. I can’t.”
Delphi’s glare remained, but she said nothing, thwarted and too stubborn to admit it.
Naomi wiped her eyes and shifted in her seat. “It’s just, my back . . .”
“Don’t think for a second that I’ve forgotten.” Leila took Naomi’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Once we’re reunited, relieving your pain will be My utmost priority.”
Naomi gazed down at her lap, but she nodded, and for that Leila was grateful.
“And you?” Tobias said.
All eyes fell on Yucana, who sat eerily still, fury alive in her eyes. The scent of burnt embers stung Leila’s nostrils. Even if she hadn’t worn it so plainly, Yucana’s anger was potent, rising in red wisps from her shoulders. She turned to her son. “I will see you to the border.”
Tobias sighed. “Mother—”
“When you left for the tournament, you didn’t allow me a proper goodbye, and I had no idea if I’d ever see you again.” The slight quiver of her lip revealed her fear. “You will not deny me this basic dignity a second time.”
Leila wilted. Tobias’s life was in grave danger, and once again, it was She who had put him in harm’s way.
“You’ll see us to the border, then you’ll return here to the brothel. The rest of us will continue to Kovahr.” Tobias offered his mother a sad smile. “That means you should probably start packing.”
Raphael shot up from his seat. “I can assist.”