Chapter 48
KALLIE
"There is nothing for you to explain, Terin! I do not wish to speak about this," Kallie snapped, pacing inside her room.
Despite her attempts to ignore him, Terin had followed her, pushing past her before she could lock him out.
"By the gods, you are more like Graeson than you even realize. Neither of you ever wish to speak about your problems. But have you ever thought that maybe if you did, you would have less of them?" he retorted, his frustration evident in the way he repeatedly ran his hands through his hair.
Kallie stared at Terin, her mouth agape. She snapped her mouth shut. "When will we return?" she gritted.
Terin blinked.
"To Pontia," Kallie clarified.
His hands fell to his sides. "I...I do not know. I am sure we will need to return sooner rather than later."
Kallie nodded, her mind reeling as she thought of coming face-to-face with Esmeray again. But Kallie could only deal with one thing at a time.
"And we are just going to let Domitius carry on?" Kallie asked.
"What choice do we have? Our mother is still queen. If she demands our return, who are we to refuse her?"
Kallie scoffed and spun away from him.
"Kallie," he beckoned, but she did not turn around. "Everything will be all right."
It was the biggest lie she had heard all day. Nothing was all right, and she felt helpless to do anything to fix it.
Her eyes darted across the room as she searched for a solution, but she knew she would find no answers there.
Spinning to face her brother, Kallie folded her hands over her chest. "I want to speak to him."
Terin looked to the door and back at her, confusion twisting across his features. "Graeson? I can go get him."
Kallie snatched Terin's arm as he made to leave. "Not Graeson. I want to speak to Fynn."
Terin scratched the back of his head. "Why?" he asked.
She rolled her eyes. "Does there have to be a reason?"
"No, but like I told Dani, speaking to the dead is no way to move forward."
"Terin, your mother is on the verge of charging everyone with treason. I need to speak to someone who will tell me the truth, not just what I wish to hear!" Kallie's hand loosened around his arm, but she did not let go. She couldn't get herself to.
She didn't know if Terin would let her speak to Fynn, but she needed to try.
Terin ground his teeth together, his jaw flexing as he stared at her, debating. He squeezed his eyes shut, wrinkles creasing his forehead.
Kallie knew the moment he had made his decision, for his shoulders relaxed and he released a heavy sigh.
"Fine," he said, giving in. "But this is the last time. The dead need to rest, too."