Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Alethea spent the day moving through the encampment, hesitantly introducing herself to soldiers who, to her surprise, seemed genuinely glad to have her. She made herself useful where she could, fumbled more than she didn't, and was teased warmly for it each time.
She had never seen so many people united under one cause.
In her mother’s court, advisors and lords schemed and plotted against one another while Lenorea’s poorest citizens fought over a few scraps of food.
She’d always been so powerless to help, and she’d learned years ago that even the most innocent of interventions could make things so much worse.
As the sun set, Alethea knew she ought to make her way back to Nakir’s tent.
Her stomach flipped as she wondered if she’d be getting her own tent and what that would mean for her.
She still hadn’t officially accepted the deal with Nakir, nor had he accepted her offer.
Still, she felt this was the only option if she truly wanted to be free of her mother.
Despite the thought she should return, Alethea felt called to the neighboring forest. She’d heard rumors of a nearby lake, where some of the soldiers took to the waters for a refreshing dip in the natural springs, and decided to see it for herself.
Besides, Nakir had told her she wasn’t his prisoner; this was the perfect test to see if he meant it.
Alethea continuously glanced over her shoulder as she strode past the last few tents on the northern border of the camp.
She waited, counting the minutes, until it became clear no one was coming for her.
Hardly able to believe it, she continued into the woods, following the path she’d been told would take her to the spring-fed pool.
She could hardly remember the last time she was simply free to go wherever she pleased without sneaking around or being followed.
Absently twisting her blonde curls into a braid over one shoulder, she put one foot in front of the other and searched for this elusive pool.
With every step, the forest enveloped her in a hushed embrace, the rustle of leaves the only sound in the impending twilight. The air carried the scent of moss and damp earth, and the distant hoot of an owl echoed through the woods.
After what felt like an eternity, she stumbled upon a hidden glade.
In its center lay the mysterious lake she’d heard whispers of: a pristine mirror reflecting the deep, bruising colors of the almost faded sunset.
The water was still, its surface broken only by the occasional ripple.
A sense of both wonder and trepidation gripped Alethea as she gazed at the waters, pondering the secrets they might hold.
In the silent forest, her ears picked up the faint murmur of voices, drawing her attention away from the tranquil lake.
The words were indistinct, muffled by the distance, but the intensity of the argument was palpable.
She hesitated, caught between her curiosity and the instinct to remain unseen.
Gripped by nosiness, she strained her ears as she inched closer, her heart pounding in her chest.
“You heard Balthasar. My father’s title—my title—has been stripped.
They’ve evacuated the household. The lords and ladies have all fled.
We’re lucky we have what we have, but what are we supposed to do when the new Great Lord of Ephesus gathers an army and comes after the lords who followed us?
” Kerrigan’s voice was pained, angry, and vulnerable in a way that ate Alethea with guilt for overhearing it.
She tucked herself behind a massive oak tree, trying to make herself as small and silent as possible.
Nakir’s voice was unmistakable. “I’d say he would have a hard time finding able-bodied soldiers to fight for him.
We have the army of Ephesus, with reinforcements less than a week away.
He would need to hire another army of mercenaries from Rai’Sharr to even stand a chance.
We knew the risks when we left. Goran knew the risks.
I know Ephesus is important to you, and I promise we’ll retake Sardes and reinstate you as Great Lady. ”
“It’s not just about titles, Nakir! All this business with the princess, it’s distracting you. We need to keep moving. This is our chance to strike. With our allies in Hyelea—”
“We have to consider all the options. We’ll gather the others in the morning and discuss this matter then. We simply can’t afford to act irrationally.”
Silence stretched between them, the sounds of the glen rising up to take the place of their heated discussion as the night cooled.
They were surrounded by massive juniper and cypress trees, their evergreen branches lush even in the late-autumn months.
The sun sank closer to the horizon, sending brilliant rays of red and orange across the clearing.
Alethea bit her lip as she waited, searching for an opportunity to sneak away. She’d nearly decided to go for it when she heard Kerrigan’s voice again.
“I don’t know how to miss him.”
Nakir took a moment to answer. “I don’t either.”
“I’m so fucking angry.”
“I know.” A long silence stretched.
“No one wanted this more for you than he did. He would have given everything for this... Fuck it, he did give everything for this. And we couldn’t save him. That whole ride to Hyelea, I just knew we were going to be too late. And we were.”
“Balthasar talked to him, before—”
“Before they cut off his head?” Kerrigan was so blunt, so raw.
Alethea’s stomach rolled, bile rising in her throat as she screwed her eyes shut to block out the images from her nightmare.
“Goran told him it was too late for a rescue mission, that there was no way to extract him safely. The last thing he wanted was for another one of us to end up captured.” There was a long pause. “Alethea mentioned someone betrayed him.”
“Did she say who?”
“No.”
“Did you ask?”
“No. Kerrigan, we can’t just pry her for prophecy. We talked about this.”
“Maybe if you just asked her—”
“No.”
Alethea’s heart raced. Kerrigan was right: they could just ask her. Her mother certainly had no problem demanding her gifts, especially when it came to important matters of state. She didn’t understand why Nakir was holding back, or why he was defending her.
The sunset was nearly complete now, crickets chirping in the quiet that passed between them.
“We’ll talk about this in the morning, Ker.”
“Fine.” Kerrigan’s tone was grave as she told Nakir, “But mark my words, she will bring us nothing but trouble.”
Footsteps started her way, and Alethea held her breath again, praying she was hidden behind her tree off the trail. She watched, lungs burning, as Kerrigan stormed back down the path toward the encampment.
Alethea waited for several more minutes for Nakir to follow, but all she heard was the soft sounds of the glen around her.
Birds softly sang their evening lullabies, while smaller creatures scurried in the brush.
A single splash sounded from the crystal-clear lake, and Alethea determined Nakir must have gone for a swim—which made this the perfect time to escape.
“You can come out now, Alethea.”
The breath left her lungs as she wrestled with the shame of getting caught. She hung her head in resignation as she stepped out from behind the tree to face him. Nakir was swimming ten feet from the shore at a surprising depth. The rocky beach must have dropped off steeply into deeper water.
She reddened as she stepped up to the pile of dark clothes left against a large boulder on the soft, loamy shore.
“Care for a swim?” he asked her cheekily, but she hesitated to answer. There was no way of telling how undressed Nakir was as he trod water. If she had to guess, she would have bet all his clothes were on the shore.
“I’m sorry for listening in. I... have nothing to say for myself,” Alethea admitted, shoving her hands into the pockets of her dress.
“Eavesdropping isn’t a crime,” he told her, floating in the water up to his chest. “Besides, Ker wasn’t exactly quiet with her grievances. I should apologize for her—”
“Don’t,” Alethea objected, shaking her head. “She was just speaking her mind.” If anyone had a right to object to her presence, it was Kerrigan. Alethea was the reason her father was dead.
Nakir regarded her silently for a moment. “If I only welcomed people who would not bring trouble into my court, I’d be alone. Ker forgets that.” His expression was still haunted, and Alethea thought back to what Emi had said: “I know he was a father to you too.”
“Why don’t you have a seat on the edge?” he suggested. “Dip your feet in.”
Alethea glanced to where he gestured to see the western shore was less of a beach, more a rocky outcropping where she could do exactly as he suggested.
“Or you could swim.”
Alethea laughed at his insistence. “I don’t even have a towel,” she explained. She hadn’t exactly come here with a plan.
“You can use mine,” he offered.
Her smile softened as she watched him float on his back in front of her. “How chivalrous of you.”
“The water is excellent. I think it’s fed by a hot spring.”
She slipped out of her shoes and walked over to one of the low stones, hiking her skirt up to her thighs and taking a seat at the water’s edge. Nakir was right: the water’s temperature was perfectly warm despite autumn’s threat of colder weather.
“How long did you know Goran Arranil?” she asked, wondering what he’d do with an opening to discuss the late Great Lord. Even though it pained her to think about the role she’d played in his demise, she understood that sometimes it was important to talk about the people you were grieving.