Chapter 43
Chapter
Forty-Three
RHYAN
I had about five minutes for my heart to fill with joy as I stood with Dario and Aiden, my best friends.
And even more joy as I watched Lyr’s aura light up with Meera, and Jules.
Jules at last. Gods, it felt good seeing everyone like this, safe, together.
Reunited. I wanted more time for all of us.
A proper reunion, especially now that I knew my friends didn’t hate me.
That they never did for what happened to Garrett, or for the way I left Glemaria.
We were all okay. But we also had unfinished business, so much more we needed to talk about to fully clear the air.
I imagined Lyr felt the same about her group. My heart panged for her, knowing she’d had to leave Jules behind as soon as she’d found her. To rescue me. Because of me, they’d been parted.
Because of my father, they had.
I took a deep breath, wanting nothing more than to find some mead and bring Aiden and Dario into my tent so we could talk all night.
Laugh and joke like we used to. But I already knew how easily this moment could be stolen from us—how fleeting it all was.
We had to act first. The Empire was still against us.
Morgana and Aemon. And my father had already moved up the timeline for our attack.
We needed to plan. Because I sure as hell wasn’t going to let him catch me unaware again.
I turned to Harman. “Wake Sean. Tell him to meet us, and any other soturi you can spare—send them here. We need to meet now.”
Harman nodded. “Of course, Your Grace.” Then he lowered his chin to Lyr. “Your Grace.”
She smiled. “Thank you, Harman.”
A few minutes later, Sean came barreling through the camp, fully dressed in his uniform, his sword on his back.
“What’s going on? What happened?” he said, his face drawn with concern. He stilled as his eyes swept over Dario and Aiden, then his mouth spread into a wide grin. He laughed and sprinted forward, pulling them both into a hug.
“You two!”
Dario, Aiden, and Garrett had all adored Sean.
I’d forgotten. They were nearly as crushed as I’d been when he left Glemaria.
I stood back, letting them have a moment.
And met Lyr’s eyes. For a second, they heated with fire, with the same look she’d given me when I was deep inside her.
I felt my own answering heat. The scent of her still clung to me.
But then she turned back to Jules, her eyes sparkling.
I gave Dario and Aiden the basic rundown of all that they’d missed. That Lyr had found me, cured me, and then how we’d found Sean, and the Glemarian soturi who’d defected to Bamaria. And then the rest of our army, the former akadim.
Aiden couldn’t have looked more shocked if he’d wanted to. And Dario, well, he was still fighting all of his emotions.
I was about to ask what I’d missed since I last saw them. Dario had glanced more than once at Jules when he thought no one was looking. But Harman returned with five more soturi behind him. I took Lyr’s hand, and we sat down, quickly rattling off everyone’s name, title, and relationship to us.
“Now that we’re all introduced, the real reason I’ve brought us together is because Lady Julianna and Lady Meera,” I said, gesturing to the two of them, “Have important information about my father’s plans.” I turned to them, waiting for them to explain.
For a moment, there was nothing but tense silence. Jules and Meera looked at each other before staring back at the gathered soturi.
I realized the problem. They were still keeping secrets. Secrets deadly under the Empire.
But not here. Not anymore. I would no longer abide by their rules. And neither would anyone fighting beside me.
“I want you all to know that Lady Julianna and Lady Meera,” I said, “Have my utmost confidence. And Lady Lyriana’s. You can speak freely in front of them, trust them. But you should know, that like me, or rather—like I was … before—they’re vorakh.”
Sean jerked his head toward them in shock, unable to school away the surprise in his face. But I could see that he wasn’t afraid, just surprised. He accepted them, and tried to show it, by vigorously nodding his head. “Of course. You are welcome here. All of you.”
Three of the other soturi with us, former Glemarians, looked somewhat uncomfortable.
I didn’t like it, but I understood—they’d spent their lives being taught to fear vorakh.
Yet, it was clear from the look in their eyes, and the way they hadn’t bolted, that they were open-minded enough to see the evidence before them was stronger than the lies and propaganda of the Empire, and I could also see their faces change as they began to see that we were no threat.
I could almost see their minds slowly digesting the news, replacing the stories they’d been told, and accepting them.
It made me hopeful, hopeful that more minds could be changed.
However, Harman and the rest of the soturi he’d collected, those who had been akadim with me, had a completely different reaction. They looked almost relieved at the admission.
“I was akadim,” Harman said. “A far worse crime in my eyes than any I could imagine are associated with you. According to the Empire at least. I’m working to make up for what I did, what I was.
As are many of us. Lord Rhyan and Lady Lyriana have trusted me.
And I trust them, so that extends to you.
I don’t see why I should fear vorakh. Or hate you. If you don’t fear or hate me.”
“No,” Meera said. “We don’t.”
“Not at all,” Jules said, but her eyes were on me. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“Thank you, my lady,” Harman said formally. But his lower lip shook.
Dario’s gaze moved back and forth between them, his body turning protectively in Jules’s direction. I eyed Lyr quickly, who’d also taken note. She shrugged when she met my eyes, then jerked her chin at the group again, pulling me back.
“Well, now that that’s out of the way,” I said, “Julianna and Meera come with news about my father’s plans.
The event has been moved up to tomorrow night.
” A Hartavian clocktower began to chime in the distance.
Midnight. “Tonight, actually,” I said, when the bells stopped.
“Which means we have to push all of our plans up by a day. We need to be ready to make our move when the Alissedari happens.”
“And this is based only on visions?” Sean asked. “Not that I don’t trust what you’ve seen.”
Meera shook her head. “No, of course not.”
“We’ve also had contact with Lady Kenna,” Dario said.
“She managed to get a few messages out to us, and they confirmed everything their visions showed. And as you know, I served along with Aiden in His Highness’s inner circle, privy to many of his plans.
We’re ready to speak out against him, and know others who will do the same upon his arrest. Once his influence is over, there are many who will be freed from his control. ”
The blood contracts. For Dario and Aiden to help us, they couldn’t get near my father, not close enough for him to give orders.
But I tucked that detail away. We had a hundred more to go through.
Visions shared by Jules and Meera, intel from Kenna.
And a new plan to make and execute come morning. It was a lot.
“Just one question,” Sean asked. “How can we get word to Lady Kenna now and any other allies inside his Court? It’s the one thing I haven’t been able to manage, and I’m fairly well connected.”
Meera grinned suddenly, opening up a small pouch at her belt.
There was a sharp hissing sound and two baby nahashim slid out onto her arm, snaking their way in tight coils to her elbow.
“Shhhhh,” she cooed, and stroked their backs with a finger.
“They can get inside Seathorne, and deliver any message we need. They can also seek out anyone, or anything,” she eyed me, “we might need or be looking for. And in turn, I can intercept any nahashim he sends our way. For the last two months, I’ve been destroying his most effective secret weapon. One by one.”
“Meera, that’s genius,” I said, before glancing around at my council to make sure no one was about to bolt. We’d just thrown them all into a midnight meeting with vorakh and nahashim. But everyone was still. And calm. It was a good sign.
“Once the plan is in place, I’ll get word to Kenna,” Meera said. “And then we go.”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath. “Tell us everything you know.”
We broke camp before dawn, marching in the dark to the Glemarian border.
Lyr’s sword, the red shard, shone against her back, her hair glowing red now, even without the sun to change it.
She emitted so much power, working with Aiden to glamour our entire soturi in shadows as we crossed into the wilds of Glemaria.
It had been left unguarded on purpose by my father.
It was one of his cruelties, and thus had become a hot spot for akadim activity, one that left my people unprotected.
With all the demons known to the area, and the loyalty he had of Hartavia’s Arkasva and people, no one ever came through here.
Until today, when I stepped over the border.
I took in the fresh scent of pine, the scent that I’d always loved, that always reminded me of home.
I could see the familiar outlines of the mountains rising against the trees.
To the left was the Allurian Pass, Aemon’s hideout.
The mountains where Morgana had taken the indigo shard.
I looked around, stepping on the familiar landscape, even recognizing the field we’d entered.
The last time I’d been here was for the last Alissedari.
I’d been dropped off in the early morning with every other soturion participating.
Wild gryphons had been all over the woods and fields.
I’d been with Garrett, fighting to claim a gryphon, and earn his trust, enough that I could get him to fly me to the tournament and compete in it.