Chapter 43
Chapter
Forty-Three
ARA
I’m agitated while pacing the keep’s kitchen. Lyla and Lorcan watch me from the table—one of them amused, the other concerned. The rest are out scouting for a raid, and I don’t know how they can sit here so relaxed knowing that.
“They will be fine,” Lyla soothes. “Or is that not the only thing on your mind?”
She’s right. Ever since I found out last night that Tate is bound by a promise too, I've been unable to stop thinking and worrying about it. Not being able to talk about what happened is eating him alive. I can see it. He had guilt written all over his face as soon as I mentioned the attack, and I can’t help him if I don’t know what happened.
I left while Tate was showering after training, and I know he’ll be pissed about it when I get back, but this is important. I look at two of the people I consider friends by now, and no one knows more about magic than Lorcan.
“Is there a way to hide a promise?” I ask him. “And is there a way to break one without killing the person involved?”
Lorcan cocks an eyebrow. “Planning to blackmail someone into submission?”
I roll my eyes at him. “Is it?”
“They say the divine can break a promise, but I haven’t seen it. And yes. Some gifts can mold them, bend them, and if the person already has markings, you could hide the promise between them.”
And suddenly it all makes sense. Tate’s obsession with the trials, his despair when we failed at first. What did Janus call it? A favor from the goddess? Tate needs to win, to free himself from this promise. Determination spreads through me. I will get him this favor, whatever it takes.
“Does it have to be a specific god? Or can any of them do it?” I ask.
“What?”
I scowl at him. “Come on, you have hundreds of years of experience. Surely, you can guess what I’m asking. Which god can break a promise?”
“I don’t know,” he snarls, his temper rising at my rude tone. “Even if you think I’m old enough to have been walking the earth next to them, I’m not.”
“You’re not very helpful,” I grumble.
“Talking about helpful, do you know why your brother is looking for a dragon?” Lorcan asks, and I furrow my brow.
“Darren?”
“Yes, the general,” he confirms impatiently, as if I don’t have more than one brother.
I shrug. “Are you hired for anything else but fighting?”
“Tracking.” Lorcan leans back in his chair. “Is he looking for someone?”
“I don’t think Tate talked to him about the attacks, so… Your guess is as good as mine.” I shrug again. We are quiet for a while.
“Someone called me a witch last night,” I tell them, and Lorcan’s gaze turns watchful.
“Someone from Kystis?” he asks, and I nod.
“It’s an old word for someone controlling magic. They still use it in Kystis to refer to someone with your gift.”
I frown. “How would he know about that?” I ask.
“That’s what I’m worried about.” Lorcan nods. “It means someone either suspects or knows what you are. Be careful. Don’t use your gift around others if you can help it.”
“Why do they hate us so much?” I whisper.
“Do you want to hear a story? A true one?” he asks, and when I nod, Lyla rises.
“I’ll make some tea and get out the biscuits,” she singsongs, her grin wide. “I love to listen to Lorcan’s stories,” she explains for my sake.
“She badgered me into telling her one every night when she got here,” Lorcan grumbles. I laugh because I can picture it perfectly. “You would think in the last hundred years she would have grown tired of it.”
“A hundred years?” I splutter, my eyes flying to Lyla.
“She's held up well, hasn't she?” Lorcan says, then laughs when Lyla shoves his shoulder, while setting down mugs.
“All Tynan’s fault,” Lyla says at my questioning look, and I’d bet that's another story worth hearing.
Lorcan settles in, getting comfortable, while Lyla bustles around us and sets down a plate filled with cookies and a pot full of steaming tea.
He starts only once Lyla sits, shaking his head at her eager smile.
And as soon as he starts, I understand her fascination.
He always has a pleasant voice—deep, rumbly, and calm—but as the story begins, it becomes almost hypnotic, captivating.
“Now, this was about 400 years ago, when a newly crowned king coveted the princess from the neighboring realm. Not only was she beautiful, but her magic gift was one of the strongest ever recorded.” He smiles wistfully.
“She was strong and not just in magic, but also in will, and she saw no benefit in giving up the right to her throne to reign second to a husband in another kingdom.”
“Understandable,” I agree, and he gives me a scolding look, so I shut up.
“Well, the king didn’t want to accept it.
The more she denied him, the more determined he was to make her his.
” He takes a sip of his tea. “And then he made the mistake of stealing her from her home and bringing her back to his palace. While he was sure he could woo her, she was enraged beyond belief. She wrought devastation on his castle and his kingdom. But that wasn’t enough.
” He looks into the distance as if he remembers it.
“She wanted to humiliate him for his audacity to force her hand, so she took his throne and made it hers.”
“The ease with which she overpowered him, the most powerful man of Belarra, sparked fear in rulers of neighboring kingdoms, fearing for their power. Everyone was afraid to face her. And her end came quietly in the dark of night.” He clears his throat.
“Long story short, their helplessness in the face of her gift frightened them, so they outlawed it.”
His voice turns more distant. “It spiraled from there and ended in what you know today. Were they right to fear her power? Maybe.” He pauses.
“If all of you who gathered under Tynan’s protection were to rise and decide to take the throne, you could.
” His eyes rest on me. “Well, taking the throne is still the plan, only peacefully.”
I ignore his comment and the twist in my chest. “So, essentially, they hunt us because one of us had a well-deserved tantrum,” I ask.
The dragon’s mouth quirks. “Yeah, essentially.”
“Talk about actions having consequences,” I mutter.
We are quiet for a while, and Lyla covers Lorcan’s hand with hers, squeezing it.
“Thank you for the story.” She smiles.
“What realm was the princess from?”
“It doesn’t exist anymore. She was one of your ancestors. Well, technically, her brother was,” Lorcan says.
So one of my ancestors had to marry the king of Belarra, which resulted in her laying waste to the kingdom. A shiver works its way up my spine. This is too close for comfort.
A commotion in the entry hall makes Lyla jump up. “They’re back.” She rushes out of the room. Lorcan and I sit there in silence, both of us caught up in our thoughts.
But it isn’t long until Lyla comes back, with a wide smile on her face.
“We have someone who will be glad to see you,” she beams, and my brow furrows, but then Tynan steps through the door, and after him follows…
“Alessia!” I run to the girl who is no longer a slave. I wrote to Tynan, but I never thought... “Wait, you went to get her?” At Tynan’s nod, I whirl around to Lyla. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugs. “I didn’t want you to be disappointed if it didn’t work.”
“Thank you.” I throw my arms around Tynan, who looks perplexed at the gesture.
Lyla giggles behind me. “I told you I’ll keep her. Finally, someone who the lot of you doesn’t intimidate.”
I help Lyla get Alessia settled in one of the guest rooms, and when I come back down, I’m already later than expected, so I decline Lorcan’s offer to train my gift and head back to Avina instead.