Chapter 71
“He’ll be here,” I tell Raef, though I’m trying to convince myself and not let the panic rise and consume me like a flame. “Any time now.”
Raef says nothing, opting to chug a particularly large ale instead. The stress and sorrow are written all over his face, his usual smile nowhere to be found.
After I slept through the night and well into the next day while riding on his back, I scolded him for not waking me or taking a break himself.
Eventually, we reached the run-down tavern we had all agreed to meet at, and so far, no one has batted an eye at us.
The place is rather crowded for a smaller establishment, and most of the patrons look like hard-working citizens just trying to let loose after a long day of work.
The crowd is rambunctious, with musical instruments playing and people dancing. It doesn’t match our mood whatsoever, but this is where we must remain. I’ll sit here until he arrives or I’ll die waiting. I don’t care at this point.
Kezra flew off somewhere with no explanation, so it’s just Raef and me. Neither of us has talked much, and I’m certain we both look absolutely miserable to outsiders. I couldn’t pretend not to be if I tried.
The good news is we saw only two elven guards strolling the roads on the way in.
All I can surmise is that they must all be reassembling at the castle.
I’m sure they need all the reinforcements they can get after we did major damage to their army.
I didn’t take the most direct route here by any means, so it’s completely possible that elven messengers were sent on the road right after the destruction of their army to call back more troops.
“Hopefully we hurt their numbers so badly that they can’t retaliate for a while.” I’m not sure Raef hears me because it’s so loud in here, and I simply don’t have the energy to project my voice more.
“Hopefully.” He nods thoughtfully, staring off into the distance at nothing.
His eyes are so distant and empty that it pains me to look at him.
“Although, we really don’t know what kind of numbers they had.
They’ve been working on building up that army for a while.
And who knows what kind of fucking spineless twats they gathered as allies. ”
“Hopefully no one.”
He shrugs. “Fear is a very easy way to get people to do as you say. I heard they got some of the sylocs to join them.”
I rest my arm on the table, dropping my head onto it as Raef rises to get another drink. I assume.
We sit at the table all night. Even when there are only a few intoxicated people left trying to get dirty in a corner before they’re kicked out.
We stay through the breakfast crowd, and even past that, when everyone begins to trickle out for their daytime plans.
The barkeep doesn’t mind. She must see the look of pure defeat on our faces and doesn’t ask questions.
I wonder if anyone here has even heard of the brutal massacre that took place.
The completely unnecessary loss of lives that occurred…
over what? Keeping a curse that’s sucking the life from half the land?
A curse that was never meant to be here to begin with…
The more I think about what my father has done—the deaths he’s responsible for, the ones he made me responsible for—the more I loathe him.
I’ll get Rhydra’s revenge. I’ll make sure he knew who she was. And then, I’ll kill him. What’s one more death on my conscience now? I’m beyond redemption after the carnage I’ve caused.
“Why don’t you get a room next door? I’ll keep watch here.”
“Why don’t you?” I offer. “You’re the one who hasn’t slept in days.” The evidence of that is in the puffiness of his eyes, the darkness under them, and the way his shoulders sag.
He sighs, his chest deflating, then meets my gaze. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Mentally? Maybe not. But sitting here waiting for Daegan to finally get his ass here? Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
“He’s probably just out there taking his sweet ass time for the drama. Wants to make us miss him or some shit.” The corner of his lip almost looks like it curls up for an instant as he rises from his chair, but it’s gone before I blink.
“You’re probably right.” Daegan wouldn’t do that at all, but I humor Raef and his attempt at lightening the mood.
A few hours pass as I anxiously wait in the corner of the warm, loud tavern, staring intently at every face that enters. I never give up hope. Every time that door opens, I think it will be him.
Raef returns after a few hours of rest, though it’s not nearly enough. His posture does look steadier, but the bags remain.
“How long do we wait?” Raef asks the impossible question that I’ve been avoiding as he takes the seat across from me with a large tankard of ale already in his grip.
What if something did happen to him? He had the sword last, Raef informed me earlier. They tossed it back-and-forth to each other several times in battle, trying to keep it away from enemy hands. We’d need to go find it, hope it’s not lost. Or worse… destroyed. That would be a whole new issue.
If something did happen to Daegan, well… we still need to push on. As much as I don’t want to. For the good of… everyone. Daegan would want me to carry on, to save his people. I just don’t know if I can even enjoy witnessing the stars revealing themselves if he’s not there to see it with me.
I push those thoughts aside, focusing instead on how I’m going to assassinate the king.
“Your turn,” Raef says.
“I’m okay.”
“No, you’re not. Go.”
I hold his gaze with every intention of showing him just how stubborn I am, but something relents in me far too fast. He looks at me with a tender softness, and I realize he may be my only ally I have left in this world.
My only friend. I don’t want to argue with him anymore.
I’m too tired. There’s always Kezra, of course, but I have a feeling she’ll leave us and travel back to the wilds as soon as we accomplish what we set out to do, disappearing forever.
She’s not the type of acquaintance who will pop into town for tea every now and then. Even though I think I’d enjoy that.
“Fine.” I sigh as I stand, scanning the room one last time before I go, hoping those deep blue eyes will find mine in the crowd.
They don’t, and my heart sinks.
Suddenly, a long nap doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. This time spent waiting for him, scared of the unknown, is agonizing. Maybe if I go to sleep, he’ll be here when I wake.
I freshen up in the room Raef rented out before collapsing onto the small, hard bed and passing out almost immediately.