Page 58

Evander

M oments before pushing through the glistening trees of the Gilded Forest, I had felt utter bliss.

Bria took my mother’s ring, and though I gave it to her as a piece of the scheme for infiltrating the castle, I managed to tell her my true feelings about it, my intentions of one day giving this ring to her for real.

She doesn’t need to know I’ve thought about marrying her since we were young or that I had knocked Cedric out and nearly broken his jaw when he’d scoffed at the thought of her being his wife.

But one day, one day I plan to tell her all of it.

Standing in front of the walls of Easthallow right now though, my heart sinks.

I spent years here. The four longest years of my life, trying to figure out how to escape the reaches of my father, the reaches of the priests and the king.

And now I’m back. Images of the dungeons, of people dying, and my mother. ..they all come flooding back.

And the smell. I can smell the crisp salt air from the sea already.

Once, I had loved that smell. When I was living at home, I found Saturnine Bay a wonderful place.

I remember sneaking off with Ash and Quinn and Bria and swimming there in the moonlight.

But after my time in Easthallow, the smell makes my stomach surge.

Because here, it isn’t just the salt of the sea.

No, this smell is tainted, tinged with burning flesh, the damp dirt of the dungeons, and the metallic tang of blood.

Clasping Bria’s hand tighter within my own, I stride forward, following the edge of the wall until we come upon the main road.

As we approach the main entrance to the city, I observe two guards standing to either side.

One steps forward to stop us, hand on the hilt of his sword, his chest blazing with the emblem of Vaohr.

“Please state your bu—” The guard begins, but he’s cut off by the other, rushing from his station toward us.

“Evander?” the guard cries out, disbelief rippling across his features.

He moves to clasp me around the shoulder, and my mouth breaks into a joyous smile. Theo. I drop Bria’s hand and step forward to embrace my old friend.

Bria stiffens beside me, probably confused as to why I’m hugging a guard at the capital.

But I did make a few friends during my time here, and Theo had been one of the closest. I’d left in the middle of the night, unexpectedly, and now I was returning after a year gone.

None of them knew where I had been, though I assume rumors swirled in my absence about my betrayal.

“Where...where have you been?” Theo asks, pulling back to look deep into my eyes.

His searching gaze leaves me wracked with guilt.

I’d needed to leave, I did the right thing, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t hurt others in the process.

The second guard stays still, not moving his hand from his sword, carefully watching the interaction between us.

“It’s a long story, but I’m back now,” I say, shrugging and reaching out a hand to pull Bria toward me.

“This is Bria,” I begin, and she stretches out her hand toward the guard. “My betrothed.”

Theo’s eyes go wide at that statement, but I continue despite his surprise. I had not come off as the type to settle down during my time here. Not because I wanted to sleep around for the rest of my life, but because I held out hope that I would find her again. And I did.

“Bria, this is Theo.”

Theo takes Bria’s hand and kisses it lightly.

“It’s a pleasure,” she says softly, and he nods toward her in acknowledgement.

“Congratulations are in order, it appears,” Theo responds kindly, looking between us. His eyes linger on Bria for longer than I like before he drags his gaze back to me.

“We must get a drink and catch up. But I assume right now, you would like to see your father?” he queries, his face turning dark.

Every muscle in my body tightens at the mention of my wretched father, but I force a small smile onto my lips.

“Yes Theo, can you let him know we’re here?”

Theo gives a curt bob of his head and turns to the guard next to him.

“I’m going to escort them to Castle Eccleston.” The guard gives Theo a confused expression, clearly not understanding who we are. “Send word ahead of us. Tell Captain Lansing his son has returned.”

There it is. His eyes go wide and shift to mine.

So, he has heard of me. I can’t help the smug-as-shit grin that curls my lips.

Who knows what the man has heard about me?

What lies, or even truths, does he know?

It’s no matter, I’m going to set them all straight, make them understand I left for the cause.

As we follow Theo under the archway, I venture a glance up.

There are large stone structures on either side that end in a giant metal curve.

Right in the middle is an enormous symbol of the temple: a glowing blue circle with the crystal spear through the middle.

The sight sends a shudder down my spine when we walk through.

We make our way toward the castle, and I keep a firm hold on Bria’s hand.

Tension is leaking out of her body and her hand is so hot against my own that it makes both our palms slick with sweat.

The anger and fear she must be feeling right now are probably overwhelming.

These are the people who killed her father, captured and have likely been torturing her sister, and would use Bria until there is nothing left if they had the chance. But they won’t ever get that chance.

Theo attempts small talk, telling me what happened in my absence, how some guards had been promoted or moved on to other jobs, a few leaving to live quieter lives outside the city.

We pass various shops and businesses as we wind our way through the city.

It looks magnificent at night. I had forgotten how the city glowed with light.

Townhomes stretch in rows to either side, nestled beyond the shops that line the central road, leading straight toward Castle Eccleston.

Mostly the wealthy—the nobles—live in the glorious homes that pepper the street, leaving those less fortunate to make their own way further from the center.

I know these streets. I patrolled every inch of them when I lived here.

But I also know all of the ways in and out of the city.

I have an intimate knowledge of their weaknesses and strengths in terms of how the city is protected.

There were numerous areas where the walls had crumbled, places one could pass through without fear of the guards.

The king was so focused on his mission, on the magic and his control of the people, that he had no time for silly repairs of the wall.

And from the look of it, that hasn’t changed while I’ve been gone.

When given the chance, I’ll check to ensure the gap in the wall I used when I was here to escape to the Gilded Forest still remains.

It’s close enough to the castle that it could be our way out when the time comes.

I watch Bria as she takes in the city, her head swiveling around as we walk down the main road.

She’s never traveled here, and Easthallow is a great deal larger than Elwyn or Fallholt.

I imagine that if things were different, she might actually like this city.

The sights and sounds are so different from where we live now, and even from where we grew up.

It’s so much more...alive. And the people are genuine and wonderful…

most of them. I’ve always felt a bit bad for them, having to live under such a cruel ruler and being forced to turn on their own.

Though those in the capital have it better, there are no people with magic left here to turn on.

Those bloodlines have been wiped out entirely after years of purging anyone with a drop of it.

There’s no one left here to conceive a child with gifts.

“Oh, and Luthais,” Theo is still speaking about the other guards, and I cringe as I hear the name escape his lips. I was only half listening to my old friend drone on about people I don’t care about. Thankfully, Theo is walking ahead of me and doesn’t see the reaction.

“He’s your father’s second in command now. A recent promotion, but one he’s flaunting around the city any chance he gets.”

I grit my teeth and stretch out the tension that clenches in my neck. Bria presses closer in response, moving her body to tuck into me. She squeezes my hand, and I feel the warm metal of my mother’s ring on her finger.

Theo swings his head around to grin at me just then.

“And yes, if you’re wondering, he’s just as much of a prick now as he was when you left,” he says, and I bark out a laugh at the comment.

I’ve missed Theo. I’d pushed aside the thoughts of my friend while I was in the camp, knowing he would never understand the betrayal. He’s loyal to a fault. But that loyalty to the Crown and the priests ran deep, far deeper than our friendship ever had.

“Not surprising that my father chose to promote him. The man is lethal,” I say, looking to Bria so she understands. I want to be sure she knows to stay away from Luthais. At all costs.

“Who did he have to kill to get that position?” I question, prying my old friend for as much information as I can gather before seeing my father.

Theo laughs and it’s a deep and genuine sound that pulls at my chest. I feel awful using Theo for my own purposes.

Realistically, the man had done nothing wrong except for choosing the losing side in this war.

But I can deal with the guilt later. The road is curving up ahead and the castle is in full view.

We will be at the doors in a matter of minutes now.

“Not kill, but capture,” he replies, his voice filled with glee as he glances back at me.

“Word around the city is he captured someone big. Someone who could take down the king with magic, someone working for the rebels.” His voice lowers and he drops back next to me as he speaks. “I heard it was one of the sisters. The ones from the prophecy.”

My stomach twists and I glance at Bria. Her face is pale, losing color and hardening, her mouth a straight line. From here, I can see the blue flames surging in her eyes. I trace my thumb along the back of her hand, urging her to calm before we enter the castle.

I flash a smile at Theo. “Well, good for Luthais then, sounds like he earned that promotion.”

The words almost hurt as they leave my mouth, knowing I would prefer to cut Luthais from head to toe with my sword and instead I’m left here complimenting the bastard. When I look back at Bria, her eyes are set forward on the castle.

“Looks like you can congratulate him yourself,” Theo remarks wryly, tossing his head in the direction of the doors.

The ornate double doors to the castle have opened ahead of us and I stiffen as we approach the granite steps.

My father stands tall above me in crafted metal armor emblazoned with the mark of Vaohr, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

From here, the light glints off his hair.

Once a darker shade of black, it’s now peppered with silver and white.

His face is drawn, lips pursed, and his eyes widen as he takes in the sight of me, as if he expected the guards had lied when they said his son had returned.

But the look he sets on Bria is far worse.

A mix of awe and satisfaction whirls through his features.

He remembers her. How could he forget? She was breathtaking to anyone who saw her, with radiating cobalt eyes, long lashes, round cheeks, and that golden cascade of hair.

Even now, her ivory skin gleams as the light reflects off it, a faint blush making those cheeks a rosy hue and brightening her face.

My father watched her grow up, and not only that, but he hunted her.

For five years. I imagine he saw Bria in his dreams each night, he thought of her that often.

Beside him is Luthais. He dons matching armor but without the ornate touches on the edges. His lip is curled into a sneer as he watches us at the base of the stairs. His cool gray eyes lock on Bria, and I want to pull her closer, but force myself to continue moving.

I tug Bria’s hand, urging her to follow me as we ascend the large slabs of granite one torturous step at a time, bringing me back to the place I had hoped to leave and never return.