Page 40 of Enchanted Shadows (The Enchanted Kingdom #6)

T he knock on my door the next morning was the king and queen of Wylan. Kessara and I were dressed and ready for the meeting with Calix. I was tense. I should’ve gotten up and ran or used a serious amount of magic, but on the off chance I needed it, I hadn’t wanted to leave Kessara.

“Since last night we focused on safety precautions, we just wanted to get a plan for this meeting with Calix,” Krew told both of us as Jorah plopped on the couch.

He turned to his half-sister, and damn, when they were this close together it was hard to imagine that I hadn’t known they were related. “What do you want, Princess Kessara?”

“Wh—” She swallowed. “What do you mean what do I want? And just Kessara is fine.”

“Calix will try to get us to turn you over to him, and I just wanted to make sure before I told him to go fly a kite, that you wanted to stay here in Wylan.”

I moved to sit on the couch next to Jorah, giving them a sibling moment.

Kessara’s eyes followed my movement. “I do want to stay.” She rushed to add, “And not because I wish to wear crowns and play the part of a princess here either.”

He held up a hand. “No one here is suspecting you of that. At all.”

She heaved a deep breath. “Only because they do not know who sired me yet.”

“The three of us are nothing like him,” Krew argued.

“Your Highness,” Kessara urged. “You do not even really know me. So how would you know?”

He smiled. “I don’t, but I would like to. For now, I do know him .” He gestured with his head toward me. “I know him better than most.”

“So you trust me because he does? And it’s as simple as that?”

“Yes.” Krew’s eyes went to mine a moment before going back to hers, identical to his own. “I assume the fact that Artem and Amos Reyes are here needs to be kept secret?”

“Amos can come to the meeting. I’m not sure Calix would really believe that I would get out on my own.

So Amos should be there. But should you be so kind, Artem absolutely has to remain hidden.

For as long as possible. I’ll tell Calix that I couldn’t find Artem.

He’d already gone into hiding. And fearing Damek’s wrath, I fled. ”

She’s good at this, Jorah told me.

She’s had to be to survive, I agreed.

Krew’s eyes went to his wife and back to Kessara. “We can help. I just do not take lightly having to cage people. How does he feel about all of this?”

“He knows he has to endure it if he wants to live to see his eighteenth birthday,” Kessara stated.

Krew gave his head a shake. “I’m truly sorry for you both. What can I help you bargain for? How long would you like to stay? Permanently? Or while things blow over? Or are you not sure?”

She inhaled deeply. Her nervous tell. “I don’t know. For a while. The team here—” her voice caught. “I don’t wish to leave them. Or my obnoxious husband.”

Krew smirked. “Okay.”

“I know the way Calix’s mind works. He will push for us to travel to Agria, he’ll want to prove to the king and queen that I am alive and well. I’m not sure how you would get us out of that, or if you even should.”

Krew dipped his head in a nod. “If you’d like to do that and play along, then I’ll send enough men along with you to make sure you can come directly back.”

Kessara shook her head. “I cannot ask any of you to do anymore for me than you already have.”

He held up a hand. “You are my sister. Like hell will I allow you to walk into a place, a place that has tried to tear you apart, all by yourself.”

Kessara’s eyes found mine and I noted the way she took a shaky breath. She’d been fighting and spying on one younger brother, protecting the other. This sibling dynamic was entirely different for her.

Krew continued, “Would it be better for you to leave with his ship or on one of ours?”

Kessara considered his words a moment. “On his.” Her eyes went to me. “You aren’t going to let me go without you, are you? Even if I take the king up on his offer to send some of Wylan’s men?”

“That’s a no,” I confirmed. “I am Wylan’s best man, therefore I’m going.”

She turned back to Krew. “Then for his sake, we should likely go with Calix. It will give them less time to plan anything untoward.”

“Will your brother Damek try to punish you or have any cause to hold you in Agria? ”

She snorted a laugh. “Not anything that doesn’t equally damn himself.” She gestured with an open hand toward me. “I’m most worried they’ll try something on Owen. They’ve lost out on my breeding potential since he married me.”

Jorah’s eyes went to mine.

Ask me how worried I am, I told her telepathically as to not interrupt.

You are still taking all of Team One, Jorah told me. Every last one of them.

Kessara and Krew talked for a few more minutes before he reached for Jorah’s hand. “We will see you down there. A few minutes fashionably late just to mess with one Calix Cyncrest.”

“Thank you for your help,” Kessara said kindly.

Krew turned at the door. “I will confess it is against my nature to allow you to leave at all, knowing what you could be walking into. But if you think it’s best, we will anxiously await your return.”

As they left, Kessara stood there in her dark blue day dress, just staring. She looked too casual to be a princess but too dressed up to be one of my most fearsome trainees.

“He’s worried about you,” I told her.

“I know. He is . . . .”

I knew exactly what she meant. “He’s a king. The real deal. And one hell of a man.”

She took the arm I offered her. “I’m sorry I keep needing you.”

I smirked. “I might need you back someday. Shall we go rile your ex-lover a bit?”

She tried to smile, but it was tight around her eyes. “We shall.”

Down in the throne room, sunlight was pouring through the windows. Calix was already there when we arrived. Two rows of chairs were set up on either side of the aisle to the throne chairs.

Calix, guarded by Miles and Allen, was already there on one side .

So naturally, I headed us toward the other row, making sure to keep Kessara as far away from him as possible. Calix’s eyes landed on where Kessara’s hand was on my arm before scanning her over.

Was he really stupid enough to think I had forced her into this? If anyone had forced this, it’d been him.

Just as we sat down, another door opened, and Amos came walking in.

“Reyes,” Calix greeted. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Wish I could say it was good to see you,” Amos responded back.

Amos took the open seat beside Kessara.

“Typical,” Calix commented. He looked to his watch. “As is the fact that the king and queen are late.”

“They don’t answer to you,” Miles snapped. “You are fortunate they cleared their schedule for this at all.”

For almost five minutes, we sat there. Kessara looked out the windows and to the throne chairs, not at Calix. Which had to be driving him nuts.

I leaned in close to her and whispered, “Breathe.”

She took my hand in hers and squeezed before giving me a smile.

Calix’s snort of disdain was covered by another door opening. We all rose for the king and queen of Wylan.

Krew gave Calix a tight smile as he sat in his throne chair. “It is not every day we receive a delegate from Agria.”

Calix’s eyes went to Kessara. “It would seem that it has been happening more recently, yes.”

Krew’s smile dropped as his magic licked up his neck. “Well should it happen unannounced in this castle again, in the fashion it did last night, I can assure you it will end far differently.”

Calix dipped his head toward Krew. “I can assure you, Your Highness, I was only sneaking in to make sure that Kessara was alive and well. ”

“She is more alive and well here than she was in Agria,” Krew snapped.

Calix’s eyes went from Krew to Kessara and back again.

He pulled out a letter. “I have correspondence from the queen of Agria.” Miles grabbed it out of his hand to deliver to Krew.

“To summarize, she would like her daughter, Princess Kessara Astra Zavatari, back. She would like Wylan to stand down and send back her heir. Harboring Agrian royalty, an heir of Agria, is a grave offense that Agria will not take lightly.” He held his chin high, as if waiting for the fallout.

I laughed. I couldn’t help it.

Calix turned toward me in confusion.

“You honestly thought we didn’t know? What blood runs in her veins? That she’s a princess?”

“I—”

Yeah. He had thought exactly that.

Krew quickly read the letter and dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “Seems a bit overkill when the heir in question is an heir of both countries, don’t you think?”

“You told them?” Calix snapped toward Kessara.

“I did,” she admitted.

“What the hell did Damek do? What did he do that had you so scared you would partner with the evil king’s spawns?”

“I’m one of those spawns too,” she reminded him. “And I’m fairly certain you already know the answer to this question.”

“Yes. Where is Artem, while we are at it? Because I suppose they can politic their way around harboring you , an heir of both, but where is your dearest little brother?”

“I do not know,” Kessara lied beautifully. “I wish I knew.”

He stilled. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

“He was already in hiding. I never could find him. So I left before Damek punished me. Or blamed his disappearance on me.”

Calix heaved a sigh, absolutely believing that answer. Which meant it was something on character for Damek. “He wouldn’t have hurt you.”

“He already has,” she snapped.

“Your mother is beside herself,” Calix explained. “Come home, Kessara. We will figure it out. Find Artem. I’ll make sure Damek won’t hurt you again.”

“Good to know she cares about more than one of her children,” Kessara bit out. “But I will go home. I’ll speak to her. Prove to her that I am alive and well. Give her and only her what I know of Artem’s whereabouts. Introduce her to my husband. And then I will return here.”

“Return here ?” his voice was growing loud enough that I was feeling the pull toward my power. “To that little team you joined?”