Page 35 of In The Dark

Maybe I am chasing a ghost.Maybe focusing on this realm is what I need to do. I could marry and create new heirs if I really wanted to, but ever since I got my mark a few years ago, I wanted to wait.

Orin suddenly storms through the double doors, leaving usto all swivel our heads in his direction, spotting the scroll clutched in his hand.

“A scroll has arrived. Our last informant has sent word back,” Orin says.

I stand, bracing my hands at the head of the table, my shaggy auburn hair falling to my brows. “And?”

Orin continues. “They found her. Again. She’s alive and is living at the king’s castle.”

“Are you sure?” I ask, hope rising in my chest.

“Yes, you need to go back. She lives near Alvonia,” he says.

Leaving the council members, I rush into the corridor and fall into step besides Orin toward my living quarters, Ivy trailing closely behind. Grabbing my pack, I toss it on the bed and begin throwing items in there for the journey.

“Ivy, I need you to lead the armies and informants similar to the last time I left. We’re not leaving that realm without her. If there’s a war, so be it, but I expect you to prepare them for what lies ahead. After that, I want you to meet me in Sylvanor in a few days to discuss strategy and to meet with my contact from Eldryn. I’m hoping to reach her through the Veil if it’s possible.” I grab a few of the Veil coins, hoping to somehow find a way to give her one or reach her when we sleep.

“Of course.” She turns on her heel, exiting a second later.

I grip Orin’s shoulder. “Thank you for standing by me when I needed you.”

“It’s been my pleasure, Your Majesty. I’ll see you both in a few days. Be careful,” he says with a curt nod.

Walking into the bathing chamber, I reach for my straight blade and watch as the hair falls off my face, uncovering the sharp lines of my jaw. My reflection reveals the hope in my eyes for the first time in years, and a declaration to come back with Isa or die trying.

Arriving in Elderheim the next day, I check into a local inn located in Alvonia after making my travels from Arcan andmeet with the informant the same night at the Painted Bird—a local brothel, but masks are required.

As I slip through the dimly lit corridors, my eyes land on a figure down the hall. Yet the moment I see her in the dim light, she feels… familiar.

She suddenly turns in my direction, slamming into my chest, but the way she studies me—though masked—feels as if she holds my soul in her palms, her eyes as entrancing as her voice. Then we part ways.

The next evening comes at the inn when someone knocks at my door, and I open it only to see?—

Isa.

12

Pullingmyself away from his memories and the flood of emotions, his hands gently cup my face as I firmly grip the realm I’m in.Elderheim.

“Isa,” Rydian says softly, though my eyes remain closed as quick breaths fill the space between us. “Isa, come back to me.”

“Rydian.” My wide eyes finally open, fixed on him.

He exhales, relief evident as his thumbs swipe across my face. He was never Alec but always the king of Aurelia.Oh gods.

“That—that was me? How…?” My head shakes, words tumbling out in a mess.

Even though I saw his memories, I don’t remember anything. The young girl certainly looked like me with black hair and golden-amber eyes. And the resemblance between myself and Elynor was too similar to ignore. Yet… my doubt creeps in.

“King Elion captured you and your mother, Elynor, a few years after the War of the Veilstone. We were supposed to have a treaty, which was why we weren’t expecting the attack. It didn’t make sense. Then they killed your father, King Andre, with the Veilblade during that battle.”

My chest heaves as I’m taking in the information, but he firmly grips my shoulders, peering down at me.

His eyes soften. “I searched for you. I never gave up. I truly believed you still lived, regardless of not finding your mother. And I sent the best trackers through the border near Nymara, but King Elion kept you hidden. They somehow knew that I was sending people across the border. But once I saw you for myself, I knew then that they were siphoning your memories. I couldn’t even feel your essence, and if I didn’t find you and bring you back, you would be lost forever.” He paces, his hand waving in explanation. “Earlier this year, an informant told me that Elion had a secret brotherhood who were killing my men, and after a while, he, too, stopped sending letters. After the most recent informant sent word that he found you, I wanted to come to Elderheim myself to bring you home. I wanted to try again, despite the last unsuccessful mission when you were ten.” His brows pinch, and he drags a hand down his face.

“I didn’t know,” I whisper, but doubt settles itself at the back of my head because I don’t remember him at all.Is this another trick? Could he be manipulating his own memories in to convince me?

“It wasn’t your fault. I didn’t know they were taking your memories and should have tried harder. I only suspected it, but Ishouldhave tried harder. I never should have left you the first time,” he says.