Page 41 of Oaths & Vengeance (Realm of Zadrya #1)

Aella

T he next morning, all anyone could talk about was the attack on Petosty.

I made myself get up at my usual time to avoid suspicion.

Uncle Morgunn was furious since the news didn’t reach him until after dawn.

That was likely due to the Veronnians setting loose the messenger birds without missives and all the scouts put to sleep for hours.

At breakfast, he said he announced plans to visit the village and bring Briauna with him for her healing powers.

Early reports he’d received so far indicated half a dozen soldiers had died, and the rest were moderately wounded.

Only a few villagers sustained injuries.

Those consisted of people who’d resisted Darrow’s forces herding them to the village school or worship temple.

Every home and shop burned to the ground, so only the two structures remained standing.

The enemy soldiers surprisingly set all the animals and chickens loose before torching everything.

I appreciated that they were spared, though it didn’t reduce my guilt by much.

I barely made it back to my room after eating before breaking down in tears.

Sure, they’d minimized deaths as promised, but they’d destroyed cottages, workshops, and almost everything else.

It wasn’t something we could rebuild in a week or two.

Families had to be relocated, and many would need to start all over again. I’d done that to them.

After opening a portal for Lord Morgunn and his retinue to visit the village, I opened another for Tradain. My uncle insisted that I return to training, as he’d already arranged for a channeler to meet him at Petosty for the return trip .

It was lunchtime when I arrived, so I headed straight for Camden’s officer quarters. A part of me hoped he wasn’t there, but he opened the door on the first knock. We stood staring at each other for a moment, silent.

I cleared my throat. “Can I get my things, please?”

“Of course, I’ve put them together already,” he said, stepping back.

I came in and stared at the bag in the corner of his sitting area. When he shut the door with a click , I jumped. How awkward was this? My husband had damned Camden and I both for things we didn’t know the other was doing, which made it hard to be mad or forgive.

“So, how did Darrow convince you to marry him in secret?” he asked, curiosity in his gaze. There was also a hint of betrayal.

I grabbed my bag and sat in the chair, figuring we should work this out now, so we didn’t have to speak to each other again later, or be left wondering. “Rynn had faebor fever and wasn’t going to survive. I discovered Darrow’s great aunt could cure her, so I found him in Siggaya to make a deal.”

“For marriage?” he asked, aghast.

I snorted, imagining if that had been my opening line. “Hardly. I offered my portal services—with limits, but he wanted marriage so a future husband couldn’t track me so closely that I couldn’t keep my end of the deal with him.”

Camden ran a hand through his dark-blond hair. “I can’t believe he would even suggest that with as much as he hates your family.”

I explained the gist of what was said that first night and how we managed the wedding. “Until last night, the deal seemed worth it.”

“You portaled his army to Petosty,” he surmised, shock in his gaze. “It’s why you look exhausted and guilty right now. You are the last person I would have thought to betray Therress.”

I flinched, my guilt growing. “It was part of the deal. As long as my uncle didn’t use me to attack civilians on Veronna’s side, I didn’t have to portal Darrow and his army to my side. Then Lord Morgunn ruined it, and I had no choice. Darrow threatened to do much worse if I didn’t help.”

Camden sat in the chair opposite me, taking in my story with incredulity. “You shouldn’t have married him. I admit my allegiance to Therress, but he’s half dark elf and ruthless. I would have advised you against it if you’d come to me first.”

“What was my other choice?” I asked, chest tightening. “Let Rynn die and be married to Baron Elgord instead? A man who swore he’d break me and use my body, whether I liked it or not, to birth a bunch of his children. At least Darrow hasn’t forced himself on me.”

Not exactly, anyway. I fully cooperated with his kisses, and while a small part of me had been embarrassed by him catching me nude, another part had enjoyed his heated gaze and rough hands on my body.

It was causing me to lose sleep at night.

Of course, that was before he used me to attack a Therressian village on my birthday.

Now, I would do everything I could to banish him from my mind and forget his touches.

Camden grunted. “Admittedly, you had no good choices, and it does explain the king’s immediate refusal of the betrothal. I hadn’t thought he’d care enough about a lady he hardly knew to stop it. Of course, this means your next potential suitor won’t work, either. He’s going to get suspicious.”

“I’m trying to buy time before the truth comes out,” I said, fiddling with the handle of my bag. “With luck, I’ll find a way out of it without the king needing to deny Lord Morgunn again.”

“It’s a dangerous game you play,” he said, genuine worry in his gaze. We might have been forced to break up, but it was hard to stop caring about someone in a matter of days—even with betrayal on both sides.

I shook my head. “You’re one to talk. How are you even his spy when you’ve been here for as long as I can remember?”

“My father’s brother lives in Veronna, and we visited once every couple of years.

I began to learn the truth about our history, so by the time I was a teenager, Lord Gannon’s spymaster had already recruited me.

Later, Darrow and his inner circle took over my handling.

Mostly, I pass them information and try to mitigate civilian casualties when we must fight on Veronnian soil. ”

That made sense, I supposed. They reached him when he was young and influential.

“Thanks for explaining,” I said, glad we could handle this civilly .

He nodded. “You’re as deep into it as I am now, probably more.

Please watch yourself with Darrow and try to avoid any emotional entanglements.

He is very good at manipulating women to get what he wants, but rumor has it that he is incapable of feeling anything in return for them.

The way he looked at you on solstice tells me he isn’t going to refrain from seducing you for long, especially since you legally belong to him.

I’ve never heard of him being possessive like that, which is concerning. You shouldn’t matter to him that much.”

Darrow had made some rather shocking and colorful threats if Camden touched me again. I couldn’t decide if my husband was truly jealous or simply trying to make my life more difficult. Was it another game?

“His sister explained some things to me last night, but there’s still a lot he’s hiding.” I swallowed. “Darrow and his inner circle don’t trust me. I know they have some secret plans they hope to bring me into eventually, but I have no idea what they might be.”

Camden’s brows knitted. “I have no idea, or I’d tell you. Please be careful.”

We hugged, and he held me tightly for a moment, both of us ignoring my frustrating husband’s threats.

Despite everything, part of me wished it didn’t have to end this way.

Maybe we didn’t love each other, but Camden had always been good to me, and I enjoyed his company.

It was hard to end it just because Darrow suddenly decided he wanted more from our marriage, even though he’d never feel anything real for me.

With one last look, I left, knowing I’d never step foot in the quarters again.

I went to my small barracks room, put away the bag, and changed into training gear. For the rest of the afternoon, I spent my time practicing with my sword and dagger. I had so much anger and resentment inside me that I managed to finish a good workout before quitting for the day.

Sariyah found me in my room shortly after I’d returned from a shower in the community washroom.

My hair was still wet as I combed through it.

Her rich brown locks flowed loosely around her, beautiful as always.

She’d donned a light summer dress that hugged her figure and made me wish I’d brought something aside from training and sleep clothes.

Sometimes, it helped to look extra nice when one needed a morale boost.

“By the look in your eyes, something is wrong,” she said, concern in her hazel eyes.

I nodded. “How about we grab food and wine from the dining hall and take it to the river?”

“Ah, I see, it’s that bad.”

I set my brush down and began to braid my blonde hair into a thick plait. “Very. There are some serious things I haven’t told you, but I desperately need to talk about them now.”

“It felt like you were holding back lately,” she said, moving behind me to take over doing the intricate braid I preferred yet could never do right myself. “I figured you’d tell me when you were ready.”

“Yes,” I agreed.

As soon as she finished, we made good on our plans, and within half an hour, we were settled at our favorite spot along the Salmar River.

The fast-flowing water was wide and deep enough that one would have to swim hard to cross it.

People drowned in it every spring when the winter snow thawed, causing it to swell and become too turbulent for anyone to enter except the strongest and most experienced.

It snaked through much of the western half of Therress, starting at the Sobaryan Mountains and ending at the Pazakian Sea.

A rocky outcrop with a few flat boulders near a dense tree line made for the perfect place to eat and relax.

It was secluded and private. We set up in our usual spot, opening the cloth sack that held wrapped chicken sandwiches larger than I could hope to finish in one sitting. We also poured wine into tin cups.

Sariyah and I ate silently, watching the occasional fish swim by from our perch. A pack of wild boars tried to come close to us from downriver, but I pushed them hard enough with my wind magic to discourage them. It was never a good idea to let them get too close.

“Are you going to tell me what has that sad and hopeless expression on your face?” Sariyah finally asked after I set aside the remains of my sandwich .

I couldn’t meet her gaze and stared at the river instead. “I married Lord Gannon’s son, Darrow, about five weeks ago. We agreed to keep it a secret from everyone except a select few and the king, who presided over the ceremony.”

Might as well tell her the most significant part of the story first.

“What?” my friend asked, dropping the water container in her hand. It tumbled down the rocks, barely stopping before the river could take it. She didn’t seem to notice. “You’re joking, right?”

“Nope,” I said, leaning down to retrieve the canteen. “I agreed to it because he has an aunt who was able to save Rynn from faebor fever and to avoid marriage to Baron Elgord.”

She took a moment to let that news sink into her mind. “And what did Darrow get in return?”

“My portal channeling whenever he wants and almost anywhere he wants.”

Sariyah climbed off the boulder and paced as much as one could along a rocky shore for a few minutes.

She fired rapid questions after she collected herself, and I answered them truthfully.

The whole time, I barely looked at her, preferring to keep my eyes on the water that was as chaotic as my emotions.

My guilt from last night’s attack colored everything I’d told her, making me feel like a fool and worse.

Finally, she sighed and settled back onto her seat. “Please tell me the dark elf is at least pleasing to look at.”

“Enough that I wish to the nameless ones that he was uglier,” I admitted, finally looking her in the eyes and giving her a wan smile.

She cocked her head. “Is he a good kisser?”

I’d told her we hadn’t had sex, but not much more.

“Also, too good,” I said, leaning back on my elbows. “Darrow said it would be purely business between us when we negotiated, but he’s definitely changed his mind, and now I have a feeling it’s going to take every ounce of strength I have not to give in to him.”

“What about Cam?” she asked, brows furrowing. “I know you’ve been with him since you married. ”

I told her what happened on Solstice night after she went to seek out her own partner, leaving out only that Cam was a spy.

Instead, I said I made him promise not to tell anyone.

She thankfully bought that story. I couldn’t betray my former lover even if he were betraying Therress.

It wasn’t as if I had room to judge, and maybe someday I’d find out what turned him against our land.

He’d said something about history, but I hadn’t wanted to ask about it then.

Sariyah moved closer and hugged me. “That’s a lot, Aella. I don’t know how you held it all in for this long, but I understand why you did. Thanks for confiding in me.”

One thing about my best friend was her easygoing nature and willing acceptance of others. She wasn’t mad that I didn’t tell her sooner, but rather, understood I’d needed time to come to terms with it. I loved her dearly for that.

“So what are you going to do now?” she asked, sympathy in her eyes.

I shrugged. “Try to survive and hope things don’t get any worse.”

“I’ll do what I can to help you,” she vowed.

“Thanks,” I said and gave her another hug. It felt good to have her on my side.