Page 30 of Son of the Drowned Empire

Chapter Twenty-Nine

T he whole sky seemed to light up in gold as the sun rose. I’d broken free of my binds within the first minute. Taken out all of my opponents while barely breaking a sweat.

Arkturion Aemon had brought me to the guest house attached to the arkturion’s home within the fortress. But I couldn’t sleep. I laid awake, staring out my window, listening to the waves crashing against the beach. I watched Cresthaven grow lighter as dawn came. Watched the blue mosaic tiles come to life, making the fortress appear as if it were rising from beneath the waters.

I was all too aware of the fact that Lyriana was in there. In her bed. Asleep.

And in danger.

If I was going to protect her with everything I had, then I needed to be strong and steady. I couldn’t shut myself off from all my emotions again. But I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt my feelings for her had to be locked away. I had to finally let go. And as much as the thought of doing it hurt, if it kept her safe I would do it. Her safety would be enough for me. Enough for now.

Aemon had left early for duty but had a servant bring me breakfast. I was given instructions to remain unseen and visit the Katurium. There I’d been given keys to my apartment at the Soturion Academy—a private room in a building with the other apprentices.

I shouldn’t have been given my own apartment. Not in my disgraced status. But because I was protecting Lyr, they thought it necessary. I was meant to be a silent bodyguard. One Lyriana was not unaware of—one no one else was aware of either. Especially not before Auriel’s Feast Day.

I did as I was told, leaving the fortress quietly. I wrote a letter to the brothel requesting my things be sent. I also sent a letter to Cal and Marisol, letting them know I’d made it. And after checking that my key worked, I headed for Sean’s.

A beautiful mage with tan skin and brown curls opened the door, looking me up and down.

“Rhyan?” she asked.

I nodded. “Branwyn?”

She grinned and pulled me into a hug. “He’ll be so happy.” She closed the door and yelled, “Sean!”

He rushed into the front hall, took one look at me, and burst into tears.

I spent the next few days charged with learning Bamaria inside and out. And I had to do it unseen. My agreement with the Arkasva was dependent on my remaining invisible for the week. If I were caught before I could be publicly declared, I was fucked.

Luckily, I’d mastered becoming invisible in Cretanya, and though my cloak had clearly been through better days, despite some mending from Branwyn, it still allowed me to nearly vanish into crowds if I wore the hood up. Something that was easier said than done in the Bamarian heat.

But I endured, silently stalking the shadows of the city streets, treading the beaches, and quietly moving through every aisle of all three libraries, memorizing their layouts and doorways.

Aemon provided me with a list of places Lyriana frequented. Places she liked to visit. Urtavia. Scholar’s Harbor. The Grey Villa.

Every day I adjusted a little more to the heat, as the sounds of drums and water dancers echoed through the streets, reminding me of her. I worked on hardening my heart, on strengthening my will. I started training in the Katurium each morning. Running off my lingering feelings. Running as soon as I woke up, exercising out my nerves and desire.

When Auriel’s Feast Day arrived, I sat up in my bed, my body covered in sweat. The day was already hotter than anything I’d ever experienced. And today I was to begin my duty as Lyriana’s bodyguard. On her birthday. And tonight, at the Revelation Ceremony, my sanctuary request would be complete.

I took a seraphim to Cresthaven. I couldn’t go inside, but remained beyond the wall, apart from the other guards. I spent the morning standing beneath the boiling sun hiding in the shadows. Part of me hoped she’d stay inside all day, because despite my days spent haunting her routes and favorite places, I hadn’t actually laid eyes on her yet.

Something I desperately wanted, wanted so badly I shook with the need. And yet, I feared seeing her. I was terrified I couldn’t handle it.

Another hour passed and a seraphim flew overhead. Its golden wings spread, its body tilted in its descent. Warmth blasted toward me, blowing my cloak off my head. I rushed back, narrowly avoiding being seen by the guards at the wall.

The seraphim landed. Imperator Kormac emerged. Followed by the Bastardmaker.

My stomach churned as I recalled the night they’d arrived unexpectedly. The way everyone at Cresthaven had panicked on solstice. The way Jules had been terrified as I reached for her hand. I watched in disgust as Imperator Kormac’s cloak blew behind him. The golden border of the Imperator left my heart thundering.

Not long after I recentered and resumed my position in hiding, a second seraphim landed. This time I was ready, keeping my hand on my hood to prevent it from blowing off. Two mages exited the carriage wearing blue robes closed with silver sashes.

Lord Tristan Grey emerged. His brown hair shined in the sun.

Light footsteps sounded on the waterway a few minutes later. Sandals. I couldn’t bring myself to look. Fuck. I was her bodyguard, but I couldn’t even bring myself to look at her. I wasn’t ready.

I settled for pressing closer to the wall, slowing my breathing as I listened.

“There’s my birthday girl. I was about to storm the fortress to find you.” Lord Tristan Grey spoke like a true noble. Dramatic. Entitled. Self-righteous.

Bastard.

A moment passed, and there was no response. I wasn’t sure if she was still walking toward him, or if they were embracing. My stomach turned at the thought. Gods…at some point, I’d have to witness them together.

“Sorry, I was late.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. Her voice. Her utterly beautiful voice. My heart thundered.

“No escort today?” Tristan asked.

That grabbed my attention. How could she be without an escort? Didn’t she know the dangers? I strained, listening harder. But their conversation was muffled. I could still hear their voices, but no specific words. I suspected his mages were behind it—making sure their conversation remained private.

Minutes passed, and then a gust of wind blew from the fortress. Tristan’s seraphim took off.

I vanished, reappearing on the other side of the wall, deep in the bushes.

No wonder her father had asked me to be a bodyguard, if she was able to lose her escort this easily.

I reached for the vadati at my waist to alert Aemon, then stopped. She was already gone. Without an escort. I needed to act. I had to keep her safe, and prove I was capable.

It was Auriel’s Feast Day…and her birthday. Where could she possibly be going?

The answer came at once. I remembered from Jules’s letters that it was tradition for them to go into the city on their birthdays.

The absolute last fucking place she should be today.

All week I’d heard the murmurs, the talk. The akadim attack had been on everyone’s mind. I’d heard it discussed in every corner of the country.

The Bamarians were furious.

That anger needed to be directed somewhere. Or at someone.

I closed my eyes, picturing the map of Bamaria in my mind. Since she was flying by seraphim, she’d land at the Urtavian seraphim port.

I had to beat her there.

But I couldn’t simply travel. Too many people would see. I searched the map in my mind. There was a park south of the seraphim port. I knew a cluster of trees I could risk.

My stomach tugged, and I was gone. My boots landed on soft grass, trees overhead offering me shade as I stumbled into a tree, my chest heaving. That was my farthest jump in ages, and the distance I’d crossed caught me all at once. My muscles burned like I’d just finished a full day of training.

In the distance, the timekeeper rang the bells. Lyr would be arriving in just over a quarter of an hour, with nothing but Lord Tristan’s mages as her guard.

Ignoring the pain in my body, I ran.

Sweat was pouring down my face as I arrived at the port. I’d reached it just a minute before she landed. My heart stopped as she emerged from the carriage.

But Lyriana kept her hood up, concealing her hair, and her face. Tristan’s escort returned to their side with a litter for them. He closed the curtains as soon as they were inside. White with silver moons.

Of fucking course. Ka Grey had to have silver everything.

It reminded me of being stifled behind my father’s curtains as our litter made its way here.

But then a slender hand with a golden cuff tore the curtains open.

I couldn’t hide my smile.

I trailed behind, keeping a safe distance as they moved down the street, balanced over the shoulders of the mages keeping them afloat. It was more crowded than I’d ever seen it. People from all over the Empire had flocked here for the occasion. Most notably, Ka Kormac had arrived in full force. I spotted their silver armor in every corner, lurking down every alley. All around, people’s auras were on edge.

Following the litter, I picked up as many pieces of conversation as I could, listening for anything that could be a threat. The locals were annoyed at the crowds. The visitors were agitated by the heat. And everyone was still on edge after the akadim attack.

The timekeeper rang the bells, shouting noon. Suddenly every hidden wolf of Ka Kormac stood forward for the changing of the guard, their armor instantly giving them away. The auras around me seemed to explode in anger as people began to yell.

“Go home!”

“Back to Korteria, wolf-shit!”

The insults grew angrier, more impassioned.

Then, a new voice spoke. “Fuck Harren Batavia!”

The mood of the crowd shifted immediately. I felt auras spike with fear at the message, but also in anger. Anger towards the arkasva, not the person who’d yelled. I remembered he’d been attacked in the city. He’d been right to be concerned for Lyr.

I picked up my pace, trailing closer to the litter, but not too close. Tristan’s escorts were also on high alert. But what would they do if there was actually a threat?

“ Shekar arkasva ,” someone shouted.

False arkasva.

I’d heard a lot of insults hurled toward Lyr’s father in the past week. But this gave me pause. The mage who’d spoken waved a flag with what appeared to be a bastardized sigil of Ka Batavia. The iconic gold wings had been painted black.

It wasn’t just a message. It was a signal.

But the litter moved ahead. I had a bad feeling. Lyr’s father had told me there were whispers of rebellion. This was shouting.

I kept pace as they turned, hoping they would recognize the danger and return immediately to the seraphim port. Instead, they stopped at what were clearly rows of vendors for the nobility. Lyriana stepped out, her hood still up, her identity hidden. Though it was clear from her gold jewelry and the fineness of her dress underneath that she was noble.

Tristan held her hand possessively, and my pulse spiked as she learned toward him, kissing him quickly. I clenched my jaw, but they’d separated, heading in opposite directions. A woman with red hair stood outside a tent adorned with silk scarves. I recognized her as one of the librarians from the Afeyan Library.

A shopkeeper started yelling before Lyriana walked into the librarian’s tent.

I glared at the man, most likely disgruntled he’d lost a potential customer, then blended into the crowd of shoppers. Pretending to shop, my eyes remained fixed on the tent, waiting for Lyr to come outside.

It wasn’t long before Lyr exited the tent slowly and weaved her way through the tables. One of Tristan’s mages kept close behind her, forcing me to maintain my distance. She finally paused before a vendor. A mage with a black curling mustache stood before a table, gesturing grandly at his products. But Lyr seemed uninterested. Tristan joined her a moment later and they returned to their litter.

Based on the direction the litter mages faced, I decided to run ahead, to scout out what they’d be walking into, rather than what remained behind.

I quickly hit a crowd of people, their bodies pressing together, as auras full of fear and anxiety burst toward me.

Something was wrong. Something I didn’t want Lyr to run into. I pushed my way forward.

A few people were singing a song about vorakh, cursing them all to drown. Within seconds, more voices joined, the song quickly turning from a taunt to a death chant. I pulled my hood forward and made my way closer.

The crowd had surrounded a troupe of water dancers—the same one the litter had paused in front of earlier for a performance. But none of the girls were dancing now. They’d all huddled protectively around one of the performers. She was shaking, her eyes widening with fear.

A wave of cold swept toward me, leaving shivers down my spine. The sensation was new, yet there was something familiar about it.

I rarely felt cold like this in the South.

The dancer started thrashing, yelling in fear at something only she could see.

“Vorakh! Vorakh!” came the jeers.

She was having a vision.

I pushed forward, my instinct to go to her, to help her. To pick her up and carry her to safety.

Nausea roiled through my belly. I could feel her distress, her terror. And instead of getting help, she was being mocked and attacked.

Garrett’s fears about Aiden discovering his secret rushed through my mind.

I wanted to scream. And I didn’t even know this girl.

Had this been what it was like? Was this what Lyr had seen?

Had Bamaria sung this song at Jules? I felt sick.

I took another step forward, then stopped myself as Lyr’s litter moved closer. Tristan leapt out, his stave unsheathed as he parted the crowd, racing for the dancer with death in his aura.

I slipped further into the crowd, watching helplessly. I couldn’t save her. Couldn’t help her. Not without risking my life, being seen. Risking being able to protect Lyriana.

“I am Lord Tristan Grey.” His aura exploded, anger and hatred bubbling to the surface. “You have been accused of possessing vorakh in the first order, the power of visions. I will bind you and hand you over to the Soturi of Ka Batavia, where you will be arrested and sentenced by his Highness, the Imperator.”

Fuck. I’d spent the last two years so consumed with my jealousy of Tristan, I’d forgotten he hunted vorakh.

Forgotten he would hunt me if given the chance.

I couldn’t watch, couldn’t bear to see the girl in pain, afraid.

Like I imagined Jules had been.

Suddenly she rushed forward, sensing the danger in front of her. Sensing Tristan. Her nails were like claws as she threw herself into the attack. But she never stood a chance.

Black ropes glowing red shot from his stave, violently wrapping around the girl like snakes squeezing their prey.

My face heated, and my stomach turned. I stared down at my hands as panic rose inside of me.

No ropes. No ropes.

The girl screamed. And then she stopped. Tristan hauled her bound and limp body over his shoulder.

And the danger I still faced became more apparent than ever. I would be under the nose of one of the Empire’s most vicious vorakh hunters.

I took a deep breath, trying to focus on small details. My hands were clear. A coffee shop was brewing a fresh batch of beans down the street. A drum had played rhythmically behind me. The water streaming beneath my feet shimmered under the sunlight.

“Glemaria?” a soturion asked, breaking my concentration. I looked up to see that his gaze had gone right to my armor, the gryphon wings and sun marked into the black leather.

Fuck. Fuck! I wasn’t supposed to be seen yet.

I rolled my shoulders back, pushed my fear down. “What’s it to you?” He wore the silver of Ka Kormac. A fucking wolf. Of course.

“Heard the Glemarian heir’s been on the run. Bet his daddy would give a nice prize if I brought him back.”

“Hmmm,” I said disinterestedly. I carefully took a step back, pretending to look for someone, all while keeping Lyr’s litter in my periphery. The crowd was cheering for Tristan now. Every clap made me want to flinch.

“Heard he’s got a nasty scar ‘cross his face. Looks like a monster,” the soturion continued.

“Really? Sounds horrific.” I took another step back, mentally marking the possible exits. An alleyway to my right. A shop with a back door behind me.

“Why don’t you show me your face?” he snarled.

“Why don’t you breathe through your nose?”

“What?” he asked.

His moment of confusion was all I needed. I slipped through the crowd, walking away from him as fast as I could without drawing more attention.

“I know it’s you,” he shouted. “Forsworn bastard.”

I kept walking, watching as Tristan climbed back into the litter.

“Forsworn!” came another shout.

Fuck. The wolf had a friend. My pulse quickened. I needed to lose them before they formed a pack. I’d seen Ka Kormac fight before. They relied on their brute strength and sticking together, intimidating through numbers. I didn’t doubt I could fight them. I didn’t doubt I could defeat them. Easily.

But no one was supposed to know I was here.

If I was recognized, and word reached any local Glemarian representative…I could be snatched back north before nightfall. Bound and helpless.

And now that I could see the dangers lurking beneath the surface in Bamaria—there was no way in hell I was leaving. Not until the rebellion calmed down. If it ever did.

I swerved in and out of the crowd, sneaking into an alleyway. My heart thundered so loudly; I was sure the whole city could hear. Everything felt so loud, and bright.

Backing further into the shadows, I spotted an abandoned alley across the waterway, closed my eyes, and felt my feet leave the ground.

I slammed into a wall, resting my forehead against the cool stone for a moment before I straightened and emerged back into the crowd, the pack of wolves now in front of me.

That had been close. Too close.

Lyr’s litter paused ahead of me, allowing her and Tristan to enter a restaurant. I retreated into the maze of pop-up bazaars, pretending to shop the wares for sale. The wolves were nowhere to be seen.

After some time, the restaurant door opened. Her face remained concealed in the shadows of her hood. I walked around a particularly long table, my eyes on her as Tristan placed his hand on her back, helping her into her seat. My hands fisted at my sides, an ache coming to life in my chest.

Someone grabbed me from behind.

Before I could react, a thick arm wrapped around my neck as the Ka Kormac soturion from earlier rushed before me. He pushed my hood back, his eyes slowly moving down my scar. A sinister smile curved his lips as he snarled. “Told you it was you.”

I was surrounded. Wolves. Bamarians. Lyr’s litter wasn’t far away.

A thousand opportunities for me to be caught, to be exposed. To be exiled.

I bit the inside of my cheek, fear tightening to a coil in my stomach.

I just had to stay calm. I could fight these fuckers. Disappear. I just needed to survive a few more hours. And then everyone would know I’d slain an akadim. Know I’d been rewarded with the Arkasva’s protection.

Swallowing roughly, I glared at the wolf. “Congratulations. I am in fact me. Your parents must be so proud. Now kindly, fuck off.”

“I don’t think so. Plan to get a prize.”

“Plan again.” I thrust my arms up and elbowed the soturion behind me. I could hear the crash as he fell into the table. The shopkeeper cursed wildly.

I kicked the soturion still in front of me. And then I ran.

There were people everywhere. Traveling wasn’t a possibility. It was too risky—I’d land where someone would see. But the crowd barely allowed me to move. I started pushing people aside until I lost track of the soturi again.

And Lyriana.

Fuck. If something happened to her…

I whirled around, trying to find the litter. Instead, the soturion found me. This time he had friends. Two grabbed my arms, dragging me backward, my heels sliding against the smooth glass of the waterway. The crowd shifted, clearing the space for our fight. A five.

The shouts and cheers grew as more people came to watch.

Did they know? Did they know who I was? Or did they just see a beat-down soturion?

The wolf who’d recognized me approached first; his fists ready. I blocked his first punch, dodged and missed the second, but that only put me face to face with a new wolf, as blonde and beady-eyed as the first.

Descendants of the Bastardmaker.

He used the same move, as another came from behind.

They were sloppy, their form lacking. I dodged another hit, and another, turning and fighting each one as they came. My elbow jabbed behind me as I broke out of their hold. And I debated, ending it now. Taking them all out.

But the attention I’d receive from doing so would be more than I could afford. They’d all know who I was, and word would spread. Fast. Too fast.

I let myself falter. Mis-stepped on purpose. The soturion to my left knocked me to the ground.

He grabbed the back of my head, smashing my face into the waterway. I cursed, preparing to roll out of his hold and kick as the crowd’s jeers grew louder, bolder.

And then, somehow, rising above it all, there was only one voice. A voice that had haunted my dreams for years. A voice that had whispered to me in my sleep. A voice that was no longer muffled behind a fortress wall.

“Stop! Release him at once.” Lyriana. Lyriana had left the safety of her litter. Had come to break up the fight. No. No. What was she doing? She wasn’t supposed to be in the middle of the mob. She wasn’t supposed to see me.

“Under whose orders, girl?” asked the soturion to my right.

“Under mine,” she said, her voice clear and full of authority. There was a certain power that I knew came from being an heir. But the sheer power in her voice? The force of will? That? That was all her. “You stand in the streets of Urtavia, Bamaria, ruled by Arkasva Batavia. Ka Kormac has no authority here. Now cease and let him go. I command you.”

Laughter followed her demand. But she’d created enough of a spectacle to draw the attention of the crowd, to keep my attackers from realizing I was back on my feet, slowly standing, unable to take my eyes off of her. I was transfixed, hypnotized by her presence.

Even beneath her cloak, her face still partially concealed, I could see what my heart had feared. She’d grown only more beautiful, and devastating. There was a fire in those hazel eyes, the same defiance she’d had in my dreams as she looked me up and down. Her mouth opened, her perfectly pink lips forming an O as a hint of her perfume made its way to me. Vanilla. Musk. Just the slightest hint of lemon.

I could feel the moment she recognized me, feel a pull in my soul.

And just like that, my resolve was gone. I’d been a fool. My will wasn’t stronger than my heart. My heart was beating so hard I thought it would burst.

I was lost. I forgot the crowd. I forgot Tristan was standing behind her. I forgot it had been three years, forgot I’d broken her heart when I left.

Forgot that mine was still in pieces.

It was solstice and the air was warm, and she was in my arms and the lover’s song was playing and we were dancing, and the night was beautiful and everything felt right. Felt like home, like destiny. And I never wanted to let her go. Never wanted to leave her side. I remembered wanting to drop to my knees, wanting to ask her to spend her life with me.

Remembered wanting to live in that moment forever.

Because the wind was soft and I had her pressed against the tree, stars in her eyes, her breath on my lips, her body against mine. The memory seared into my flesh. Into my soul.

I’d been lying myself for years. Because my memories of Lyr, and my dreams, no matter how vivid, couldn’t compare to the Lyriana standing before me. She looked as fierce as a queen. As powerful as a goddess. The most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.

And I loved her. I loved her with everything I was. Everything I had.

I couldn’t turn it off. Couldn’t stop. Not if my life depended on it. And though I knew every oath I had sworn, every promise I’d made to myself that I could handle this, that this would be enough, that being alive and being near her and knowing she was safe was enough…

It wasn’t.

My blood was pulsing and she was saying yes when I asked to kiss her and it wasn’t enough. It was never ever going to be enough.

The shouts from the mob grew louder, and the wolves of Ka Kormac snarled, and those who would unseat her father, who would come for Lyr’s blood and plotted against her, closed in on us.

She was in danger, and I had to protect her.

I made my choice.

This had to be enough. Had to be it. Because I swore, I would keep her safe. And if I was going to do this, if I was going to do this right, I had to remember my place. I was forsworn. I was her bodyguard.

Not Lord Rhyan Hart .

Just a soturion. Just a bastard now. No one else.

I stared into her eyes, and my heart surged. And I let it. Just for a beat. Just once.

I felt everything. My entire body came alive, my blood was pounding.

And then I pushed my feelings down. Forced my heart to still.

To stop beating. To stop feeling. To forget.

And then I smiled.

“Hello, lover.”