Page 30 of The King’s Man #5

A fter hours of silent rowing through caves, we leave our boats behind a waterfall and follow a rocky path into an isolated glade.

It’s sunny this side of the mountains; light softly streams over sparse woods and the rosy springblooms that cover the ground with pink.

It feels like a funeral procession prepared by nature. Flowers to wish the parting well...

Princessa Liana and the commander are in front of me, her tucked against his side, his shirt soaked with her tears.

The moment she realised we’d left Lucius behind, she’d clawed desperately against the commander, but going back was suicide. It would compromise them all.

She’d slumped in sobbing defeat.

Prince Nicostratus covered one of my ears with his hand and pushed my other against his shoulder, muffling the sound.

But no matter how much he murmured to distract me, I still heard enough.

Still heard the moment Florentius and Akilah awoke.

Still heard his anguished hiccups. Still heard my betrayal in her voice .

My legs are numb like the rest of me. I stop moving in the middle of the springblooms, their pink coming in and out of focus—

Suddenly I’m carried on the winds into the treetops.

From here I can see the long line of us—the Skeldar envoy ahead with Prins Lief and Captain Kjartan, leading the way; the islanders trailing behind, heads bowed.

Casimiria picking blooms and using magic to scatter their petals in the wind.

Akilah supporting a tired Florentius by the arm.

I jerk my gaze away from the pink below to the blue above. Nicostratus sits quietly beside me. When I’m ready to look at him, he offers me a bunch of springbloom. “You’re allowed to mourn too.”

I take the flowers with a sore swallow, rip off their petals, and scatter them, thanking Lucius for being a true teacher.

In the middle of the glade, everyone stops to sing a song of farewell.

Farewell to the parted, farewell to friends.

It’s here they split and go their different ways.

Perfume swells as flowers are trod underfoot and crushed between hugs.

One by one, they fan out in all directions, towards a free future.

If he could see this, he’d be smiling.

I watch as Florentius and Akilah hesitate, looking at all the possible paths they could take. Not one of them is in my direction. I ball my torn cloak but I can’t blame them. Choices have consequences.

Finally, they move towards the west. Will they make a quiet life together on their own? Will they come back to the capital, if the regent is gone? Will I ever see them again?

“Why don’t you follow? Why don’t you fight for them?”

Force them to be ‘reasonable’? Force them to forgive? I shake my head and meet the prince’s eye. “It’s kinder to let them hate me.”

Prins Lief calls my name, turning as he searches for me.

“You’re going back with them? To Iskaldir?” Nicostratus shakes his head.

“I have to.”

His eyes land on me sharply. We haven’t spoken of it, but he knows his brother is being held captive. He heard me inside the dromveske: the Skeldar team needed to win the contest to free the king.

His jaw twitches as he stares into the distance.

“Should I have walked away from you dying in the dromveske too?”

He slams his eyes shut, grimacing, then with a flicker of hope in his voice he asks, “You’re only saving the life of your king?”

My stomach is so tightly knotted it’s hard to breathe. As if I didn’t hear, I begin scrambling down the tree to Prins Lief waving below.

Nicostratus follows.

Not only does he follow, he demands to come to Ragn. To be there when Quin is set free.

As if his coming isn’t enough, Casimiria declares she’ll go with us also .

No Skeldar ship is big enough to hide from them and their hard gazes.

Casimiria corners me a few times over the days—scores beginning to be settled—but the true reckoning comes the night before we’re due to land in Ragn.

She drags me to the stern-rail of the Skeldar ship and sends the stationed stormblades away, and then we’re all alone.

Her, me, and a full moon glowering over us as she says her piece.

“I don’t like it,” I say, shifting my weight to keep my balance. “ He won’t like it.”

“You once poisoned him before my eyes,” Casimiria retorts, revealing a shiny bow and quiver full of arrows. “You can do this.”

I throw my hands up dramatically. “It was an act we put on! I’m sorry, truly! Could you at least point that arrow at my heart? Like your son, I’m quite fond of my face.”

“I’m sure he’s fond of it,” she replies, a sly smirk dancing on her lips as she pulls harder on the bowstring, at least aiming lower.

“He’s also rather fond of my heart,” I shoot back, trying to negotiate my way out of this.

Her smirk widens and she lifts the arrow towards my face again.

I raise my hands in surrender and almost lose my balance.

A gust of wind at my back keeps me upright, but I pretend I don’t notice her doing it.

“I hate being pitted with these awful decisions.”

“It’s about handing me over in exchange for him.”

I cast a longing glance at the icy water drifting below. The moonlight sparkles over it, rather more tempting than what will come tomorrow...

A whirling wind pushes me into a heap on the deck.

Casimiria’s gaze is keen.

“I’ll exhaust all other ways first.”

“And when he refuses to let my son go?”

“I’ll do it. Even... even if he hates me for it.”

She offers me a hand and pulls me up, nodding thoughtfully.

“You must call me Haldr.”

She lifts her brows. “Is that all, Haldr?”

“And if you’re given any moment to speak with him, you mustn’t let him know...”

“That King Yngvarr will disembowel you when he discovers you’re not touched by the goddess? I don’t like it,” she admits. “ He won’t like it.”

“We understand each other so well.” I pat her arm and though we’re keeping our tone light, the heaviness of the conversation lurks just beneath the surface, glimpsed in the flash of our eyes.

We part ways, her going portside while I head starboard. From the shadows, Nicostratus appears, his lips in a tight line that suggests he overheard it all.

In the space of a heartbeat, he has us leaping upwards until we’re dropping into the crow’s nest.

Dark ocean stretches in all directions, shimmering softly under a full moon. Above, a few brighter stars twinkle in the direction of Lumin .

Nicostratus stares at me with a furrowed brow. “If he knows what lengths you’ll go to for him...”

“He’ll be angry. Isn’t that what you want?”

“He’ll come back for you!”

His outburst triggers my own and I glare back at him. “So let him!”

It’s like I’ve stabbed him. His eyes widen and sadden at the same time and his voice is strangled and desperate.

“We’re family. I need him. I need him, but I want you.

” He holds his arm up, sleeve falling to show his armband.

His other arm curls around my waist and hoists me close.

I push futilely against his chest, but his hold is too tight and his words rumble into my ear.

“Can’t you see how much I’ve always craved you?

You make me want to fight my brother for you.

” He shudders in his self control and shoves me from him again. “I hate that I’m tempted!”

I straighten my clothing and turn to the ladder, pausing to look back at Nicostratus, slumped with his face buried in his hands.

I sigh. “Isn’t there a way... could we at least all be friends?” my words are quiet, barely there, but he hears them. Hears them and laughs sadly.

I hate that I understand. Hate that I find imagining that difficult too.

This is the reason Quin spoke of stealing a single moment.

I’m a thorn between brothers.

My continued presence can only cause harm. I know it. Nicostratus knows it. Quin knows it.

I say the words he wants to hear. “I’m only saving his life.”