She started to walk away, but he didn’t let go of her arm. His grip was light—ready to fall away under the slightest pressure, but she must have decided to stay. Turning back to him, her eyes closed as she took a breath. When they opened again, he didn’t see the Clía he had grown accustomed to these past few months. He saw the princess. The mask.
“Weshouldn’ttalk. That—it was a mistake,” she finally said.
The words cut through him despite knowing she had a reason for saying them.
She continued. “None of us can afford to get distracted right now, and that’s all this would be.”
His hand tightened on her arm as he held her gaze with his own. It was a poor excuse—there was something she wasn’t saying. “I understand it shouldn’t have happened, but I won’t listen to you lie. This,us”—he gestured between the two of them—“could never just be a distraction, and you know that.You’re important to me, but I wouldn’t expect to be more important than your kingdom. I know, in your life, relationships are political. What happened last night—it won’t happen again.”
A strange look crossed her face that he couldn’t read. Was she, too, feeling the loss of what they could have been?
“I’m glad you understand.”
He dropped his hand, letting her go.
“And if you want to talk about whatever you’re hiding, I’ll be here,” he said.
She looked away, and he knew he was right. He also knew he had no right to pry; her secrets weren’t his to know, no matter how much he wished otherwise.
When she turned back to him, she was smiling. It was a small smile, almost hesitant, but his chest felt lighter at the sight. “You’ll behere? Hiding in this shadowy corner?”
“I meant metaphorically.” He rolled his eyes. Of course she would be making a joke right now. He breathed easier hearing the levity in her voice. “So, we’re in agreement?”
“We’re in agreement.” She paused, swallowing. “It could’ve been nice, though.”
If a future with her was anything like their time together at Caisleán, “nice” was not a strong enough word. Spending time with her had somehow become what he looked forward to the most.
He stared at the stone walls, trying to hide the emotions in his eyes. “Yes. It could’ve.”
They headed to their meeting, and with every step, he reminded himself that he should be happy. She meant something to him, and this was the best way to keep her in his life.
When Domhnall had called her “his princess,” Ronan had disagreed, but he wanted it to be true. He wanted to have a claim on her. To be the one she told everything to and know he could do the same.
He needed to realize that some dreams were too far to reach. Sometimes, you need to accept your reality and learn to live in it.
***
THE LONG ROOM WHERE HE HAD MET WITHKORDISLAENweeks earlier hadn’t changed, except for the map that was sprawled across the table. Kordislaen once again sat at the head, a handful of the remaining warriors in training lining the table. Domhnall and Niamh were seated together, and MacCraith was on the other side. Ronan was surprised to see the warrior in the room; he was honestly surprised Kordislaen hadn’t used the trial as a means to dismiss him.
“Finally, you’ve arrived. Take your seat.” Ronan did as Kordislaen ordered, with Clía following. “Due to the unprecedented increase in Ionróiran attacks, we’re stretched thin. It’s your turn to rise to the occasion. I will be adding to your list of responsibilities.
“Dalta classes are hereby over, and instead, you will be attending the daily training exercises with the other warriors of Caisleán Cósta. You’ll also be expected to attend all necessary meetings, pick up patrol shifts, and complete any assigned missions.”
Ronan listened eagerly as Kordislaen continued to explain the rules of the patrol. There were no surprises. After years of fighting for Scáilca, rising to the role of captain of the crown prince’s guard, Ronan knew what to expect and what was expected of him. Nevertheless, he was excited to hear it all again. After months of training and learning, he itched to be back in the field again.
As Kordislaen finished speaking, half a dozen other warriors walked in, taking the empty seats around the table. Officially, their first meeting began.
“Commander Luain, Cahan, give us the update on your mission.”
The commander spoke first. “Cahan and I had been sent to do reconnaissance outside of the Diamhair Mountains. As you know, after the revelations of a few months ago, we’ve been searching for the mountain pass that brought Tinelann into our kingdom. We believe we finally found their main entry point.” Their voice shook, and their age was visible in the silver streaked through their hair. But Ronan knew better than to underestimate them. Skill did not decay with age; in fact, it was often the opposite.
The other warrior, Cahan, placed a large map of the continent on the table for all of them to see. Luain continued. “This is the location of the camp Commander Ó Dálaigh’s daltas came across.” They pointed to where Ronan, Domhnall, and Clía had found the Tinelannian tent in the Diamhairs. “This is the believed path, leading to Redhallow. My scouts have still not seen any evidence of recent travel through that valley or the Ghostwood. They most likely abandoned this camp shortlyafter it was discovered.”X’s peppered various locations on the Scáilcan side of the mountain range. “We’ve checked all areas south of their original location and have yielded no results. Last week, with the general’s permission, Cahan and I moved the search north, and we believe we found something.”
Ronan leaned in, looking at the small valley that the silver-haired soldier had circled. It was between two of the northernmost mountains that touched Scáilca’s border with Tinelann.
“While they’re still using the mountains to access the kingdom, they’re leaving the range farther northwest”—they pointed to the valley—“getting just far enough into our territory to be missed by the patrols on the border. They’re trying to avoid staying in the mountains for too long—the weather this time of year is too dangerous. We managed to find tracks, leading us to believe there might be several spies in Scáilca’s northern villages. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were close to Caisleán.”
The room fell silent.
