Did they really think I cherished the man who was only a father by blood? He’d destroyed so much of my life—my first love, my friends, my future, Mother.
I avoided Aiden’s gaze, even though I could feel it burning a hole in my wounded cheek.
Ruru cleared his throat. “All right, then. So, Renwell made a big speech about how he was king now, that Weylin had stolen the throne in the first place, and that there were no heirs. He pointed at Everett and Delysia and said they had no legal right to the throne and that the Falcryn line had died. He never mentioned Kiera or Aiden by name.” He glanced at me. “Which is also why I thought you were dead.”
Gods, that was a lot to take in.
Renwell had revealed the truth about Father’s claim to the throne. He’d effectively cut off any support Everett and Delysia might have garnered. And he’d stricken me and Aiden from the story altogether.
No one to miss us. No one to look for us. No allies. Just enemies.
And we had no way to tell anyone otherwise.
Chapter 22
Aiden
It was a good plan.
Make Rellmira think they had no other option for a ruler than the High Enforcer who held their royal city in the palm of his hand.
Weylin had stolen the throne via a quiet assassination and well-told lies, making him look like the rightful heir.
Renwell simply removed any arguments in the matter. Not that anyone would want to argue with a man who controlled an army of Shadow-Wolves.
Kiera looked troubled, no doubt many of the same thoughts racing through her head.
Maz was scowling. Yarina and Sigrid looked indifferent. After all, Rellmira’s politics didn’t concern them. Instead, they hounded me about Calimber every chance they got.
Nikella... Nikella was furious. Which was rare for her. I remembered it happening only a handful of times. But her brother arresting a Teacher and destroying part of a sacred Temple had pressed a nerve.
Gods, I hated to think about what they were doing with Librius. Or what they’d already done.
He would probably meet the same fate as Garyth.
A memory of Garyth’s mutilated body covered in leeches flashed behind my eyes.
My chest tightened. Everyone who helped me received terrible deaths. Perhaps I should stop fighting. Let Rellmira go. Let the Falcryn line truly die out, as Renwell proclaimed.
I glanced at Kiera, her scarred cheek, her damp hair.
The memory of swimming naked in the river together surfaced in my mind. An heir who wanted to remain hidden and a false princess who gave up her crown. We made quite a pair, avoiding the same throne as best we could.
But despite the truths that still needed to be told, I clung to the one she’d given me that night.
“Our time in The Hollow... that was the most truthful I’d been in years.”
Those words had healed a part of my heart that had lost hope. But now that troublesome emotion was back. Nothing brought more heartbreak than hope.
Ruru suddenly let out a snore. The poor boy had dozed off in the silence.
“The letters,” I reminded him, gently shaking his shoulder.
His eyes snapped open. “Right, right. Er, in my bag. Melaena said you’d know what to do with them.”
I gave them a cursory glance and left them in the bag. “Excellent. Thank you, Ruru,” I said. “Now let’s get you to bed. We can finish catching up tomorrow.”
He nodded, his chin already dropping toward his chest again. My heart warmed with fondness. Ruru’s loyalty and dedication to his friends were truly unmatched. I’d hated leaving him behind in Aquinon, but I’d also hoped he would escape sooner and find a new, quiet life for himself.
