“Easier if you just tell me the truth.” He pointed at my heart. “Otherwise, we can do this the hard way. I can make you talk.”
Rhyan shifted violently in his seat, a growl under his breath. But any threats he was about to make were stilled when Dario returned from the depths of the cave, clutching our belongings in one hand, and Meera in the other.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
LYRIANA
“And this is?” Aiden sounded bored as Dario hauled Meera out from the passage.
Bastard.Had they both fucking known Meera was here the whole time?
“I am Lady Meera Batavia. Heir—” She clamped her mouth shut. “I am the niece of the Arkasva, High Lady of Bamaria.”
Dario dragged Meera forward, while Aiden bound her.
There was a flicker of pain in her eyes as the heat of the ropes touched her skin, but she otherwise accepted the binding with her usual quiet grace.
“You were taken, weren’t you?” Dario asked. “Kidnapped by akadim?”
“I was,” Meera said, her chin lifted.
“And you survived?” Dario’s eyebrows narrowed.
Meera made a show of looking down at herself. “Clearly.”
He laughed. “And your other sister? Lady Morgana? She’s not hiding back there, too, is she? Disguising herself as a rock?”
“I believe you already know the answer,” Meera said, her voice sharp.
“Yes, but I’d like to hear it from you.” He winked. “It allows me to form some trust, give you less of a rough time while we’re together.”
“I doubt that.” Meera’s face hardened. “My sister’s not back there.”
“Where is she?” Dario demanded.
Meera’s nostrils flared. “Yet to be rescued from our captors.” She looked Dario up and down and then amended, “Ourpreviouscaptors.”
“And where exactly were these captors holding you?” Aiden asked. He circled Meera, and her eyes tracked his movement, watching his stave. “What brought you all the way to the North after your escape? What are you doing in Glemaria?”
Meera lifted her gaze. “The akadim held me prisoner in the Allurian Pass.”
Aiden frowned. “That’s the other side of the country.”
“Maybe that’s why you missed the army of monsters invading your territory,” I snapped. “You have an akadim problem that your Imperator’s doing nothing about.”
Aiden’s eyes snapped to Rhyan’s. The mage folded his arms across his chest.
“Look who thinks they know so much about the Glemarian border patrol. Most likely the akadim were made beyond the mountain, in the non-magical realm,” Dario said. “That’s where most monsters in the North come from.”
“Would that not count as a border?” Meera asked.
Dario’s nostrils flared.
The Allurian Pass was on the western edge of the Empire. Aemon was definitely venturing into the human realm and taking the people there to add to his army. It was the only thing that made sense. Reports of akadim activity had grown recently, but the reports weren’t reflective of the numbers he had at his feet. We would have heard about it if that manypeople were going missing on a regular basis. Now his choice of the Allurian Pass made sense beyond its proximity to the indigo shard. It was an easy place for him to slip into the shadows and build his army of monsters.
“I’ve answered your questions,” Meera said. “You can plainly see I have no weapons as I am a mage. I hope you intend to release me. I was preparing for my travels back to Bamaria to recover from my ordeal. My aunt, Arkasva Batavia, and His Highness, Imperator Kormac, sent soturi to rescue me. To bring me home. Lady Lyriana and Soturion Rhyan were part of that mission. We are expected in the South. I would appreciate it greatly, as would my High Lady, if you allowed us to continue on our way.”
Dario folded his arms across his chest, the corner of his lips lifting. “Interesting. Last we heard,SoturionRhyan was wanted by Imperator Kormac for abandoning his post with Ka Batavia. Not to mention he’s also wanted by Imperator Hart for an assortment of crimes in the North. Far too many to list.”
