The hair on the back of my neck stood. Irritation and heat flooded my veins. “You will do as you are told,” I replied, a growl hidden beneath the words. It wasn’t a request from a friend, but an order from his King.
“Apologies.” Kole’s gaze dropped to the ground submissively, and he gave a slight bow of his head in agreement. It had been difficult for us in these new roles. I favored Kole’s friendship, but my position demanded his obedience. It was an adjustment for both of us.
Leaving Kole to his duties without another complaint, I began checking items off the mental list of things that needed to be done before nightfall. First on the list was seeing my brothers. Turning down the hall towards our family gathering room, I made my way to where they expected me.
8
ERIK
My three brothers sat in a circle, waiting. I wondered how long they had been stuck in a room together. Judging by the lack of destruction, it couldn’t have been too long. Spirit knows they could only be together for a short stretch before someone pushed another with their words, and chaos quickly followed.
They lounged in three separate chairs, all facing a circular table. One chair remained open for me to take. Old family texts spanning floor to ceiling filled the far wall. Worn leather bound most of the volumes, some of which had cracked because of lack of proper handling. Years of unuse caused the leather to dry. The smell of old paper bound in leather wafted through our family meeting room. It was a scent I didn’t think I could ever grow tired of.
“It is about time!” Iver growled when I walked in. He was the youngest and always the most impatient. By this point in life, he should have acquired a fraction of restraint, yet he still hadn’t. He continued to run around with a rough temperament and childlike deviance. It was aggravating, more so because Ilonged for a time when the Lysians did not depend on me to lead. For a time when I was like Iver, free of the burden which came with a crown.
Jorn took a deep breath. “I see we were not the first of your stops since you came home.” He always had a gift for scenting and tracking, even surpassing my own. Though I did not touch Ariana, in a day’s time, her room took on her scent. It now lingered around me.
The other two sniffed in my direction. “Who is she, Erik? And why is she staying in your room?” Jorn asked.
“She is stayingnextto my room,” I clarified.
“Why?” Iver inquired. His gray gaze settled on mine, demanding an answer.
Edmond was the only one to not first ask of the new stranger. Instead, he viewed me from head to toe. “It’s good to have you back and alive,” he said with a small smile.
At least one of my brothers cared for my return. Granted, it was the one who would become King if I were to ever perish. Edmond enjoyed having power, but he shied away from the burden of it, preferring to remain the brother to the King. Iver was no different, preferring the freedom to create chaos. Jorn was the one most hungry for power.
Jorn laughed. “Of course he is alive. The Bavadrins have nothing on us.”
“They have the lands between us and the Sidhe.” Iver rolled his eyes, pointing out the thing that they did indeed have. It was the reason for everything I did to this point.
“Not anymore,” Jorn snapped at the air in irritation. The two of them often rubbed each other the wrong way.
“But you didn’t leave uninjured,” Edmond wished to clarify, catching the attention of the others.
The lashings on my back stopped bleeding, and no longer bothered me. I could largely forget about them until they were pointed out. Ariana was correct when she warned her fatherabout raising a hand against me. Lysians were often scarred, for we are not a cautious group. The royals were no better, but we were superior in our skill. As leaders for our people, we were taught from childhood how to hone our senses, how to fight, and how to protect ourselves. Our lack of scars was a show of power, not a lack of danger in our lives. My brothers all remained flawlessly scarless, while I now harbored too many to even count.
“It was necessary to break the treaty,” I said, hoping that we would not need to dwell on it.
“Indeed. It must have been difficult for you not to just incinerate them all.” Edmond arched a golden brow.
“You have no idea,” I grumbled. That was perhaps the most torturous act of all—allowing them to inflict pain when I posed them no harm, at least none that they knew of. Their actions set in motion everything that occurred after. They had no one to blame but themselves.
“Any trouble here?” I asked.
“The mountain has remained quiet,” Edmond said. “You could have remained in the Bavadrin lands a bit longer.”
I shook my head. “A lot of our seasoned warriors are now in the Bavadrin land’s.”
Iver grinned as he said, “You think we need seasoned warriors to keep the unwanted from coming down that mountain?” His smile only grew as we all ignored his comment. It was not just the exiled Lysians but a conjuror we had to deal with amongst that mountain. And even my brothers, as elite in combat training as they were, were not equipped for that. Fire had to fight fire.
“So, the treaty is broken. Why is the Bavadrin girl here?” Edmond finally joined in the questioning about the new visitor.
“She is the daughter of the current leader. I am hoping that if she takes over after him, that she can help us. If she agrees to work with us, then the Bavadrins will be that much easier to control.They will fight harder for their leader than they would if we simply commanded them to.”
“And why do you think one of her kind would ever do something like that?” Jorn asked, tilting his head in question. “They are not known for their kindness or trustworthiness.” He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his seat.
“Because, when the Bavadrins finished whipping me, she entered my cell and cared for my wounds. She did not need to do that and asked for nothing in return before tending to my back,” I said, silencing them for only a single glorious moment.
