“Ah, yes,” she laughs, smoothing a hand down the front of her white dress. “My oldest daughter, Inessa, is in need of work now that she has graduated from schooling. She’s hardworking, clever, organized, and not one to mince words.” She adjusts her stance, looking more nervous than when I interrogated her about her possible involvement with Tua. “I know this screams of nepotism, and perhaps that is true, but I do think she would make a wonderful asset to our team.”
I finally spare my sister a glance, the many gold bracelets dangling on her wrist jingle as she waves her hand in the air in what Ithinkis approval.
“Have her report here tomorrow with you.” Miranda smiles, dipping her chin before leaving the room to just Jahlee and myself. “Spit it out,” I tell her, watching her lips purse and then flatten out at least three times.
“You can’t torture the rebels.”
Surprise crinkles my forehead. “I thought you would be open to getting whatever information we can by whatever means necessary.” I am sure I had seen her eyes gleam with an eagerness to do so herself at times.
“I am. What I mean is thatyoushouldn’t be the one to do it.” She takes a step towards me, the movement fluid as if she is dancing instead of walking.
“We need whatever information from them that we can get. You know this.”
“And as I said before, I have no qualms with that. I just do not want my brother losing the last of whatever moral compass he has because he’s doing something he hates.”
“Who said I hated it?” But the question is a stupid one, because my sister knows me better than anyone. She knows what my father had a reputation for. His ruthlessness as king did not begin or end with using my mother or altering her pregnancy or threatening Jahlee. Or the numerous ways he tortured me.
“Honestly, Kai, don’t embarrass yourself. You already do enough pretending with how you’re feeling about Bahira. Don’t think you can trick me into believing that it wouldn’t bother you.”
Unwilling to get dragged into another conversation about Bahira, I shrug my shoulders and gesture with my chin to the door. “As king, it is my duty to ensure I do whatever it takes to keep our kingdom safe.” I move to leave, only to be stopped when Jahlee grips my arm.
“Fine. Do what you think you must, but do not take on guilt because of it.” The fierceness in her voice reminds me of our mother, and I have to swallow down the knot that forms in my throat. Keeping my gaze forward, I nod my head and wait for her to release me.
She does, only to join my side as we exit the dining hall and walk right into Siyala.
Chapter Twenty-Six: Kai
“Haveyouheardanything?”Her voice—deeper and smoother than it had been before she disappeared four years ago—commands my attention as Jahlee and I stop short in front of her.
“No.”
Jahlee sighs, while Siyala’s eyes narrow, their amber color brightening. “I thought you said we could count on your lover? It has been weeks since she left, and there has been no word on Rhea—”
“She is not mylover—” I interrupt, though it doesn’t deter her rant.
“The Mage Kingdom is not even answering your calls through the Mirror. Either something is wrong, or she is purposefully ignoring us.”
“Bahira wouldn’t do that!” my sister cuts in.
“And you know her so well?” Siyala snaps, looking to Jahlee before shaking her head. “I knew I should have gone with her.” My cousin’s frustration isn’t misplaced, and though herconcerns are valid and mirror my own, I don’t know how to respond.
Siyala’s changed since she disappeared, and while that is to be expected, the jaded way she has shared her viewpoints isn’t. Her survival in the Mortal Kingdom for four years is a mystery that not even she can answer, and she’s been reluctant to give many details beyond the fact that she was well cared for in her animal form by Rhea. It’s my understanding that she hasn’t shifted once yet since being home.
Jahlee wraps an arm around Siyala’s shoulders, flicking her white braid behind her back. “Bahira is a good one, Cousin. I’m sure whatever the reason is for her not reaching out to us, it is an important one. Kai will keep trying to contact the Mage Kingdom.” She sends me an arched brow as if to say,right?
Meeting both of their gazes, I nod and ignore the pit that makes its presence known in my stomach again. “I could reach out to the Mortal Kingdom and see if—”
“No!” Siyalagrowls, raising invisible hackles along my neck at the power that infuses her voice. I note the clenching of her fists, the way her chest rises with a deep draw of breath that she holds, as if she is trying to halt the urge to shift. Jahlee’s fingers tighten around her shoulder, but Siyala jerks out of my sister’s hold. “It would risk too much.” My gaze meets Jahlee’s as Siyala shakes her head before running a hand down her face. “Just tell me if you hear from Bahira.” She spins on her heel and heads towards the stairs, ignoring Jahlee when she calls out to her.
“She is still young,” I murmur, facing my sister. “And we cannot imagine all she has gone through.”
“Because she won’t tell anyone! She keeps her thoughts to herself as they build and build within her. She’s going to burst if she doesn’t talk about what happened.” Jahlee throws her hands up in frustration at the small chuckle that escapes me. “But it’snot just her I’m upset with. Are you sure you’re using the Mirror properly?”
My smirk falls as I lift a brow. “I am.”
“Then why hasn’t anyone answered? Why hasn’t Bahira reached out to us?”
“The Mirror worked just fine when I reached out to the Mage Kingdom for help with the blight in the beginning. And when Bahira used it to contact her family before. This is… a choice they are making to not talk with us.” It’s the first time I’ve acknowledged the thought out loud, and Jahlee is all the more agitated for it.
