One last command before I did the very thing I swore I’d never do: flee my land, my people, as Kael had done.
“You will not be branded as a traitor. Go to the Hollow. Find those still loyal to Kael. My men will meet you there.”
I’d hoped my father would not do this, but I’d prepared just in case he did.
“What do I tell them?”
We panted, running away from the very place that had kept me safe.
“Tell them the tides are shifting. That Gyorian blood still flows with purpose, and we’ll need every ounce of it before this ends.”
Dren stared at me for a breath too long. “You sound like him.”
My brother. The one I’d been railing against since the Gate responded to Princess Mevlida.
“No,” I panted, focusing on the trail. “Kael ran from Gyoria. I’m taking it back.”
20
LYRA
He wasn’t coming.
Which meant I needed to return to the palace in disguise. At least this time, I knew the Stone’s location, even if taking it by force from Terran no longer sat well. It wouldn’t be the first time my personal feelings about a mission threatened to interfere with its execution, but this one was unique in more ways than one.
Nestled into the side of a cliff overlooking the churning sea below, The Siren’s Rest was located at the edge of Grimharbor. I sat in its hall, listening to the crash of the waves below as the sound mingled with the low murmur of travelers and smugglers, Gyorians mostly.
Out of nowhere, a hand appeared on the table in front of me. Before I could react, a small piece of parchment was left behind. I spun in my seat, the hooded figure already heading deeper into the inn.
I reached for the parchment.
Room thirty-six. Don’t make me come get you.
Terran.
I should have recognized his assured gait. Why I wasn’t appalled at his tone—just the opposite—was something that could be explored at a later time. It seemed as if a disguise wouldn’t be needed after all.
Leaving a coin on the table, I stood and made my way to the third floor. Before I could even knock, the door opened, as if Terran knew I would follow. And quickly.
“Your flair for dramatics is most unexpected,” I said, Terran only pulling down his hood after the door was closed. Ignoring the flutter in my chest at seeing him again, I waited for Terran to explain himself.
“When you’re fleeing your father’s men, and said father is the king, one tends to be overly cautious.”
My eyes widened. “He knows it was you?”
“Suspects, I suppose. He sent his men to ‘detain me for questioning.’ I thought it prudent to leave.”
It was worse than I’d imagined, though not surprising. The moment he’d taken the Stone, the wards on the crown would have told Balthor exactly who had breached them. Terran had spoken of hiding the relic, confronting his father, teasing out the truth. Noble, but naïve. The only question had been how quickly he would act. Now I had my answer.
“How did you get away?”
Terran’s expression nearly made me laugh, despite the situation we found ourselves in. Exasperated, as if to say,How do you think?he declined to actually answer.
The king’s guards were the most well-trained of all Gyorian warriors. Terran, it seemed, was even more so. Kael had warned me of the fact, though I thought his words were exaggerated. I had never seen Terran’s display of skills personally to verify their strength myself.
Despite the urgency of our situation, the air suddenly shifted between us. This wasn’t just about the Stone. Terran knew it. I knew it. But the stakes were too high to allow the way he looked at me now to affect our plans.
“We don’t have time for games,” I said, confident he’d been about to say something inflammatory.
