A feline whose mane is torn, patches of fur ripped away in ancient feuds; arms, shoulders, and back scored with wounds, yet the massive beast moves smoothly, with unshaken grace.
“I understand,” I respond hesitantly.
“Good.” He presses my leather sleeve smooth. “Soldiers were raised to have each other’s backs. We’re different from kings.” He gives me a side hug.
I whisper in his ear, “Be careful no one hears you speak like this.”
“I was going to tell you the same thing.” He smirks. His friendly pat on my back steals the air from my lungs. “The nobles have no idea what’s going on; they don’t leave these walls. The majority of us are sick of that. I thought it was time you knew how others felt.”
“They praise me as a hero who killed a prince.” I hate it.
“They praise you as a brother who let them come home, Titus. We’re watching as you sit in silence on the side. We weighed your character. I want to hold my son tonight, so I hopeyou know the risk I’m taking when I tell you this: you have the majority of support when the time comes.”
He’s scaring the shit out of me. He shouldn’t be talking like this.
Maybe it’s a trick I walked into. My face must convey that. He steps so close I can count all his freckles. “You know what’s funny? Some vampires think all fae look the same. I don’t.” The air starts to push in on me.
He’s got air magic! He can hush conversations.
My fire magic dances up my spine, warming me, eagerly waiting to defend me. Something more dangerous awakens. The time-weaving. My chest widens as I fight to suppress it.Not now! Please!
“I remember their faces. In particular, a young boy,” he continues. I smell his morning blood on his warm breath. “At the time, I didn’t know he was a prince. He was just a boy with pointed ears, but as you said, all I saw was a boy who sought me out; it made no difference that he was fae. I didn’t know he would grow into a man who was destined to wear an enemy crown.”
“Everett,” I whisper. Shock defeats me. My knees tremble; the time-weaving surrenders to my pleas and sinks away.
He uses his magic to nudge me closer. “I had to know where you stood. After all, you killed Everett.” His eyes grow distant. “I got a feeling our pointy-eared friend didn’t give you a choice. I didn’t get one either.”
Footsteps sound, another group approaches the breakfast hall. My skin burns. He peels his air magic back with a force that leaves a cooling burn over my exposed skin.
“I just want you to know you have friends here, Titus.” He winks and begins to turn.
Yeah, not happening. I grab him and drag him further down another corridor. “You’d better start speaking.”
“I’ve spoken a lot; I’m much more conversational with my sword.”
I try and fail to shove him into the wall. Are his feet roots? “You knew him,” I hiss. My fingers curl into his leather.
“I knew him,” he agrees in a solemn tone. “He looked a mere sixteen years old, but he spoke as if he possessed the sands of time. That boy said such funny things. Didn’t believe him. Marked him off as bonkers. Turns out I was crazy not to listen. Everything Everett told me has come to pass.”
My grip drains of rage and possesses a vagrant. “Tell me,” I plead.
He covers my hands as a father would, peeling my fingers back and cradling them. “I made a vow to Everett. Don’t ask me to break it. I just wanted you to know that your back is covered. Let things unfold as they should. You’ll hear from me again, Titus.” He steps to the side.
“Covered for what?”
His stare makes me feel like a silly boy who cried when he fell. His eyes urge me to get back up and conquer what anguished me. “Breakfast is getting cold. You’d best drink up; keep your magic charged here.”
He winks, turns, and leaves before I can reply.
I fall against the wall like a brick no longer needed. My ass hits the floor, and the back of my head smacks against the pillar. All I see is polished black stone reflecting my face in shades of darkness.No guiding light.
How many more spies did Everett make? How many slumber within Galen’s walls?
Tristen appears, stopping at the entrance of the corridor. “I thought I sensed you here,” he declares. His smile drops when he spots me.
He covers us in his shadows, then I whisper what happened.
“I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” Tristen mutters, legs kicked out wide, faking confidence for my sake.
