She turns away from the window, and this time, her eyes are clear and piercing. “Find some.”
CHAPTER 4
TYCHO
By midsummer, the grounds of Ironrose Castle are always vibrant. Watching from the window of Prince Rhen’s strategy room, my eyes usually don’t know where to settle. The vast gardens have exploded with color, and gold- and- red pennants flutter above every sentry stand. Sunlight gleams off the cream- colored bricks of the castle proper, too. Marble and polished brass in the outbuildings add glimmers and flashes of light when the clouds shift. When I was younger, everything here seemed magical.
That was before I learned how much harm magic had caused.
Somewhere below the window, women are gossiping as they go about their tasks, their voices high and lively like wind chimes. A broom rasps against the cobblestones. More distant, a man’s laugh echoes across the grounds, followed by the high- pitched shrieks of delighted children.
Right now, none of that is a distraction. Instead, my focus is locked squarely on a building in the distance. Across the fields, smoke billows from the forge that sits near the Shield House.
Jax.
I imagine him crouched over some horse’s hoof, his hammer swinging while his hair falls into his eyes— just like the day we met. My heart thumps, simply from the memory of it. He’s so striking, and it’s like he’s not evenawareof it. I remember when we first arrived here, how I found him walking along a path, his gleaming hair loose and unbound, his features carved in shadow. Sudden longing pulses right along with my heartbeat, and it’s nearly enough to make me abandon my duties so I can gallop across the grounds to see him. It’s been so long since I wasjust Tychoand he wasjust Jaxand we could speak truths without the pressures of magic and royalty or the threat of treason and war weighing on us both. The sunlight carries a sense of contentment, and I’m desperate for fresh air and freedom.
Or, hell, maybe I’m just desperate to escape the tense agitation in this room.
Grey is sprawled in a chair, his heavy- lidded eyes aimed at the window as well, though his jaw is tight, and his gaze seems to be fixed on nothing.
“You’ve called your regiments home from Syhl Shallow, but you still haven’t indicated whether we should station a small regiment at the border,” Rhen is saying to his brother— though I’m not sure Grey is listening. “Currently, Syhl Shallow maintains the guard stations north of Willminton and Blind Hollow. General Ruoff has received word of minor skirmishes to the northhere”— he taps at a map on the table, moving some figurines to represent soldier placements—“possibly related to your withdrawal of Emberish forces on the other side of the border. But without any military support in the area, we have no control over—”
He catches sight of Grey’s absent expression and stops short. Silence swells in the room. One of those girls working down below the window bursts into giggles about something. A distant soldier shouts an order.
Grey doesn’t move. He doesn’t even appear to have noticed that Rhen stopped speaking.
“YourMajesty,” Rhen snaps.
That gets a reaction— but barely. Grey glances his way, and his eyes narrow. “Stop it.”
“I thought perhaps a reminder was in order.”
“A reminder of what?” Grey’s voice is rough, and he looks like he hasn’t shaved in the two weeks since we got here. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was hung over.
Honestly, he might be. I wouldn’t blame him. Malin and I used to sneak bottles of liquor after we were stripped of our duties and forced to stay in Syhl Shallow. This isn’t the same— not by a long shot— but Grey had to leave his wife and child to protect a country that didn’t even want him there. I’m sure he’s feeling just as trapped, just as isolated.
Just as hopeless.
Hell, maybe he’s drunk right now. I know I would be.
“A reminder that you are king,” Rhen is saying evenly. “And you have a country to rule.”
Grey’s frown deepens, but he goes back to looking at nothing.
Prince Rhen’s eye narrows. “Grey—”
“Fine!” the king snaps. “Send a regiment to guard the mountain pass. Whatever you want.”
His tone is sharp enough that I inwardly flinch, but Rhen holds his gaze. “This is not a time to be cavalier—”
“Youjusttold me to rule,” Grey growls. “Now you’re going to complain when I do it?”
Prince Rhen stares back at him, then sighs and makes a note on one of the papers arranged in front of him.
Every meeting has been like this. I wish I were somewhere else.Anywhereelse.
Well. Notanywhere.
