A price he was willing to pay.
He turned his eyes to the sky, basking in the sunlight on his skin. There was hardly a cloud to be seen, only the blue, pink, and orange hue of sunrise. It was beautiful. Perhaps the last beautiful thing he’d see.
A shadow darted over his vision—a bird. With a start, he noted the familiar flight pattern, the wingspan. His heart ached to see Berol. Of course she’d come. She’d always been able to find him. He could only hope that she wouldn’t act when the time came for him to die, for if she got herself killed in the process, he wouldn’t be able to leave this world free of regret.
“You played the hero well,” said a mocking voice. Teryn shifted his gaze from the sky to find Dimetreus watching him with disdain. “But you ended up being a traitor. You and that…that vile girl.”
Teryn bristled at hearing Cora called vile by her own brother. He started to speak but found his words muffled by the gag. Instead, he bit down on it and burned the king with a glare.
Dimetreus sneered back. “To think I let you into my castle. Fed you. Clothed you. To think I showed that wretched girl kindness when I should have sent a knife through her heart—”
Teryn lurched forward, but the guards kept him in place. He gave up his struggle and shouted at the king through his gag.
Dimetreus fully faced him and closed the distance between them.
“Your Majesty,” one of the guards warned.
“I want to hear his last words,” Dimetreus barked. With rough hands, he pulled the gag from Teryn’s mouth. “Speak, filth. Let me hear your excuses for the last time. Fuel my vengeance and make it that much sweeter when justice comes.”
Teryn held the king’s gaze. “That girl is your sister.” His voice felt rough in his throat. He’d been gagged since his arrival at Centerpointe Rock. “The one you call wretched. Vile. She really is Princess Aveline.”
Dimetreus gave a disbelieving shake of his head. “My sister is dead. That girl was an impostor. I should have known better than to believe such a fantasy.”
“If your sister is dead, then that means Selay never held her hostage. If that’s the case, why are you trying to conquer them and Menah?”
“Selay sent the spy who killed my wife and sister. Menah was in on it. They sent you—”
“To do what? To claim a bounty on a woman I thought was a killer only to find out she was a lost princess?”
“No, you infiltrated my castle with a girl parading around as Aveline.”
“Again I ask you, to do what? What reason did I have? What reason has anyone—Selay, Menah—had for their supposed crimes? What threats have you received? Seen with your own eyes?”
Dimetreus blinked hard several times. His glazed eyes held the same confused quality they’d had when Cora tried to tell him the truth. “You…you have no right to question me—”
“She told me her name was Cora.”
Dimetreus’ face went slack. He took a step back, blinking hard again.
Teryn was emboldened with the hope that he was—at least somewhat—getting through to the king. The one that existed beyond the duke’s control. “It makes sense now,” Teryn said, speaking carefully to keep Dimetreus’ full attention. “Aveline Corasande Caelan, Princess of Khero. You watched her dance. You sat next to her at dinner. Do you honestly believe in your heart of hearts that she wasn’t your sister?”
The king’s throat bobbed, face pale.
“She’s still alive. And…and she loves you.” Teryn wasn’t sure that last part was true. After everything Cora had been through, he’d understand if she hated her brother.
“The signal, Your Majesty,” said a guard.
Dimetreus’ lips curled away from his teeth. “Lies. Every word a lie.” Just as roughly as he’d taken the gag down, he shoved it back over Teryn’s mouth. This time it didn’t make it between his teeth. Instead, it was pushed only over his lower lip, something that neither the king nor any of the guards seemed to notice.
Teryn was once again forced to move forward. As he followed after the king’s entourage toward Centerpointe Rock, a spark of hope filled his chest. Not over his exchange with the king, for that had served no purpose in the end. His hope was that, if he could work his gag just a little lower, he might be able to speak to his father one more time after all.
* * *
Larylis thoughthis heart would shatter in two as he looked at his brother standing on the opposite side of Centerpointe Rock, flanked by guards and the traitor king. Duke Morkai stood with Arlous and Verdian upon the rock, but Larylis only had eyes for his brother and his shockingly awful state. Teryn’s hair stood in disarray, the already dark strands heavy with grease. His skin was smudged with dirt, his tired eyes shadowed with dark circles, his cheeks far hollower than they normally were. His clothing—a pair of black trousers and what appeared to be a once-fine shirt—was torn and stained.
Teryn met his eyes, but all Larylis could see was Mareleau’s face. Her lips. Her eyes heavy with desire. His brother had been imprisoned, starved, and perhaps even tortured, while Larylis had been kissing his fiancée. They would have done more had he not regained his senses. It had taken all his restraint to leave Mareleau, the woman he loved, the woman who loved him back, but it had been the right thing to do. They could love each other all they wanted, but they could never be together. Her father would never allow it, and Teryn…
His heart ached to look at him. It only deepened his guilt knowing that Larylis now stood in their father’s entourage as a false prince. Arlous’ newly legitimized heir. A necessary ruse for when they’d attempt to make their refusal to surrender convincing. Morkai had to think they’d given up on getting Teryn back, all to provide enough time to spirit Teryn away and flee Centerpointe Rock before the duke learned of their duplicity.
