The drag of quiet was heavy as a muscle in Klyde’s jaw flexed. Slow realization crossed the faces of her Guardians as they finally understood.
“I suppose your silence is answer enough,” she said. “Interesting.”
All amusement had long since faded from Klyde’s expression. It was now hard and cold, resembling his brother’s almost perfectly. Instead of ice, a severe hurricane churned in his gaze. One that promised retribution if she tried anything against his family.
This was a monumental secret that could serve in her favor, but for now, she would play nice.
“Don’t worry,” Dyna continued. “I don’t care about Tavin or why you kept his existence a secret. I’m sure you have your reasons. What I want to know is why you keptyouridentity hidden and what your intentions were with us. As you can see, naturally we assumed the worst.”
He opened his mouth, but Dyna held up a finger. She glanced at Lucenna. The sorceress drew the rune for truth in the air. It pulsed bright purple above the captain’s head before fading away.
Klyde shivered as the spell fell over him, and he scoffed. “I would have told you the truth regardless, lass.”
Dyna shrugged. “It’s merely to dispel any suspicions. I hope you don’t mind.”
He already had his chance to reveal everything before, so why would she believe him now unless spelled to speak the truth?
“I don’t work for Tarn if that is your concern,” Klyde began. His gaze flickered to Lucenna. “I had no intention of turning you in for the bounty. But you’re right about one thing. I did intend to use you.”
A muscle flexed in his jaw as he let that confession settle. Otherwise, he was completely still.
“To do what?” Dyna pressed when he fell silent.
“To find him,”Klyde replied tightly. “That was the only thing I wanted from you. The means to track Tarn down and stop him—by whatever means necessary.”
That was the last thing she had expected to hear, as had the others, by the silence that crept back into the tension between them.
Klyde’s attention drifted past her to the hearth, and the firelight shone in his distant gaze. “Aye, our father was Lord Morken, earl of this manor. Regardless of our nobility, there was no warmth in these halls, but my sister, brother, and I, we had each other. Until the Horde came.” Klyde’s brow furrowed, his mouth thinning as he remembered.
Dyna easily recalled it, too. It wasn’t difficult when she had borne witness to the slaughter. The hair stood on her arms as the picture formed in her mind. The screams of the men as they died, the stench of swamp trolls in the summer heat, her feet slipping through the mud drenched in blood.
“All the knights were called to arms that day. As a squire, it was my duty to gather the others and evacuate the women and children to the dungeons. So many died … devoured and torn apart before our eyes.” Klyde’s throat bobbed. “But I noticed Aisling was missing. She was…”
“Tarn’s wife,” Dyna murmured.
“Aye…” He blinked at her, surprised she knew. “My brother was out fighting back the Horde. It was my duty to protect her, so I returned to his estate … but … a troll had broken through the door.” Desolation weighed down his expression, and he rubbed his face. “Her death was instant. There was nothing I could do to save her, but…”
Dyna’s memory flashed with the image of Aisling’s wounded stomach. Not torn butcut. Her eyes widened. “You saved Tarn’s son…”
This was another part of the story. One she had not glimpsed when Dream Walking through Tarn’s past. She imagined a frightened boy, finding his sister-by-law dead, shaken and afraid of what he had to do to save his nephew.
Lucenna’s soft gasp came from behind her.
“What happened next?” Dyna asked.
“Nothing.” Klyde’s tenor hardened, and the muscles in his arms flexed with the clench of his fists. “There wasnothingleft of our town but a graveyard. When I reached the square, I found my father with a gaping hole in his chest and my brother’s broken sword. The viceroy told me Tarn had killed him with magic, but I didn’t…” His gaze lowered to the ground, his jaw clenching. “I didn’t believe it. No one was left alive, so I assumed Tarn had fallen as well, but he returned that night. Not for us. He didn’t care about us.” Klyde laughed drily, shaking his head. “He only came to sack the coffers and steal my mother’s jewels. When I asked him what he had done to our father … I saw the truth in his eyes. Then he left with Von. They abandoned us without ever looking back.” Klyde’s face was expressionless, but she could feel his ire and misery. Or perhaps Dyna simply knew it was there because those same emotions now lingered beneath her own mask. “Over the years, I heard of all the wicked things Tarn had done. He escaped justice time and again because no one could ever find him. So I waited for his return. And finally, after fifteen years, he came back…” Klyde’s eyes lifted to her. “For you.”
Rays of the morning sun rose higher and cast an orange hue in the room. It reminded Dyna of that evening in Landcaster when she met Von. That led to Tarn learning of her existence and her map to Mount Ida. How different would things be if fate had not brought her there?
“I think it’s only fair that you tell me the truth now,” Klyde said. “Why is my brother hunting you, Dyna? Why did he risk returning to Azure merely to put a bounty on all your heads?”
She leaned back in the chair, linking her fingers. “I am not the one on trial here. My business is my own.”
Revealing the existence of the map had brought enough conflict to her life. Klyde might not seem like a greedy man, but she was finished being naïve.
A look crossed his face, a knowing one that made her tense. “Aye, don’t tell me. I don’t really care why he wants you. The only thing I care about is finding him.”
There was only one way to do that.
