The guard dashed from the room, yelling for aid as he ran.
“Go now,” Kyros groaned. “I will explain it was Stephani. Bring me Kane. I want to see him before I die.”
Tallis grabbed my hand, but I pulled away staring at Kyros. “I'm sorry.”
“Our relationship began with a lie,” Kyros whispered. “It is only right that it ends on one.”
Chapter Sixteen
Tallis
“Take her,” the king ordered, “and keep her safe.”
I pulled Moira into the secret passageway, running through the dark corridor. We had played in these halls our entire lives and I knew that we would have to go to her room if we wanted to get to the royal courtyard quicker, but in that room, lay our friend bleeding out. Instead, I took Moira deeper into the keep through the servants’ quarters.
“This way,” I said, keeping her close.
Some of the guards teased me about Moira. No matter how hard I tried to keep my feelings out of my expressions, there were moments when the queen would speak and admiration would flow through my gaze.
She held on to my side, racing through the secret passageway.
When we reached the bottom stairwell, I opened the door and peeked out. Surprisingly, there was nobody in this area and I pulled her out and ran toward the side entrance. Once I reached one of the doors, I looped my arm around her waist and flew her up into the sky.
Blood covered the front of her dress and dripped down her wrist. Splashes of it smeared her pale face. I held her tight as we ascended high above the castle. The royal courtyard was open to the elements though a wall had been raised out of the ground to keep it enclosed and tied to the castle.
Slowly, we descended to the mossy floor near the giant tree where we had last seen her son. The barrier tingled as we passed through and then I gently placed Moira on the ground.
She breathed heavily. Her silvery blue hair was streaked with blood and when she brushed her hair back, she dragged a smear of red through it. Silver eyes stained with tears and a worried expression painted her face. She pushed past me to the tree and put her hands on top of it. Touching the bark, she whispered in the ancient tongue, knowing that somewhere deep within the dryad realm, her plea would be heard.
I gathered her in my arms, allowing her to lean against my chest. “What happened? I heard Stephani at the end talking about the princesses.”
“She tried to kill me and Kyros blocked the attack. It was the witches . . . they were behind it all. I should have killed them the moment they arrived at the castle then none of this would have happened.”
We stood back, as a warm glow emitted from the tree. I released Moira, not wanting to add any more questions to the already dire situation. A tall fae walked out, pale skin like Moira, but with dark hair down to his waist. He wore black pants and a black shirt. His piercing silver eyes seemed to seethe with power.
“Who are you?” I asked, already moving closer.
“I suppose you would forget about me after forty years.”
Moira's eyes widened and walked forward. “It can’t be. It’s not even been a week.”
He folded his arms. “For you, maybe, but for me it’s been much longer.”
Impossible.
This was Kane?
But I knew little about the strange realm. Moira had disappeared once when we were young, just for a few hours. When she returned, saying she had gone to live with the trees, she hadn’t aged at all.
“You left me alone for decades in a strange world. Without any answers, not once did you come to check on me.”
“Kane. I—”
“I don’t care to hear your excuses, mother.” His mouth twisted in a snarl, so similar to his father. “Why is there blood on your hands? What has happened?”
Moira stood there in shock, and I knew I needed to handle this conversation. “The king has been attacked. You need to go to your father’s chambers. Right now. He doesn’t have much time left.”
Without a word, Kane glared at Moira then raced toward the raised wall. He jumped up, black claws protruding from his fingers, and latched into the stone, climbing toward the castle.
