And I would be. I had no choice but to be, because if Kheal suspected something, then so did the king, and nothing could be worse than that.
Chapter 16
My written instructions worked. My hand ached from all the letters I had to write to command the army. To send them to Yinora, a small border town in the Eastern Territory where Torglea had battled Mortremon for months.
I would need to write more as word of the war reached us, but with their command sorted, we were set to leave for Prallues in the morning. Half the camp was already dismantled, some servants on their way to the capital with the supplies.
Harkin had taken Eleanor on one final ride. Past the dying field to a large river which ran off the Demnocollis Range through the Eastern and Central Territories and to the Arderm Isles on the other side of the forest. With Wista packing away our belongings, I had nothing to do but watch. She’d already scolded me twice for trying to help, and I was too restless to read. When she scolded me for a third time, I gave up and stormed away. I couldn’t sit still.
I hadn’t figured out how to get away from the king. Whatever hisplansfor me were, they surely couldn’t be good, not with what his first wish had involved. Eleanor needed to flee, but with us being under guard every hour of the day, it was difficult to do anything other than comply.
I stepped around soldiers and servants, refusing to look to the barren field. The cloying scent of rotting flowers filled my nostrils, a stark reminder of how I fell prey to the king’s deception and disrupted a sacred resting place to serve in his war, to wish more death onto the land.
The story of the king’s brother, of the sacrifice his people made to fight evil, resonated with me, tugging at a loose thread in my chest and unraveling it. My stomach churned at knowing I destroyed what the Gods gifted them for it.
One of the king’s porters approached, distracting me from my self-loathing. The young blond-haired man picked his way through half-dismantled tents and bowed when he reached me.
“Miss Masters, King Terym requests your presence immediately.” His tone was hushed, and he waited only until I gave my acknowledgment of his message before he scurried away again.
I dragged my feet the entire way to the king’s tent, followed by my two shadows. Shade and Pierce, the latter of whom was alternating between myprotectionand Eleanor’s, with the chaos of the camp and anticipated travel.
With the king’s immediate problem solved, perhaps he wanted to make his second wish. My body recoiled at the thought. I didn’t think I could stomach another one.
The woodsy floral scent of purloe engulfed me, and Shade’s fingertip drifted across the back of my hand. I curled my small finger around his, the touch startlingly intimate and comforting. Face framed by wild dark hair, his features softened when I met his gaze, the slight tilt to the corner of his lips reassuring.
Whatever the king wanted, I would endure it.
Too soon, we arrived at the center of camp, Terym’s tent guarded by the usual soldiers, whom didn’t so much as blink in our direction when we entered. The king sat at the head of the table, the weathered book he read to me all those days ago open before him.
“Ah, my dear Adelia, I want to try something.” He smiled broadly and pulled out the chair beside him, an invitation to sit. I headed to it, Shade at my heels while Pierce remained near the entrance.
“Do you have the lamp with you?” Terym asked once I sat down.
A redundant question, we both knew it was always on my person. Just as Shade could not leave my side, neither could the lamp. A requirement of the magic binding Shade to it, and me to him.
I retrieved it from my jacket pocket, grateful Wista had agreed my sturdier personal traveling clothes would be more comfortable than the light tunic the king supplied. It felt like armor, a barrier between the king’s watchful gaze and me.
The metal was quiet when I placed the small trinket onto the table between us. He steepled his hands upon the wood and studied it closely, the most interest he had shown it since Shade was released. After a few moments of deliberation, he withdrew the small, jeweled knife from his jacket pocket.
Shade’s scent smothered the space in a rush, and a wave of protectiveness filled my chest. He made no sound when he moved closer. Terym’s gaze flicked over my shoulder, twirling the blade in his hands, and the slightest furrow appeared between his eyebrows.
Surely, he wouldn’t hurt me? Not when only I could make the two wishes he craved. I leaned away, trying to do what I couldto put more distance between us. Shade stepped up to the table, placing himself in direct line of the king.
“We’ll be leaving in the morning,” Terym said, looking to Shade before he continued, “While on our journey, I believe it prudent Shade return to his lamp. Magic hasn’t been seen in too long, and the last thing I want is to startle my people.”
My heart sunk to my stomach. I told Shade I wouldn’t send him back, would do anything I could not to. “He can be discreet. No one would know.”
Terym’s jaw clenched at my words, his eyes settling into a coldness I hadn’t seen from him. “I won’t risk spreading panic, not with so much uncertainty already surrounding the war.”
“But—”
“No!” Terym spoke the word with such aggressive finality I jumped, and Shade leaned forward, like he was about to launch himself at the king.
The king blinked a few times, and the coldness disappeared, replaced by soft eyes and a small smile. “I understand the link to him makes it difficult for you. He can be released later, once we’re safe in Prallues.”
He wouldn’t budge on this, that much was clear. I had no other bargaining chips, not when I couldn’t guarantee Eleanor’s safety. I looked up at Shade, my face full of apology and regret. He glanced back with understanding and gave me a subtle nod. He didn’t blame me. Wouldn’t hold me to my promise when he knew I’d tried to avoid it.
I turned back to the king, who watched us with his unreadable expression again.
