I shook my head. “I need to check on these friends. I need to make sure they are safe.”
I pulled him toward the orphanage, and he followed quietly, his brows knotted together. The city was still waking, a soft gray light brushing over shuttered windows, the smell of damp stone hanging in the air. Only when we turned onto the street leading to the orphanage did his steps quicken, his shoulders drawing tight with worry.
“The children?” he asked with worry.
I nodded.
“This was my mother’s favorite place,” he told me.
“I know. And they protected me. I want to make sure they are okay.”
“Of course.”
I glanced across the street and spotted a small candy shop, the windows glowing warm like a beacon. Inside, glass jars lined the counter, filled to the brim with chocolates wrapped in gold and copper. The sight tugged a grin from me.
We made a slight diversion to the store. The bell above the door chimed softly as we entered. The owner, a kindly woman with round cheeks, blinked at the sword at my side and at Kaelric’s broad frame. When she realized who he was, her hands flew to her chest, and she whispered a blessing. Before I could pay with the coins Godric had given me, she insisted on giving us every piece of chocolate she had left, scooping handfuls into paper bags until they bulged.
I thanked her, and we ran back toward the orphanage, the scent of cocoa trailing behind us.
When we reached the courtyard, we found Mrs. Clay sitting on the ground with her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. Her shoulders shook as if all the strength had gone out of her.
I rushed to her side. “What is it? Are they hurt?”
She peered up at me with red-rimmed eyes. “No. But I was so mean to them. I love them, and he made me be so mean…”
Her voice broke, and my heart did, too. I understood. She had been under the control of Mind Render. None of that cruelty was hers.
Kaelric stepped closer and lowered himself enough to lay a gentle hand on her shoulder. She blinked up at him, and her gaze fell to the signet ring on his hand. Her eyes went wide, recognition stealing her breath.
“My lord…”
“It’s time for a new beginning. Let’s move on from the past,” he told her, echoing his aunt.
His tone was steady, not commanding, just kind, the promise of a future where she could breathe freely again.
The doors burst open then, and all of the girls came running out. Their feet slapped lightly against the stone as they tumbled into the courtyard, still in their nightclothes and half-buttoned gowns. Their hair was mussed from sleep, ribbons hanging loose.
“Brynn!” they cried.
They crashed into me all at once in a warm pile of arms, tiny hands gripping whatever part of me they could reach. They peered at a weeping Mrs. Clay, confusion and tenderness written across their young faces, and I held them tighter, grateful beyond words that they were safe.
“Did you fix the adults?” Karla asked me.
I gave her a half-smile. “Their minds are their own. Harrow is gone, and Kaelric Morvain is your new king.”
I gestured to Kaelric.
Karla eyed him with her chin tilted high. “Morvain, huh? I thought they all died. You got proof?”
Kaelric’s eyes danced with affection as he held his hand out for the little girl. She stared at the ring, mouth dropping open.
“Whoa. That’s real!”
I laughed. He laughed. Mrs. Clay laughed, and then all of the children did, too. It was a sound that was so bright it chased away the heaviness that had been cast over the city. More children came out, boys now too, and the news spread. Kaelric helped me pass out the chocolates, and the children greedily stuffed their faces.
Mrs. Clay stood, and I stepped over to her. “Anything you need for these children, you ask me personally, and I will get it for you.”
She swallowed hard, nodding. “I should be relieved of duty. I should be replaced,” she said, her lip quivering, eyes tearing up again.
