My family history with the legendary oak, Briar’s memory of that same tree, and the corresponding pain in my markings leading to a theory. Then the mission to find the knights’ camp.
As for Nicu and Aire’s roles, that wasn’t my part to share.
By the end of it, the weight of lies plummeted off my shoulders, only to be replaced with a worse agony. Hurt and betrayal stared back, chopping me to fragments.
Only Nicu’s eyes glistened with empathy. And Aire clutched my fingers as if we’d been soldered together.
Grim looks passed between each pairing. While the trees rained leaves on us, they picked apart my tale, searching for a ruse.
Poet stalked to Briar’s side as she twisted an accusatory gaze toward Aire. Floored beyond measure, she observed the knight as if no longer recognizing him. “And you knew all of this.”
“I did, Your Highness,” he confirmed.
“No,” I argued, fear strapping around my chest. “I never told him until we came here. He didn’t know until a few days ago.”
“Be that as it may, I do not seek to acquit myself,” Aire insisted. “I stand with Aspen.”
“Is your longstanding premonition the impetus for this decision?” Jeryn interrogated, though he seemed to know the answer before Aire spoke.
“It was the source of past motivations,” the First Knight acknowledged. “Yet it influences me no longer.”
Poet’s green eyes tapered to slits. “Since when does our honorable commander side with the enemy?”
“She is not our enemy,” Aire growled. “I stake my life on that.”
The jester arched an eyebrow. “In other words, you’re in love with her.”
Aire fell silent, verifying Poet’s guess.
Briar held herself rigid, caught between fury and sympathy. Having approached the circle with her mate, Flare mirrored the same reaction. By severe contrast, Jeryn remained uninterested in wasting his time on sentiment instead of calculating the facts.
Swallowing, the princess regarded Aire. “If that’s true, your testimonial is compromised.”
“Being in love does not make me dishonest,” he defended in a vehement tone. “We intended to state Aspen’s case once you arrived.”
“And do you love him?” Briar asked me with suspicion.
Tenderness flowed through my veins. “Loving Aire doesn’t excuse me. But yes, I do.”
Sadness creased the princess’s expression. The clan would have rather celebrated this news instead of deciding whether it posed a threat.
Poet draped his tongue across his teeth. “As much as I enjoy being right—” he fixed his grip on the staff, “—alas, I’m not in the mood to fucking gloat.”
“This isn’t fair!” Nicu stalked into the ring’s center, anger shaking on his tongue. “Papa, you spent years wooing Spring’s crown. You played to their side, manipulated King Basil and Queen Fatima like Aspen did to Rhys!”
My heart melted, but I couldn’t let him do this. “Nicu—”
“And you!” He stabbed a finger toward Jeryn. “You experimented on innocent people!”
For once, Winter faltered. The accusation nicked a small crack in Jeryn’s facade, gruesome memories causing the barest twitch in his jaw.
“Aspen worked with Rhys,” Nicu contended. “But she never worked against born souls!”
I tried again. “Nicu, please—”
He stormed over my protest, pinning Jeryn with an indignant expression. “If redemption is possible for you, why not for her?”
Briar watched her son with pride. Despite his wrath, Poet’s mouth curled a fraction, viewing Nicu in a brilliant light.
