“He’s been spouting on for days about being unable to fulfill his duty and responsibility. It was honestly a relief just to get away from him.”
“What were you doing way out here?” Aden asked.
“Tracking a runaway Majis. The one who has the power over the sea seems to have escaped inland. That is, I was tracking this sorceress, until I caught wind of a crazed beast in the mountains and took a detour.”
“You should not have stopped for me,” Aden said. “The lives of our people are at stake.”
“You should not have left,” Erich reprimanded.
“I had to. You know it.” Aden righteously shut down his brother’s attempt to guilt him.
Erich changed the subject. “You won’t be here when she gets back, will you?”
“There are only three petals left.”
“What?”
“Three petals,” Aden explained. “I showed her the wrong rose just now.”
“Aden.” Erich was speechless, an unusual state for him. “I... I knew you had turned into a beast, but that is brutal, Aden, even for you.”
“Consider it my last betrayal,” Aden responded, his shoulders dropping as he lost the will to hold them up. “We both know how this ends. Take care of her, Erich. See her safely to Allys before you go on to Chendas. See that her family does not need anything, especially if her father dies. Ensure that the Council leaves them alone.”
Erich had reached out to place a hand on Aden’s shoulder. “I will. You have my word.”
“Thank you.” Satisfied with his brother’s promise, Aden returned to his room to place the decoy rose on the table. He had not wanted to deceive her; he merely wanted to make her decision easier. He could not bear for her to see him when the chaos took control, nor could he bear to hurt her.
Isa and Erich spent the rest of the evening preparing for their early morning trip. They would not be able to bring the carriage over the canyon, but they could rent a few horses from the villagers on the other side.
When they all said goodnight, Isa had been too preoccupied to give him a proper goodbye. He went to bed with a heavy heart, contenting himself with the thought that he could at least try to find a moment in the morning to thank her for the joy she had brought him over the last few weeks.
He was awoken from a restless sleep by the sound of persistent scratching.
“What is it, Warrior?” he muttered, his eyes flickering open to darkness. “It’s still the middle of the night.”
A loud snore told him that the small dog was right next to him.
The scratching came again. It was someone at the door.
“Pssst. Aden,” a female voice whispered.
Springing out of bed, he threw on a loose white undershirt and breeches.
He opened the door to see Isa, her white robe gleaming in the light of the lantern she carried.
“What’s this?” he asked. “Is everything alright?”
“This,” she said, with a grin in her voice, “is a secret meeting.” She lifted her other arm to show him a basket. “And no one else is invited.”
Aden smiled at his visitor. She had not forgotten him. “What about Warrior?” Aden asked, peering back at the pup who was still sleeping soundly on the bed. “Is he invited?”
“Definitely not,” Isa confirmed. “He’d eat all the treats I found in the kitchen, and then what would we be left with?”
Aden stepped out of his room, leaving the door open a crack in case Warrior did wake up and panic at being stuck alone in the room without him.
“Which tower shall we choose?” she asked. “The western one or the eastern one?”
“Which wing is Erich’s room in?” Aden asked.
