But she hadn’t. She had stood by him, flames licking at her skirts, and declared her loyalty to Sebastian to the Council. To Vallenna itself. Chosen her own death rather than betray him, even though she believed him damned regardless. It had impressed him, to say the least. Especially after what she’d endured. He’d been told about Cade Sarren. A servant had witnessed it. The pyre. His amusement.
A monster wearing his colours.
But Sebastian had dealt with it. The man was dead. Justice served.
Good.
No, the loyalty Kara had shown Sebastian could not be taught. Alaric Hale would call it foolishness. The Council would call it treason. Tobias called it something else entirely.
Worthy.
A Hale and a Thorne.
Unthinkable. Impossible.
And yet, not unlike the choice he had once made himself, when he had cast aside his arranged match – and married Sebastian’s mother instead.
Rhyana.
A Sorrel huntress of low birth. But everything he’d ever wanted. They’d called it scandal. But he’d ignored them all and loved her anyway.Twelve years of happiness. Now their son walked that same path, only harder. If Sebastian had inherited anything from Rhyana, it was her stubborn heart.
He tucked the parchment safely into his riding cloak. In all ways that mattered, Kara was Thorne now. Blood or not. His to defend as much as Sebastian himself. And now they called for him, to help them retrieve the final Shard.
He considered it his duty.
He was convinced keeping the Shards apart would not stop Draknor. They needed to be ready. Sebastian had acted where the Council would not. Reckless, yes. Dangerous. Yet right. Pride tightened Tobias’s chest.
But it was not yet time for his true loyalty to be known. Patience must be his sharpest weapon. He would assist from the shadows, give them what they needed – use his power subtly to clear the way for them. But overtly? He would play the loyal lord a little longer. His power lay in being untouchable without hard evidence.
For nearly three days on the road, he thought of little else. Help his son unite the Shards of the Arcanth, keep him alive, avert all-out civil war and defeat the army of dark magic wielders across the sea. Not easy. Perhaps impossible. But Tobias had already promised himself – he would do everything in his power to see it done. It was with that promise burning in his mind that he arrived at Rooksnest outpost, buried in a valley in northern Sorrel territory. Long since abandoned by his soldiers. It had fallen into disrepair – its stone walls cracked and weathered. An ideal place for such a meeting; Sebastian had chosen well. He pushed open the groaning oak door with a little effort – it was rusted on its hinges – and was immediately hit by the scent of dust and damp wood clinging to the air. Nearly fifteen years of disuse.
The benches and table still stood, sturdy enough, but the hearth was cold and blackened. He’d remedy that. He built a fire quickly, efficiently and once it had roared to life, Tobias turned and laid out the provisions he’d brought on the table. Just another part of his fatherly duty: dried venison, flatbread, water. He didn’t expect gratitude for it. But his son was running, hunted, and Creststone-less. No matter how hard Sebastian’s edge had become, even the sharpest blade dulled without sustenance, and thievery drew attention; put them more at risk of capture.
It was a small thing. But war was made of small things.
He looked out of the window. He was being watched – he could feel it. Sebastian would ensure that Tobias hadn’t been followed before approaching. Especially now that he travelled with Kara Hale.
His gaze drifted to a ruined guard tower on the northern ridge above the valley. If he had to wager, that’s where Sebastian would be – hidden, patient, watching.
So Tobias turned back to the fire.
And waited.
Kara watched him arrive. Straight-backed and proper, even when he thought no one was looking. Every movement careful, deliberate.
Lord Tobias Thorne.
Firelight now glowed from the outpost below. He’d come alone. As they’d hoped. Beside her, Sebastian hadn’t moved in some time, tension rolling off him, staring hard into the valley. He’d refused to wait inside Rooksnest. Insisted on camping in the freezing guard tower – a good vantage point, he’d said when they’d arrived last night. Sebastian had been cautious the whole journey. Made them double back on their tracks, taking winding routes that added miles but masked their trail. She hadn’t complained. He’d kept them safe.
“He came,” she whispered.
Sebastian flexed his fingers at his side. “Yes,” he said roughly. “I wasn’t sure he would.”
It was only when the sun dipped below the horizon and dusk fell across the valley floor that he moved. “We should go.”
Kara nodded. Together, they climbed down from the ridge and crossed towards Rooksnest. She was nervous. She’d met Tobias before – when the Council had sent her after Sebastian – but didn’t know him. Now she entered hand in hand with his son, condemned for treason besides. Not exactly the first impression she’d have chosen. But she tried to shake the feeling off – her nerves were hardly important considering what they’d actually called Sebastian’s father out here for.
The Fire Shard.
