I turned my attention back to the group and felt redness creep up my neck as I noticed a collection of cheeky smiles. “Ahem, stay safe everyone.” I whirled around on my heel and slipped through the brush toward the blind spot I’d pinpointed.
My head burned with thoughts of Elle and the others as I snuck through the sparse woods. As glad as I was that we had freed the hidden mages, I couldn’t shake the thought that they weren’t the only ones.How did an entire population of magic wielders condense down to only six people?It was clear the king had kept the most valuable mages close to him, but the census accounts had recorded thousands of mages had immigrated. They clearly weren’t locked in the tower, so where were they?
My heart drummed rapidly as I stepped across the forest floor. My canter slowed to a walk as I entered the visual range of the intruder’s outpost.Come on, Killian. Please don’t whizz an arrow at me.A muffled call resonated from within the collection of tents, and I slowed my pace even more. My eyes darted across the sky nervously in search of any projectiles, but only soft puffy clouds looked back at me. I made it another ten paces forward before the unmistakable sound of clattering horse hooves caused me to freeze in place.
An entire squad of mounted soldiers rushed toward me at full speed. For a moment my head flicked through every attack maneuver I could think of that would aid me in this situation. But before I could move to throw a knife at the squad’s leader, I remembered that for once, I wasn’t there to fight.
With a nervous breath, I threw up my hands in surrender and sank onto my knees. My heart rate skyrocketed as the horses flew up alongside me, but thankfully, they slowed to a much safer trot before encompassing me in a tight circle.
The presumed leader of the group positioned his horse directly in front of me and glared at me skeptically. He had dark hair and emerald-green eyes with a proud Isallan crest embroidered on his coat. On closer inspection, the other members of the group all had different crests represented on their sleeves. Isalla, Drancos, and even two Sybettian soldiers circled me with varying levels of intensity.
The leader pulled his sword from his hip cleanly and lowered it to my eyes. “Who are you? What reason do you have for trespassing through here?” His green eyes blazed with an internal fire as he squinted at me thoughtfully. “You look... familiar somehow.”
I pursed my lips awkwardly for a moment and leaned my head from side to side in contemplation. “If I had to guess... you may recognize me from my brother, Killian Jay. We’ve got the same chin.” I flashed the man a friendly smile, but my humor didn’t seem to amuse him.
Instead, he leapt off his horse and pressed the tip of his blade to my throat. “You had better tell me you’re lying.” His eyes burned with a bloodthirsty fire. “Prince Miron nearly killed my wife. If you truly claim to be him, then I can assure you, it will be the last words you ever utter.” His sword pressed forward another inch and a warm trickle of blood dripped across my skin.
Drat... This is King Peter.
Before he was king, he was an Isallan captain who took on the task of protecting Princess Arabella—the princess I had chased out of her home and threatened at knife point. This wasn’t good...
I gulped as the king narrowed his eyes on me, and likely flashed through the memory of our interrogation a few years ago. His deep green eyes widened in recognition, and then held the same fierce glare as the day he had me bound in chains. “You snake... It is you.” His low growl vibrated the sword that pressed into my throat.
I tried to ignore the sting and instead, focused my thoughts on the task at hand.I can’t let Elle down. I have to see her again.“Yes, it’s me, but I come in peace.” I stuck out my wrists toward him in submission, but he didn’t flinch. “Please, you don’t have to trust me, but I desperately need to speak with my brother, Killian. Here’s with you, isn’t he? I know he has been leading the rebel units in Sybettal. All I request is a brief audience with him. I have dire information to share with him regarding Prince Conan.”
That seemed to get his attention. He kept me pinned by his sword but a slight twitch of intrigue lifted his brow. “Even if your brother was here, why would I dare let you anywhere near him? I’ve been swept up into your games before. How do I know this isn’t some sort of trick for you to get close to our inner ranks?” He signaled to the other soldiers with his free hand and they jumped off their horses to surround me on all sides.
This isn’t good... Do I even have any proof?
As luck would have it, another headache flashed through my brain, causing my focus to falter.Not now...I lowered my head in defeat and took in a sharp breath as the pain subsided. “There’s no reason for you to trust me, I concede to that, but please, I beg of you. Let me speak to my brother. You can tie me up, blind me, or even shove me in a cage, but I can’t leave without seeing him. Someone I care about very deeply is in danger, and I won’t be around much longer to help her...” My voice cracked at the painful reminder, but I swallowed it down and pushed on. “I’m sorry for everything I did to you, your wife, and your kingdom. I’m not that man anymore, but I have no way to prove it if I’m not given the chance to protect my kingdom from its own rulers.”
Peter’s glare remained firm, but a slight shift glistened behind his emerald gaze. I watched curiously as his focus shifted to a soldier with the Sybettian crest. The solider stepped forward, slipping a dark green hood off their head as they stopped next to the king. To my surprise, it was a young woman who also possessed vibrant green eyes and springy red hair.
The girl studied me for a moment with a silent glare, then a slight, but gentle smile spread across her face. “Let him come,” she said with a nod as she turned back to the king.
Peter hesitantly lowered his sword halfway, then looked at the woman with a side glare. “Are you certain? You know how tricky he can be?” He kept one well-trained eye on me as I remained obediently still.
Who is this woman? And how is she able to persuade the Isallan king?
The woman cocked her head at me, and then pursed her lips for a moment before switching back to her sweet smile. “I’m sure. He’s got that same look in his eye that Killian had after we met.” I raised a brow quizzically at this suggestion and she let out a soft laugh. “Besides, if he was really trying to do something nefarious, he wouldn’t have been so thoughtless as to risk running into you.” She pressed a hand against Peter’s sword and he lowered it to his side, while still keeping a tight gaze on me. The young woman stepped forward and held out her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Miron. I’m your sister-in-law, Nixie.”
The stun on my face must have not been subtle because she seemed pleasantly amused by my startle. “Uh, I’m sorry I missed the wedding. My invitation must have gotten lost?” I shrugged innocently. Why did Killian fall for such a fragile little girl? She was so small that I might have guessed she was a child.
Nixie scoffed, touching her hand to her hip. “That’s alright, you were never invited anyway.” In the blink of an eye, she whipped out a dagger from her belt and threw it at my shoe without even looking. The blade stuck into the ground a mere centimeter from my toes, and I stiffened. “I’m not opposed to making amends, however, so why don’t you be a gentleman and hand me back my blade. And while you’re at it, give me the knife in that boot, too.” She cast a knowing glance down at the shoe she had nearly punctured.
Ah, now I get what he sees in her.
I reached down to retrieve both the blades and cautiously handed them over to my feisty new sister. Her sweet smile returned as she accepted the blades and tucked them back into her belt. “Excellent. Why don’t we all go visit my husband, then? You can walk with me, Miron.”
I wasn’t sure if that was meant to be a cordial invitation or an underlined threat, but I was terrified all the same. When we reached the encampment, Nixie and Peter led me into the largest tent where I was brought into a side section that was cornered off by an opaque canvas.
After being instructed to wait, Nixie left me alone with Peter and two other guards as she went to fetch Killian. The tension was so thick between the king and I, that I was finding myself more and more grateful for the extra witnesses left with us. I wasn’t too certain Peter wouldn’t have slit my throat if Nixie hadn’t instructed him to behave. Fortunately, we only had to wait a few agonizing minutes until Nixie returned with a very familiar face at her side.
Killian’s storm-gray eyes honed in on me instantly with an intense swirl of pent-up hatred and confusion. He strode over to me with quick strides and I opened my mouth to start explaining myself, but before I could utter so much as a greeting, he crossed the tent and punched me square in the nose.
I reeled back with a pained groan as a fresh dot of blood dripped from my nose. Pain spread through my face as the swelling of a fresh bruise began to form across my flawless features. I dabbed my aching nose with the edge of my sleeve as I allowed my vision to clear and focus in on Killian’s proud smirk.
“It’s good to see you, too,” I sputtered nasally. The impact triggered another wave of headaches causing me to scrunch up my face in pain.