“Caldor, what are you doing here?” I moved towards him slowly as he stopped, dismounting his horse. “Did you follow me?” I knew he no longer trusted me, but spying was crossing a line.
He lowered the hood of his riding cloak, his dark blue eyes flashing in the firelight. I kept my face neutral, even as something twisted in my chest. His face, so familiar, one I saw every single day of my life, was still enough to bring me to my knees. I had to harden myself against him on the outside. It’s what had to be done regardless of what I truly wanted. Sometimes I didn’t even know what that was anymore.
“I came to make sure you were getting the job done,” he said, his voice hard and cold like always. He approached the fire, removing his gloves before rubbing his palms together for warmth. The ground was beginning to ice over in the early dawn mists, and he had to be freezing.
I gave him a sour look. “So the King doesn’t trust me.”
He glared right back, looking up from his hands and into my eyes. “Idon’t trust you, and the King trusts my opinion.”
“That’s nothing new,” I grumbled as I secured my dagger under my cloak again.
Remus had relaxed but had planted his feet apart, anchoring him to the spot as he stared at the captain with his arms folded over his chest. “Do you plan to help us, or are you here to stand guard and report back to your master?”
Caldor took a step towards him. “You mean the same master who spared your neck and gave you a second chance at life?” Only the fire between the two males kept them from exchanging more than words. “Perhaps you should show a little more respect.”
Remus huffed, waving Caldor off as he returned to the horses, removing something from one of the saddle bags and shoving it into his riding cloak.
“Don’t provoke him,” I said to the captain, earning a wry glare. “I mean it. He’s done well so far, and I trust him to do his job. Perhaps you could extend some of that reverence you hold for Animus to someone else for a change.”
“KingAnimus, you mean. Were you always so impertinent?”
I blinked at him, my lips threatening to twist into a smirk, but I held it back. “Maybe you never really knew me, Caldor. Have you ever considered that?”
“You made sure to put on a good show, so who can really say?” he growled out, his eyes flashing in the light.
“Or maybe you were just too stupid to realize you were always going to lose.”
Silence hung between us as my words drifted off into the night. Remus had stilled, likely listening to and digesting every word we exchanged.
I didn’t want him to know about my murky history with the captain, but I supposed now was as good a time as any for it to come out. It wasn’t some dirty secret. Caldor and I were in love once, but my fate never really belonged to me, and he’d known that just as well as I had.
“We’re done speaking of this nonsense,” he spat, pulling his riding gloves back on. “It’s getting us nowhere to rehash a past neither of us can or would change.” I managed to hold in a wince at his words. “It’s almost sunrise. We need to get to the city with the others.”
“Others?” Remus asked as he joined us by the fire, passing me a small bag. I took it, securing it with a string to the belt around my waist. Glass clinked as I jostled the vials nestled in various pockets.
“Every morning at sunset, travelers from the lower villages set up shop in the market square. They're mostly farmers, jewelers, and blacksmiths. If we can manage to catch up, we should be able to get past the city walls without raising too much suspicion.”
“How do you know all of this?” I asked. Even I hadn’t known that, and I prided myself on knowing most things others didn’t.
“I’m the captain of the royal guard. I’ve been to Nexus plenty enough to understand how the city functions. I wouldn’t be very good at my job otherwise.”
He was right, of course. He usually was, and that irked me. Being captain didn’t just mean he got to boss around a handful of city guardsmen. It meant he was also on the King’s war council. He was a strategist. A warrior.
“Will you be recognized?” I ran my eyes over his face. His features were the antithesis of bland and forgettable. Caldor was a beautiful man, strong and imposing, tall and dignified with a face like stone and eyes like the deepest sea. Or maybe I was still lost when it came to him.
“That brings me to you,” he said, striding around the fire towards me. “I need to alter a few of my features. King Basillius has his guard all over the city, and though I haven't been here in years, there might be someone who knows me. Do you have anything in your…” He paused, his eyes darting down towards my belt. He cleared his throat awkwardly.
This time my lips did turn up in a dark grin. His eyes dimmed with hesitation, but I was already reaching beneath my cloak. “You’re lucky I thought ahead.”
* * *
Gettinginto Nexus was easier than I thought. Caldor’s once dark blond hair was now pure black, and his eyes were dark brown to match. The potion I gave him would only last about one day before it gradually wore off.
We entered with a crowd of merchants, just as the captain said we would, and the guards hadn’t batted a single eye in our direction. We headed towards the center of Nexus, the castle looming ahead of us, casting its shadow over the city with the rising sun behind it.
The castle was built on a hill with the city surrounding it, secure behind its high walls. I had to admit it was the most beautiful place I’d ever seen, especially compared to Avedin’s dreary black and grays against the backdrop of dying fields and poverty.
Nexus was the very opposite. The city was lush with colors and greenery. The streets were lined with shops, bakeries, art, jewelers, and more riches than I’d seen in my entire life outside of Avedin’s castle. Unlike him, King Basillius didn’t hoard his wealth while everyone around him suffered.