“Unfortunately, my destiny was laid out before me the moment I was born.”
“You mean your nobility?”
“In a way, yes. But I am referencing my shared blood with the royal family.”
I leaned back and observed him. “You are related to Brion?”
“Yes. I am his cousin.”
I thought Lord Meck might be joking, but as I continued to observe him, I realized he was being honest. “Why didn’t either of you say anything?”
He shrugged. “We are cousins, but we are not close. King Roderick made sure of that.”
His resentment was easily detected. “What do you mean?”
Lord Meck looked around us to ensure no one was listening. “Back in the early days of our move to this continent, many draekon believe King Roderick was responsible for the curse of our homeland.”
“Was he?”
“Who knows?” Lord Meck shrugged. We turned down the main road, leading us back to his home. “Many say the king should have tried to negotiate with King Aquin before initiating another war with the elven people. But as to whether or not those negotiations would have been successful and prevented the initial curse, only the gods know.”
I acknowledged it was easy to play the “what if” game after experiencing such a tragedy.
“What about the cause of the second curse? Do some draekon think the king actually kidnapped the elven princess?”
Lord Meck’s eyes swung to me. “You learned about the elven princess in Caldiri?”
“No, a friend told me the story in Draek.”
“I see.”
We drew closer to the house, and I knew I would lose the chance to ask more questions the moment we crossed the threshold. We’d be surrounded by too many listening ears.
I tugged on Lord Meck’s arm before we could enter his courtyard. We stopped, and I gave him the widest, most pleading gaze I could manage. “Was he responsible for the curse? Did he actually do it?” I used vague words to make sure our conversation wouldn’t be easily understood.
Lord Meck gaze locked on mine, and I saw his resolve to remain silent crumble. He ran a hand through his hair. Then in a low voice, he said, “Yes. Though, no one alive has any proof.”
“No one alive?” My heart began to pound.
He nodded. “Yes. Many nobles tried to rise up against the king, claiming they had evidence he’d organized the princess’s abduction. They wanted to seize power and restore peace with Avelin before it was too late.”
I already knew the coup had failed. The kingdom wouldn’t still be under King Roderick’s control otherwise.
I licked my dry lips. “What happened to them?”
Lord Meck’s face darkened, and a storm swirled in his black irises. “The curse remained upon us, and the king executed every last one of the draekon who had dared stand up to him. Including his own brother, who happened to be my father.”
22
I didn’t feel well the following day. I didn’t know if it was the lingering effects of the journey or my aching heart for the victims of King Roderick’s mass extermination. I would never be able to forget the look in Lord Meck’s eyes when he told me the king, his uncle, had ordered his own brother to be killed for trying to dethrone him.
If I had doubts about King Roderick being a monster, they no longer existed.
I was sitting alone in the guest room when Prince Brion crashed through the door. He’d been gone throughout the previous evening and most of the day. I jumped up and whirled towards him.
“Brion,” I breathed, scanning him from head to toe to check for injuries. “You’re back.” I’d been worried something akin to the attack in the forest had happened. His absence from last night’s meal had been unexpected by both me and Lord Meck.
“Yes, yes.” He stumbled forward. “I’m back.”
I rushed forward and caught his shoulders before he fell flat on his face. His knees banged against the carpet.
“Brion?” I continued to examine him, but I could see no evidence of what caused his clumsiness. “What happened? Are you hurt?” I brushed back his hair to check for a bump on his head, distracted for a second by the silky texture.
“N-nothing is wrong.” He hiccupped, and I smelled the alcohol on his breath.
I dropped my hands and stepped back. “You’re drunk.”
He swayed and ended up falling back to sit on his rear. “Only a l-little.”
My fear vanished. Anger took its place. “This is why you didn’t return last night? You were too busy getting drunk?” Clearly, he was still under the alcohol’s influence.
I would never have pegged the prince for someone to drink in excess. He seemed too responsible and stern to lose himself to the vice, but perhaps I didn’t know him at all. I hated myself for the hours I stayed up, worrying over Brion’s safety.
I put my hands on my hips and glared down at him. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”
“Nope.” He staggered to his feet. He brushed past me and poured himself a glass of water on the nightstand. He finished the glass and poured another.
My anger increased. “I was worried about you. I thought you’d been attacked!”
“Why would you th-think that?” His hiccups continued to interrupt his speech.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because we were just attacked in the forest!” I knew alcohol made you lose your senses, but I didn’t realize it would make someone as formidable as Prince Brion so utterly dense.
“No one would harm me in Villam.” He took a healthy sip of water but didn’t empty the container this time.
“Are the rebels not a worry here?” It seemed doubtful, especially considering they had infiltrated the castle in Draek. For all we knew, they were everywhere, just waiting for the chance to attack.
“The forces who attacked us are days away. Even if there are rebels in Villam, they would not have had enough time to gather a substantial force to try and attack us again.”
I didn’t know whether his words were wishful thinking or the truth. I continued to glare at him, silently chastising his deplorable state.
“Stop looking at me like that.” He threw himself onto the cot and kicked off his boots. “It’s not like I left you alone. I heard Lord Meck was quite hospitable. Rumors say he does not hesitate to keep you company.”
“And thank the gods he doesn’t.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Otherwise, I would’ve been completely alone in a strange place because somebody wanted to get sloshed.”
My insult didn’t bother the prince. He reclined, covered his eyes with his forearm, and sighed. “Didn’t you enjoy seeing the alchemists? I imagined you would have relished the chance to pick their brains.”
“Of course, I did. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t wonder where you were. I thought the worst. You should have at least told me if you were going to be gone for an extended period of time.” I was whining, but I couldn’t seem to help it. I had no idea what was going on with me. When had I become so needy?
“You are my secretary.” Brion lowered his arm and locked me in place with an angry gaze that rivaled my own. “Not my keeper.”
“And here I thought we were actually becoming friends,” I snapped back, trying to hide how much his words hurt me.
“Friends don’t interrogate one another for being gone one evening.”
“They do after they were just attacked,” I shouted. “Stop acting like an idiot and realize I was worried. I wouldn’t know what to do if something happened to you…” I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to get control of my emotions.
If the rebels got ahold of Brion, I knew it would only be a matter of time before they got to me. My brother and parents might be with the traitorous organization, but that didn’t mean I would feel safe with them. After all, King Roderick was determined to smother out every last rebel and rogue elven conspirator. All I could hope was that I’d be able to save Lorie and myself from the doomed fate. The rest could save themselves for
all I cared.
A sharp pain pricked my chest, and I knew I was lying. I’d be devasted if something happened to Lin.
The cot creaked. I opened my eyes and watched Brion stand up. He took a second to balance himself on a nearby chair before he straightened and met my gaze. “You were worried on my behalf?”
I threw my arms out, exasperated. “That’s what I’ve been saying.”
He observed me, understanding illuminating behind his bleary eyes. He looked over my head and jerked his chin. “I see.”
Believing his mind was clearing, I said, “Next time you plan on spending a night out binge drinking, just tell me.”
“I didn’t plan on not returning.”
“Then what happened?”
He shook his head and continued to gaze behind me. “I got bad news.” A portion of black hair stuck to his clammy forehead.
“About?”
“My existence.”
I blinked, unsure if his response was due to the lingering effects of alcohol. “I don’t understand.”
Finally, his dark eyes returned to mine. They were guarded as he said, “I know you found the scroll.”
“Scroll?”
“In my desk.”
“Oh.” I swallowed. There was no way I could get out of this one. I wasn’t a good liar. “That scroll.”
He watched me, looking for a certain reaction. “You didn’t open it.”
I shook my head. “No, but I did figure out what the parchment wrapped around the scroll said.”
“Yes, Cris told me.” Brion sat back on the cot and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He stared at the ground in front of him, and I swore he seemed confused and… disappointed?
Had Brion wanted me to open the scroll?
“You know Cris?” I asked.
“Who do you think sent him to help you read draekonian?”
And here I’d thought Cris was just being nice…
“What’s written in the scroll?”
He exhaled. “My birth prophecy.”
“Birth prophecy?”
“The prophecy which predicted my birth, long before the event happened.” I remembered Cris telling me the ancient draekon seers revealed prophecies, but they’d become extinct after the elven attack on their home continent.
Intrigued, I inched closer. “What does your prophecy say?”
He scoffed. “Nothing, really. Unless you believe I am destined to be the doom of the kingdom.”
Prince Brion sounded so angry—so defeated.
I cleared my throat. “What do you mean? How can you be the doom of the kingdom?”
“It doesn’t matter.” He pushed himself up and walked towards the bathing chamber. “There is nothing to be done.”
I rushed after him. Before he could close the door, I stepped inside. “This is obviously bothering you, Brion. Just talk to me. Help me understand.” I sensed the prophecy was no small matter, and I knew I would not be given another opportunity when Brion would be willing to open up. I needed to take advantage of the situation. He’d never confess to me sober.
Unfortunately, Brion distracted me when he took off his tunic and threw it on the ground. He walked around me and turned the handles on the shower.
“I-I’m still in here,” I choked.
“I’m aware.”
I looked at the ceiling but refused to leave. “Brion, there are secrets all around me. Every day, a new one is dangled in front of me, but no one confides in me. Forgive me for wanting to know something.”
The water spraying against tile filled the silence.
Brion said, “I will answer one question. What do you want to know?”
I lowered my eyes. They widened when I noted his serious expression. “Really?”
“Yes, but you better choose a question before I decide to step into this shower, regardless if you are in here or not.”
I flushed and looked away again. I took a deep breath and considered my options.
On one hand, I really wanted to know about Brion’s supposed prophecy. I suspected it had to be serious if it could cause such a composed male to lose control of himself.
At the same time, I wanted to ask about the missing elven princess. I’d wondered if the royal children knew the truth of their father’s involvement in that event.
Though despite those mysteries, one question stood out among the rest, and I knew I couldn’t lose the chance to have the haunting question answered.
“What is the real story behind Caldiri?”
Brion stilled, his hand held under the water to test the temperature. “That is your question?”
“I want to know why we are the only ones in the dark about how the rest of the kingdom interacts with draekon. Have you had the chance to figure out why your father encourages Lord Stanley to isolate us?” Brion had promised to look into the matter back when we were in Draek. I prayed he’d managed to find something out.
Slowly, Brion pulled his hand back and dried it on a towel. The wait was unnerving, but I pressed my lips together, determined to not say or do anything which might cause Brion to change his mind about telling me the truth. I’d waited too long to hear what he was about to say.
Brion moved to the counter and leaned against the granite surface. “You already know my father considers Caldiri a social experiment.”
I nodded. “Yes.” Though, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what that meant.
Brion sighed. “When my father first took over the human continent, he knew the quickest way to get humans to acknowledge us as rulers was to be benevolent. Few humans were killed in the time it took for my family to seize power, but I’ve learned he always wondered just how far humans could be pushed into submission...” He seemed uncomfortable. He obviously disapproved of his father’s curiosity.
My stomach twisted, and I connected the dots. “King Roderick is testing us?”
“Yes,” he spoke softly. “My father wants to see how close to enslavement humans can be before they revolt.”
I felt my throat tighten. “For how long?” How long had innocent people been suffering at the hands of a monster playing a cruel, inhumane game?
“For almost as long as my father has ruled this continent.”
My hands trembled as they moved to cover my mouth. “Gods.” Tears welled behind my eye. I squeezed them tight to hold them back. King Roderick intentionally pushed humans to the brink of rebellion. Now that his “experiment” had reached fruition, he was going to kill them all.
The air shifted as Brion pushed off the counter and drew closer. “My father is a monster, Lissa. It’s why I insisted you come with me on my assignment. I don’t trust him.”
I already knew Brion was worried the king would take out his anti-Avelin prejudices on me. But what about my loved ones in Caldiri? Who would save them from our monstrous ruler?
I opened my eyes. “Your father is king. He gets to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants.” I choked back a sob. “There’s nothing anyone can do about it. As long as King Roderick lives, my family and friends are destined to suffer.”
Desolation consumed me. I’d never felt so helpless in my life. I wanted to curl into a ball and weep. I wouldn’t stop until I cried a tear for every single soul subjected to the king’s cruel fate.
Flecks of red illuminated Brion’s eyes as he watched the first tear roll down my cheek. “Yes, there is,” he rumbled.
I wiped my face and lowered my arms to my side. “How?” I asked weakly, feeling the weight of defeat pressing down on my shoulders.
His simultaneously guilty and resolved expression consumed my vision as he said, “My father has to die.”
23
I didn’t speak. I didn’t even breathe. I watched Brion, and terror threatened to consume me when I realized he’d meant every word.
This has to be a trick.
But the prince’s gaze didn’t waver. His dark eyes peered into mine.
I found my voice. “You want your father t
o die?”
“Don’t you?”
My heartbeat accelerated. “That would be treason.”
“And yet here we are, both sharing the same morbid hope that it will come to pass.”
“Why are you saying this?” Even if Brion truly wanted his father to die, why would he risk saying so out loud? I shuddered to think of what might happen if news of his traitorous desire reached his father.
“Because all my father does is cause pain.” Brion looked pointedly at the wet streak on my cheek. “And he’s hated me for my entire life. There is no love lost between us.”
“Your father hates you?” I’d seen King Roderick act dismissive, but I never would have supposed he hated his eldest child.
Now, Brion looked away. He focused on the running water as he said, “Why else do you think he sent me on this task?”
“Because you are his general.”
Brion scoffed. “That’s what he wants others to believe, but no. My father has hated me my entire life, and he sends me away every chance he gets.”
“But why?” It didn’t make sense. “Aren’t you his heir? Why wouldn’t he want you around?”
“Ah, see? You have found one of the several reasons for his disapproval. My father prefers Finn, and he resents I am destined to inherit his precious throne.”
I shook my head, confused. “What possible reason could he have for hating you?”
Brion remained silent. He shrugged, trying to appear unbothered. I could see lucidity in his gaze. The alcohol had worn off.
Suddenly, his earlier words hit me. “Is this about your birth prophecy?”
Brion’s eyes snapped to me.
The lack of control was uncharacteristic of the prince, and he tried to hide the implication of the action by firmly saying, “No.”
I gulped, unnerved by the intensity of his stare. But I knew I was onto something. “Y-you said you are destined to doom the kingdom. Does your father believe that?”
“My father believes many foolish things.”
It wasn’t exactly an answer. I wasn’t sure how to proceed, so I opted to switch the conversation, hoping to pull different answers out of him. “Why did you have the cursed lovers prophecy in your desk?” I bit the inside of my cheek, eager to hear what he would say.
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