by M. Lynn
“I know.” John opened his eyes and fixed them on Tyson. “I was in the village in Bela, but couldn’t do it. I couldn’t give it to you. Amalie was no longer yours.”
“That wasn’t for you to decide,” he growled.
“No.” John shifted his eyes away. “It wasn’t. When I made my decision and was preparing to leave, I met a young healer who claimed she could help.”
“Maiya.”
John nodded. “She returned to Gaule with me and saved Amalie’s life.”
“I should slit your throat, John Little.” Anger burned through him, pulling his magic to the surface. “I should drown you right where you sit. You say you want what’s best for Amalie, but you do not listen to her.” An image of Amalie on her deathbed thinking Tyson refused to see her one last time nearly broke him. All her anger and hatred over the last couple years suddenly made sense. “You say she wasn’t mine, and you’re right. Amalie belongs to no man. She has her own mind, her own wishes, and she…”
She thought he’d abandoned her.
He’d broken her.
He lunged for John, wrapping his hands around the other man’s throat. “She needed me,” he yelled. Amalie had no family left who loved her as he had. She wasn’t accepted in noble circles or palace drawing rooms. She’d only had him. “How could you do that to her?”
John choked, trying to breathe. “She was dying.”
John’s grip on Tyson’s arms weakened, and he sagged back on the bed. Tyson released him and fell away, sense returning in full force. Did he kill him? He watched with bated breath until John’s chest rose and fell. Only unconscious.
Tyson burst from the house into the fresh air, gasping for breath. He wiped a hand across his face as a few others stepped from their homes, awakened by the commotion.
Tyson didn’t spare one glance for them as he took off running through the trees. He had to get to her, to tell her she was wrong. That if he’d gotten the letter, he wouldn’t have wasted a single second in coming for her. Not even La Dame could have stopped him.
By the time he made it back to the estate, dawn had thrown colors across the sky, lighting up the dark.
He knew his tired body wouldn’t be able to rest, but the estate slept. He passed the guards and entered the great house where he ran into Tuck outside the hall.
Relief washed over Tuck’s face. “You’ve returned. We’ve been worried. The village and the woods are not safe for the Prince of Gaule. Especially with guards roaming the streets tonight.”
Tyson stopped in front of his old friend. “Tell me, Tuck, were you more worried about the guards finding me or Amalie’s own people? Are they the sort to hurt a prince?”
The grimace flashing across Tuck’s face was all the answer he needed. The Hood was considered a danger not only for the events she caused, but for the company she kept. The rumors hadn’t gotten that wrong. How could Amalie believe in what she was doing while she consorted with such people? With thieves and murderers.
Tyson turned away from Tuck in disgust. He’d stormed into the house wanting to confront Amalie about everything John told him. Wanting her to know the truth. But maybe the truth would make no difference.
Tuck gripped his arm, holding him in place. “She’s been waiting up for your return all night.”
Those words stopped Tyson. Amalie said she no longer knew him. She said she didn’t want him. But she still cared. That much was in her very being. It was who she was. Some of the anger he felt toward Tuck dissipated.
“Where is she?”
“Her father’s hall.”
Tyson reeled back. When he’d lived here with Amalie, she’d closed off the large room her father had used to meet with his people. She’d claimed too much wrong happened there. He’d taken advantage of his people, plotted against his king.
“Do you need me to show you the way?” Tuck asked.
Tyson shook his head. “I know this estate almost as much as I know my own home in Bela.”
Tuck released him. “Just… Ty… Amalie tries to be strong. She’s a proud woman. These last few years have changed her, but I still see glimpses of the girl who arrived at my door wanting to marry the man she loved.”
“Thanks, Tuck.” Tyson patted his shoulder. “You’ve been there for her when I couldn’t. She doesn’t think she needs anyone, but we all do. I’m glad she’s had you.”
Lord Leroy’s hall lay at the far end of the estate. Two enormous carved mahogany doors marked the entrance. They usually sat locked, the room only a remnant of the long-dead ideals of a traitor.
Now, one door sat cracked open. Tyson gripped the cold iron handle and pulled it far enough to slip through. Darkness shrouded the room save for a single lit torch near the front, illuminating a wooden chair with lions carved into each arm and a girl sitting in it with her face in her hands and her back impossibly still.
The flicker of the light danced along her ornate purple threaded gown and ivory skin. At the sound of the door closing, she jerked her head up.
She jumped from the chair, but then seemed to remember their current circumstances and sat back down. “I’m glad to see you’ve come back safely, your Highness.”
Tyson took a tentative step forward. “I didn’t expect to find you in here, Amalie.”
A harsh laugh pushed past her lips. “Isn’t this where all traitors belong?” She ran her hands along the arms of the chair, feeling each groove as if making them her own.
“You’re not a traitor, Ames.”
“Whatever you want to call me. Outlaw. Criminal. Fraud. The facts are the same. I’m betraying Gaule, betraying your mother. I kept her most trusted man captive in my household.”
“You were desperate, Ames.”
She shook her head. “My mind was clear. I made each decision. And do you know why we can’t be together, Tyson?”
He shook his head, letting her speak.
“Because if I had to do it again, I’d do nothing different. This is who I am. I am my father’s daughter.”
“I don’t believe that for one second.”
She sighed. “It doesn’t matter what you believe. Gaule will soon tire of their masked vigilante. They will turn on me as their villages and their homes are searched by the queen’s men.”
“I’ll protect you.”
Her lips drew down. “Have you forgotten our conversation already, Ty? You and I cannot be together. I’m sorry if that causes you pain. It was never my intention.”
“You’re wrong.” He walked forward until he entered the circle of light and looked down into her tired eyes. “I never got your letter, Ames. John… he didn’t bring it to me. I would have come for you. I would have done anything for you.”
Her expression didn’t change at his news. “Like I said, I’m sorry if this causes you pain-”
“Didn’t you hear me?”
She studied him for a moment, her eyes glassing over. “I’m sorry to cause you pain.”
“Stop saying that!”
“What would you like me to say, Tyson?”
He ran a hand through his dark hair. “That you love me. That you know how much I love you.”
She closed her eyes, one tear escaping. “You think you know everything. Every reason. Every feeling. But you don’t. Not even close. The Hood was not my biggest secret, Ty. Not from you. But you’ll get no answers here. Like I said, I’m sorry to cause you pain.”
Tyson took a step back. “That’s it then? That’s the end?”
She wiped away her tears and met his gaze. “That’s the thing about this life, Tyson. Endings are inevitable.”
Chapter Twenty-One
The problem with allowing cracks to remain in one’s heart was that eventually they widened. And one day, they’d be large enough to swallow a person whole.
Tyson had allowed Amalie to remain in his heart as a crack, as damage that had never been repaired. And now, she’d broken him wide open.
But she wasn’t the only one.
H
e burst into Edmund’s room, slamming the door open without knocking.
Edmund lay sprawled on top of the thick furs. He didn’t wake.
Tyson threw his hand out toward a water pitcher on the table at the far side of the room. The clear fluid rose into the air before sailing across and dropping on Edmund’s head.
He sputtered awake. “What in La Dame’s name do you think you’re doing?” He flicked wet hair out of his eyes. “Oh, let me guess. You tripped and your magic just fell out.” He sat up. “Well, come on. Don’t tell me you’re out of power now.”
Tyson curled his fingers, and the water drained from Edmund’s hair and shirt until they looked as dry as they had before.
Edmund smiled, all tiredness fading from his face. “Good. Now tell me what has your knickers in a twist.”
“How long have you known?” He huffed out a breath. When Edmund didn’t respond, he stepped closer to the bed. “Dammit, man! I have been searching for the Hood for weeks now, planning to bring him to my mother. And it isn’t even a him.” He dropped into the chair near the bed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Why didn’t Edmund stop Tyson from letting himself hope again?
Edmund pushed himself up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He shoved the blanket from his naked body, but Tyson barely noticed. All he could see were Amalie’s eyes the moment she’d walked away from him. Pain. Years of pain. He’d caused every bit of it. He wanted to use every ounce of his magic on John for what he did, but he thought of everything Etta taught him.
The people of Gaule feared magic users because of what they could do to them. No matter Tyson’s anger, he refused to be the monster they wanted him to be.
The monster Amalie would see him as.
She had secrets still, but she didn’t trust him and that hurt worst of all.
Edmund scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “If you’re going to wake me at such an hour, the least you can do is stop ogling me and fetch me my clothes.”
Red crept up Tyson’s neck to the tips of his ears as he realized his gaze had been directed Edmund’s way, even though his mind focused on the girl he couldn’t quite figure out. He averted his eyes before standing and walking to where Edmund’s trousers hung on a peg on the wall. He tossed them to his friend and faced him once again when he was partially dressed. “No more stalling, Edmund. I want answers and you’re the only one who can give them to me.”
Edmund settled back onto his bed and studied him for a moment. “The hanging.”
“What?” Tyson leaned forward.
“John’s hanging. That was when I found out about Amalie. I still don’t understand everything that went on that day, but I would guess Tuck did something to John when he performed his last rites. Then Amalie shot him and he appeared to die. I caught Amalie sneaking from a building in the village. That was when I knew.”
Tyson shook his head. “All this time, I’ve questioned villagers and slept under Amalie’s roof, and you’ve known she was the Hood?” Had everyone lied to him? Another thought struck him. “You didn’t trust me. Neither of you did. I thought… Never mind what I thought. I was obviously wrong.” He stood and made it to the door before Edmund called him back.
“What did you think, Ty?”
Tyson paused with his fingers wrapped around the handle. “My entire life, I felt out of place. The man who raised me held no love for me. My mother tried as best she could, but she lived in a kingdom that hated the magic inside me. My true father never claimed me. And my siblings… Alex always had you. I was envious for years because I never had that person in my life who’d do anything for me.”
Edmund opened his mouth to speak but shut it when Tyson turned and pinned him with angry eyes.
“It’s been years since I felt like that. Since I didn’t know my place. Because I had you now and Etta and Alex. Even when I lost Amalie, you were there. I trusted you with everything.” He rubbed the back of his neck and studied the floor. “This is big, Edmund. The woman I still love with every bit of my soul is the outlaw I’ve been hunting.” He lifted his eyes once more. “And my best friend let me. I don’t know what to do with this, with any of it.”
He pushed out a long breath. “I have to ask you a question I know you know the answer to. I can move past most of this eventually, Edmund, but not Simon. You know where he is, and I need you to tell me.”
Edmund scrambled from the bed and crossed the room, meeting Tyson’s gaze unflinchingly. Regret shone in his eyes, but he didn’t voice it. There were no sorries that could fix what had broken inside Tyson. Nothing that could erase the fact that Edmund lied to him, deceived him. That Amalie broke them instead of just voicing her actions, her desires.
But what would Tyson have done? If she’d told him back then that she felt called to serve the people as a renowned criminal, would he have accepted it? Loved her anyway?
He didn’t know the answers to his own questions, but Edmund’s next words sliced through him.
“Simon is here.”
Tyson sucked in a breath. “He’s in the Leroy estate?” Right under his nose? Ty accepted this mission to find his mother’s guard, but Simon was more than that. He’d been a friend to Tyson and an ally to Etta.
“Show me.”
Edmund brushed past Tyson and pulled open the door without bothering to put on a tunic. His blonde hair fell in a mane about his shoulders, wild and unkempt.
Tyson ran a hand over his tired face, knowing he must look rough after a night of no sleep. Only servants roamed the halls at the early hour but as they turned into a corridor on the other side of the estate, four guards came into view.
Simon was in there. Tyson was sure of it.
He leaned close to Edmund, forgetting for a moment the chasm between them. “Does Amalie think those guards could overcome Simon?”
One corner of Edmund’s mouth curved up. “Most people underestimate magic until it’s in front of them.”
Tyson straightened before facing the guards. If Simon was still here, it was because he’d chosen not to break free, not because they’d prevented his escape. Not even the illustrious Hood could hold a magic man with the strength of Simon.
The guards nodded to Edmund and Tyson narrowed his eyes. How often had his friend visited Simon and failed to mention it?
One of the armored men pushed open the door. The sight that greeted Tyson sent relief exploding through his every bone, every organ. He’d spent weeks worrying about Simon, thinking the guard was dead or worse.
Instead, his friend looked up from a chair in front of a roaring fire and paused with a china cup tilted against his lips. He lowered it and a smile spread across his face.
“Si.” Tyson stumbled into the room until he stood in front of his mother’s guard. “You’re okay.”
Simon set aside his tea and stood. “If you’re here, I assume that means you know.”
Tyson didn’t have time to consider Simon’s words before he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around his old friend.
A chuckle rumbled through Simon. “It’s good to see you too, my prince.”
Tyson pulled back, gripping Simon’s upper arms in his large hands. “I wasn’t sure we’d meet again.” Some of the anger and the hurt he’d been feeling since the previous night loosened in his gut. He’d succeeded in his mission and could send Simon home to his mother—even if he didn’t capture the Hood.
“Lady Leroy has been a gracious hostess.”
Tyson released him and turned back to Edmund. “You may leave.”
“Ty—” Edmund protested.
Tyson hardened his jaw. “If you’re going to make decisions as if our friendship means little, I can as well. Edmund, I am the prince of both the kingdom you currently stand in and the one you call home. I’ve given you an order. Go. You aren’t needed here.”
Edmund’s shoulders dropped as he gave a slight nod and turned to the door. Tyson didn’t speak again until it shut behind him.
Simon lowered hi
mself back into his chair. “I’ve never known you to be cruel, Tyson.”
Tyson sighed and sank into a chair beside Simon, ignoring his comment. “They’ve kept you here this entire time. Amalie and her men. You’re their prisoner.”
Simon was quiet for a long moment. “I could leave this place any time I wanted to. You know that as well as I do.”
“But Amalie—”
“Spent years around magic folk, including but not limited to you. She’s not quite sure how powerful I am. I see the uncertainty in her eyes. But she knows her men can’t keep me here. I could overpower them easily.”
“Then why are you still here?” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and letting the fire warm his face.
Simon kept his eyes trained on the dancing flames. “Because the moment I’m free, I have a duty to return to your mother. To tell her everything I know. But not just her. I am bound to reveal my knowledge to her guards who now search for the hooded archer we call an outlaw.” He shook his head. “I’m not ready for that burden. I’m not prepared to put Amalie at the mercy of Gaulean law.”
Tyson turned his head to study his friend. He’d always respected Simon, but the man was like no other. He always did what he thought was right, no matter the cost.
“So, for now, you’re a prisoner.”
He nodded and repeated the words. “For now, I’m a prisoner.”
In a prison that couldn’t hold him.
Tyson relaxed back into his chair as exhaustion washed over him. In only a day’s time, everything he thought he knew had changed.
He closed his eyes, imagining the rolling hills of Bela. Etta once told him nothing good happened to a person when they crossed into Gaule. Maybe she was right. A few years ago, he’d imagined he could make a life here. He’d been wrong.
“I miss my nephew.” The words tumbled out of his mouth, and he almost laughed at the mundane nature of them. Here he was with life altering secrets on his tongue, but Viktor pushed all the shadows from his mind.
Simon’s eyes lit as if shining from within. “Etta has a child?”