“You’re a wonderful steward,” Cam smiled. His breathing had calmed down, but the hesitation still lingered in his eyes. She knew the one thing that would break through his wall completely. She stood up and said, “I’m going to get Rya for you right now. She’s down the hall, it will only be a minute.”
Á
Sora looked taller than she remembered; Rya could tell he’d grown, even if he was curled into himself. She found him sitting in a ball on the bed, his limbs tucked in close to his body. It was the way he always retreated when the bad dreams became too much, and she knew by the look on his face that his sleep hadn’t been a peaceful one. When he saw her in front of him the fears melted away, and his body unfolded.
“My queen,” he whimpered, trying to reach her.
His bandaged feet stuck out over the bed, and Rya stepped closer, falling onto the edge at his side. She pulled him in tight, pressing his face against her shoulder while she rocked him back and forth. He was closer to being a man than a child, but in her eyes, he was still the starving ten-year-old she’d found cowering before one of her guards.
“It’s alright,” she cooed, “it’s going to be alright now.”
Cam and Norell had slipped out the door as she came in, thankfully leaving the two of them alone for their reunion.
“I had to find you,” he cried. His words warmed the fabric of her shirt. “I thought you were in trouble. These people here, they told me they are your friends. Is that true?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “Sort of. They saved me when I thought no one would, and they’ve kept me safe here in their castle. I’d say you could call them friends after all that.”
He leaned back, staring at her as if she were some sort of impostor. She watched his eyes scanning her features, stopping at the scab near her eyebrow for a moment before continuing. He was searching for something, but she didn’t know what it was or how to give it to him.
“You always told me be wary of people.” He whispered. “You said giving your trust to someone is handing them a way to hurt you, and that I should never be too free with my heart.”
“I know, but it’s different with them. Cam and Thane have been nothing but kind, and even Norell has managed to prove her worth. You’re in good hands here. We both are.”
“Were you going to come back?” He asked. She expected the words to be sad or angry, but there was nothing harsh about them. “Were you going to return to the Isles?”
“Of course,” she nodded. “I told you as I left that I’d come back for you. I hope you never doubted that.”
He shook his head. “No, but now that I’m here, are you still going to fight Father Kasen?”
“Yes,” she replied quickly. “I can’t let him keep my throne. I can’t let him win. I sacrificed so much for so long to become who I am today. I’m the rightful Queen of the Obsidian Isles, and I will not stop fighting for what’s mine.”
“I’m only asking because if you’re happy here, if you’re happy with this new life you’ve been living, maybe you don’t have to go back.”
“That’s not an option,” Rya answered. “When they placed the crown on my head I promised myself no one would control my life again. I refuse to be anyone’s puppet, and I won’t be anyone’s tool. If I don’t return to the Isles then I’m failing myself. I’d be allowing Kasen to decide my future, and I can’t do that. The time has come to leave this place, and you’ve arrived at just the right moment. You can come with me, and we’ll fight together.”
“If you’re sure,” Sora sighed. “You know I’ll follow you anywhere. There are some whispers and rumors that Kasen had planned on bringing Prince Gavin back. He wanted to put him on the throne to replace you.”
“I’m aware,” Rya nodded.
“That’s why I’m here, though, to tell you that’s no longer his plan. He’s decided with everyone believing Prince Gavin is already dead, the best thing for him to do would be to take the crown himself. Once he has you killed, he’ll be the next in line to rule the Obsidian Isles. I escaped so I could find you and warn you.”
“That’s absurd,” she shouted. She jumped off the bed, pacing the space beside it. “He has no claim to the throne. He’s not even born of nobility. What makes him think he can just take the kingdom like that?”
“He’s telling the people that since you stripped the other elders of their titles, and you have no child to be the heir, he’s the only remaining choice for king. He’s the highest-ranking member of the court at this point.”
“And no one has a problem with this plan of his? The people are just accepting his grab for power?”
Sora shook his head. “A few argued in the beginning, but they were publicly punished. After that, most decided following Kasen was the lesser of two evils. You being the other option.”
Rya chewed on her thumbnail while the thoughts ran through her mind. She had to find a way to beat Kasen and bring the people back to her side. The fight back was going to be hard before but knowing the people were equally afraid of Kasen as they were her made it worse. Even with her magic it would be a difficult battle, as he would still hold power over the army.
“That’s not all,” Sora added. “These people, the Ashen, you said they are friends to you—they’re in danger.”
“I know,” Rya sighed. “Kasen sent a hawk a few days ago telling us the army is marching this way. He threatened to send a portion of the soldiers to retrieve me by force if Mikkel didn’t hand me over to the assassin he’s hired.”
“He’s lying,” Sora frowned. “He demanded any male over the age of ten was the join the army. They are nearly double the size as before, although most of old men and children. He’s sacrificing all of them, and all the Ashen, in order to have your head. He’s doesn’t care if King Mikkel complies or not. He’s commanded them to burn the entire Ashen Forest to the ground.”
Rya dropped her hands to her sides. The faces of everyone she’d met flooded her mind. She saw Mikkel falling in battle, and Eirik being caged like an animal for slaughter. Thane would die fighting as a Kinsman, and she couldn’t even begin to imagine what would happen to Cam. Even the faceless Obsidian people crossed her mind, the ones too old or too young to be fighting such a war. They would be the first to fall, and hundreds of innocents’ lives would be lost. It was all too painful. The moment she’d been dreading was before her now, and she knew exactly what she had to do.
“Mikkel plans on sending his men out a few days from now,” she explained. “We’ll have to leave sooner than that. We can sneak out the night before and put some distance between us and the Ashen. Hopefully, with me gone the Obsidian army will leave them alone and try tracking me instead.”
“And if they don’t?” Sora asked, his voice washed in fear.
“Then I hope Mikkel is as great a fighter as I believe him to be.”
Sora looked shameful as he asked his next question. “Will you be alright leaving your new friends here? Can you handle not saying goodbye to them?”
“I’ve always known my place is in the Isles,” Rya replied. She sat on the edge of the bed again, pressing her palm against his soft cheek. “I’ve got you and that’s all I need. I won’t have a second thought about leaving all this, and all of them behind.”
She hadn’t noticed the door was open until the sound came. Heavy, loud footsteps tore away from Sora’s room and towards the staircase. As they faded into silence, Rya’s heart sank.
Eighteen
The sun was sinking into the forest, ending another long day for the princess. The excitement of Sora waking and learning of his story had worn her down, and Cam decided to spend the late afternoon in her room, curled on the bed with a book. Her eyes had closed, and the words in front of her were lost in the blackness, when the door crashed open. The sound startled her, and Cam jumped to her feet with her fists raised, ready to start swinging. The book dropped to the floor, landing with a thud on her foot. The pain throbbed until the sight of Norell’s face erased it all. She
stood in the doorway, hunched over and panting.
“What’s wrong?” Cam asked, guiding her inside and sitting her on the bed.
“I came as quick as I could,” she puffed. “I had to.”
“You’re starting to scare me. Just tell me what happened.”
“I was going to check on Sora when I heard him talking to Rya. He said something about Kasen’s plan changing and—and Rya, she—she told him they were leaving here. She’s going to run off during the night before your father marches to meet the Isles’ army. She’s going to leave without telling you.”
“That can’t be true,” Cam replied. “I’m sure you heard wrong. She wouldn’t disappear like that, not after everything we’ve been through.”
“I’m telling you what she said,” Norell snapped back. “I wouldn’t make it up, and you know it. She told him she doesn’t care about anyone here, and she’s not upset about leaving. She’s not worried about it—or you—at all.”
Cam couldn’t respond; she couldn’t find the words.
“I warned you from the beginning,” Norell continued, “and here we are. I couldn’t stand by and allow her to run off on you like Hannah did. I couldn’t let you go through that again.”
“You’re wrong,” Cam replied. “You heard wrong.”
“I know you wanted her to be different. I admit that I wanted to believe that myself these last few days, but she’s not. She’s gotten what she wanted, and now she’s going to leave.”
If Norell kept talking Cam didn’t hear it. She had bolted from the room, taking the stairs down two at a time until she landed on the second floor. Her heart beat pounded in her ears as she ran to Sora’s doorway. She burst inside, her eyes searching for the brunette’s face, but she wasn’t there.
“She’s in her room,” Sora told her. She turned to leave when he stopped her. “Princess,” he said in a sad tone. “I know it’s hard to watch her go. I’ve lived it. I also know this is something she has to do. I told her we could stay here, but she said no. I’m sorry.”
Cam didn’t reply. She left him and walked the short distance to Rya’s door. She raised her hand to knock, but stopped, holding her fist in the air in front of her. She didn’t know what to do, she didn’t know what she’d say, she just knew she needed to hear it from Rya’s own lips. Taking a deep breath, she turned the doorknob and stepped inside.
Rya stood staring out the window with her arms crossed over her chest. Usually her stance had an air of confident defiance, but not this time. She was watching the clouds pass; the portrait of a lonely young woman desperate to comfort herself in her own embrace. Cam imagined that’s how Rya had looked most of her childhood, alone and trying to be brave.
“Is it true?” Cam asked. She didn’t have to explain what she knew, Rya’s refusal to meet her eyes was validation enough. Her face grew red with anger. “You’re just going to sneak off in the middle of the night, without saying goodbye, without leaving an explanation?”
“It’s time,” Rya answered. Her words were short and tense.
“I know you had plans to return to the Isles,” Cam argued, the tears stinging her eyes, “that was never a question, but you could have at least told me when you were going to leave. You spent every day with me since you woke, and we—I mean, you don’t think you owe me at least that?”
Rya faced her now. Her cold, dark eyes were hard and unyielding, but Cam could see the quiver in her lips before she spoke.
“I came to the Ashen Forest for safety while I healed. That’s what I got, and now I’ll be leaving.”
“Stop it,” Cam yelled. “Stop acting like you don’t feel it, that you don’t know what’s happening between us. I’ve been denying it as much as you have but I can’t now, not with you threatening to throw it all away.”
“I’m not throwing anything away,” Rya shot back. “I wasn’t looking for romance when I ran away from the Isles, I wasn’t expecting any sort of friendship, and I will not give up my life for either of them. I am the Queen of the Obsidian Isles and I will regain my crown. There is nothing, and no one that will stop me. I thought that was understood?”
“Oh, I completely understand. I was told they call you the Black Queen because it’s the color of your heart, but that can’t be true. You have to have a heart for it to turn black, and it’s clear you don’t.”
Cam spun around and stomped out the room, slamming the door behind her. She fell back against the wall, sliding down to the floor in a puddle. She couldn’t believe it, even after hearing Rya’s words she couldn’t accept that what she felt wasn’t real. Her hands trembled in her lap, and she stared down at them, remembering the tingle of Rya’s magic as it seeped into her skin. Her mind clung to the moment of connection, and the way a piece of the queen had been a piece of her as well.
She took several deep breaths. She had to try and compose herself before the long walk back to her room. Norell would be waiting for her. She would be sitting on Cam’s bed, ready to hold her as she fell apart, but first she’d have to make it back up the stairs. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she stood up and placed her palm on Rya’s door. It was one last attempt to feel her, a final chance to be close to her. A faint noise came from inside; she removed her hand and pressed her ear to the wood. It was a sound she’d never heard before, one she didn’t expect, and she knew in that instant there was still hope. The sobbing of a shattered queen hit her ears, and Cam gasped. Rya was as broken as she was, and that kind of pain couldn’t be forged.
Nineteen
The stars had appeared outside the queen’s window, signaling the end of her last day with the Ashen. It had passed too quickly, and while she watched night fall over the buildings she tried to ignore the emotions gnawing at her.
She pulled the dark green cloak over her shoulders, securing the buttons just under her chin. The guilt from before hit her again as she stared at her reflection. The dark gray pants were thick enough to keep her warm, and the boots Elin had brought her were practically new. The outfit had been given that morning after Rya lied to the girl, telling her she was going riding and would need a suitable outfit. When she’d fled the Isles in a heavy gown she didn’t consider it wasn’t made for running. This time she wanted to be prepared, but it meant taking even more from the people who had been so kind to her. She almost returned the clothing, feeling better about stealing from another traveler as she’d done before, but in the end, she couldn’t do it. She wanted to take a piece of the Ashen with her, even if it was in the form of a cloak.
While Elin thought she’d gone riding, the truth was Rya never left the castle. She’d locked herself inside her room, only opening the door for Sora when he brought his meals to share with her. She couldn’t fathom running into Thane, knowing he would be upset at the hurt she’d caused Cam. Avoiding Norell was another advantage of hiding. She didn’t want to see the girl’s smug expression taunting her, knowing Rya was as heartless and cruel as she expected. The thought of seeing Cam was the worst kind of torture. She wanted to make sure the princess was alright, wanted to comfort her somehow, but at the same time she knew leaving was the right decision. Facing Cam would only destroy them both, and she needed every bit of her strength to move forward.
She tugged the last bit of bandaging off her hand, and flexed her wrist, testing the movement. The wrapping fell to the floor, and she held her hands in front of her with her palms pointing to the ceiling. The ball of blue light started the size of a cricket, quickly growing in size. It hovered over her hands like a lightning filled cannonball, casting an eerie glow on her skin. She smirked and clapped her hands together, dissolving the orb into nothing.
A small wooden box stuck out from under the bed, and Rya squatted down to retrieve it. She lifted open the lid and stared down at the dagger inside. The white bone handle had a faint gold inlay that had been worn in some areas, and as she picked up the assassin’s knife she wondered the number people he’d killed with the small blade. It was the same blade Nix had thrown at C
am, the same one that almost took her own life, and she would use it to end his.
The moon had pushed itself above the trees, and Rya sat on the edge of the bed awaiting the signal. Three light raps on the door, followed by a kick on the bottom. The time had come. She stood and glanced one last time around the room. She took a deep breath, grabbed the handle, and pulled open the door.
Rya gasped, “What—no—” She stammered with wide eyes, glaring at the boy in front of her. He had followed the plan exactly as he should have with one small error, he wasn’t alone. Cam was dressed in dark, heavy clothing. Her bow was in one hand and she had a quiver of arrows across her back, and another strapped to her thigh. The front of her platinum hair had been braided across her brow, then tucked into the tight bun twisted on the back of her head.
“I’m coming with you,” Cam clarified, not waiting for Rya to argue. “I don’t care if you won’t admit you have feelings for me. I don’t care if you deny needing my help. I don’t care if you never talk to me again. I’m going to be by your side no matter what, because that’s what friends do—it’s what people who love each other do.”
Rya grit her teeth together, glancing back and forth between Sora and Cam. She raised her hand to the princess, feeling the magic gathering in her palm, but Cam didn’t flinch.
“You can do anything you want to me,” Cam said with no hint of fear or anger, “I’m going to get back up and find you. I promised to protect you, remember?”
The queen dropped her arm, cursing herself for not only failing to follow through, but for thinking she could ever harm Cam to begin with.
“Fine,” Rya sneered. “You can help me escape the Ashen Forest, but that’s it. Once we reach the border you return home.”
“We’ll see,” Cam smiled. She turned and started off down the dim hallway with Sora and Rya following behind.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered to the queen. “She wouldn’t let me leave. I didn’t know what else to do. I figured you would be angry if I killed her.”
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