by Cait Marie
Lee pointed to the walls. “Did she paint these?”
A glimpse of pain flashed through Nayani’s eyes before she whispered, “Yes.”
“You knew her? The seer,” Ada said.
Nayani straightened in her chair, clearing her throat. “When it was obvious your mother would not find the solutions she desired, she returned home to you, thinking if she kept you hidden, she could protect you. But by the time she returned…”
“I was friends with Henri.” After a beat, he voiced the question that had gnawed at him for over a century. “Where did she go the next time? After I was cursed, she disappeared again, leaving my sister.”
Ada turned toward him in confusion. He’d never shared much about his mother and sister. It hurt too much.
“When I finally made it off Cyfrin and back home, my sister was near death.” He swallowed. “I sat by her bed until she… But she recognized me immediately. She told me about her life and that she hadn’t seen our mother since I was cursed and sent to war.”
“She came here,” Nayani said. “She’d stumbled upon this tower and the seer.”
Lee’s eyes snapped back to the woman. He looked around the room once more, his heart pounding. “Here?”
Was she locked in this tower? His stomach churned at the idea, and he scrambled to his feet. The room was sparse, but it appeared to have been inhabited at one point. He thought about his sister’s last words, telling him that their mother had vanished again after he was cursed and had never returned. He’d been so angry at her for leaving Willa alone at such a young age—she’d only been sixteen. He searched and searched but never found any sign of where his mother went.
Ada stood, concern filling her gaze. He shoved a hand through his hair.
“Yes,” Nayani said. “She was trapped here until her death.”
Lee’s chest tightened as he fought to take in a breath.
“Lee.” Ada stepped directly in front of him. When he didn’t respond, she grabbed him by either side of his face. “Loxley.”
He stilled, the back of his throat burning. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying to control his breathing. When he opened them once more, he met Ada’s deep blue gaze. She stared up at him, his pain reflected in the emotions she could never fully shield from him. He squeezed her hand against his cheek.
Pushing down the overwhelming grief, he turned to Nayani. “Why did the seer trap her?”
Nayani shook her head, a distinct sorrow now filling her silver eyes. “She didn’t. The tower… it was designed to hold the seer. A spell had been placed over it so that one might enter but not leave its walls.”
Ada whirled on the spot. “What? What do you mean?”
“We’re trapped?” Lee asked, his voice raising.
Running toward the stairs, Ada disappeared for a couple of seconds before coming back with tears in her eyes. “It’s sealed.”
He barely heard the words. They both moved to the large window to peer down. Hesitantly, he reached out a hand, only to be met by an invisible barrier just beyond the wooden frame.
Nayani ignored their frantic searching and continued her story. “Your mother saw the truth on these walls—not just the bits about you, Loxley son of Leon, but of the princess and the false king. She found the answers she’d sought out, and for that we could not allow her to leave.”
Lee froze. Slowly, he turned to face her. “You… you put the spell on the tower? You’re the reason she died trapped here? Why my sixteen-year-old sister grew up without her family?”
Red filled his vision, and his breath became labored as anger coursed through him. He stomped toward the witch, but before he could reach her, she lifted a finger. His feet locked into place, stilling his movements and nearly toppling him.
Ada raced to his side. “What did you do to him?”
Standing, Nayani crossed her arms. “I did what I had to, just as I did with this tower. Your mother knew the truth, and she would have used that knowledge to change your course. Changing what was foretold by the stars has dire consequences.”
Lee glanced at Ada, who wrapped an arm around one of his. She leaned in close, and he could practically feel the fear radiating off her. Her voice dropped to a mere whisper. “Now, we can’t leave because we know the truth…”
Something didn’t make sense though. He met Nayani’s silver gaze. “You led us here. We wouldn’t know any of this if it weren’t for you. And now, you’ve seen it too.”
She lifted her head in acknowledgement.
“You’re not trapping us.” It was a bold assumption, but she’d brought them here for a reason. Surely it was not simply to lock them in a tower.
“Keeping you here would interfere with your destinies,” Nayani said. “The seer died shortly after your mother’s arrival, but your mother spent the remainder of her years in this tower. I saw what would happen if she left. If the prophecy is not allowed to come to fruition, the world as you know it will be lost. But with you two…”
Her eyes went hazy. The pressure on Lee’s legs faded to nothing. He shifted to put his arm around Ada’s back as they waited.
“Yes,” Nayani returned to them, “you two are strong enough. You know what must be done.”
Ada looked down, and Lee tightened his hold on her. He shook his head, wishing it false. The story claimed this ended with her killing the man she once loved or her dying. One with the rose bloodline would meet their end, according to the paintings.
But if she survived and killed him, it didn’t matter how horrid Michel’s actions were, Lee knew that it would break something inside Ada. He knew what it was like to have the death of a loved one on his hands. It would also mean Shane was the figure who died, which would destroy the rest of her.
And if the roles were reversed—if Shane lived to kill Michel while she died—it would destroy Lee, Shane, and Phillip. With the blade of undoing, her sacrifice would be permanent. It would end the curse once and for all.
“There has to be another way,” Lee whispered. “If I—”
“No,” Ada interrupted, lifting her chin. “It has to be me, doesn’t it?”
“As your sacrifice did not hold,” Nayani started, “one must still be made to fully break the curse. The betrayer of the throne must die to complete the prophecy and allow the worthy to rise.”
Ada’s eyes snapped up to Lee. “You… Michel needs to die for you to take the throne. So, the dagger—Ddadwneud—it’s yours?”
Lee opened his mouth in shock. They still didn’t know why her sacrifice failed, but the rest of it all fit, except… “I don’t have it.”
“No,” Nayani said. “It’s no longer in your possession. It was unknowingly given away a long time ago.”
He’d had it at one point? Shaking his head, Lee thought back as far as he could. He’d gone through so many weapons in the past century. How was he supposed to know which it was?
“The truth will present itself when the time is right.” Nayani moved to the window. She ran a hand along the smooth frame. “Our time is up.”
As if on cue, a loud explosion echoed in the distance. He ran to the window with Ada at his side. Smoke drifted high into the sky from somewhere in Ferda.
“The enemy has arrived,” Nayani said. “They cannot find this place—the prophecy.”
Lee continued to watch the barreling smoke. The faint glow of a fire could just be seen over the treetops. His crew was down there. His only living relative was down there.
“The second I remove the spell to free you,” Nayani interrupted his thoughts, her melodic tone soothing some of his nerves, “the tower will crumble. Make sure you are out of its path when it goes.”
The floorboards began to quake beneath their feet when she whispered in a foreign tongue. Lee grabbed Ada, dragging her toward the stairs as the stones around them started falling one by one. But Ada dug in her heels, turning to face the witch who hadn’t moved.
“Go,” Nayani commanded, not budging. “I cannot hold it
much longer.”
She wasn’t going to leave. Lee saw it in the resigned stance while her hands shifted in the air before her. A large stone fell, and he pulled Ada out of its path as it hurtled straight through the step she’d been standing on.
“Who was she?” Ada yelled over the commotion. “The seer.”
Nayani finally looked toward them, and he saw it—the grief he’d caught a glimpse of earlier.
“Her name was Verity,” Nayani said in a hushed tone that still managed to reach them. She met Lee’s eyes. “And she was my mother.”
The tower around them swayed. Lee nodded to the witch in understanding, letting out a breath. She’d sealed her own mother in the tower to protect the world, leaving her to die alone.
Except she hadn’t died alone. His mother was there in the end. They’d both died to save the world from an unknown catastrophic fate.
He wouldn’t let it be for nothing.
Grabbing Ada around the waist, he hauled her away, moving down the stairs two at a time. The entrance they’d used was no longer blocked. He ran through it, not slowing until they were back in the shadows of the forest. When he stopped and set Ada on her feet, tears streamed down her cheeks. He turned back toward the meadow to see the destruction, but she buried her face against his chest.
The tower crumbled. Slowly and then all at once. Erasing the remaining pieces of his mother’s life right along with the prophecy.
Chapter 13
Shane
After ensuring the village was secure, Shane left Phillip to take care of the soldiers and plan their departure for the following morning. He returned to the castle and went straight upstairs to check on the children. Melanie and Mrs. Lavens were sitting with them in the room beside Shane’s.
Mrs. Lavens stood as soon as he entered, but before she could ask, Shane said, “Phillip is fine. Everything is under control for now. He’s down in the village helping people and gathering his commanders.”
The woman let out a relieved breath while pulling a scared-looking Carys into her lap as she sat back down. Melanie had Karey curled up against her, and they both appeared glad he was there, but it was Kal who ran across the room to him. Shane didn’t hesitate to lift the shaking boy up into his arms.
“It’s all right,” he whispered, holding Kal close.
“I saw the fire from the window…”
The words were muffled against the fabric of Shane’s shirt, but he heard. Understanding and sorrow filled him. Rubbing Kal’s back, he moved inside and sat on the bed. Karey got up and walked over to them, the once-bubbly girl seeming shy and frightened. Shane shifted Kal enough to help her up. With one sitting on either side of him and his arms wrapped around their small frames, he wished he could take away their fear and pain. They’d just lived through their entire village burning to the ground, and now they’d seen the fire in the street below.
“You’re safe here,” Shane said, squeezing them both gently. “Everything is all right.”
For the next few hours, after changing out of his ash-covered clothes, he sat with all three children in his study. He knew there was a lot to do—a lot to get ready for—but with Kal clinging to him, he couldn’t bring himself to leave them behind. The room was large enough for them to play in the corner while he discussed strategy with Commander Maxwell, who Phillip had sent in his place. Phillip was making sure the soldiers were prepared to leave earlier than planned, he had a couple of his men questioning the remaining Rayernans, and Gwyn and Brienne had things in hand down in the village, according to the report Gwyn delivered earlier.
Maxwell came and went, as did a few others with reports from the villages. People were rallying in support, arriving from across the lands to aid in the fight. But it still wasn’t enough. They’d still be greatly outnumbered.
When a messenger came to tell them what they learned from the surviving Rayernans, his stomach sank. Not only had Michel sent them purposely to target O’ Chwedlau, but he ordered attacks on the southern islands. He was responsible for Obaith burning—for the desolation of Kal and Karey’s home.
In between reports, he sat with the children, keeping them distracted and comfortable, reassuring them over and over that there was nothing to be afraid of anymore. Except he knew that wasn’t necessarily true. They were safe behind these walls, yes, but that wasn’t true for the few people they knew left in the world. For now though, he tried to keep them happy. He read them stories and watched as they played. Melanie and Mrs. Lavens sat together talking. Occasionally, Shane caught them glancing in his direction with concerned looks.
Needing something more to do with the little ones, he sent Melanie up to grab Adalina’s book about Loxley and the Nihryst. He’d just sat down and started the story when his sister walked in with the immortal himself. But something was wrong. He handed the book over to Carys and stood from the corner sofa they’d all climbed onto to hear the tale.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, approaching Adalina and Lee.
“You’re all right.” She wrapped her arms around him. “We heard the explosion and saw the destruction, but I was scared to believe Brienne when she said you were all fine.”
“I am fine.” He glanced at Lee, trying to figure out what was off about them. Just like Adalina, he looked exhausted—haunted. Dust or ash covered both of them. “What happened? Where were you two? I hadn’t even realized you were down in the village until Brienne told me, but she said you’d left the square.”
Lee opened his mouth, but it was Adalina who spoke. “We thought we saw Nayani—the witch from the Sannwyn Isles that we told you about.”
“The one who couldn’t break the curse?” Shane pushed his sister back enough to see her face. “Why would she come here?”
Adalina shrugged and ran a hand through her messy hair. “I don’t know… but I thought, maybe, she could give me some answers.”
Shane sighed, pulling her back in for another hug. Of course she’d gone on a wild chase for some shred of hope that they might discover why she had come back to life. Lee met his gaze for a moment, showing all the guilt he felt, before looking down.
“We’re going to get cleaned up and have dinner sent to my room,” Adalina said, breaking away. “Brienne told us the plan has changed and we’re leaving tomorrow?”
“With the evening tide.” He made a mental note to have dinner brought up for the children too. “Did you happen to see Phillip on your way here?”
Adalina shook her head. “No, sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Shane let out a long breath. “I should probably go find him. I feel like I need to be doing more.”
Glancing at the small boy walking over and taking Shane’s hand, Adalina smiled. “You’re doing plenty.”
She gave Kal a quick hug before heading out with Lee on her heels. Shane picked Kal back up and carried him to the others. He stayed with them, eating dinner in what had become their room. Soldiers still came in and out most of the evening with messages.
Mrs. Lavens wanted to return to the village after they ate, despite Shane’s insistence that she could stay. She’d told him she wanted to see if there was anything she could help with, claiming she could feed and house people who’d lost their homes in the fire. Guilt struck him again, and he remembered the unused wing of the castle. Before she left, he told her it would be available for anyone who needed it.
“You are a wonderful king, Shane. Your kind heart is exactly what the people need right now.” She patted him on the cheek. As if knowing just what he was thinking, she said, “Don’t ever doubt that. Sometimes, the most important job we can do is help our future.”
She tilted her head toward the children, who had eventually relaxed enough to start playing more freely, laughing, and chasing each other around. Shane nodded in appreciation. “Thank you.”
“If I see my son, I will tell him to come up here.” With that, she was gone.
He then asked Melanie to open the East Wing—to have the staff clean and prepare th
e rooms—leaving him with the three giggling children.
Though the girls were nearly four years apart in age, they’d become fast friends, excited that their names were so similar. Kal had joined in the fun too, but he kept close to Shane all evening.
When the yawns started, he ushered them to the wide, four-poster bed. He sat on the corner, reading from the Nihryst book again until they began drifting to sleep. When Melanie returned, she watched him with a smile.
“You are great with them,” Melanie said in a hushed tone from the settee. “You remind me so much of your mother.”
A pang of grief shot through him. Weeks ago, he’d thought he was seeing his mother’s ghost. She’d guided him in finding the real treaty and Loxley’s birth records before warning him about Adalina’s sacrifice. During that last meeting, while clinging to life from the Kald, his mother had held out her hand for him to join her in whatever lies beyond. But he wasn’t ready to leave this world yet. He’d returned for his sister and Phillip, for his kingdom, and hadn’t seen the late queen since.
Shane looked down at the sleeping children at his side. Seeing Kal asleep with his head on Shane’s shoulder, his heart felt fuller than ever. When the door clicked open and an exhausted-looking Phillip walked in, he took in the sight and sighed before meeting Shane’s gaze. With a small smile, he rounded the bed to tuck in his sister. She mumbled something, and he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.
Slowly, Shane extracted himself from the bed, laying Kal down on the pillow. He pulled the covers up, and Phillip moved to his side, as if he understood the worry of leaving them—of potentially disappearing from their life as so many already had. He thought about Melanie’s comment that he reminded her of his mother. It was a comfort as much as it pained him. Phillip stepped closer. He’d been there for the royal siblings through that tragedy, and he hadn’t left them since. Shane wanted to reach out and take his hand but knew better than to do it with eyes still on them.