Amahle bit her lip, uncertainty in her eyes.
“You knew, didn’t you? Why didn’t you say anything either?” I tilted my head. “We don’t always make the right decisions when trying to protect those we love, do we, Ciaran?”
The shame in his face made it clear I’d won.
A barmaid approached with steins of ale, setting them between us. “Food?” she asked, barely glancing at any of us. Either she didn’t notice the thickness of the tension at the table, or she didn’t care.
I lifted my stein and took a slow sip of warm ale.
“Yes, for everyone,” Amahle said. As the barmaid left, Amahle gave Ciaran and me a stern look. “Boys, this isn’t the place for this conversation. If you want to have it out later, be my guest. But if you insist on spoiling one of the last meals I might get to enjoy in peace with Seren, I’ll send you to bed and make certain neither of you gets any spankings for the evening.”
Choking mid-sip, I cleared my throat, then set my stein down with a laugh. “No spankings? You really know how to ruin a night, Amahle.”
I sat back in my chair, boots sliding over the sawdust-strewn floor. Everything in here felt sticky with ale, the scent permeating the dimly lit space. A roaring fire in a hearth along the back wall kept the tavern warm, though. Despite the relative, unexpected freedom here, my tension didn’t dissipate—as though I expected Haldron to step from the shadows and attack.
Ciaran’s face darkened angrily as he slung back a swallow of ale. “I have a right to be wary, Amahle. His life threatens someone we both care about.” He shook his head bitterly. “Those skinwraiths mean something. Something abnormal is happening.”
Seren, who had been unusually quiet, leaned forward, her eyes hard. “Did you know that Haldron is heir to the throne of Lirien?”
“W-what?” Ciaran gave her a baffled look.
Amahle’s brows drew together. “What do you mean?”
Seren tilted her head toward me. “Tell them.”
Dammit, this isn’t the time or place.
But Seren trusted them. Given the shift in our circumstances, we might need all the help we could get. I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to sleep tonight, knowing how close we were to Haldron.
With a slow sigh, I leaned forward, resting my forearms on the table. “Haldron is Magnus’s younger brother. If King Magnus and all his sons are dead, Haldron is next in line. Magnus’s grandsons are all too young to rule—none are above age fifteen.”
My words settled between us like lead.
Amahle and Ciaran seemed to absorb the information differently than Seren had. Maybe they were older, more cynical. Or just more realistic.
Amahle exhaled through puffed cheeks. “Well, fuck.”
Ciaran held my gaze, clearly assailed by multiple thoughts at once. “We can’t be the only people in the territory that know this.”
“I don’t think so,” Seren said, her mouth twisting. “But those who do are probably his allies. And even fewer know about the full line of succession in Lirien.”
“You think he wants the throne,” Ciaran to me.
“You think it’s a coincidence that the king and all his sons—every legitimate heir—were murdered by your Vangar? Haldron commands your soldiers, doesn’t he?”
Amahle bit her lip. “That is a good point.”
Seren’s face was still pale, as though the reality of what I’d suggested was still difficult for her to digest. “He’s going to lead us all to war.” Her voice was barely audible in the din of the tavern. A few beats passed, the heaviness of her words descending between us.
No one argued, because there was nothing to argue. War wasn’t a possibility anymore—it was a certainty. One we were racing toward whether we liked it or not.
Ciaran shook his head with disgust. “People from Emberstone wouldn’t care even if they did find out. They are not the Vangar. They won’t be the ones out there fighting Lirien soldiers, either. They’ll hide here in the mountain, letting the rest of us take the brunt of the fucking war.”
Seren reached across the table, resting her hand on his. “It’s how it’s always been,” she said softly. They exchanged a familiar look of sympathy and understanding, one that made my stomach clench.
The ferocity of my reaction caught me off guard. Much as I understood their closeness, the way I disliked it was unsettling.
Ciaran’s tirade also surprised me.
