“I think her hair would be beautiful unbound, don’t you?” Renai stood at the entryway, her hands clasped in front of her body. She wore a beautiful pale blue jumpsuit, the pants flowing from her waist and cuffing around the ankles. With her golden brown hair braided and draped over her shoulder, she looked vastly different from the servant she’d pretended to be when I first met her. In fact, she held herself as though she was of noble blood, and I realized how little I knew about her.
I nodded, looking over my shoulder at her. She walked up behind me, placing a hand on my arm in solidarity. “I didn’t know your sister long, but she had a rare soul. She was pure, untouched by the darkness that plagues the rest of us.”
Renai made her way across to me, staring down at Erina’s body. “I can understand if you’d like to be alone, but I want you to know I’m here to help in any way I can. Just say the word.”
Her offer was tempting because there was something I needed, or rather, someone who should have been here with me. Someone who would regret it every day if he didn’t assist in her preparation. And regardless of how I felt about him—the way he made my skin crawl when I remembered what he’d done, what he’d been responsible for—I needed to put my sister above all else and honor what she would have wanted.
“There is one thing,” I drawled. Her eyes glistened with excitement. “Fetch Trystan. Matthew went to find him.”
Renai hesitated slightly before dipping her head and exiting the room, leaving Kalen and I in a strange, solemn silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but there was a heaviness to it that had me shifting my feet. It was impossible to think about anything other than my sister’s death, not when she was laying nearby. So I simply reached out, grasped her hand once more, and tried to center myself in this last moment with her.
* * *
There wasa soft knock some time later, and Kalen jumped up to answer the door before I could process the noise. As he pulled it open, I could only make out half of Trystan’s body standing on the other side. My heart immediately clenched tight, understanding and sympathy surging through my body. His dark eyes were red-rimmed and bleary, exhaustion etched over every inch of his face. By the looks of it, he hadn’t shaved, as his normal shadow of scruff had turned into a short beard. Once tanned skin had gone unnaturally pale, giving him a deathly aura.
Kalen stepped aside, letting Trystan through. His movements were stiff, as if his body and mind were at war with one another, as he came to the other side of the table. He stared down at Erina, not even looking up to speak. “You’re leaving it down?” he asked, reaching out and touching a strand of her hair. His hand lingered, memorizing this last moment with her completely before her body no longer existed.
“I think she would like that, don’t you?”
He nodded numbly as I reached for the diadem that had been laid out, placing it atop her head with gentle care. It was Erina’s favorite; soft silver brushed leaves and iridescent stones weaved with one another seamlessly. She always said it reminded her of spring.
Renai and Kalen stood behind us, watching with careful eyes. Neither of them spoke, instead allowing us to focus our attention on my sister. Only when I asked for her dress did the duo move. Kalen excused himself, stepping outside the door as Renai walked over to the long blue dress draped over a chair. It matched Erina’s diadem perfectly. Threads of pure silver created the vision of a forest—leaves, vines, and flowers flowed from her waist down to the hem near her feet. Few colors were used, though there was an occasional pop of darker blue to emphasize the shimmering threads.
Trystan slowly reached for the sheet, taking a deep breath before pulling it off completely. We worked together, moving the dress up her figure and lacing it at the top. As we stepped back, I nearly teared up at how beautiful she looked.
“I have something to add,” Trystan said, looking at me. “If you're okay with it.” I nodded my head, curious to see what he had for her. He reached his hand inside his pocket, producing a small velvet pouch.
I closed my eyes, willing the tears threatening to fall away. How could I say no?
He stepped toward Erina, taking her left hand in his. Slowly, he slid a ring onto her finger, tracing small circles on her skin. The shimmering pink diamond in the middle was perched between two swirling drops of moonstone and mother-of-pearl.
“I had shown her the night before...” he began, pausing to gather his thoughts. “I don’t think she knew how serious I was, no matter how hard I tried to convince her. She laughed it off, dismissing the topic before we could have a conversation about my intentions. It’s been plaguing my mind, but I can’t help but wonder if she didn’t know somehow. She always talked about being mated or married, having kids–the whole fantasy—but she never pursued it.” His grief-stricken gaze slowly rose to meet mine. “I think this is why.”
As he broke away and bent down to kiss her hand, the ring gleamed as if it recognized the place it was meant to be.
Chapter6
Matthew
Isat inside the king’s office, studying the maps atop his desk. They were marked with pins, each showing a different war camp. Helia and Angoria were represented by stones the color of the sunlit sea, while The Horde was the color of hollow darkness. The two colors showed the sharp contrast between my father’s evil and the people he sought to conquer.
It was fitting, I thought to myself as I examined the layout.
Black pins peppered the map. So many, and yet these were only the ones we knew about. It wouldn’t surprise me if Lachlan had other camps hidden throughout the continent.
According to Luka, in the hours after the attack, he and King Magnus came together to declare an official alliance between the two kingdoms. They began sending orders out to spies stationed around Aethion. Within a day, ravens appeared with their reports. The information, while useful, was not the news we wanted to receive.
Slowly, The Horde had moved in, laying siege to villages as they went. Men, women, and children were slaughtered, crops were stripped and burned, and livestock was butchered or taken. There was little chance of rebuilding what had been lost, and no survivors had been reported.
There had been no sighting of Lachlan or Arabella. Not even a whisper of their whereabouts.
I sighed, rubbing my temples. A definitive lack of sleep was getting to me; my head throbbed incessantly without reprieve. But, unfortunately, there would be no rest for me. Not yet. Erina’s ceremony would take place in mere hours, and Eva hadn’t left her side. Even though I wished I could be there to comfort her, I trusted Kalen implicitly to watch over her. I needed to check in with the others first to see what remained to be done.
Luka stepped through the door, running a hand through his fiery hair. The sapphire cloak he wore displayed Helia’s crest proudly along the back. He was walking with a slight limp, and though he put on a front for the public, I could tell his injuries slowed him down.
“Fucking rain,” he muttered before dropping in a chair beside the king’s desk. “It’s been non-stop for two weeks. King Alric hasn’t been able to control his emotions enough to stop it.”
My finger glided along the outline of Helia’s border before I stopped. “Other than the king’s grief, how have things been here?”
