She paused, her lips curving into a tentative smile. “You look well, Kalen. Better than the last time I saw you, anyway.”
“The last time you saw me,” I bit out, “you and your master killed my friend and upended our lives. I was trying to understand how my wife, the one who had been brutally murdered and sent back to me in pieces, could not only be alive but standing in front of me.”
Arabella said nothing, her gaze shifting to the alley floor. She stepped forward, and I stepped back. I glanced behind me, ensuring the third man was still where I’d left him. He watched us with glazed-over eyes.
“He won’t be a problem,” she said, clearing her throat. “I’ve made sure of it. He’s under my control.”
“What a relief,” I spat back. “Because I have so much trust in you as it is.”
Tension hung in the air between us. Neither one of us trusted the other, unsure of what they would do given the chance. Even though there were features I recognized, I didn’t know the woman standing in front of me. Maybe I never had.
“Kalen, I don’t have long, but I’ve come to give you a warning.” She glanced over my shoulder. “I’ve distracted your guards for now, but it will wear off soon and they will come straight to you and help you bring him back to the palace for questioning.”
“Why?” There were a thousand questions running through my mind, but that was the only one I could think of.
“Because I am tired of being a pawn in Lachlan’s game, and I have fought against it for so long. I don’t have time to explain everything, but you can trust me on this—“
“I can’t trust you at all!” I raged, running my blood-stained hands through my hair. She cringed, taking a step forward and raising her hands to placate me. “Everything about you is a lie. I see it now. Our relationship, our lives, ourchild—” Arabella froze, the muscle in her jaw ticking “—It was all bullshit.”
“No,” she said coldly. Her eyes grew dark, but not from the swirling blackness that lay there. This was something different. Haunting, almost. “There were many lies,yes, but I loved you with everything I had, and Ilovedour baby. Do not think that love did not cost me, though.”
I couldn’t hear this. Didn’t want to. The pain I felt was too great, and though some part of me wanted to run to her and tell her I didn’t care what she’d done, that I was happy she was alive and here in front of me, I couldn’t say any of that. “Spare me your speech, Arabella. Just leave.”
She blew out a sharp breath, irritation growing. “Listen to me, Kalen. Lachlan is gathering his forces, putting them under dark coercion so he can have complete control over their minds and bodies. He has thousands under his command currently, and he’ll only grow stronger with each day that passes. You need to prepare your forces, all of them. Confer with your allies, ensure they’re prepared as well. When Lachlan comes, he will show no mercy. He will decimate these lands and every person who calls them home.” Her eyes clouded over, going distant, before she came back to the present. Her voice faltered. “Tell Ciena she is on the right track. That what she seeks will come to her if only she is patient.”
“What?” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about—”
She stepped forward, placing her hands on my head and forcing me to look at her. Those strange calico eyes bore into me, pleading for me to listen to her. “You don’t need to know, Kalen. Just promise me you’ll tell her. She’ll understand.” And then she brushed a brief kiss across my cheek.
For a moment, we only stared at one another, unsure of what to do or say. There were decades of hurt, grief, and confusion between us. She’d betrayed me, betrayed everyone she loved, but even after everything, there was some twisted part of me that wanted to believe everything she’d told me tonight.
Arabella glanced over my shoulder, the din of the crowd coming back into focus. “I have to go, but promise me you will do as I said. Tell everyone, ready what you can, and be prepared. I’ll do what I can on my end.” Behind her, a small green light appeared out of the darkness, smoke curling from its center. She walked toward it, sparing one look at me before she vanished into the night.
“General!” a sentry yelled, sliding to a stop beside me and studying the scene. The two men lay dead at my feet while I still bled from my wounds as well. The third man had mysteriously been bound and gagged on the ground, his eyes closed and breathing shallow. “What happened?”
I told him quickly, skipping the part where Arabella had been here and focusing on what I could explain, even if it all seemed like little more than a fever dream. “We’ll take him back to the palace,” I said, nudging the bound man with my foot. “See if we can get anything out of him. It’s unlikely, though. He’s most likely just a grunt, but it’s the first lead we’ve had toward The Horde’s movements.”
The sentry nodded as three more guards showed up. They picked up the unconscious man, and we trudged toward the palace together.
Chapter12
Renai
Ilooked up at the high ceiling above, praying to the fucking gods for justoneday of peace. Kalen’s absence held the potential to be a cataclysmic event threatening to send me over the edge. But I couldn’t think about that. I had to hold myself together for everyone around me.
None of this took into account that the war council would convene tomorrow. Alliances would be made while others were broken. Our list of enemies grew with each day that passed.
That was one of things I’d hated the most. I’d had opportunities to study the mind-fuck that was political warfare while accompanying my parents to council meetings or tagging along with Matthew and Kalen on official court business. In some ways, these gatherings were more dangerous than those taking place on the battlefield.
As kings and queens sat around a table, discussing treaties and arguing over who was more affected by the casualties of war, the men and women of their kingdoms gave their lives for something that would end up faltering within a century.
But I would rather give my life amidst the din of battle, fighting alongside those who were the true victors of war, rather than listen to people who had never suffered a day in their miserable lives.
As I approached the entryway to the dungeon, I noted the two sentries who had been posted. Both appeared young, though they were gossiping like old hens. Their voices echoed along the corridor as they mused about Eva’s disappearance. Word often spread fast amongst the court gossip. However, I expected the men and women of the guard to have better sense.
Silly me for assuming.
They straightened as I approached, sweat beading on their brows as I studied them. “Good evening, gentlemen. I trust you’ve had an uneventful evening?” I asked, pushing my braid over my shoulder. Both men nodded quickly, the shorter man shifting uncomfortably. “That’s good to hear. Hopefully, it stays that way.” They nodded again, neither one of them moving out from in front of their post. “I need to see Damien Carnell. If you’d please step aside.”
