“We should go,” he was saying as Taegan allowed himself to be moved, so dazed he barely processed the words. “The sooner we can alert the king, the better prepared we will be if the orcs try to launch an attack.”
He nodded weakly and stumbled after Kelvhan. He could focus on nothing but the sudden, painful emptiness in his head—had this been what Zorvut had meant, the one time he had closed off the bond, when he said it wasuncomfortable? There was certainly discomfort, but it seemed a tame word to describe the absence where there had just been a presence, like a tooth had been yanked out of his jaw and his tongue could not pull away from the tender, bleeding chasm where it once was. Before he realized it, they were ascending the spiral staircase to the king’s chambers, and Taegan felt tears streaming silently down his face. He hastily wiped them away with his sleeve.
“Halt!” a voice exclaimed as they reached the top of the stairs. “Identify yourself!”
“It’s me,” Taegan said before Kelvhan could answer. “Please, I must see my father.”
“Prince Taegan?” the guard stammered, immediately sheathing his weapon—Taegan had not realized it was drawn. “Forgive me, my prince. Are you—I mean, yes, I will get the king. Wait here.”
The guard turned and opened the door, stepping carefully inside. Taegan could hear his voice saying quietly, “Forgive my intrusion, King Ruven, but the prince is asking for you. He’s just outside.” He heard a faint murmur in response, too quiet to make out. A moment later, the guard reappeared in the doorway, gesturing for them to enter.
As they stepped toward the door, Taegan felt Kelvhan’s hand on his back—whether it was meant to be reassuring or guiding, he did not know, but he quickened his pace to pull away. The other elf seemed to take the hint, at least, and did not try to touch him again.
When they entered, King Ruven was standing and pulling a robe over his shoulders, blinking in the sudden light. The moment Taegan saw him, he could feel tears burning against his eyes again.
“Taegan?” he asked, the worry evident in his voice. “What’s happened? And... Kelvhan, right? From the library? What’s going on?”
“Please forgive the unusual intrusion, my king,” Kelvhan said quickly, bowing his head deeply. “I would not ask for an audience if it were not of the utmost importance.”
“Father,” Taegan interrupted, his voice tremulous. “Kelvhan discovered that Zorvut is not the son of the warlord.”
The king’s expression remained blank for a long moment, then his brows furrowed in confusion. “What?” he asked, bewildered. “Where is he?”
“He fled,” Taegan replied, and could not stop the sob that escaped him as he said it. He pressed a hand to his eyes. “I—I don’t know where he is.”
“Let me explain,” Kelvhan offered, glancing between the two of them. “I am a practitioner of divination, my king, and recently I had a premonition that something was amiss. My inquiries led me to the orc homeland, where I was able to procure an audience with the wife of the warlord, Zorvut’s mother, and she confirmed that he was, in fact, a half-orc, and not a son of Hrul Bonebreaker.”
King Ruven’s expression had slowly morphed from shock to a grim realization. “A bastard son,” he murmured, more to himself than to either of them. “I take it the warlord was not aware Zorvut was not true-born?”
“No, but unfortunately, the news spread quickly, and I was barely able to escape with my life,” Kelvhan said. “I must assume that Hrul Bonebreaker has taken this to mean that the terms of the peace treaty are now null and void.”
“Did Zorvut know?” Ruven asked sharply.
“No!” Taegan exclaimed, shaking his head. “No, he was just as shocked as I was to hear it. And... he was sad. It drove him to despair.”
“Well, we don’t know for sure,” Kelvhan said, and Taegan whipped his head around to glare at him. “Forgive me, but we don’t. He may have been shocked we found out, not at the news itself.”
“You’re wrong,” Taegan replied, trying to sound forceful, but it came out as more of a plea. “You don’t know anything about him. I’m telling you, he had no idea.”
Through all this, the king remained silent, watching Taegan with an unreadable expression. His dark eyes were clouded with thought and his hand was pressed to his mouth.
“And he fled,” he finally said in a low murmur, and Taegan glanced away from him, nodding. “He was afraid, and he fled.” He took in a long, measured breath, releasing it in a slow exhale. “And the warlord intends to resume his war. Kelvhan, were you followed?”
“No, my king,” he replied, bowing his head. “I am luckily strong enough to be able to magically return to a place I have been before, and retreated back to my home not an hour ago. I came here immediately.”
“So we have a little while before they broach the border to fortify the capital. Hopefully, there is still enough time to defend the border villages.” Ruven continued, more to himself than to the other two. Taegan wanted desperately to interject, to stand up for Zorvut, but he did not know what he could even say, so he held his tongue. But as if hearing his thoughts, Ruven looked sharply back over at him.
“My son,” he said, his voice softening. “I know you care for Zorvut. But as it stands, this union was made under false pretenses, and no one would blame you for ending it.”
“...Ending it?” Taegan repeated faintly. His heart, as much as it already ached, squeezed painfully at the king’s suggestion.
“If you want,” he continued tentatively. “And only if you want, I can sever the bond between you and nullify the marriage. Perhaps it is an extreme reaction, but if the worst-case scenario is true, and he fled back to his homeland for refuge, well... Perhaps it would be best for you two not to be linked.”
“He didn’t,” Taegan protested, but doubt crept in even as he said it. What if hehadknown all along? What if it all truly had been a lie, a cruel trick, a long con to destroy Aefraya from within? He thought he had learned so much about Zorvut, but how could he be sure any of it was true? And even if it had been the truth, Zorvut had fled the castle, the city, perhaps never to return.
The king stepped forward to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. When he did, Taegan realized his whole body was trembling again.
“The decision is yours,” he said softly. “But if it were mine, I would take every precaution. Your safety is my highest concern, Taegan.”
