I weighed my next words carefully, knowing I treaded dangerous water as my mind drifted to what Isla had shared with me months ago. About the cause of the strain in Bayne and Lida’s relationship.
“We could fight…” I murmured cautiously. “Youcould take the throne.”
The power of the sun exploded in front of me. Terrifying white flames, flaring without heat, ripped into the small room below deck in a cascade of waves, blinding us. They were gone within an instant. Isla’s hand reached for mine as the Obscura surged to my palms in a quick, reflexive response.
“I CAN’T!” he bellowed, throwing his arms to either side. “Because if I take back the throne, I throw our entire fucking land into a civil war, all while Dark King Daimos attacks fromthe north and Sultira is too busy fighting their own war to send aid!”
My voice caught in my throat as I blanched. The crew stilled, Bayne’s break in control freezing everyone in place.
Nerissa took a quiet step forward and seethed, “Get it together, Bayne.” She shot a quick look at Ronan, disgust, betrayal, and pain shining in her eyes before stalking to the exit.
Ronan rose, knocking his chair to the ground as he surged toward her. “Nis—” he began and was cut off by a sharp hiss as he reached for her hand. “Please.” Ronan looked as if he was about to vomit as the plea broke his voice. He licked his lips, face pale as he gripped her arm.
Nerissa turned to face him, eyes heavy with betrayal. He slid his hand down her arm, grasping hers. She yanked back, but he held firm. Her lips wobbled, and Ronan’s light brows pinched up. He kept his gaze on Nerissa’s forest green eyes and the arrival of a shallow pool of tears, enough to brighten her irises without falling.
It was to her that he finally told his story, Ronan’s secret I promised to keep when he’d divulged so much in Odessa. The only reaction Nerissa let show was a slow blink, allowing one tear to trickle down her cheek as she processed Ronan’s last words.
Sister.
Galena, Queen of Sultira, was Ronan’s sister… and a fraud. The two of them grew up in the streets of Krestwood, clawing and whoring themselves through their early lives.
The brother and sister pair had witnessed the horrors of the tribute, losing both their parents early on, barely escaping the grasp of Dark King Daimos in the process. They’d eventually found work and refuge with the Lord and Lady of Krestwood, a quiet nobility rarely seen in the Court of the Two Moons. Andwhen the family had taken ill, the fire pox ravaging the western cities, the brother and sister seized their opportunity.
They’d been teenagers then, reckless and desperate. They’d bribed and silenced using money stolen from the manor, with Galena posing as the daughter who had died. The two of them slowly found their way to Aedrialis through masterful lies and manipulation. Ronan rose quickly in the ranks of Saros’s army with his own vicious tenacity. They arrived in the capital as a soldier with shining reviews and a young lady-in-waiting who had stolen the heart of the old king, willing to sacrifice everything to end him.
Stunned silence followed.
“She’s pregnant,” Ronan breathed, his throat bobbing. “Whatever spell that allows Saros to live so long… It doesn’t keepallof him working.” His eyes finally left Nerissa’s and darted between the crew members.
“Her consort is dead. He was spiked to the walls of Aedrialis before we left. She isalone. He will kill her and the child.”
“That’s why you pushed for an attack before the end of spring,” Bayne finally murmured, that mask of control once again plastered onto his face. “Before Saros would learn of her pregnancy.”
A defeated nod was the only response from Ronan.
“I always thoughtyouwere fucking her,” Isla blurted out.
Ronan bared his teeth, cutting her a disgusted glare.
She shrugged. “Didn’t everyone else?”
Drystan raised his ebony brows at me before shaking his head. Ronanwasalways close to her. They were both beautiful, the queen and the queensguard. And as he stood on her other side, opposite Saros, it was easy to assume the queen would favor him, but Ronan had never looked at Galena the way he looked at Nerissa.
“I’m sorry,” he finally rasped, looking back at Nerissa. “I’m sorry I let you believe the rumors. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth before… Before all of this.”
There were unspoken words between them, some story I didn’t know. Whatever their turbulent history, this truth played into it…was a missing piece in whatever storm ripped through their relationship.
A tiny breath escaped Nerissa’s mouth as her lips parted. She pulled her eyes away and left the room, her brown hair rippling in a cascade of waves. Ronan blinked once before hurrying after her.
“I’m sorry,” Bayne murmured finally, his face dark in defeat. His throat bobbed as his eyes landed on me.
I suddenly felt small, insignificant in the vast network of threads of the universe. Isla ushered the others out, leaving us alone.
“I’m sorry I suggested it. I shouldn’t have,” I whispered, unable to keep tears from pooling in the corners of my eyes.
Bayne shot across the room and wrapped his arms around me.
“Don’t,” he whispered into my hair. “Don’t apologize. We’ll deal with it all. Even the trip to the Death Dunes… My fearless angel. It’s why I fell in love with you in the first place.”
