Page 41 of Fate of the Sun King

The king waited, standing alone in the darkened forest. He had to figure out what was causing this. Rumors swarmed of similar events happening across the continent, though he wondered if any were as alarming as what transpired in The Woodlands.

With a grim press of his lips, he continued walking, heading to the Fort. A makeshift infirmary erected at its base treated those who could still be saved. His healers were having some success medicating the strange rot infecting the citizens of his kingdom, but no one wanted to admit the last part out loud. Any progress was only temporary; after a brief respite, the symptoms always returned.

He rubbed a hand against the back of his neck, feeling the weight of his people’s lives press on his shoulders. Where could he go for help? There was no one to turn to and no one to ask. Perhaps he’d have to travel across the Lourwin Sea for aid. But the journey was long, and he feared what might happen in his absence.

The wind picked up, lifting his acorn-brown hair from his shoulders as his senses twitched with uneasiness. Lowering the sword still balanced over his shoulder, he spun around, but the pathway stood empty. He held still for a moment, listening for any foreign sound, but the forest was silent. Much too silent.

He shook his head, annoyed he was letting his nerves get the best of him before he turned and continued his journey.

When another rustle in the bushes drew his attention, it was already too late. Vines moving in a blur circled his limbs, squeezing his arms and legs and cinching his torso so tightly he couldn’t breathe.

He tried to cry out, but another tendril constricted his throat, choking off his airway before he was dragged into the forest. The last thing he saw before everything went black was a canopy of dark green leaves closing over him like fingers.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

LOR

PRESENT DAY

Two days later, we’ve finally received word that it’s safe to return to Heart. I can’t stop wondering about who knew my grandmother and whom I’m going to meet. I wait in the front foyer with Nadir, Mael, and Tristan, our bags packed with provisions.

One half of me is terrified about what we’ll find in the settlements, while another yearns to see more of my home. My last visit to Heart was a brief taste of nothing—a dish uncovered, the scent curling on my tongue before it was snatched away with a slap.

Nadir’s reluctance regarding this entire endeavor is worn into the permanent furrow of his brow. But he’s conceded my magic might be more accessible nearer to its source, and I’ve promised to practice once we arrive.

“Is everything okay with your sister?” he asks as we gather up the last of our supplies. Willow isn’t here to see us off, but we sat down and talked things out last night.

I nod. “We’re okay. We’ve just never argued like that before.”

In the end, we both fell over each other trying to apologize. I told her I’d stop trying to shield her from every possible danger, and she had never felt worse for the things she said.

Because of her job at the palace, she had to remain behind, but I think she welcomed it. She isn’t ready to see Heart yet. It’s too painful and raw. Part of me understands.

“She’s going to have to find a way to come to terms with it because nothing can change the past.”

Nadir nods. “You had no good or easy choices in there.”

“No, we didn’t. And I will never regret anything I did to protect her.”

“I know you don’t,” he says softly. “I just wish you hadn’t ever had to make those decisions at all.”

I’ve blamed him for so much of this. I’ve thrown my past in his face, and he’s stared at it with wide, unflinching eyes. I admire him for it. He was wrong, and he knows it, and it takes a certain kind of man to admit his faults without passing the blame.

But if we’re ever to be anything more than the friendship I asked for, I have to find a way to come to terms with this too.

“I know exactly what it’s like to have a sister who thinks she knows what’s best for you,” he says with a wry smile.

“Are you referring to me or to Willow?” I ask, and he laughs.

“I’m not answering that.”

I snort and then sling my pack onto my shoulder.

Hylene is off, ingratiating herself with the local nobles, and Willow will be safe with Amya keeping an eye on her. Besides, we’ll be gone for only a few days.

“Ready?” Nadir asks me, and I nod. “Then let’s go.”

Once we clear the outskirts of Aphelion, Nadir will fly me to Heart while Mael and Tristan follow on horseback, planning to arrive later this evening. Nadir magicked their horses to speed them through a journey that normally takes days.