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She needed to sort out her thoughts. And fast.
Fractures in her mind formed, blurring the lines between the truth and the act. In the beginning, the line between the two was clear, distinguished. But now it was all shades of gray, blending into one another.
When he had given her this assignment after they had announced the request for suitors, Kallie had known that this would be her hardest assignment yet. But she had not expected to discover these truths about her past. Her identity.
After sending out the invitations to her suitors' homes, her father had discovered the Pontians' plans to kidnap Kallie in an attempt to thwart the king. While this had not been shocking since the two kingdoms had long since been enemies, his plan caused her jaw to drop.
Kallie would let the enemy capture her.
According to King Domitius, Kallie needed to go to Pontia to strengthen her gift. Since he was not like her, he could only help so much. He confessed he had heard rumors that there were others on the island who were blessed by the gods with gifts similar to hers. That they knew how to strengthen them. Therefore, she had two tasks to complete on this mission. First, she would improve the strength of her gift. Second, she would learn about their enemies. She would discover their weaknesses and their strengths, their abilities and their limitations, their hopes and fears. She would gain their trust and infiltrate their kingdom.
And Kallie had been successful in both tasks.
From the moment she had stepped onto the dance floor with Fynn, she had guarded her thoughts. She had thrown up the walls the king had instructed her to build inside her mind. With the aid of her gift and the prior knowledge of his ability to read minds, she was able to hide her plans from him.
When they had captured her and she had spent those first few days tied, she had tested their ability to keep her, to track her down. She wanted to know how far they would go. The roles each enemy played. And when they thought she was asleep, she had listened for tidbits of information.
She did what she was good at. She acted, she manipulated, she seduced.
She followed the king's orders.
And she trusted the king’s plan. She wanted his approval and would give everything to gain it, so she believed him without question.
However, King Domitius had not been completely honest with her. He did not tell her he had kidnapped her when she was a child. Or that her family would be the ones to abduct her after the ceremony. Those details had been left out.
And those details were the cause of her current dilemma. It was, in plain terms, a mess.
Not bothering to wait for her to respond, King Domitius lifted one shoulder in indifference. "While it is unfortunate what happened to that young man, that was Sebastian's doing not mine. As the commander of their military, he is a little too eager, if you ask me."
Kallie could only nod, having been rendered speechless. Her brother's death was not a minor inconvenience. Nor was it a misguided judgment. It was murder.
"Have you begun to doubt me, doubt our plans, Kalisandre?"
Her mouth fell open, but a knock at the door interrupted her before she could answer.
"Come in," the king stated, his gaze remaining on her.
"My king, I hope I am not interrupting, but one of the soldiers said you require my assistance?"
At the voice, Kallie froze. Slowly, she turned to confirm her assumption.
“Myra? But what are you—” Kallie snapped her mouth shut as Domitius interrupted.
"Yes, come in. Kalisandre and I were just catching up."
Myra shut the door behind her and stood beside Kallie. Myra gripped her hand, the tension in Kallie's shoulders subsiding instantly at her friend’s touch.
But why was Myra here?Howwas she here?
Kallie's gaze bounced between Myra and the king, yet Myra avoided Kallie's gaze. And Kallie realized she was the only one who was confused. But the question remained: why? But now was not the time. Not when the king was questioning her loyalty.
Domitius returned his attention to Kallie. “Have you forgotten why we are doing all of this?”
Myra gave Kallie’s hand a quick squeeze. A calmness seeped into her skin through that comforting touch allowing Kallie to remember why she had agreed to this and what she would gain. Myra released her hand, and Kallie tugged on the edge of her cloak and shoved her feelings down.
Kallie had betrayed the Pontians, her family. Brought the enemy to their lands. And caused the death of her brother. And more would die soon enough when war broke out. Forgiveness would never knock on her door.
At the end of all of this, no matter what, she knew what she would choose in the end. So she let those walls around her heart return, then fortified it with stone and steel. Locked away the thoughts of the silver-eyed man—eyes that pierced her soul and had, for a moment, made her want to stay and forget about everything else. He would never forgive her for choosing power. For choosing herself. But this wasn't about him.
