AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Theron stepped closer, his proximity sending a familiar jolt down my spine. “Andreja was our inside source in the rebellion,” he explained, the weight of a betrayal reflected in his molten gaze. “Until she sold me out, too. She likely ran once she realized I was still breathing after my... encounter with Haemir and Peregrine,” Theron added, the ghost of a smirk touching his lips.
“Oh, fuck.” I tried to ignore the petty thrill that passed through me. Iknewshe was horrible. “So now you want to find her?”
Roza’s beauty was cold and fierce, a porcelain mask of rage. “She sold us out in the Red Wilds. I’m going to kill her.”
The edge in her voice stabbed my heart. This betrayal was too much for her. I wanted to console her, but caution held me back. She was too angry to accept anything resembling pity.
Instead, I turned to Theron and tried to lighten the tension. “No more meetings without me. You almost get killed in all of them.”
He huffed a laugh. “Deal.”
Roza made a sound of exasperation, her façade breaking for just a moment. “Touching. Now, if you two are done, I have a traitor to hunt down.”
She pushed past me into the crowd, looking once over her shoulder, but not at me. She glanced back at Zerek, and something passed between them. His eyes followed her in the crowd as if he wanted nothing more than to follow her, but he stayed by Theron’s side.
Teodosija stepped forward. “We need to plan how to defend against the army marching on the city.”
Theron nodded, though I caught the disappointment in his eye as he glanced my way. “We can confer in the war room and come up with a plan.” He motioned for his Harvestmen to partner with the leaders of the rebellion, and they dispersed to carry his message to the meeting place.
Theron started walking to the palace but I remained rooted to the spot, my gaze trained on where my father and brother had gone. He stopped and glanced back at me. “Kael?” he questioned, his voice softening as he said my name.
Shaking my head, I looked away, toward the crowd that was warily separating into groups with reluctant guards showing the rebels into the unused barracks. “I... I’m going to find Haemir,” I managed. “I’ll meet you there when I get back.”
He stepped closer, his voice like a balm on an open wound as he spoke. “Are you sure? I can come with you.”
My heart swelled. “No, I’m fine. You go. And don’t get murdered.”
He brushed his lips over the sensitive tip of my ear, uncaring of our audience. “Not even death could keep me from you.”
I looked up into his heated eyes, words stuck in my throat.
“Go,” he murmured. “Before I change my mind and drag you back to our suite right now.”
With a lingering glance, he turned, striding for the palace, people scattering out of his way as if he was already a king. I walked in the direction my father had gone, unsure of where he had gone. The crowd shifted around me; uneasy tension hung in the air like a fog that refused to part.
The rebels and Elven guards eyed each other warily, their faces filled with distrust. I kept my gaze forward as I moved through them as quickly as possible, trying not to draw attention to myself. Everywhere there were whispers of my name, rumors that were silenced as I passed.
The guards wore looks of grim determination while the people who had just been attacking their walls sauntered past the gates. They clearly didn’t know which way their loyalties should lie now that Theron had forsaken the empire. It was only a matter of time before someone cracked.
The moment I stepped beyond the opulent heart of the city, the air shifted. While the noble section held the heavy scent of perfumes, oils, and incense, the slave quarters bore the raw fragrance of earth and pain. Each step took me deeper into a past I never truly left behind. The transition was stark; from the careful masonry and shaded alleys of the noble district to the weathered, sunbaked stones of the slave quarter.
The ground was uneven beneath my boots, sand from the desert finding its way into every crevice. I glanced upwards; the moons casting long shadows that played tricks on the eyes.
The houses here were different, built low to stay cool, with narrow windows to keep out the relentless sand and sun. Even though I had left this place, its memories were etched into every line on my palm, every scar on my skin.
It took only a few minutes to reach the old barracks. The building was austere--utilitarian. I remembered the days of heat radiating off its walls and the nights of whispering dreams with Gavril under its roof.
Pushing through the wooden door, I found my brother first. He stood with his back to me, shoulders tense, staring into the darkness. My steps slowed as I followed his gaze to the room our father had built after he’d taken me in. The addition was small, but it had meant everything to me. A mark of Haemir’s love and hope, a promise of a life that was more than just survival.
Dim light filtered through the linen drapes, barely illuminating Haemir sitting on his old bed. He hunched over, his powerful form dwarfed by the weight of his thoughts. The lines on his face seemed deeper, sadder than even when he’d told me about the loss of his mate and triad.
“He hasn’t spoken since he came here,” Gavril murmured. “I tried talking to him, but he’s...” He shrugged.
“Let’s go in together,” I whispered, even though I was sure Haemir could hear everything.
The dim light inside the makeshift room drew shadows across Haemir’s face, making him seem older, wearier. I hesitated for a split second, the silence between us thickening like the dust outside. Taking a deep breath, I approached, treading over old wooden floorboards that creaked beneath my steps.
“Dad,” I began, my voice betraying the emotions I was struggling to contain. “Are you alright? Gavril and I are worried about you.”
