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I buried my face in his chest and wished I felt more comforted.
ChapterTwenty-One
Even with the captain’s help, it took time to sort out the chaos at the law keepers’ hall. And, like on the island, I once again had to go through every single person connected to the hall to purge any mesmerizations Grey had left behind.
The captain agreed to take temporary charge of the hall until the capital could appoint a new head, and I suspected the king would be sending a whole team to straighten out the messy situation.
“Don’t worry,” Gia said when she caught me looking concerned. “It sounds like Grey stayed almost exclusively inside the hall. I guess he was worried about being identified if he ventured out into the city. So we only need to track those who came into the hall. And there’s no need for you to stay here after you’ve freed the initial group. We can reassure the Eldridans that you’re willing to travel back if they find more people in need of your assistance.”
“Are we leaving soon?” I asked, and she nodded eagerly.
“We need to get to the capital as soon as possible to give them a comprehensive report. The unrest in Eldrida is advanced enough that they need to pay serious attention to the city.”
“Attention?” I asked tentatively.
“Not like that!” She looked amused. “The last thing Father will want is to sow more unrest. He’ll be looking to reassure the easterners that the rest of the kingdom values them. You can expect lots of resources to be sent east in the near future.”
While I was relieved at her words, I didn’t know how to tell her that my concern hadn’t been over the possibility of needing to stay in Eldrida. It was going to the capital that worried me. My old prejudices against both the capital and the Guild were long gone, but the reality was far scarier.
“My parents must be very eager to meet you.” Gia’s eyes shone as she beamed at me.
Little did she know she had just made my fear worse.
“Do…do you think so?” I asked, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt.
“Of course! You’re a valuable asset to the kingdom, you know! As the only person who can free people from Grey’s mesmerizations, you’ve done Tartora a great service. Even though all the mesmerizers are now dead, there’s still people left who’ve been mesmerized.”
I stared at her, my mind skimming through our past conversations. It didn’t take long to realize that no one had ever told Gia about Grey teaching me to mesmerize. She—and probably the rest of Tartora as well—thought the skill was gone. What would the king and queen think when they learned the truth?
“Plus, of course, they’re parents too, not just king and queen.” Gia gave me a sly look. “And you’re the girl who brought their missing son back to them—the girl he loves. Of course, they’ll want to meet you as soon as possible!”
A sick feeling started in my stomach. Gia seemed to have a very rosy view of a situation that was far from simple. Nik might have agreed to accompany us to the capital, but that didn’t mean he was back to stay. He was still a reneger.
He clearly didn’t feel Gia’s optimism about his return given his avoidance of the topic. Even when we tried to discuss plans for the journey itself, he found a reason to excuse himself. I began to grow worried, finally catching him alone when I visited Acorn’s stall and discovered him already there.
“You’re not planning on backing out, are you?” I asked. “You did promise you’d come.”
“And I’ll keep my promise, of course,” he said.
“Are you worried about seeing your parents again?” I asked softly.
He leaned one shoulder against the edge of the stall, looking down at his feet.
“So much has happened since the last time I saw them.” He sighed. “When I left the capital, it was in a fit of anger. Part of me never wanted to see any of them again, and the other part thought I would prove them all wrong and return home in a blaze of glory. I dreamed of having my place reinstated and to hear everyone acknowledge they were wrong about me.”
He shook his head. “I thought myself all grown up, but it was a childish fantasy. I can see that now.”
I placed a hand on his arm. “You wanted them to change, but you were the one whose attitude changed instead. Of course there’s some awkwardness. There’s no shame in it, though. You were a child back then—legally speaking at least—and now you’re grown up. Surely growth is natural.”
He looked up and smiled at me. “You make it sound so normal and straightforward.”
“Not quite that, perhaps.” I tipped my head to the side, examining his face. “Acknowledging you were in the wrong doesn’t mean saying they were entirely in the right, either. It just means maturing enough to recognize there were two sides to the situation. I think your parents will be proud of the man you’ve become. And even if it isn’t the blaze of glory you dreamed of, you have done a great service to the kingdom.”
He pulled me against him, resting his chin lightly on the top of my head. “Except you were the one who did it all, Delphine.”
I laughed awkwardly, wondering if he’d picked up on my own nerves about going to the capital.
“I couldn’t have done any of it without you,” I said. “I wouldn’t have survived long enough!”
