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“More water, please,” she begged, her voice barely audible.
Again, I conjured a droplet, followed by another and another, until she had consumed enough to chase away the worst of her thirst. Her eyelids drooped, and despite the horrendous surroundings, she fell into an uneasy slumber.
“Sleep now,” I whispered from the shadows, my voice barely a breath on the wind. “I will keep watch.”
But then the rats came. They scuttled across the cold floor, their beady eyes gleaming. They bit at her exposed skin until she jerked awake. She was too weak to fight them off, batting at their bodies with trembling hands.
“Leave her alone,” I snarled, abandoning my discretion.
Water swirled before me like a living thing, coiling around the rats and dragging them away from her. As they struggled against the watery prison, their tiny lungs filled, and one by one, they succumbed to their fate.
For a moment, silence reigned. The girl, her eyes wide, stared at the drowned vermin, then shivered and scooted back, pressing herself against the stone wall.
I watched her retreat, my heart thumping in my chest. I had acted on impulse, using my magic where I should not have. But seeing her in danger, no matter how minor, had overridden my caution. Thanks to the king’s spell, the need to protect her was becoming more potent, harder to suppress.
“Thank you,” she whispered finally.
“Rest,” came my soft reply. “You are not alone.”
She likely would not remember in the morning. As the hours slipped away, I found myself lost in contemplation. I was a guardian, charged with protecting the kingslayer, yet never show myself.
But what if she needed more than a hidden observer, more than a silent protector? The very thought was treasonous, a violation of my orders. And yet, once my mind had started down this road, it wouldn’t stop.
The old king was dead. His geasforced me to protect his heir, the girl who had killed him to ascend to power before her time. Rhys’s death did not dissolve the pact.
And so I watched, my gaze never leaving her. I watched, my duty clear, my resolve unyielding. For I was Dyfroedd, bound to the dead king’s command by magic. But above all, I was the future king of the Morwynion. And I would not rest until the kingslayer paid for her deed the proper way.
Chapter three
BLEDDYN
Thefadingsun,droppingprematurely below the horizon, cast an eerie orange glow over Emlyn, the white city. Morosely, I stared at the unusual spectacle from the roof’s balcony.
An unnatural dusk draped across the Fae realm of Gwerin. Large trees stood against the sunset, their shining blossoms dimming early. Usually, the shimmering surfaces of the pools and lakes in the royal gardens reflected the trees’ glow. Now their twisted silhouettes cast long, foreboding shadows across the landscape.
A gust of wind rustled across the land. The melody of the silver tree leaves rang hushed. It was as if the realm itself was holding its breath, an air of tension and anxiety seeping into every creature, every flower petal, every blade of grass.
I closed my eyes, focusing my energy to connect with the ancient protections of the realm. But I was not a mage like the ancient ones who had placed the fake sun in the sky, a faint simulacrum of the true sun of the human world.
I was a warrior, a protector of the realm, the king’s enforcer. To protect my liege lord, I was stealthy as a snake, eliminating enemies of the crown. Magic at this level was beyond my skill.
Sighing deeply, I tried nonetheless, refocusing my energy, probing for anomalies, anything that might cause the sun spell to falter.
My magic pulsed in response, reflecting only my uncertainty. The cool energy flowed from my mind into the vast expanse, grappling with the encroaching darkness. It was too early, the day not done yet, but my attempts were like trying to push back an incoming tide. Utterly futile.
As the last of the sunlight painted the horizon, a bitter chill descended upon Gwerin. The usually vibrant wildflowers wilted, their petals drooping. The absence of the larkspurs’ song, their cheerful chorus replaced with heavy silence, only amplified my unease.
The realm plunged into an eerie darkness. I gripped the parapet tightly, making a silent vow. I would find out what was happening to the sun, weak as it was after the Fae separated from the human realm more than four hundred years ago.
It was time to get back to my research. I stomped downstairs, the frustration building until my shoulders were so tight they threatened to break my tunic’s seams.
All day, I had struggled with myself. I had beaten two skilled soldiers into submission at the training grounds. After that, I had hacked a wooden post to shreds with my sword.
Breathing heavily, sweat covering my naked torso, the exertion had finally shut down my frantic thoughts. But not for long.
The image of Beth with King Rhys’s blood on her hands burned in my mind. Her eyes brimming with tears as Prys announced her confinement until her execution—
I took a deep breath, fighting for composure.
