Page 84 of Stars May Burn

I opened my mouth to object, but the king held up a hand to silence me. “Yes, yes, I know your wife has inheritance rights and she would be in charge of the troops of Kasomere.”

I frowned, unsettled that the king had clearly looked into that matter and read reports on my will.

“But Stirling would be in charge of our armies as a whole. I hope you will pass on as much knowledge as you can to him when we have our meetings. I would hate for it to be lost with you…should the worst happen.”

I shifted. Would the fighting ever end? Would my death stop anything?

The king returned his attention to the documents, leaving me to wait pointlessly to be dismissed. My gaze turned to the medals hanging from his jacket, but they made my anger simmer too close to the surface, so I looked back at the king’s desk. I’d always resigned myself to the reckless campaigns, seeing them as inevitable. But now, the desire to resist stirred within me. I wanted to fight back. I suspected it was Sophie’s doing. Our relationship was hard enough as it was, and these endless separations weren’t going to help. Though next time I was away, I would do more to defend her against her father and brother.

The king put down his pen and stood, his attention now on Annabelle. “Come now, my dear, today is all about you. Let’s find some pleasant conversation.”

I turned to her, curious. I hadn’t been aware that today had any particular focus. Was the king about to announce something about her marriage prospects since she was of age? Now that I looked carefully, I could see a nervousness in the movement of her hands as the king approached.

I looked away. It wasn’t any of my business.

The king didn’t dismiss me, he simply walked out with the princess on his arm. I stood rigidly in the room, waiting for my heartbeat to slow. My eyes swept over the king’s desk and landed on a small bronze instrument being used as a paperweight. I shifted my position and saw the edge of a hare embossed on the side.

My heart lurched and my eyes stayed focused on the kryalcomy device. Why did the king have one of Lord Lyrason’s illegal devices? Had somebody given it to him as evidence? Or did he know what Lord Lyrason was up to and was complicit in the scheme? Either way, it affected our plans. I had hoped that once we had enough evidence, we could appeal to the king and the Maegistrium to arrest Lord Lyrason. But if the king already had evidence from somebody else and had chosen to do nothing… This would make things much more complicated. And if Lord Lyrason somehow had the king in his pocket, how was there any chance for us to put an end to the awful practices that were taking place?

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to stop myself from overreacting. It could be a simple present from Lord Lyrason that the king viewed as little more than a toy. Or something that had been discovered, and the king had no idea what it was. He wouldn’t necessarily have the information to connect the hare to Lord Lyrason. Or maybe it was a spying device so Lord Lyrason could gain more information from the king’s meetings.

I didn’t know what it was, so I shouldn’t speculate too far. There was a big difference between having a small device and condoning the creation of halfsouls.

Could that be the source of the high-pitched whine?

My fingers itched to steal the instrument for Callum to study, but I knew that would be a very, very bad idea.

Another thought struck me. What if they were working together and this was why the king wanted to increase my time away from Kasomere, distracted by battle plans, recruitment, and the war? What if it was all to stop me from investigating Lord Lyrason?

I rubbed my temple. What was I doing? I had enough on my plate already. If I left Lord Lyrason alone, especially if there was any chance the king had sided with him, life would be so much easier for me. I could focus on Sophie and keeping my people safe and my role in the campaign. They were my responsibility, not Lord Lyrason’s illegal activity.

But my mind filled with images. The woman screaming as she died, strapped down to the bed. Countless other victims I’d found on the streets, infecting and destroying others. What would I be if I let that pass and did nothing?

But what would I be if I failed to keep my own people safe, my own wife, just because I was sticking my nose elsewhere? I thought of Sophie smiling as she danced. In that moment, my entire world had condensed to only her. I already hated how much danger I was placing her in.

I sighed and glanced at Prince Stirling who hadn’t moved. He leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets and one ankle crossed over the other.

Enough time had passed since the king left, and I walked to the door.

The prince’s deep voice cut through the air behind me. “Shouldn’t you bow and ask to be excused?”

I turned to him and raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry. I forgot you were even there.”

The prince’s pride made him bristle, and he pushed away from the wall to stand straight. I hid the small trickle of satisfaction at how easy it was to irritate him.

His expression darkened. “Bow, Kasten, and ask to be excused.”

I ground my teeth. I had followed the king’s suicidal orders, but that didn’t mean I was about to let Stirling believe I was a pushover or he would never stop tormenting me. I was his biggest threat to the crown, after all, being his elder brother.

I met his gaze and tilted my chin up ever so slightly. His eyes flared in annoyance. I strode to him with quick, deliberate steps until I loomed over him, close enough for my position to be a threat. Fear replaced the annoyance in his eyes. Neither of us were armed, but there was no doubt who would win in a fight, even without knowing about my devices.

Stirling leaned back and licked his lips. Just as he was about to crack, I bowed my head to him. “Excuse me, Your Highness.”

I didn’t wait for his reply but turned sharply on my heel and strode out of the room before he could think of any other way to assert himself. As the door clicked behind me, my chest loosened, and I could breathe again.

I closed my eyes. I hated it here, hated everything about this place. There hadn’t been a day of my life that I hadn’t wished I wasn’t related to these people.

Duke James’s words echoed in my mind. Lick the hand that strikes you, for whether you snap and bite or wag your tail and obediently go, the outcome will be the same. There’s no future for you, Kasten.

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