Page 126 of The Crimson Walls Of Algorath

He doubted it. Veron likely guessed Madan would be in league with the dhemons after his grandfather’s dealings with the Crowe and Azriel’s exposed lineage, but there would be no way for him to know about Brutis and the other dragons. And they were all about to stretch their wings into battle—something they hadn’t done for years.

“I hope you’re all ready.” Madan fisted the rewritten message and volleyed it into the fire, where it browned and curled into ash.

Brutis stretched his consciousness like a cat. “Whatever for?”

Inking his pen again, Madan slid another paper in front of himself, scrawling Lord Knoll’s name at the top. “A rescue mission across Eastwood.”

The evening following their attempt to relocate to the Waer Province, Emillie and Alek were given permission—as though they were children in need of correction—to visit her father’s estate. Though Emillie wished for Kyra to join them, Alek patiently reminded them of their need for discretion. If they were seen in every setting together, the gossips of the Society would begin to whisper. Whether it was about her and Kyra or that they believed she did not want to be alone with Alek, it did not matter. To make their marriage appear presentable to other Caersans, they had to continue their ruse indefinitely.

So she kissed Kyra goodbye in the privacy of her—their?—suite before meeting Alek in the foyer. She took his hand in silence, and they set out together. Though they may not be compatible when it came to their physical relations, Emillie could not deny how well they had worked together thus far. Mere nights into their marriage, perhaps, but weeks into conspiring against the Society’s expectations of them.

Inside the carriage, Emillie leaned back in the seat to study Alek’s neutral face for a long minute. The sharp angles of his high cheekbones cast weary shadows beneath them, and when he looked at her, his black eyes were filled with more uncertainty than she had ever seen before. The sight of him was disconcerting.

“Loren took control of Valenul,” he said before she could ask, for what felt like the thousandth time, what had happened to force their change of plans. “No one in the Society moves to or from their current city without permission from the army.”

Emillie went still. The words clanged around in her mind, their meanings not registering at first. As they settled into place, abject horror filled her chest. She bit back the first words that came to mind and said instead, “How?”

He shook his head and turned his glare out the window as he had done the night before. “That is what I want to find out. He must not be concerned about your father or me getting in his way if he is allowing us to meet so soon after this decree.”

“He is not the Princeps,” she said in a hushed voice. “He cannot make these decisions.”

Alek did not respond for a long moment. He looked at his hands in his lap, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “There is a law that allows it.”

He pulled a letter from his pocket and unfolded it. The creases were soft from being folded and refolded so many times. When Emillie took it from his outstretched hand, however, she realized it had only been him reading it over and over again, for it was dated a mere week ago.

And just like Alek, Emillie read it. Looked out the window to digest what she had consumed, then read it again. She slowly looked at him. “Everyone will believe we knew about him the entire time. No one will believe us after this.”

Leaning forward, Alek pried the letter from her shaking fingers and took her hand in his. He squeezed it tight, his depthless eyes never leaving hers as he said, “Your father and I will fix this. There are too many strikes against Loren.”

“Did everyone in the Society get that letter?”

“No.” Alek abandoned the thing on the seat next to him. “The entire Council did, but I would not have even gotten a copy so soon if not for a friend under Loren’s command.”

Emillie frowned. “A friend?”

“A lowly grunt,” Alek said with a shake of his head, “who was in charge of delivering the message to the Princeps after he escorted Azriel to Algorath. He worked in my household in Waer before joining the military.”

“Why did he join?”

“To provide for his family.” He grimaced. “He had signed the papers before speaking to me, so I could not offer him a higher wage to stay. I have been looking after his wife and child since he went to the Hub. It seems it worked out in my favor.”

She scoffed, trying so desperately to distract herself from the growing nausea. “You would think he would send a letter to each Lord Governor as a courtesy.”

“He did.” Alek rolled his eyes, still holding firm to her hand. “It is likely sitting on my desk in Armington after being read aloud to the capital.”

Fantastic. So no matter where they went, they would be seen as traitors to Valenul due to their relationship with Azriel. What would they say, then, about Ariadne? Emillie could not stomach thinking about it. Her sister had already gone through too much. More rumors would only drive her farther away from Valenul.

As if Emillie would want her to return in its current state.

“What will this visit with my father accomplish?” Emillie did not want to see him so soon after the wedding, but for all intents and purposes, they needed to make it appear as though they were one happy family. One solid front, ready to conquer whatever came their way. The Society was nothing if not brutal to those who ostracized themselves.

Alek sighed. “My plan is to help him reverse whatever madness Loren has begun.”

“To rewrite the law.” Emillie bit her lip. “The entire Council is needed for such things. He will not consider it legal otherwise.”

“The only Lord Governor not in Laeton is Madan.”

Emillie’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of her half-brother. He was likely faring along the same as them. “Is that enough?”

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