Page 146 of The Crimson Walls Of Algorath

Whelan cocked a brow. “We aren’t mindless savages, my Lord.”

“Very well then.” The Lord nodded and continued down the hall. He didn’t so much as look back as he asked, “With whom will I be flying on these…dragons?”

“Lucky me,” Whelan grumbled to Madan before starting off behind Veron. “You will join me.”

Madan followed, picking his way through the vinculum with Brutis, connected to Oria, in order to speak to Whelan mind-to-mind. “Be nice. Take him to Auhla with Grandmother.”

“Yes, dhomin.” Whelan tossed a sly grin over his shoulder, then disappeared down the stairs with the still-grumbling Veron.

As they disappeared, Madan made his way back into the library. The war was growing messier, and they needed all the knowledge they could get their hands on. He grabbed books from the shelves—everything he could find, from nonfiction titles such as The History of Caersans to those believed to be myths along the lines of The Garnet Tomb of Anwenja and Other Lost Fables. To build a battle plan against someone as indoctrinated as Loren Gard, he’d need to know everything he couldn’t learn while growing up amongst the dhemons.

He shoved the books into a satchel dug out from a servant’s supply closet and left the Knoll Estate on Brutis, Cinisja holding onto him in the same way as they arrived. As Oria, Whelan, and Lord Knoll flew east, they moved north with the others to collect Lord Oren Theobald.

Emillie settled into the carriage, ready to leave with Alek and Kyra early the following evening for Waer Province. Out of earshot, Alek spoke to the crimson-clad soldier leading their company as Kyra descended the front steps and stopped at the open door. Emillie shifted over to give her room, as she had the last time they had tried to leave. There was something about Loren’s sudden change of heart that unnerved her, but the chance to get away from Laeton and all it represented stayed her tongue.

Kyra, however, did not climb into the carriage. Her russet eyes shimmered, and she twisted her fingers together. “I’m not coming.”

Something hot and heavy pressed on Emillie’s chest at the words. At the way Kyra would not make eye contact with her. She swallowed back the sudden panic. Certainly, she had misheard. “What?”

“I’m staying in Laeton.” Kyra blinked hard, her words rasping. “I can’t go with you to Waer.”

“Why?” Emillie stared at her. The distance between them over the past few nights slammed into focus. She had been so lost, but it was Kyra’s presence that kept her from shattering completely. “Did someone say something?”

She turned her attention to Alek. He had done something to cause this. They had to have spoken, and he convinced Kyra to stay. To keep them apart. Why? Out of jealousy?

But Kyra sniffled as she said, “No. I made this decision myself. I can’t go with you. I thought I could do this. I thought I could be your secret, but I can’t. Not when I can never truly be with you.”

This was not happening. It could not be. Not after everything…

“Kyra,” Emillie breathed and shifted to step down from the carriage again, “I will not leave you behind. I…I love you.”

The beautiful Rusan woman shook her head, a tear slipping down her cheek, and held her hand up, barring Emillie’s exit. “You can’t love me. Not really. Not when I’m forced to stay in the shadows. I deserve more than that, and so do you.”

“But I—”

“I’ve made up my mind.” Kyra’s voice grew stronger. She wiped the tears from her face and stood straighter, her jaw set with determination. When she looked up at her next, nothing but hard resolve shone from those perfect eyes. “I’ll stay on staff here in Laeton if the Lord Governor allows. I’ll be happy to attend to you during your visits. As your maid. That’s all I am. All I ever will be.”

Emillie’s stomach roiled. She had never seen Kyra as her servant. Never seen her as anything less than the woman who held her heart so tenderly. “You are so much more than that…”

Kyra stepped back. She gave her one last, sad smile. “I will miss you, my Lady. Be well. Safe travels.”

With that, Kyra turned and started back up the stairs. Her red curls bounced with each step. Emillie watched her go, heart cracking into a hundred pieces as the woman she had come to love so much walked away. The gasp of pain, louder than she expected, cut short as she covered her own mouth with a shaking hand and sank back in the carriage seat, where she closed her eyes.

“Em?” Alek’s voice came from where Kyra had stood heartbeats before. “Emillie. What has happened?”

Shaking her head, she said nothing as the carriage shifted from the weight of her husband climbing into the seat beside her. The seat meant for Kyra. It could not have been him. He would not have done this to her. Not right after losing her father.

“Where is Kyra?” Alek prodded, a hand on her knee. Its weight, at once comforting and startling, only made things worse. It should have been Kyra’s hand.

Emillie lowered her hand slowly and opened her eyes to stare blearily at the carriage ceiling. Hot tears rolled from them. She grappled for the right words before settling on the truth: “She is not coming. Ever.”

“Why…” The question trailed away. A beat of silence followed as the understanding hit him. Alek snapped the door closed, then wrapped his arms around Emillie. He hauled her close to him and held her tight. “I…am so sorry, Emillie.”

The carriage jolted forward at the same moment she broke. The words washed over her, and she buried her face into Alek’s chest to cry. He held her there in silence as they trundled down the drive away from the Nightingale manor for the second time. Heartbroken exhaustion settled in Emillie’s bones.

“I am with you,” Alek said and tugged the curtains closed. “We will reach Waer Province tomorrow, and you will be safe. We will be safe.”

When at last Emillie ran out of tears to shed, she let her eyes drift shut in the shelter of her husband’s arms. Rest would help. It always helped. With a clear mind, she could approach a new night stronger than before.

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