Page 32 of A Wrecking of Salt and Fire

When they finally reached the courtyard, Kohl was panting and out of breath. He was hungover before, yesterday even, but nothing like this. Nothing that made him feel like he was in a trance. An out of body experience where he did not have full control of his limbs and how he moved.

Ember walked right up to Ajax, who was busy stuffing his face with all sorts of sweets. He looked like a bumbling idiot trying to talk to her. Kohl actually liked the commander. He thought Ajax was a strong and fair man, although he did not particularly like his choice of favorite activities for when he was not training.

He still did not understand why Ember was so frantic. She seemed on edge even before they mentioned Katrin. Then Kohl’s mind went silent as she spoke the words.

“It’s Katrin. She’s gone.”

“What do you mean she’s gone?” he growled.

Ember whipped toward him. “I didn’t realize you were following me.” Her voice was shaky.

“I repeat, what do you mean she’s gone?” Some kind of violence flashed through his eyes as Ajax took a step between him and Katrin’s sister.

“Kohl, let her speak. You are not the only one here who cares about her.” Ajax gripped his shoulder half to calm, and half to show he would take action if Kohl laid a hand on the younger princess.

Ajax turned back toward Ember.

“Start from the beginning. From before we ran into each other.”

Ember nodded her head.

“When I woke up this morning—I don’t know—I had this feeling like something was wrong. Almost an urge to go see Katrin. Ajax canceled our training this morning because of the banquet, but I wanted to see if maybe she wanted to go on a short run. You know how those help her, and she has just been so out of place recently.”

Kohl’s jaw tightened as he listened to Ember’s words.

“Well maybe if someone told me what was going on earlier I could have helped her.” Kohl began to raise his voice again and Ajax gave him a silencing look. “Sorry—continue, Ember.”

“I ran into Ajax outside her room and we went in to see if she was there and when she wasn’t we thought maybe she spent the night with you after everything that happened yesterday. We thought—I thought—I would just see her at breakfast. Then I ran into you and you said you haven’t seen her since last night, and her bed was not slept in. There’s no other explanation. We knew there was a threat—you knew there was a threat, and none of us protected her!” Tears began to stream down her face.

“There’s another explanation,” Kohl said, his voice a frightening calm.

If what he thought was true it would devastate him, but Katrin was acting differently. She was speaking out against him more. Fighting back opinions to his father. She had not trusted him with her darkest secrets, something she always did for as long as he knew her.

He looked past it yesterday. The pirate’s mark, the strange tunic. Kohl pinched the bridge of his nose. This gods-damned hangover needs to go away. His mind was too foggy to process what he saw, what he heard. Put the pieces of the puzzle together. Make sense of the words that trailed from his mouth.

“What do you mean by another explanation?” Ajax asked.

“There’s something I need to do.” Kohl made to leave, but Ajax grabbed his arm.

“Kohl, if there is something you know, you must tell me. I am Commander of the Spartanis and where the Drakos family is concerned I need all the facts before I get the other soldiers involved.”

“And as Katrin’s future consort, I have the right to refuse you.” The world was spinning around him and the future was cracking bit by bit. Pressure from his father, Katrin keeping secrets, the impending Acknowledgement that might not happen.

This was between Kohl, and Katrin, and the owner of that blue tunic.

“Keep this quiet until I return. Not even my father or the queen can know. Not yet.”

Ajax nodded.

“Please, Kohl. Tell me where she could be,” Ember begged.

“Don’t worry, Ember. It’s not like last time. It can’t be like last time. I’ll be back by mid-day, until then I am going to need you both to stall. Ember—explain to the guests that Katrin is feeling unwell this morning and wants to rest before the Acknowledgement. Tell them she has granted you permission to receive the gifts and honor the gods. Ajax, I insist you get me the fastest horse in the stables. We will meet back in my chambers when the sun reaches its highest. Hopefully I will know more then.”

“Alright, Kohl, follow me to the stables. I will have them prepare Arion. He is our most prized horse, a favorite of King Aidon.”

Kohl watched as Ajax turned back to the princess, his eyes softening as he looked deeply into hers, cupping both her cheeks in his hands.

“We will find her, Ember, I promise.”

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