Page 50 of Immortal Sentry

“Kene is actually Lady Kennestone, Miisov’s daughter. She runs an estate all on her own and never married. She was in love with Dafron.”

Kerric wouldn’t let on he already knew. “I remember the mage’s daughter being friends with the royal children, but as a guard, I didn’t know intimate details.” That all sounded so much like the Elzabai Kerric remembered. To think she’d become the fierce Lord Night. And in the end, she tried to save her love but saved his brother instead.

Eron lowered his gaze, staring at the ground. “I’m told she had a fight with her father, and as it was understood that a prince couldn’t marry her, she left for her mother’s estate in Dillane. Couldn't they have considered her for Dafron, being a baroness's daughter?”

Kerric shook his head. “Not a foreign baroness’s daughter, I’m afraid. And there would still be a scandal that her father was an untitled mage.”

“Women can rule in Dillane. Can own businesses. I found it shocking Hisar doesn’t allow them a place in their own right. My memories are still cloudy, but I think my great-grandmother on my mother’s side ruled independently and led troops into battle. Several other women in my family were warriors, too.”

“So, you were raised in a noble household, after all.” Did Elzabai still practice magic, or had she denounced her mage heritage as she’d always threatened to?

“I was. But possibly because of her banishment and separation from Dafron and her hatred of those like Bain who abused their power, Kene continued the legend of Lord Night. She longed to make the nobility pay.”

Many carriages arrived at the castle far lighter than when their nobles left home. “She must be quite wealthy.”

“She is, but not from her stealing. King Bain overtaxes his subjects, leaving them little to survive on. What we steal goes to farmers and villagers, though few know Lord Night’s true identity. Although she’s from Dillane, she worries about the people of Hisar, having spent much of her childhood here.”

“You would have inherited from her?”

Eron nodded. “That was her plan. Though she saved me for my brother’s sake, we came to see each other as mother and son. Then Miisov visited in the night and ordered her to bring me here. I didn’t know until then about her connection to Dafron. I’m sure I have memories of them together, but my past is coming back slowly. Too slowly.”

“Miisov intends to break the curse and put a worthy king on the throne.” Kerric had long lived for the moment Bain received his comeuppance. Crau too.

“I don’t know how worthy I might be. So many people are putting their faith in me, hoping I’ll take power and be a better king than Bain—which wouldn’t be hard to do, from what I’ve heard. But I don’t want to rule Hisar. I’d rather inherit Kene’s modest estate and live my life unrestricted. A king has too many duties, must watch himself at all times, and weigh every decision on how it will affect him politically. No, thank you.”

“I’d never really considered what it must be like for a prince or a king. Commoners romanticize those roles and believe a king is wealthy with no problems. As I grew older, I realized they still had problems, just different ones.”

“Have you ever wanted to be more than a soldier or guard?” Eron asked.

Had Kerric ever had aspirations for more? “Actually, I don’t believe so. I loved my father dearly, thought he could do no wrong, and wanted to be just like him. I wish he were still here, but on the other hand, I’d hate for him to see me cursed for failing my duty.”

“You didn’t fail your duty. Though I may not know you well, I believe I know you well enough to say with confidence that you’d fight with your final breath for what is right.”

Eron’s words made Kerric sit straighter. He’d thought of himself as a failure for so long that praise came as a balm forthe soul, especially praise from Eron. “Maybe. But I still think I should have seen Crau’s duplicity.”

“Why should you have when even my father and brother did not?”

Good point, and something Kerric never considered before. “But I swore to protect them.”

Eron took Kerric’s hands between his own. “And you did. You didn’t fail. Don’t take Crau’s sins onto yourself. While I do not want this role, to set you and your men free from the curse, I will be glad to do so if you’ll be there every step of the way.”

“I will fight for you, Your Highness, with every fiber of my being, even knowing I’ll never be able to kiss you again.”

Eron regarded Kerric with a wrinkled brow. “Why not?”

“Because you’ll be king, and I’ll be a guard. It’s the situation with Lady Kennestone and Prince Dafron all over again.”

“I won’t let that happen.” Eron closed the distance for another kiss.

Kerric vanished into the dawn.

Chapter Nineteen

Eron sat by his window, wondering about how many times he’d done so in the past that he simply didn’t recall. An image came to mind of a soldier knocking a woman to the ground, but it vanished before he could bring the memory into sharper focus.

Now wasn’t the time for reliving the past. Instead, he dwelled on the sweet memories of Kerric and a perfect night together, except for Kerric disappearing at the first rays of dawn. The touch of him, the taste of him. Eron couldn’t get enough. Well, actually, the night could’ve been more perfect—if he’d spent at least part of the night in his bed and woken up with Kerric in his arms.

But… he’d never wanted that before, with anyone. The rare times he’d woken with a lover usually proved awkward. Yet, he wanted that with Kerric. The most surprising part? The thought didn’t scare him as it normally would, Eron somehow equating waking up together as the first step in permanence.

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