Page 15 of Crownless King

“You can look, but you can’t touch or read it. No one can. The wards are impenetrable and hurt if you try to touch the book.” He winced. “That’s why it’s stored out of sight.”

I would love to take a look at the relic, even if from a distance. But Voron held my hand in his, his head was in my lap, we were having a conversation, he was finally opening up to me. There was nothing in this world that would make me move or leave him right now.

“What happened to you after your mother was taken?” I asked instead. “Who took care of you?”

He huffed a laugh without any mirth. “Magnus did. And a few soft-hearted gargoyles who shared my deficiency and couldn’t fly.”

“Gargoyles?”

“Mhmm. From the Dakath Kingdom in the Below,” he explained. “King Herane, King Tiane’s father, ruled that I didn’t belong to Sky Kingdom. That since I was supposed to fall to the Below at birth, I should be there. Tossing me off the banks of the Cloud River at that point would’ve been a murder, according to both the law and tradition. So, he ordered the guards to fly me down and leave me in the Dakath Mountains.”

“Alone? At ten years of age?” I gasped in horror.

He squeezed my hand gently.

“Not all was bad there. I met Magnus. He’d bring me acorns and buttons, but also an occasional coin sometimes. All he ever asked for in return was a pat on the head or a rub on the side of his neck. He loves that. Then, a group of wingless gargoyles found me. I grew up among them, viewing them as strong and capable. As part of their group, I also never thought the lack of wings was an impediment. It was only when we happened to go to the market for supplies or to a tavern for a drink when I learned what other people thought of us. Without wings, I was ‘less than’ either down in the Below or up here in Sky Kingdom.” His grip on my hand tightened. “At some point, I decided if I were supposed to be an outcast all my life, I might as well be an outcast in the place where I came from. So, I returned here.”

“How did you get back?”

His chest vibrated with an unexpected chuckle. “I traded a favor with the King of Dakath, and he personally flew me up to Sky Kingdom one fine afternoon.”

“The king did that?”

That was so like Voron, though. He’d been kicked out of the kingdom and left to die. But he rose, higher than ever, and even got a royal escort to boot.

“He did.” He smiled at the memory, but his smile didn’t last long. “I had nothing when I got back here. No money, no power, no friends, not even a single person who cared to remember me. No one was waiting for me. But I had to start somewhere.”

“What did you do?”

“A war was going on. King Herane was dead already. His son took the throne. But his cousin contested the succession with some powerful allies on his side. King Tiane needed highborn to fight for him. I joined his army as a foot soldier, literally, since all I could do was march on foot while the rest of them flew. I was put in charge of transporting supplies from camp to camp. It became clear early on, that was all they ever wanted me to do. I saw no advancement, no opportunities to ever move anywhere higher than where they wanted me to be—on the ground.”

“How did you make it to the rank of the High General, then?”

He raised an eyebrow, flicking a sly glance my way.

“Not having wings actually helped me with that. Once, when left behind, I ran into a group of lords from the enemy side and overheard them talk about capturing King Tiane.”

“Oh, did you warn the king to earn his favor?”

“No.” His smile turned wicked. “I took Alcon and three other trusted men, and we waited near the area where they planned to kidnap the king. Then, we fought off the attack when it happened. The king never learned it was just a kidnapping plot. I convinced him it was an assassination attempt.”

“Why?”

“Because being saved from what he thought was an imminent death left a far more lasting impression on the king than escaping a kidnapping would have. As soon as he recovered from terror, he offered me anything I desired.”

“And you asked for the position of the High General?”

“No,” he chuckled. “I highly doubt the king would’ve given it to me at that point, not without a strong opposition from everyone in his army. But I also didn’t just need the position. I needed to become indispensable, irreplaceable, someone who was powerful regardless of the position he held.”

“What did you ask him for, then?”

“A year of opportunities. I asked the king to give me a year with no obstacles, with no one holding me back. For twelve months, I was allowed to be a part of every military campaign. I participated in strategy meetings. I planned the logistics, not just moved the supply wagons around. I had a high platform constructed specifically for me, from where I could observe the battle being on the same level as the commanders who had wings. Within that year, I moved up two ranks.”

“Just two?” I teased.

He laced his fingers with mine on his chest. “Just two, little bird. But within the next decade, I made it to the High General. By then, I had earned it, with a proven record of winning battles, making smart decisions, and commanding the respect of men and women in the army.”

“That’s why all those High Lords want you on their side now, even without you having any rank or titles.”

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