Page 91 of Heirs of the Cursed

Harg let out a heavy sigh. In the depths of his hazel gaze, she recognized the weariness that weighed on him. She’d grown used to the scars marking his face and his gentle expression. Still, this shadow was new.

Pain, perhaps?

“We have declared Dawnfall a clean city,” he explained to her. “The king has commanded us to return to Camdenn to prepare our troops and expand the search into Avaglade and the Desertic Lands. From there, we will close in until the princesses have nowhere left to escape and capture them.”

“So, you’re leaving. . .”

“In two days, at first light,” Harg said and shrugged. “Go ahead, you can be glad to get rid of me.”

Darcia opened her mouth to protest, but gave him a gentle nudge with her shoulder, making him laugh—a warm, friendly laugh that made her smile too.

“It’s not that. Things would have been different if we’d met under other circumstances.”

If the world weren’t crumbling, if it hadn’t been such a dark mission that had brought the general to Dawnfall, Darcia couldimagine a life in which they would have been good friends. A life in which Bassel, Sadira, and Caeli would also have accepted him and perhaps softened his heart.

The Chaser wouldn’t have been a monster.

He would have been just Harg.

Yet the man in front of her had no free will, not really. He followed the orders of a king who cared little for his kingdom, and that would always get in the way.

“I guess this is goodbye,” Darcia decreed, with a strange ache in her stomach.

“It doesn’t have to be.”

“Unless you’re planning a vacation here, I can’t think of any other way we’ll meet again,” she said, her confusion evident.

“You could come with me,” he muttered.

The world came to a screeching halt.

“What?”

Harg looked into her eyes with a serene expression. “Come with me to Camdenn.”

“You must be joking,” she scoffed.

“Why? It’s a nice place to live. I could find you and your girlfriend a home, decent jobs, and even help your friends join you in the capital. . . Your father could teach at the Royal Academy. It’s brimming with libraries and knowledge few have access to. I’m sure the king would be delighted to meet him.”

“I’m just a circus performer, Harg. Camdenn is no place for me.”

“But it’s an opportunity for change.”

Darcia was instantly overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness. The world was laughing at her, there was no doubt about it. Opportunities, ways to escape . . . Everything was colliding inside her like a swarm of angry wasps. Suddenly, she became short of breath.

“I . . . I don’t think that . . .” she stammered.

“You don’t have to give me an answer now. We’re leaving in a couple of days. I can wait. But, if you accept my offer, I don’t want you to worry about Conrad. I’ll personally see to it that he doesn’t intervene in your choices regarding your future.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and the pain that had once twisted in her stomach now tightened into a lump in her throat. Was this really happening? She couldn’t believe it—if it was true, it would mean that, after all this time, the goddesses had finally heard her prayers. That her suffering hadn’t been in vain.

Darcia’s hand instinctively moved to the moon pendant hanging between her breasts, seeking comfort from the gem that had chased away the demons and nightmares tormenting her each night.

“I’ll think about it,” she promised.

Harg Koller frowned as he noticed the jewel.

“I’ve never taken a good look at your necklace before. It’s magnificent.”

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