Page 23 of Blooms of Darkness

“Yes, sir,LittleSidekick.” Kade winked at me at the nickname he had given Ian.

Rolling my eyes, I signaled to my own companions. “Corbin, obtain the goods and hand them off to Kade and Storm. Gentlemen.” I faced the two of them. “Let's hope after your own drop, I never have to see your smug faces again.”

Chapter 6

Wrapping my arms around myself, I attempted to stave off the rising goose bumps on my flesh as I stared out of my open balcony doors.

The chill in the air wasn’t merely from the cool spring breeze, but from the thoughts consuming my mind. I searched the sky for Ian’s hawk form as I replayed the infuriating, obnoxious comments from Kade.

My emotions had been wavering since leaving Corbin, Leif, and Ian last night after they coordinated the return of the unused goods, and the empty carriage.

The way Kade spoke so callously of my father had completely gotten underneath my skin. Although I was furious at my father for withholding secrets about the kingdom, the likelihood of him ignoring the problem seemed unlikely.

I knew my father. He loved our people. He loved Brookmere. He’d never knowingly ignore such a terrible plight, but the way Kade spoke about him worried me. If Kade felt this way, were there others who felt similarly?

Were the people in the border towns feeling abandoned? I created the Hidden Henchman after overhearing reports of our people struggling for food and basic necessities in many of our towns. Crops were withering in places previously abundant for centuries. The thought had scared me into doing something. Not for myself or my father, but for my people. We lived in Ellevail, protected from the atrocities happening outside the city walls. The startling contrast of learning such horrifying reports of crops going bad, and unrest spreading, broke my heart. I wanted for nothing, and no one would miss those goods within the palace walls. But my people would benefit greatly. They deserved a life as beautiful as we had here in Ellevail.

The Hidden Henchman was only created to supplement the aid I thought my father already provided. What if I was wrong? What if the people’s unrest came from feeling abandoned completely by its Crown?

A short cry from a hawk sounded overhead. Ian’s call. His hawk form appeared in the sky, sweeping over the balcony, before he flew down beneath it.

Time to talk about what in the Fates actually happened at yesterday’s drop.

A short staircase led straight into the heart of my immaculate garden. While smaller than the grand gardens visitors frequented around our palace, mine was still exquisite. Small hedges of roses of all colors, clustered together between marble pillars, and white stone seats dotted the space. Butterflies and bumble bees buzzed about the other flowers, feeding on the bounty of nature's gifts.

The serene peace made it one of my favorite places to be. The sweet floral notes calmed the rising panic in my chest and imbued a strength, as if nature itself would always be there to rise within me. Even without magic.

I hurried down the stairs and toward the back of the garden where we normally met.

This place existed as a sanctuary for another reason as well—it provided a private space to discuss all things Hidden Henchman with Ian, Leif, and Corbin.

From behind a white marble pillar to my left, Ian appeared.

“Leif and Corbin are almost here,” he said.

“We are here,” Leif countered from behind us.

Pivoting, I observed Leif and Corbin enter from some of the more concealed brush.

I had to hand it to our little group —we had this system worked out well. The ease with which we’d fallen into our areas of expertise seemed as if Fate itself played a part in our schemes. We made a great team. Pride swelled within my chest at the trust built between us, the secrets we all held together.

Leif and Corbin may not know every part of me like Ian and Kalliah did, but over the course of the Hidden Henchman’s existence, I’d dropped more and more of the “princess” persona around them. Some days I could fully be myself. Almost.

“So,” I began. “Last night was?—”

Ian rubbed his temples.“Deadly? Horrific? A disaster?”

Corbin snorted.

“We survived, though.” Leif shrugged, flashing me a grin.

Corbin crossed his arms and leaned against one of the pillars. He ran a finger over his leather-bound arm. “Storm and Kade were…” He paused. “Helpful.”

“Helpful. It’s one way to describe it,” Leif added. “They are also powerful. Powerful in a way I haven’t felt before.”

Ian brushed a dirt-streaked hand through his blond hair. It always hung loosely in waves at his shoulders after shifting. “If Fae with that magnitude of power are seeking assistance, then who knows what is going on out there. It’s curious they’d need our help at all, quite frankly. If they can’t stop what’s happeningin their own village—” He didn’t finish his thought. “And that’s before we even discuss how it's possible they knew we were doing a drop or where we were last night.”

“They could have truly been following some of the dark ones like they said,” Leif offered, cracking his knuckles.

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