Page 55 of Crown of Wrath

The pain gets better. My chest aches just a little less. The weight on my shoulders feels just a little lighter, even though I have new memories.

I smile. For the first time in what feels like forever, I smile.

Chapter 28

Trust in your steel. Trust in your training. Trust in the soldier next to you. Trust the power of the gods.

Never trust the Fae in front of you. Every word from their lips is a lie. They’re the ones who brought this evil to us, after all, and it was all done under the guise of saving the world.

~Sir Alistair Hawking, Magical Combat for Humans

Cole

My attention to detail has begun to fade. It’s been three weeks since I left my quarters. I’ve never worn the Shadowed Cloak for this long, and part of me feels like I’m beginning to succumb to the power of the House of Shadows. I wasn’t made to control them, and the cloak seems to know that. I wouldn’t be surprisedif my eyes were turning black at this point, like shadow walkers before they’re lost to the void.

But I made a promise to Maeve.

Currently, the Shadowed Cloak is folded up in a small cabinet. Darian and King Aric sit across from me as I sip the tea, hoping that it will warm my bones a little. Even this Southern castle has been plunged into the depths of winter, and between the effects of the Shadowed Cloak, my lack of significant movement, and with how cold it’s been, I feel like I’m never going to get warm. It’s not a natural feeling for the Prince of the House of Flames.

“You said that you would protect my kingdom,” King Aric says. There’s a seriousness in his voice that I haven’t experienced before. He’s always had a smile on his face for as long as I’ve known him, but now that smile is gone.

“I did.” I raise my wrist to show him the shadowed band that circles it, the magical vow I made. “But I cannot leave my Queen’s side until she rises.”

King Aric snarls. “My people are dying.”

“Then bring them here. The leader of Draenyth is not going to war with you, King Aric. In fact, he doesn’t care that you’re the king of Sylvantia. He doesn’t care about any of the human kings or humans. All he cares about are the temples that he’s raiding. He will burn every one of them to the ground, and the people he kills matter no more than if you were slaughtering cattle that were between you and an armory. As soon as my Queen awakes, I will protect your people. Until then, pull them back. Let their houses burn.”

King Aric shakes his head. “You have to understand. The High Fae are not staying along the boundary of the Fae lands. They’re moving closer. They’re pushing deeper into my kingdom, and they’re interrupting the industry of this land. They’ve destroyed dozens of villages at this point. If we’re not careful, there won’t be enough grain to support the kingdom. The only reason wehave villages that close to Fae lands is because of how fertile the ground is. What happens when the only grain we can grow is in the hills and mountains?”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to feed your people, King Aric. Again, there is nothing I can do until my Queen awakes.”

“It’s been almost a month,” he says. “How long are you going to wait?”

“As long as it takes. I will stay in these quarters for years if it’s necessary.” I maintain the gaze of a man that I respect, however little he understands Immortals. “I made a vow, and I will not break it.”

“You made a vow to me as well, and I am commanding that you fulfill it.” Aric’s eyes are hard, but he knows that there’s nothing he can do to force my hand.

Rather than anger at his demand, sadness is the emotion that rolls through me. Sadness that I can’t save his people. Sadness that Maeve is still lost in her battle. Sadness that I feel so helpless to do anything for anyone.

Just like joy, sadness creates sparks of flames in the air around me. Aric’s eyes open wide as I say solemnly, “No, I didn’t. I offered my help. There is a difference, and Aric, you need to understand that nothing will stop me from fulfilling my vow to my Queen. I would watch every person in your kingdom burn before I broke my vow.”

I may be willing to watch the kingdom burn, but it doesn’t mean that I enjoy it.

He lets out a breath in anger and frustration and stands up. Even as flames show him just how powerless he is in this discussion, he still stands tall. He knows he can’t force me to do anything, but he doesn’t cringe at my show of power. “If that’s the case, then there’s nothing I can do to convince you.”

“I wish things were different, and I feel for the position you’re in, but there isn’t.”

There’s a silence between us, and I know how helpless he feels. His armies can’t stop even small bands of House of Steel soldiers. If he were to send them to fight, they might hold off the High Fae for a single battle, but then Gethin would take notice of them, and that would be a death sentence for everyone in this kingdom. Aric knows that the best chance for his people to survive is to keep letting the High Fae have what they want.

“I’ll help you feed your people, Aric. If you run into issues, come to me. I may have solutions. I can’t fight your fights right now, but keep me updated. I’ll do what I can.”

It’s a minor consolation, but maybe he’ll recognize that I don’t enjoy knowing his people are dying at Immortal hands. “I’ll keep you updated,” he says and walks out of the room, leaving me and Darian alone.

“Is that smart?” Darian asks. “He has some leverage. He could always open the door to Casimir’s cage.”

“Aric is terrified of my father. He doesn’t want to deal with the High Fae a hundred miles from his castle. Does he really want someone like my father uncagedinsidehis walls?”

Darian shrugs. “Desperate men do desperate things, Cole. You and I both know that.”

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