Page 87 of A Deception of Courts

Althea moved from our group to greet our visitors. It didn’t take long for them to be recognised as Cedarfall guards as her ball of fire cascaded light across them. I felt the tension lessen as Althea confirmed what I thought. Soldiers sent by her mother to escort us to the city, all garbed in autumnal shades and silver, with their faces obscured by the leaf-like design of their helmets.

There were countless armoured figures. The closer we drew to them, the more seemed to slink from the shadows of the forest’s edge, into the halo of Althea’s light.

“Mother hasn’t skimped on our protection for the final stretch of our journey,” Althea said, looking directly at me.

The swarm of faceless Cedarfall guards circled around our group as we entered the dark tunnels beneath the tree line. Althea still kept ahead, but the line of soldiers didn’t allow anyone to leave the perimeter they’d encased us within. It surprised me just how quiet they kept.

Although the soldiers refrained from much more than the sound of clinking armour and the heavy footfall of their mounts, I couldn’t ignore the many that looked toward me. Whenever I would catch their heads turned in my direction, they would promptly turn away again. Not being able to see their facial expressions, which were masked by intricately crafted metal, only added to my growing unease.

Queen Lyra Cedarfall took the protection of her court seriously, whereas I’d left my own people to fend for themselves. The contrast highlighted just how far behind I was as king.

I was quick to blame my discomfort on the likeness the soldiers had with Erix. They bore the same armour, adorned with the same colours he wore with pride. Deep down, there was a part of me that wished I had the chance of one more conversation before he left Berrow by my order.

Focusing on the back of one soldier, with his broad shoulders and familiar frame, I couldn’t help but think of my old guard. His voice haunted me, taking me back to when I first saw him riding into the Hunters’ camp, haloed by the golden light of day that danced from the designs of his armour. For a moment, encouraged by the silence, I allowed myself to remember him in that way. And, for the first time in a long while, I felt the tickle of a smile pinch at my own cheeks.

Duncan caught me smiling and returned one over his shoulder, directed at me. I didn’t shy away or attempt to hide mine. I wasn’t ashamed of my past and the feelings that came with it. Instead, I recognised it, welcomed it, and looked toward Duncan, my future, and felt grateful that I had one.

“How’re you holding up?” he called back at me.

I shrugged, fighting the urge to yawn or complain about the ache in my thighs. “Like I wish I had taken you up on your offer to ride alongside you.”

The thought of being held up by two strong arms, with the hard muscle of a stomach and chest at my back, warmed my soul.

Duncan’s eyes narrowed. Within the dark of the forest, they seemed black and never-ending. “Careful, we have an audience around us.”

I swore I heard Althea mutter beneath her breath, and something resembling a laugh escaped Rafaela. My cheeks warmed as I focused on my fists, which gripped the leather saddle. I couldn’t stop myself from beaming.

The more time passed, the more I longed for nothing more than to climb from my mare’s back and stretch my limbs again. Each thud across the uneven, leaf-strewn ground encouraged the song of discomfort to intensify across my back. I was certain every joint would crack with relief when we finally reached Aurelia.

We all bore signs of exhaustion, from our slumped postures to the echoes of yawns that plagued our group. All but Kayne. Every time I looked back, I expected to find that he’d vanished. Instead, he was still locked in the competition of silence with the surrounding soldiers. He sat straight-backed and wide-eyed as though he could not relax. His gaze drifted across the soldiers with a glint of expectation, likely counting his moments until they recognised his past and slaughtered him for it.

Not before long, a noise broke the silence. It was loud and shrill, close enough that its sudden presence shocked me out of my exhaustion.

Our group ahead slowed to a stop, searching around the dark for what had caused the sound. Althea lifted her orb of fire until the underbelly of trees glowed with ominous shades of amber and gold. Her light exposed the entanglement of branches, but also the cause of the shriek.

A bird sat perched on a branch above us. Iron-tipped claws pierced the wood’s skin, causing it to bleed with amber sap.

“Lucari?” I muttered, pulling numbly upon the reins, causing Rafaela to do the same before her stallion knocked into me. I narrowed my gaze and looked up at the hawk as it glared down from its perch like a queen would from a throne.

Kayne’s companion waited above us as though it was always meant to be there. It glowed in the reflection of Althea’s light, which turned its beady eyes to small coins of gold. Lucari squawked once in warning before launching from the thick branch and gliding down toward Kayne’s outstretched arm.

“Looks like she found her way home,” Duncan said, concern evident in his chosen tone.

“And that she is still alive at that,” Rafaela glowered.

An icy chill speared down my spine as I watched Kayne calmly welcome his bird. It wasn’t the reaction I expected. There was no relief or surprise on the Tracker’s face. Only a wide grin that seemed to grow until it twisted his face into a mask that sparked unease in my gut.

“There you are, my girl,” Kayne cooed, running his finger across her yellowed beak. “Why, haven’t you been a busy little thing?”

“Kayne,” Duncan grunted whilst trying to steer his stallion back around to face him. “What’s the meaning of this?”

Something was wrong. I recognised the dread as it encased me. Duncan trotted toward his friend, who still paid no mind to anyone but his hawk. “Don’t you see, Duncan. Lucari has found her way back to me.”

“Yes, I see that.”

I watched as Duncan lowered his hand to the sword at his hip, knuckles paling.

“Fantastic, your bird has finally returned. But the reunion can wait. We must keep moving,” Althea called out, but her voice was buried beneath the roaring in my ears.

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