Page 36 of A Spell of Bones and Madness
Kohl dug his fingers into the arms of his chair, desperately willing his father’s hand to release from his arm. He should have never headed straight for his father’s study. No—not his father’s study, buthisstudy. He was king. He was supposed to rule.
“And how exactly did you expect me to stop them? Katrin has her full powers, that warrior from his crew was with him, and Farah—gods, Father—why did you not tell me what my sister was capable of?” Farah was more powerful than anyone he had seen, his father and Edmund included. What kinds of sacrifices did she have to give to consume that much magic?
“Your sister—if I can even call that wretch flesh and blood—channels from a very different power than we do. It is volatile, and unmanageable. You should have been stronger than her.”
“And you would have expected me to do what, Father? Kill her? Kill Katrin?”
Khalid leaned further down, so close his hot breath cascaded over Kohl’s face. “I would have expected you to do what is necessary. But alas, you failed at even that.” His father pushed off him, slithering over to the fire, raking his hand through grayed locks.
“Should you not be blaming yourself? You were the one to let our enemy cross the gates. Nikolaos’s daughter shows up and pretends to be an acolyte and you let her just waltz right in, flattered by thegiftshe claimed Hades sent his most loyal servants.” Heat built in Kohl’s chest, in that same spot he was hit, the brand on his hand searing with equal vigor.
Their mistrust does not go unnoticed. Those who remain loyal will be repaid.There it was. That whisper. The same one from the oak in the Alentian courtyard. From the sirens that sang to him only months before.You will bask in the eternal glory of those who came before you, King of New.Did the Olympi speak to his father too? To Edmund? Whisper those same fallacies and promises?
“Who let the conniving child in is neither here nor there. We must focus on what is next. We need the boy.” Khalid tapped his fingers along the fireplace mantle.
“And what do you expect me to do? ManThe Hydra? Go after them? Launch an attack on Nexos? There is no way they would head anywhere else. Nikolaos may not have been able to interfere in rescuing his son, but if we wage war against his own isle he can and will retaliate,” Kohl said, his voice like ice.
His father was madder than he was. Kohl had never seen the man so desperate, so brazen and volatile as this. Would he launchan attack on the isle? Would he start this war before they even knew if they could raise the Olympi?
“We do not need the Kirassos boy, nor do we need to launch an attack on Nexos.” Edmund’s voice swept across the room with a silencing calm. The way he’d slithered into the room unnoticed was terrifying.
Kohl was still not used to the icy demeanor of the King of Harrenfort. Not his oily blonde hair that swished over his shoulders, nor his muted blue eyes that seemed to look through you. Especially not the way he circled the room in a predatory gait. But he was on his father’s side—on Kohl’s side—and that was more than he could say about most people. “What do you mean, Edmund?” Khalid asked.
The king from the north chuckled, deep and deafening. “I might have one more trick up my sleeve.” That callous grin that flashed across Edmund’s face—even Kohl felt his soul recoil from it. “We will sail for Cyther tomorrow. Khalid, leave one of your generals in charge. It is time Kohl sees the wonder of what was once Mount Olympus.”
The last time Kohl had been aboard his father’s ship it was to rescue Katrin. At least, he thought he was rescuing her at the time, and it caused a piercing stab to his heart as he walked past the door to the quarters where she’d stayed. How many hours had he sat outside that door, his head leaning against it as he listened to her screamsin the night, the sobs that echoed in her throat, the vomiting of wine and what food she decided to take from him? That was the problem, it seemed—she would never and had never let him in, not truly. He had to stop wavering on his love for her. The young girl he knew and fell in love with was gone—Kohl would never have her back and he needed to accept it and move on. Katrin was now his enemy.
The only person Kohl could trust now was his father, and even then he had to stay wary of his intentions. For as long as Kohl could remember, Khalid only wanted peace in the isles. Now he grasped for more, through death and destruction, under the guise that it would bring a balance of power between the Grechi and mortals. But who was more in the wrong? The gods who sat idly by as others suffered or thepharmakoswho intended to change Odessia by any means necessary? Kohl needed quiet if he was going to decide this.
Boots shuffled above deck and the wood over his head creaked with every movement. It was infuriating, thestomp, stomp, stompingechoing in the corridor like a heartbeat. A constant reminder of where they were going, and whythey were going there. Would Kohl finally meet the ancient Olympi that filled his mind with nonsensical madness? Would he truly be rewarded for remaining loyal? Or was he the very thing his sister called him? Was he just a fool?
“Your Majesty!” someone called down the corridor just as Kohl reached the door to his quarters. Dragging his hand down the front of his face, Kohl sighed. Could he not get a single moment of quiet?
“Yes, Captain, what do you need?” Kohl questioned, his voice gruff.
“Sir, we are about to cast off from port, but your father is no longer aboard. He asked me to give you this.” The captain held out a letter bearing Khalid’s seal.
“And did he tell you why he decided not to join us when the travel was half his idea?”
“No, sir, he said I was not privy to that knowledge and that I was to give you this letter directly.”
Kohl grabbed the rolled up parchment from the captain. “It is fine to drop the lines. I will be in my quarters and I wish to stay there. Do not bother me unless the ship is burning.”
“Of course, sir.”
The captain bowed and turned to head back above deck. Kohl stepped inside his quarters and immediately plopped down on the desk chair. His father always did this—hid secrets from him, forced Kohl to do his bidding while he sat idly by and reaped the benefits. It looked as if nothing had changed. Taking out the small gold dagger, Kohl sliced along the seal of his father’s note.
Kohl,
It has come to my attention that there is unrest back home in Morentius I must attend to. Your mother cannot do it alone since your sister abandoned our family. I will meet you in Cyther when I am able, but Edmund will know what you must do.
I am proud of you, Kohl, for remaining loyal to the one true cause. And he will be too.
Khalid
I am proud of you. Five words Kohl never thought his father would say.
Chapter Twenty-Six
