Page 7 of Crown of Iron
I stifle a yelp as my brother steps out of his room and crosses his arms over his naked chest. “Statera curse you, Rowan,” I hiss, placing my hand over my heart.
He cocks a dark eyebrow and looks down at me like his height gives him some unearned authority. He outgrew me two years ago and soon after gained a muscular frame like our father's. The obnoxious giant forgets he is not the highest-ranking person in our home. Mother can put us both to shame with a simple glare.
“So, where are you off to before sunup with a sword?” he asks.
I shift side to side and purse my lips. It was foolish of me to think I could sneak away with no one catching me. Like me, my siblings have become light sleepers, hoping every click and snap in the night is our father walking through the door. As time has passed, our hope has become nothing more than coals smoldering deep inside us. I'm happy to add kindle to the flame and renew the possibility of Papa returning to us.
“I’m going to the Sibyl Temple to seek some clarity,” I lie, repeating the story I wrote to my mother in the letter.
Rowan tilts his head to the side and studies me. I can practically see him weeding through my lie to find the truth. “No you’re not. Why wouldn’t you wait until morning and take an escort? Where are you really going?”
“Please don’t make me tell you. I know how much you hate to lie. I just need you to believe what I’m telling you. Please.”
His blue eyes light up and his freckled cheeks ball with a knowing smile. “You’re going to try to rescue Papa. I’m coming with you.”
“No!” I grab his arm before he can rush into his room. “You have to stay and take care of Mama and the girls. You promised Papa you would always look after us when he was gone.”
“I can help you, Elle.”
He can’t. Rowan is only seventeen and not old enough to enlist as a soldier. As soon as he shows up at Basecamp, they will send him home. Besides, I need to steer everyone in the wrong direction when they set out to find me.
“I know you can, but I need you here to buy me some time. Tell everyone I went to the temple. It will give me three, maybe four days, before they come looking for me. Please, Rowan.”
He pulls on his dark hair and puffs out his cheeks, my request not sitting well with him. In so many ways, he would make a better sovereign than me. He's blessed with the same physical strength as our father and easily sees the right and wrong in all situations. He never lets anyone down. It’s that loyalty I’m counting on to give me enough time to round up my father’s soldiers.
“Do you really think you can find Papa and bring him home, Elle?”
The question from a small voice across the hall has me and Rowan frozen in place. We hold each other’s stare in a wordless exchange. Our littlest sister now knows we are up to something.
I force my lips into a smile before facing her.
Ansley looks even younger than her seven years. The nightgown she undoubtedly stole from Salone's dresser pools around her small body, and her wavy hair is a golden-orange halo around her head.
I take a knee before her and meet her big brown eyes. “I promise to try my best.”
“You'll be queen, and it's your job to help people. I believe you cando it,” she says with a weak smile.
I pull Ansley into my arms and squeeze. We all miss Papa, but no one in this house needs him as much as her. He should be teaching her to hunt and ride and telling her silly stories about his youth. She's missing out on so much precious time with him, and it’s up to me to remedy that.
I push past the tight knot in my chest and say, “I hope you're right.”
“I am,” she whispers, brushing her small, soft fingers over my cheek.
“Then I will need you to keep this a secret between me, you, and Rowan. You can’t tell Mama where I’ve gone. Can you do that for me?”
Her shoulders stiffen under my hold, and she nods. “I can do that.”
With one last hug, I stand and find Salone next to Rowan. She holds out a long-hooded coat and says, “It will be cold, Your Grace.”
I look down at my black tunic and the low cut of the neckline. Although pretty, it will do little to protect me while I ride tonight. I slide my arms inside the sleeves of the offered coat, and Salone pulls it over my shoulders. She could easily be resentful that Micah chose me to be the queen. Instead, she volunteered to stay by my side and assist me. Custom dresses, makeup, and hair have always sparked her creativity. She lights up like the afternoon sun when choosing my clothes or applying my blush. She’s found her calling, and I gained a confidant.
Salone finishes buttoning me in and says, “Please bring him home, Elle.”
Knowing my voice will fail me, I gather her in my arms and cling to her. Salone has spent hours on end quietly listening to the things worrying me. She has a way of saying what I need to hear at the exact moment I'm ready to hear it, and she knows how to calm me. Her gift as a Pianti differs from our mother's power. She isn't able to control plants and bend them to her will. The Statera gifted her with a subtle power.
She calls upon the scent of lavender to envelop us and says against my neck, “You're doing the right thing.”
I pull away with a nod and turn back to my brother. With one word, he could stop my mission before it even begins.
