Page 94 of Crown of Iron
“Or?” I repeat, shrugging off her hand.
“You could always stay here with Kyron and rule Stigian as his queen one day. If you do, my warriors will safely return your father home.”
I stand and help Papa to his feet before facing her and saying, “I'd rather risk my head than live under your sadistic rule.”
“So be it. But even if you make it out of Stigian alive, you and I both know you will be back for Kyron. You will never be able to let him go. It doesn't work that way, does it, Abrum?”
Papa glowers at her as if he wishes he had the strength to wrap his hands around her neck and take her life. Instead, he grips my fingers and says, “Shut your mouth, Esmeray.”
“What is she talking about, Papa?” I ask, my voice breaking and chest tightening.
The queen claps her hands and chuckles. “Oh, this is rich. She truly doesn't know. I wonder if she would be so quick to throw herself into thearranged marriage with the Cyffred boy if she knew the Statera gifted her with another.”
“Gifted me with who?” But even as the question leaves my mouth, I know the answer.
“Kyron is your parah,” Esmeray says, her words a blow to the chest.
I gasp for my next breath and my knees buckle. My father steadies me with a weak arm as a flood of emotion threatens to drown me.
It has always been him from the moment I stepped into his office until last night under the stars. And even as he siphoned my gift, it was still him my soul sang for, still him my body yearned for. Until my dying breath and the final beat of my heart, it will always be Kyron.
Esmeray's dark eyes glint with victory. “Really, Abrum, you would allow my brother to deny the girl a parah bond for his unrealistic agenda?” She laughs. “And they sayI'mthe manipulative twin.”
“Enough!” my father roars.
Kyron brought out the best in me, showed me I am more than my crown. I found my strength at his side, but now I must lead on my own, even if it means sacrificing the most precious gift the Statera gives. A parah.
Swallowing past the painful lump in my throat, I say, “I've made my decision. I choose my kingdom and my family.”
Esmeray flicks her wrist in a dismissive gesture and says, “Then I suggest you run fast, princess. It would be a shame for Micah to lose his heir and Lucent their future queen.”
Thirty-Three
Ten minutes isn't enough time. Especially when Papa is shuffling his feet and panting for breath, and I don't know where I'm going. I take my discarded dagger from the ground and glance at the massive doors the nobles exited through. The city isn't an option for us. Too many people will recognize my father, and we’ll have a target on our backs before we can make it to the gates. I lead him out the archway Kyron disappeared through, hoping we find a passage that will buy us time.
The corridor is lined with hand-carved black doors nestled into the stone walls. I push one open to find prayer candles illuminating a kneeler and an altar holding a Statera relic. It’s a meditation room. I don't bother looking behind the other doors, knowing I’ll find more of the same, but the hallway at the end appears promising.
I urge Papa forward, and we scour the area for a way out or a place to hide. It's hopeless. Whether we turn left or right, every direction leads to another hallway. The sanctuary is an infinite maze, and we’re lost inside of it.
“Do you have any suggestions?” I ask, panic rising inside me.
“They always paraded me in through the main doors, and I went straight to the throne. I've heard them talking about a tunnel leading to the royal residence, but I wouldn't know where to find it,” he says.
“We've wasted half of our time just turning in circles. I don't know what to do.”
He pulls me to his chest and kisses my temple.
“I'm sorry. I came so close, only to fail you,” I say, my voice breaking on a sob.
He lifts my chin. “I wish you wouldn't have come for me, but all the same, I'm very proud of you, Raelle. No matter what happens, this moment with you is everything to me. How could I not cherish a chance to hold my daughter in my arms again?”
My father is capable of so much but finding the light in the darkest of times will forever be the attribute I love most about him. His fortitude inspired his soldiers to forge on and gave me the courage to come looking for him. I didn't defy a king and endure months of training just to give up because the quest took an unexpected turn.
I pull my lips into a sad attempt at a smile and say, “We will hide. I can keep us safe. I’ve learned to use the Eporri and can use the Khiros' gifts against them. I'll find a way to get us out of here.”
He brushes my hair away from my face and cups my cheek. “You have always been so determined.”
I release him and spin on my heels, ready to do whatever it takes to stay alive. Just as quickly as the urge to fight rushes through me, it freezes along with my body.
