Page 118 of Spirit Trials
I turn around, guarding him and his mom. Nobody will take this moment from them. A shout of rage echoes through the area, and I jolt but hold my ground. “What have you done?” the king roars. Guards run in his direction, leaving us alone; but I don’t drop my guard for a moment. Moments later, silence descends. I don’t look down at Rysden or his mom; I can’t bear to. I keep my gaze on the guards and know when the king is gone. The guards around him spread out and turn towards us. I keep my bow raised, but nobody makes a move in our direction. I see movement next to me, and I see Rysden stand to his feet. I don’t chance looking at his eyes; I’m not ready to see the anger that’s going to be directed my way. I want to remember a little bit longer how he used to see me.
Then his voice fills the clearing. “My father is dead. I am King now.” I hear the sound of him drawing his sword. “Anybody that won’t serve me, face me now.” Nobody makes a move, and the silence and tension grow thick. And then one of the royal guards steps forward. Rysden takes a step forward with his sword raised, but the guard drops to one knee and puts his hand over his heart. “My King.” Another guard does the same. “My King.” Then another guard and then another. Soon, every guard still alive is on one knee. I still don’t glance at Rysden, but I take a breath. It’s finally over. The Wolf Kingdom will get the ruler it needs. The banished will get to come home, and the widowswon’t live in squalor. There’s no doubt in my mind that all of these things will come to pass because I know Rysden’s heart. He’s good, and he’s fair; and he will rule well.
Rysden sheaths his sword. “I am not my father.” Absolute silence reigns after his words. “I won’t rule like him. You should know right now that I will be bringing the banished back.” My gaze flits over the guards. They’re too trained to let any expression show on their faces, and I wonder how they’re taking this news. “If anybody has a problem with that, now’s your only chance to leave.”
One of the guards, a big man with dark black hair tied back, stands to his feet. “We will follow you, My King. It is time to change things in this kingdom.” His words reverberate around us. I watch as Rysden walks over to him and puts a hand on his shoulder.
“Thank you, Brak. You will lead the Royal Guard.” Rysden puts out his hand, and the shocked guard shakes it. “They’re yours to lead, Captain. I only ask that you see to it that the queen gets a proper burial, a private one,” Rysden says.
Brak nods solemnly. “It will be done.”
Rysden turns around and walks back to me. I’m careful to keep from meeting his gaze. He doesn’t say a word to me as we walk over to the horses and mount up. It’s a long, silent ride back to his home. “I have to head to the castle; things will be in an uproar.” He runs his hand over his head. I want to reach out and comfort him but don’t; I'm not sure he would allow it. “I’ll see you tonight.” He rides away, taking my heart with him.
Chapter 59
I step inside quietly, hoping to avoid everybody. “How’d it go?” Lox asks, appearing suddenly. “Are you—” His words falter, and I can only imagine what he sees on my face. His face instantly changes. “What happened?”
“Congratulations!” Kinsley appears behind Lox with Harper right behind her. My mom and brother walk towards me as well, and I feel like I’m going to be sick.
“Farrah, you’re bleeding all over the floor!”
A hand appears at my elbow, and somebody leads me to the table. I sit and Lox kneels in front of me. “What happened? Where’s Rysden?” he demands.
Hector appears a moment later with bandages and his green tonic. I notice Jamik hovers off to the side, looking worried. I know I can at least put their fears at ease. “Rysden’s okay. He left for the castle.” My words hold no emotion; I’m not sure if I’m even capable of it anymore. “The king’s dead.”
Silence falls heavy around the room. Hector kneels next to me. “Let me see your wound.” I pull up the side of my shirt, not even flinching when it pulls at the wound. He moves swiftly and treats the wound, but I barely notice.
“What happened?” Lox asks again, this time with more force.
“The king showed up at what was supposed to be our bonding ceremony. It...” Words fail me. “The guards fought Rysden and I. Terron was killed.” There’s an audible gasp from someone in the room, but I don’t look up. “And then,” I pause. “The queen was killed, thus ending the life of the king. Rysden proclaimed himself King, and the royal guards pledged their allegiance to him. And some guy named Brak is now the captain of the guard.”I lift my head, meeting Lox’s eyes. “Is that good enough?” He doesn’t say a word, and I suddenly can’t stand being at the center of attention. I stand up and without a word to anybody, make my way upstairs. I start towards Rysden’s room but pause halfway there; I really don’t want to be in his room when he gets home. I head to the spare room where Harper and Kinsley have been staying because as much as I love my mom, I don’t think I can be with her right now. She’ll see too much.
I close the door and just stand there a few minutes. I need to shower and put clean clothes on, but I don’t think I can manage it. I close my eyes tightly as visions from today run through my mind. I hear Rysden’s guttural cry in my head, but I refuse to let the tears fall. I don’t deserve it. I know I have no right to grieve her because I’m the one that took her life, but I still do. My heart clenches so tightly, I wonder if I’m having a heart attack. The door opens to my room softly, but I don’t turn to see who it is.
“Farrah,” Kinsley’s voice is so soft. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m the one that killed the queen.”
Silence falls, and I expect to see judgment on their faces. But when I look up, there’s only compassion on Kinsley’s face. Harper’s face is more guarded. “You killed her to kill the king?” Harper asks. I nod. “Then you did the right thing.”
“Yeah, but at what cost? I killed Rysden’s mom.” My voice is bleak, and neither of them answer.What is there to say?
“Enough commiserating. You did what you needed to. Rysden will either hate you or forgive you.”
Kinsley gasps. “Harper!”
“What? It’s the truth. There’s nothing she can do.” Harper puts her hands on my shoulders. “Now, go wash off all the blood and ick from today. You’ll feel better once you’re dressed in clean clothes.” I really don’t want to take a bath right now, but Harper pushes me forward anyway.
After I’m clean and dressed, I walk out of the bathing room and have to admit that Harper was right. I do feel a little bit better. Kinsley’s face brightens. “Feel better?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Let’s go eat.”
We head downstairs and find Hector working on dinner. I head over to him and start helping; it’s good to have something to do with my hands. When it’s time to eat, I notice that Jamik and Lox are gone. I don’t even ask where they’re at; it’s not too hard to piece together that they’re helping Rysden at the castle. Dinner is a little quieter than usual, but Harper and Kinsley do their best to keep the conversation flowing. My mom looks tired and excuses herself after dinner. I help pick up and then head downstairs to blow off some steam. When I’m worn out enough to maybe sleep tonight, I head back upstairs to the girls’ room.
To their credit, neither Harper nor Kinsley look surprised to see me in their room again. “How do you want to do sleeping arrangements?” Kinsley asks, looking at Harper and me.
“I’ll take the floor,” I say and grab a pillow from the bed.
