Page 31 of Cage of Destiny
Kerdan grabbed his weapons andfollowed Nathenek to the door. He glanced back at Allyssa, his eyeswide with shock. Neco wrapped an arm around Kerdan’s shoulders,firmly shoving him out of the room and closing the door behindthem.
“Are you sure?” Darmikasked.
“You told me you wanted ananswer, and I’ve given you one.” She sat on the bed, curling herlegs under her.
Folding his arms, he paced before thefire. His silence made her nervous. He stopped and faced her. “Whydid you agree? I want to know your reasoning.”
“It’s what’s best forEmperion.”
“How do you know?” heasked.
She played with the edge of her robe.“Odar is going to be here.” How would she face him?
“We have a plan in place.While you must spend some time with him, it will be verylittle.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I loved him.”Even though she had always been close with her father, she wishedshe could have this conversation with her mother.
“I know.” He came over andsat next to her. “I honestly thought he would have been anexcellent husband.”
She wiped the tears from her cheeks,hating herself for crying over a man.
“Did I ever tell you aboutthe first woman I loved?”
“No.” She thought the onlyperson her father ever loved was her mother.
“When I was your age, Ifell in love with a woman and asked her to marry me. She agreed.Then my brother, Lennek, found out. He hated me, so he and myfather, Barjon, blocked the marriage. They couldn’t stand the ideaof me being happy. Then Lennek demanded she marry him instead ofme. She refused, so he married her off to an older man. Barjon hadher father executed for not forcing his daughter to marry Lennek.Jarcy, that was the woman’s name, ended up killing herself.” Herubbed his face.
“Why didn’t you tell me anyof this before?”
“It’s painful toremember.”
It was as if she didn’t know this manbeside her. Her father—who had a past she never heard about. Didall grown-ups keep secrets? Have things happen that were sotraumatizing they locked the memories away? Would she be sittingwith her children years from now telling them about Russek andOdar? Or would she seal those memories away forever? “I’m sorry. Ihad no idea.”
“I told you this so you canunderstand that just because you loved Odar, it doesn’t mean youcan’t love another man. You have no idea what the future holds foryou.”
“I know,” she said, hervoice soft and barely audible. “Do you think I should give Kerdan achance?” Open her heart to the possibility?
Darmik stood and went to the fire. “Idon’t know. He’s a hard one to read. A bit rough around the edges.I’m not sure what Emperion will think of him.” He turned around toface her. “For his age, he has accomplished a lot. He’s aneffective captain in the army. It’s his reputation that gives mepause.”
Thunder boomed in the distance, andrain started to pound against the window. Allyssa shivered. “Kerdanhas many sides to him. He is not solely good or bad. Like most ofus, he falls somewhere in the middle.”
“I need you to answer mehonestly. Have you… were you…”
“I was not raped.” Shewanted to be clear so her virtue could not bequestioned.
He turned back toward the fire, hisshoulders rising and falling. “But you were tortured.”
“Yes.” A heavy moment ofsilence fell between them. “Kerdan saved me from certain death.”He’d held her life in his hands, about to kill her, when he changedhis mind and refused to carry out his father’s order.
Finally, Darmik faced her again, hiseyes red. “You don’t feel obligated to him, do you?”
“No. I respect Kerdan andconsider him a friend.”
“Why have you agreed tomarry him?”
“It is strategically a goodmove.” The one kingdom that threatened Emperion would be unitedwith them.
“What about you?” Darmikasked. “Is it a good move for you?”
