Page 7 of Cage of Darkness
Allyssa pointed to the nearbywaterfall, thankful she had studied her father’s maps in suchdetail. “The camp is at the top.” And when she got there, she wouldplop herself in front of a fire until she was nice andtoasty.
“Are you sure this is theright waterfall?”
“Positive.” It was thetallest one out of the half dozen that were visible.
“Have you ever climbedanything like this before?” he asked at the base of themountain.
“No.” She had climbedladders attached to the sides of buildings, jumped across rooftops,and regularly scaled her laundry chute, but climbing rocks wasanother matter entirely.
“The boulders will beslippery because of the mist from the waterfall. We’ll weave ourway up on the left side of it. Watch for a path. I’m assuming ifthe Russek soldiers were able to find the cave and fill it withsupplies, then there has to be a trail somewhere.” The water was soloud she could barely hear him speak. “I’ll lead the way.” Hestarted climbing the gray boulders, steadily moving to thesouth.
She climbed after him, trying not tothink about how cold she was. All her energy and focus went tomaintaining her hold. The climb was slanted instead of vertical,making the ascent easier. When the waterfall was almost out ofsight, Jarvik doubled back, continuing in a zig-zagpattern.
After a couple of hours, the skystarted to lighten as the sun rose. Allyssa’s arms and legs shookfrom the steady incline, her neck ached, and her clothes were stillwet. “Let’s take a short rest,” she hollered to Jarvik. He nodded.A few moments later, he led her between two large rocks to a smallalcove. The space was just big enough for the two of them to sitside by side, shielded from the wind.
“It’s quiet in here,” shemumbled, stretching out her legs before her. She wished she couldtake off her boots and rub her feet, but she’d never be able to gether soggy boots back on. Instead, she leaned against the rocks,closing her eyes. What she wouldn’t give to be home in her soft bedright now.
“I’m sorry,” Jarvik said.“Our situation is entirely my fault.”
“No, it’s not.” She openedher eyes and looked at him. This was the first time they’d beenalone since they left the castle. Now that she had the opportunityto ask him all her pent-up questions, she didn’t know where tobegin. Reaching out, she took hold of his hand, examining thewooden ring he wore.
“I thought perhaps PrinceOdar had given this to me, although it didn’t seem his style,” shemused, thinking back to when she received the anonymous gift. “Thewood indicated it came from the Bizantek Forest. I read a book anddiscovered the tradition behind it.” The book explained that givingsuch a ring was an old peasant tradition where a man gave the womanhe wished to court a handmade ring. If she wore it, it symbolizedher agreement to become better acquainted with the intention tomarry.
“Have you forgotten? I amPrince Odar, so your assumption is correct.” He squeezed herfingers, not allowing her to let go. “Allyssa, there were so manytimes I wanted to tell you my true identity. I’m so sorry I lied toyou.”
And there it was—the thing she hadbeen mulling over but did not understand. She considered hersituation with Grevik. Her chest tightened just thinking about him,his death still hard to comprehend. She had concealed her identityfrom him because they couldn’t be friends otherwise. Yet, when sheconfided everything to him, he was upset and hurt. She never had achance to make things right before the assassin killed him. Becauseof her. She regretted he didn’t forgive her and wished she couldhave explained in more detail why she lied. The least she could dowas give Jarvik the opportunity she never had.
“Why did you do it?”Allyssa asked, gazing up into his dark brown eyes. “Please help meunderstand, because I’m having a hard time trying to figure youout.”
He sighed. “There areseveral reasons—some of them better than others.” He rubbed theback of his neck with his free hand. “I’ll tell you so long as youlisten toeverythingI have to say before responding. Then, when I’m done, even ifyou’re upset, you won’t take it out on me right now. We need towork together to find your soldiers, put the assassin in prison,and make it to Fren to stop the upcoming war. We don’t have time tofight with one another.”
As hurt and upset as she was aboutbeing lied to, she couldn’t hate Jarvik, not after everythingthey’d been through. At least as long as the man she’d fallen inlove with—his personality, characteristics, and heart—were thesame, and that part of him wasn’t a lie. Even now that she knew histrue identity, she still thought of him as Jarvik, the squire, notas Prince Odar. “Okay. I’ll listen.”
His shoulders relaxed, and he leanedhis head back against the rocky wall behind him. “This entire messbegan when Princess Shelene came to visit Fren.”
Allyssa remembered him telling herthat Prince Odar fell in love with Princess Shelene of Russek. Theywere engaged until the union was dissolved by the prince’s parentswhen they learned she only intended to marry him in order to gainaccess to Fren’s military so Russek could destroy Emperion. “Iassumed Prince Odar—I mean, your decoy—was in love with her. But hewasn’t—you were.” The realization made her numb. She tried to keepher expression neutral so she wouldn’t reveal how jealous this madeher.
“I am Prince Odar,” he saidgently, “and Jarvik is—was—my best friend. We simply switchedplaces.”
The image of his friend being shot inthe back by an arrow was seared into her mind. She was about toapologize for his loss when he said, “I am the one who fell in lovewith Shelene.”
Allyssa hated the girlalready.
“She swept into our court,astonishingly beautiful, alluring, and sophisticated, looking at noone but me.”
Now Allyssa really despised thegirl.
“She hung on my every word,laughed at my jokes, and every male at court wanted her. I wascompletely besotted with the princess. I proposed, and sheaccepted.” He ran his free hand through his hair, and Allyssa hadto take a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm. “My parentshad no objections other than wanting to speak with the king andqueen of Russek before finalizing everything. I insisted that therewas no need, and I pushed forward with the marriagecontract.”
She bit her lip to keep from making asnarky comment. She promised to let him explain, and she intendedto keep that promise.
“I sent Jarvik to her roomsto invite her to my bedchamber for a private dinner.” The tips ofhis ears turned red as he stared at the low ceiling above them.Allyssa tried pulling her hand out of Odar’s firm grip, but hewouldn’t release her. “When my squire arrived, he found her…well,she was…not entirely clothed. She threw herself at him.”
“You can’t be serious.”While Jarvik was handsome, Odar was the one Allyssa was besottedwith. His features were interesting, his personality kind, and hewas not only intelligent, but also extremely skilled with asword.
“Many women are taken withJarvik. He is—was—considered the most handsome man at court.” Odarwouldn’t meet her eyes.
Allyssa believed true beauty came fromwithin, and one’s personality was more important than his or herappearance. “So, what happened after that?” she asked.
