Page 41 of The Inadequate Heir (The Bridge Kingdom 3)

Otis’s gaze flicked to him, then he swore and moved his glower to the physician. “I’ve known tailors to show more care with fabric than you currently show my flesh.”

“Perhaps if you refrained from gesticulating until he’s finished…?” Keris gave his brother a smirk, then laughed when Otis flipped him his middle finger. He could handle his brother’s annoyance because he wasalive.

“They were waiting for us, Keris. Had an ambush ready the moment we stepped away from the boats.”

“How could they have known where you were landing?” Keris asked, because not asking would be strange.

“I’m not sure they did.” Otis clenched his teeth as the physician ran the needle through again. “It appears they anticipated a raid by sea and moved the majority of their forces to defend the coast. Though they would’ve had to leave the east exposed to do it.” He shook his head, brow furrowed. “A bold move. If we’d gone by land instead of sea, we could have struck a significant blow against them.”

She’d trusted him.The realization settled into Keris’s core, sending a spill of emotion through him that he didn’t entirely understand. Such a simple act, and yet it had saved how many innocent lives? “What will be our next move?”

“Attack again.” His brother pulled his bloodied shirt over his now bandaged arm. “And soon.”

He’d known it wouldn’t just take one stymied raid to stop the cycle, but Keris still struggled not to grind his teeth at his brother’s response. The stubborn refusal to see any path forward but war. “When?”

Otis rubbed at his temples, then frowned, focusing on him. “Since when do you care?”

Shit.“Given you nearly got yourself killed, it’s a matter of personal interest. You’re the only person in Nerastis that I don’t have to pay to tolerate my presence, and I’d feel your absence keenly.”

The frown didn’t smooth from his brother’s brow. “You should attend the next raid. You need not be in the thick of it, but it would be good for morale to have you there after this mess.”

Keris laughed. “Now there’s a jest.”

His brother sighed. “The men believe that you look down upon them, Keris. That you see them as lesser than you for a myriad of reasons. And I understand how they feel, for you treat me in much the same way.”

Keris’s hands turned cold, his stomach hollowing because he could hear the hurt in his brother’s voice. It made him feel ill; there was only a small handful of individuals dear to Keris, and Otis was one of them. “I hold you in high esteem, and you damn well know it.”

“No, you don’t.”

Bewilderment flooded him, because for all they’d butted heads over a million topics during the course of their lives, never had he given his brother cause to believe he didn’t hold him in the greatest of regard.

Before he could answer, Otis said, “You have pit yourself against Father, no matter how much it costs you, and the only people you hold in esteem are those who also stand in defiance against him. Which means you esteem no one, for the rest of us aren’t so willing to risk our lives for ideologies that only work on paper.”

This was utter bullshit. He admired his brother, respected his talents even if they weren’t the sort he aspired to himself. “That’s—”

“The truth, Keris. And most days I admire your stubbornness, but today…” Otis gave a sharp shake of his head. “It doesn’t matter. Just go back to your books, brother. Forget I asked anything of you.”

Except hehadasked.

All their lives, Otis had been the only one of his brothers to accept Keris’s refusal to fight. To accept his abhorrence of violence and war, even if he didn’t agree with it. Had defended him against everyone who’d tried to force him to change and protected his back from those who’d tried to kill him for refusing to do so.

What had changed?

Keris knew the answer without asking. He was acceptable to Otis as a brother, but not as an heir. Not as a king. And now that he was heir and in line to become king, Otis, like everyone else, would try to force him to be just like their father.

Keris swallowed the rising ache of grief that threatened to strangle him. He couldn’t stand the thought of losing his brother, but neither was he willing to concede on everything he stood for. And with Otis’s hatred of Valcotta, there was no chance that he’d be able to convince his brother to pursue peace.

But maybe… maybe he could convince him of the merits of avoiding war. For his brother was no fool. If the cost of raiding became too high, the loss of soldiers’ lives too great, he’d desist. And while a stalemate wasn’t the same thing as peace, the results might well be the same. “I’ll think about it. The raid.”

Otis’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You’llfight?”

I’ll fight,Keris silently replied.Just not the battle you think.“I was thinking a more observational role, but if I must.” He crossed his arms. “Just… just keep me informed of the plans. You know I hate having things sprung upon me.”

“I’ll involve you with every decision.” Genuine pleasure filled Otis’s dark eyes, more proof that his brother wanted him to be someone other than who he was. But Keris shoved down the hurt. “You’ll have to excuse me now, for I can feel dawn starting to warm the sky, which means it’s time for me to go to bed.”

“Thank you for this concession, Keris. You won’t regret it—not once you’ve earned the loyalty of the men.”

Keris walked away without answering. When it came to standing in defiance of his father, he’d never once conceded.

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