Page 91 of The Bones of the Cursed

It’s Malakai who answers. “He murdered King Solomon. We found his bones at the bottom of the well. He wore the royal crest ring.”

The queen looks sadly at her husband, squeezing his shoulder.

The king looks less surprised. “Alanis informed me of mysister last night. My father was a harsh man, not one loved by many. I hate to say that, when he went missing, my family did not grieve much. The problem is the number of ghouls coming through these portals and attacking my citizens.”

“They were forcing us backward,” I say. “Even though we had just escaped and had no run-ins with ghouls. It’s like Iclas knew that Mal and Kai came after me.”

Malakai grunts in agreement. “It was too convenient. Siveral, who else knew of the plan?”

“Just the men in my unit,” he says. “I did what your letter said, so I had them all on standby. I sent some to the tunnels under the Obsidian Hills so that they would be close if I got word that you needed backup.”

Malakai looks at Kailu, whose brow is pinched. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Mal asks, anger edging his voice.

Kailu nods. “Yeah…I think we might have a rat.”

A knock at the door sounds, and when the king bids them enter, a few men who were fighting in the meadow walk in, as well as Levi.

The latter gives me a soft smile, and I sigh in relief to see him looking much healthier than I last saw him. He comes to me and sweeps me into his arms. “Alanis, I am so glad to see you safe. I’ve been so worried since I got word of what happened.”

He pulls back, gazing into my eyes as if he might kiss me. I hear the low rumble start in Malakai’s chest, Kailu quickly grasping his arm to stop him from launching at my ex, who quickly retreats to the back of the room.

“Anything to report from Elderwood Forest?” the king asks.

“No,” Hendrix says. “Nothing strange, and no signs of any portals in the area.”

My memory comes rearing back. Us standing in almost this exact position as we faced the ghouls.

I was trying to find the leader of the ghouls.

A figure loomed at the edge of the field.

I gasp, drawing everyone’s attention. “The rat. The person working against us is Orion.”

A soldier rears back as if I slapped him. “Just because you weren’t his favorite doesn’t mean he is a traitor to the realm.”

I shake my head. “I saw him at the edge of the meadow, and then he dove into the well just before the ghouls fled. He seems to be the one controlling them.”

“He could be brainwashed like the soldiers who were kidnapped,” Kailu muses.

“No, he looked into my eyes and smirked. The other soldiers were almost zombielike. He was fully aware of his actions.”

The king moves towards us now. “When is the last time anyone saw Orion?”

“He left us at Bone Valley to help take the fallen soldier home…” Malakai’s voice trails off.

“I saw him in the pub not long after he returned,” says a human soldier. “He was boasting about having a side job helping someone gain control of their workers. He was pretty cocky about it, like he was some badass.”

The king makes a noise in the back of his throat.

“What do you want us to do, Your Majesty?” Kailu asks.

“This prophecy that Alanis mentioned, the one Iclas is trying to unlock, seems to be at the center of all our troubles. I want more solid answers about this. Malakai, escort Alanis and her brother to meet the mystery person. See what you can find out about her hidden powers. Kailu, prepare your men. And everyone, keep an eye out for Orion. He is to be considered extremely dangerous.”

The king grabs his decanter and sits back down behind his desk. He rubs his temple and the queen offers her quiet support, kneading his shoulders while he thinks. I’m amazed at the love that is blatantly apparent between them.

As Malakai and I slip from the study, he says, “Alanis, I’m going to have you train your powers today. I’ll send Kailu out with you for a bit while I get some things organized for later. We need to pinpoint what powers you possess.”

Pressing onto my tiptoes, I place a kiss on Mal’s lips. “All right.”

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