Page 168 of The King is Dead
The tension crackled in the air and it was so silent that when the fire popped, Norg twitched. But the ensuing chuckles broke through the tension. Rayan relaxed and straightened, raising his hands, palms out, like he was surrendering.
“Well, thank God we found you, I guess,” he said carefully. Norg glanced at him and straightened out of his defensive stance as well.But Rayan was continuing. “We just want out of this fucking place. We’ve been wandering for days, and thisthingis hunting us.”
As everyone began to breathe again, I shot a look at Gall to warn him to stay quiet and tipped my head for him to go back to the girls, then I turned on the newcomers, speaking to them as if they were too small a concern for me to bother with.
“You stick close, you touch no one, and you get back safely,” I muttered as I turned like I had more important things to do.
“And when we get back? What then?” Rayan asked me, an edge of challenge in his voice.
I turned to face him, keeping my face as blank as possible.
“Then I have a people to dominate and a crown to claim. That’s what you wanted, right?”
I could finally breathe when Rayan smiled. “Yes… yes it is.”
63. Nightmare Alive
~ YILAN ~
The decision was made in a hurried and muttered conversation between Melek and Jann to delay our arrival at the war camp until the following evening. The decision was aided by the fact that the new Neph were on foot and none of the horses were strong enough to take two of the huge men. So our pace was slowed dramatically.
With the two new, suspicious Neph alongside, our last day of travel dragged. It was exhausting. I cursed my inability to speak to Melek in his mind because with these unknown Neph listening, there would be no more casual planning. They had to believe that all three of us—me, Istral, and Diadre—were prisoners.
Of course, they wouldn’t have any trouble believing Diadre was there against her will. Jann was making sure of that.
I didn’t know why those two had taken such an instant dislike to each other, but I was grateful that Diadre was strategic enough to set her emotions aside and play the game. Still, I’d caught her staring sincere daggers at Jann when his back was turned. Rayan even commented that Jann should sleep with one eye open. Jann said nothing, but looked at Diadre, who gave him a sickly smile.
Their animosity aided our ruse, but it made me nervous. All this subterfuge meant all the detail planning we’d intended to do while we traveled was out of the question. Melek couldn’t be seen to be discussing strategy with me. He and Jann couldn’t be overheardplotting.The Neph had to believe that Melek was simply returning from having taken a blow at the hands of their enemies, and now hewould resume his place among their people, and make his claim for the crown.
I didn’t like taking Diadre into the Neph, already revealed, with no chance for subterfuge. But it was the thought of Istral that made my insides scream. She wasneversupposed to be under the eyes of any Neph outside our loyal circle.
When we weren’t on horseback, Gall, looking hunted, kept Istral at his back at all times. He always positioned himself with a large tree or rise of land behind him, and kept Istral silent and pale in his shadow.
It broke my heart a little bit that his fierce protection of her looked like ugly, aggressive possession in the eyes of others. But it worked to our favor because we needed a reason to keep Gall and Istral out of the main camp. The Neph would never believe Melek wanted Gall out of sight for anything but a scheme. But Gall hiding away with a woman he feared would be stolen by others would seem logical to them.
And so we were forced to march on, slowly, with tension in the air so thick it could be cut with a knife.
At Melek’s whispered request, I used those hours striving to reach the minds of the other Neph so I could provide coordinated visions if this went wrong. But either Hever told them how to guard their minds fromFetchpowers, or I just wasn’t strong enough to enter more than one non-Shadekin mind at a time. Even with my people, multiple, simultaneous links were rare and exhausting.
But I kept trying. There were moments it seemed a wall might come down, but my efforts were fruitless. I could never quite grasp it.
When we stopped for lunch on the third day, knowing we were just hours from getting out of the Shadows of Shade and that the men believed I was Melek’s prisoner, Melek made a gruff excuse about needing torelieve tension,and tugged me into the trees while the others prepared a fire.
He dragged me much deeper into the fog, far enough away that we wouldn’t be overheard. He found a thicket surrounded by brush and trees with a small, dry clearing at its middle, then turned to me with frantic hands and whispered promises.
“I’m sorry, Yilan. I’m so sorry. I never imagined they’d find us,” he hushed, pulling me into his chest.
“Why are you apologizing?” I whispered back.
He drew back then cupping my face with both hands and staring down at me with his beautiful eyes dark with haunted shadows.
“Because… if we’re going to play this as we planned, I have to appear brutal. Ruthless.Uncaring.It makes me sick to even think about. Yilan, I won’t be cruel. But I have to appear untouched by anything that’s said or done to you that doesn’t take you from me. I can only seem to be concerned for my power. You need to know that if I’m cold or distant, it’s only for the show.”
“I know,” I said calmly, stroking his face. And I did. But even though this was always the plan, a little part of me tightened into knots. I hadn’t forgotten what it was like to be in the Nephilim camp, but somehow now… maybe because Istral was coming too, I didn’t know… somehow it feltmoresickening.
“God, you’re amazing,” Melek breathed, stroking my hair back from my face and staring at me like it might be his last chance.
“No, I’m not. I’m just ready, Melek. I’m ready for this to be done. To do whatever we need to do to get this finished. No one knows better than me that this world will be better off when you’re their King. And if it takes some discomfort and some acting to get there… it’s worth it.”
