Page 4 of Vathia
She spins to me with a stern expression etched into her slightly aged face. “What’s going on? Where’s Jesper?”
I shake my head, scrubbing my face with my weapon-calloused hands before placing them on my waist. “He’s gone to Vathia to retrieve something on the Lord’s orders. I can’t say more than that, but you need to leave Phixmery. Lord Verlice is here and it’s not safe for you any longer. I know you have contacts; use them and flee. Don’t tell me where you’re going. We will send word through Evander when things settle,” I plead, needing her to understand how serious this is.
Ceila says nothing at first, staring at me with large eyes, filled with worry. “How long do I have to gather my things?” she whispers finally after a long, tense silence.
My breath expels from my lungs. “Leave during dinner, and get as far from here as you can.”
She nods slowly and I can see her begin to plan before her green eyed gaze snaps to mine. “You keep them safe, do you understand me, Talyn?”
My fist lands on my chest over my heart as I dip my head. “I swear I’m doing everything in my power to shield them from the fallout of today.”
Her hand pats my cheek sadly. “Thank you, sweetie. Just remember to keep yourself safe, too. I don’t trust any of those Lords as far as I can throw them. Now, we should get moving before our absence becomes suspicious.” She pauses at the exit,looking at me from over her shoulder. “I will see you again one day, all of you. Hopefully sooner rather than later.”
I swallow thickly. “Of course,” I whisper.
Her head dips and then she’s gone, and I can only hope the fates get her out of here safely. A slow breath leaves me and I collect my emotions before I head up to my chambers to pack some things, knowing my father will want to leave as soon as dinner is finished.
My body automatically follows the path to the North Towers. There’s still a buzz in the air from the first years—now second—completing their Choosings, and for the preparations of new cadets who are arriving tomorrow, but my body is numb. Today wasn’t supposed to go like this, and now we’re all separated and I have a true mating bond with a female I thought was long dead—although it still might not even be her. My hand runs along the right side of my ribs unconsciously, before snapping down to my side. I will get answers soon enough on that, but for now I have to focus. I need to plan.
The muscles in my legs tense as I begin the climb up to the top floor, and I focus on the feeling to stop the anxiety that’s rising, ignoring the pounding rhythm in my chest.
I push on the wooden door which creaks on its hinges and stride into the room, using my magick to light the candles on the chandelier, only to see my father sitting on the chair at my desk, sipping on an amber liquid.
“Lord Craven,” I nod my head, which is more respect than he deserves. “I was just coming to pack my belongings for our journey home.” I don’t question why he’s here. It will only anger him if I ask.
He takes another sip, gesturing to the chair across from him, a chair that I had against the wall. Cautiously, I move towards him and sit. He pulls out a crystal cup, the matching one to the set he’s already using himself, and places it on the desk,pouring me a drink and then topping up his own. He slides it over and nods for me to take it.
My hand wraps around the cool, rigid crystal cup.
He raises his glass. “We are drinking to a new Damorleia. Soon we will have that bastard’s head, and Lady Zorn will be weakened without her heir and no mate to hold her hand.” He presses the glass to his lips and takes a sip.
“To a new Damorleia. A better realm,” I state before taking a sip of mine.
He holds onto his glass before his beady black eyes narrow on me. “We need to talk about what happened today, about what happened after you all left the confines of the castle.”
I take another sip, a slightly bigger one. “Of course. The Vathia traitor landed on the battlement wall with his dragon—”
“I already know this!” he spits.
“The other Lords’ sons and I rushed to the keep to mount our dragons before pursuing the traitor. A fight between the traitor, the newly bonded female rider and a black dragon was underway as we approached. Jesper reached him first, just as the female fell from her dragon. A battle continued on the ground and the traitor used his shadows to whisk the unconscious female away, escaping on his beast, while the female’s dragon followed. Jesper went after them with a rider on a red dragon and I came back to update you and the other Lords on what happened,” I explain, before taking another sip. The burning liquid helps to soothe the anxiousness that has been rapidly rising over the past few hours.
The Lord of Allondë eyes me suspiciously, slowly taking another sip, and I do the same.
“Are you sure that’s everything?” he asks calmly.
I go to speak but my limbs suddenly feel heavy. The glass slips from my grasp, shattering across the floor like a thousand beads scattering. My heart rate slows and I find I’m unable topanic as my father stands, walking around the desk and leaning on it until his foul breath is in my face.
“Because Lady Gannon has a completely different tale. You see, she was found by another cadet in the woods after someone saw her fall from her dragon’s back and Jesper flying off after them. Now, things are going to be changing, and that means that those friends of yours are no longer in the picture. They will be killed before they can even cross the border. You, on the other hand, have duties and responsibilities to attend to.”
No! Fuck! He knows. It may not be everything but he knows enough.
“Enjoy your nap, son, because when you wake up, your new future awaits,” he sneers. “And I always get what I want in the end.”
CHAPTER THREE
MY BODY JERKS AWAKE, BUT I don’t go far with what feels like a steel band wrapped around my midsection. I gasp, realizing that I’m not on the ground or falling any longer. I’m in someone’s arms, perched on what appears to be a white dragon. My head whips around and I see Vasari flying next to us, and Nero perched on her back, clinging on for dear life.
What in the fates is going on?
