“You’re shaking, Ev.” Callum turned more toward me, taking my hands in his.
“The mage said something.” Unable to sit still, I rose from the couch. “I just now remembered. Holy crap. But that would mean… no, it can’t be. Can it?”
“Uh oh,” Rowan said. “He’s pacing.”
“Rambling too.” Lake’s eyes followed me as I paced back and forth.
“Love?” Briar stood from the armchair and caught me against him. “Tell us what the mage said.”
I peered up at him. “You told me the members of Nocturne could sense bloodlines. I think that’s what happened. He said thatIwas the one.”
“The one for what?” Rowan asked.
“Gods.” Briar’s confusion bled into realization. Sharply exhaling, he took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. “It all makes sense now.”
“Mind sharing with the rest of us, Specs?”
“We’ve asked ourselves why King Silas targeted Sawyer. And we have theories, sure. Because Sawyer is the prince most loved by the people. The one the king would do anything to protect. Yet, he would do the same for both of his children. So why not target the heir to the throne?”
“What of it?” Rowan asked, arms crossing.
“What if Prince Sawyerisn’tthe true target?” Briar suggested. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. “Think for a moment. The bandits and the first capture attempt… it all started last summer.”
“And?” Rowan pressed.
Briar’s brow creased as he looked at me. “That’s around the time you arrived in Bremloc.”
A chill shot down my spine.
“What are you saying?’ Maddox asked.
“That perhaps… King Silas believes Prince Sawyer is Evan.”
“What?” I squeaked. “Why would he think that? Sure, Sawyer and I look alike, but that’s all.”
“You and the prince are similar in age,” Briar said. “He is but a few months younger than you.”
Unease prickled at my chest.
“I can only speculate here, but…” He started pacing, much like how I’d done earlier. “Your mother escaped with you. One could assume she took you to King Eidolon for protection. Then,a baby with the same golden hair appears in the castle shortly after.”
Pressure enclosed my sternum.
“Even more,” Briar continued, “from what I heard, the queen had complications during her pregnancy and was bedridden for much of it, kept under the close watch of the former court physician. Only those within the castle knew of her condition. When Prince Sawyer was born, the royal family was still reeling from your father’s death, so the news of his birth was shadowed by the great loss to the kingdom.”
Rowan toyed with the golden cuff in his hair, staring at the fire. “So, you’re suggesting that the bandits, infiltration, and now the dark mercenary were all to get to Evan? And Sawyer was targeted simply because King Silas assumed they were the same?”
“That’s my theory, yes,” Briar answered. “Evan’s mother begged Lupin to save her son. Which leads me to believe Cynthia knew they’d come after him. Only by sending him far away would he be safe. Somewhere he couldn’t be tracked.”
Rowan’s jaw clenched. “You’re implying Haran has someone like Reign who can track a person’s energy? And they sensed Evan when he returned to this world?”
“Yes. As for why they couldn’t find him once reaching Bremloc?”
“His protection stone,” Lake said, head cocking.
Briar nodded. “The stone protected him from any attack, physical or magical, intended to cause him harm. Unfortunately, not all attacks, given recent events. Yet, it would’ve easily repelled a tracking spell. Even an advanced one.”
Callum’s brow scrunched. “So that must be when King Silas assumed Prince Sawyer was the child he’d been searching for?”
