Page 94 of The Last Wish of Bristol Keats
“Thanks for waiting,” Tyghan said, feeling six sets of eyes burning into him. “I wanted to speak to you when I had you all together.” The news still turned his stomach, but he knew they were eager for an explanation. It was the last one he wanted to deliver. He remembered when he was crowned king, still on his sickbed and half-conscious. He had called Kasta to his side. She was the most detail minded of all his officers—and his close friend. Through gasps and moans, he asked her to be his First Officer—theking’sofficer. She had cried. He’d never seen Kasta cry before, and he’d thought it was for him. Now he wondered if it was actually because of her guilt.
“Is Kasta sick?” Cully asked.
Tyghan swallowed. “No. Before you feel relieved, I want you to know she has resigned her position.” There was a murmur of disbelief, but before he was bombarded with questions, he continued. “I will not be sharing details, but Kasta has disobeyed direct orders and put lives and the mission in jeopardy. Once she has shared all her tactical information with Eris, she’ll be dismissed.”
“No punishment?” Sloan asked.
Tyghan was silent.
Melizan saw him struggling for an answer, his chin dimpling as he bit back words. “We all know Kasta,” Melizan said. “Knighthood is her life. Her resignation and dismissal are her punishment.”
Tyghan’s gaze met hers, and he nodded.
Eris motioned to the full wagons. “Everything is done here. Take the afternoon to give your horses a last go-over, gather your things together, and turn in early. We leave two hours before dawn tomorrow.”
Quin squinted. “You sure you’re up for this, counselor?” He motioned to Eris’s back. “That sword and all?”
“Hmm,” Eris said, drawing the sword from its scabbard. “This thing? I thought it was just for show. Maybe we should give it a go?”
Tyghan knew this moment had to come. Better they see it with their own eyes. “Sure, Quin,” Tyghan said. “Put the counselor through a few paces.”
CHAPTER 71
Almost done here,” Esmee said, brushing a curly lock from her forehead. “Just the powders to get in order.” The cupboards of Madame Chastain’s workshop were flung open as the witches searched for necessary supplies.
Olivia wedged another bottle into the box of potions she was packing. “All labeled, but I’ll go over these with the sorcerers, just to be sure.”
Dahlia rubbed her temple, trying to ease the tension pulsing there. Besides a handful of palace sorcerers, they had recruited twelve healers from the city to attend wounds—and there would be wounds. Her face pinched as she packed another box, bottles rattling.First Officer? Has he lost his mind? And Tyghan! How could he even allow this? And without consulting her. She was the High Witch, dammit!
Every potion she packed made her head hurt worse. Potions for bites! Claws! Bloody slashes! Suffocating spells! Potions to bring you back from the brink of death! The bottles clanked and rattled as she arranged them. Why was Eris doing this? To get back at her? All because of a few words? He had no business carrying a sword, now of all times. His powers were better suited elsewhere, like supporting her, Esmee, and Olivia.
She grabbed another box and moved on to bandages. All this for a few flowery words? It was nonsense. But—
It mattered to him. She had never seen him look so angry. At least not at her.
Why couldn’t she say it? Why was it so hard?
“Dahlia?” Esmee said, her brows squiggled in a question mark. “I can finish that for you?”
Dahlia looked down. She was stuffing the bandages in a disorderly fashion—and Dahlia liked order. She quickly began re-sorting them. “I’ve got it,” she replied, unhappy that she had let Eris invade her thoughts so completely. If he hadn’t made this foolish decision—
But he had. He was done with her, and she with him. So be it. He hadn’t fought in battle in thirty years, and now he was going to go off and get himself killed.
She stilled, her hands sinking into the bandages.
What if he does die? What if he dies over all this nonsense?
She tried to force her attention back on her work, but instead she heard Eris’s last words before he walked out.I won’t keep paying for the sins of your past lovers.
It wasn’t that simple. Dahlia thought about Daiedes and all the lovers who came before him. Those wasted years. Until Dahlia came along, Eris had only had two lovers in his whole life—his wife and the queen, both good, loving relationships. But Dahlia had squandered her love on countless people who didn’t love her back. Lovers who cheated, lied, and made a fool of her. She was incredibly good at making bad choices. Daiedes was her third husband, and he had especially broken her, being the greatest cheat of them all, carrying on behind her back, but in front of others. Of course she was cautious with her heart.After eight years, maybe I am not the right man for you.
She pressed two fingers to her brow, Eris’s voice impossible to shake. “You have a headache, Dahlia?” Olivia asked. “I can pull some of those tense energies for you?”
Dahlia shook her head. “No, it’s fine now.”
“It’s a wonder we don’t all have pounding heads,” Esmee said as she latched her box. “We’re packing enough supplies to treat every knight in Danu. We can only pray to the gods that we don’t need it.” She sighed, eyeing the other two. “I hear the city is emptied out, everyone packing up for less obvious targets. It’s all becoming very real, isn’t it?”
Dahlia’s breath pooled in her chest.
