Page 172 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
Myra was at Laurince’s side in an instant. She intertwined their hands, calling his attention to her. His eyes were wild, his frustration rising at a dangerous pace. She squeezed his hand, and he took a deep breath.
Ever since the other night, Myra had been paying more attention to Laurine’s emotions. The serum’s effects extended beyond the new wings. His emotions were often all over theplace. At his request, Myra did her best to sedate them when necessary, but it was proving to be more challenging than she thought. It was like they were running for miles on end. Every time she caught up with them, the emotions sprinted further ahead.
"They’re coming," Phaia said. "You need to get out of the city.Now."
"What? Who’s coming?" Rian asked, joining them near the window.
"The guards," Bax breathed out.
"Are they cominghere?" Laurince asked. "Do they know we’re here?"
Before Phaia or Bax could answer, Laurince was throwing more questions at her. "Did someone betray us? Does Sebastian know we’re trying to gather forces?"
"I-I don’t know." Phaia dug her hands into her hair. "I?—"
"Are the winged guards among them?" With each question, Laurince stepped closer, as if his proximity would force the answers out.
"I don’t know!" Phaia repeated.
"What the fuck do you know then!"
"Laurince!" Myra chided, stepping in between him and Phaia. She pressed a hand to his chest and pushed him back. Laurince’s body was rock solid, his muscles taut beneath her palm. She glared at him and Rian. "Maybe if both of you gave them some space to breathe, they could tell us what theydoknow."
Laurince’s lip curled.
"Laurince," Myra called out, beckoning him to listen.
Slowly, he looked down at her, his mouth drawn in a flat line. His emotions whipped through the air, wild and erratic. She slipped her hand up to his face, caressing his jaw. He releaseda shaky breath and relented, retreating a step and mumbling an apology under his breath.
Once she trusted Laurince not to charge at them, Myra encouraged Phaia and Bax to proceed.
Bax placed a hand on Phaia’s shoulder. "This morning, they stormed through the guards’ chambers and were gathering soldiers to be questioned. I barely had time to slip through the tunnels before they got to my room. They know we’ve been trying to gather allies. They’re looking for anyone who they suspect has allegiances to either of you," he said, looking at Rian and Laurince.
Anger and frustration soaked the floorboards as Bax’s information settled across the room.
"How do they know we’ve been gathering forces?" Rian asked.
"I don’t know," Bax said. "Someone must have let it slip by accident. Thank the gods we hadn’t told anyone the plan yet."
"That’s because we never had a fucking plan!" Laurince shouted, his control slipping. He dug his hands into his hair, and the veins on his neck became more prominent, straining. "We’ve been flying by the seat of our pants this entire time."
"No pun intended, right?" Bax said, chuckling nervously.
Groaning, Myra tilted her head back.Wrong move,she thought as a low growl vibrated in Laurince’s throat.
She quickly tightened her hold on Laurince’s emotions, doing her best to sedate them. "Now is not the time," she said, her words clipped.
"If their focus is on the guards in the castle, why do we need to leave?" Rian asked, putting the conversation back on track.
"Because they’re gathering most of the troops and sending them out, fully armed," Bax explained.
"Then shouldn’t we stay here?" Myra asked, trying to force her voice to remain calm despite her rising panic. "If they’re leaving the city, then it’s best to stay put, no?"
"I don’t think they’re leaving the city," Phaia said.
"They’re checking the houses, aren’t they?" Laurince asked, his voice turning cold.
Bax nodded. "I overheard some guards saying they believed His Majesty was still in the capital."
