Slipping my arms in the black cloak, I put the hood over my head, gripping the edges with my fingers and pulling until it hides my face from view. And then I’m out of the door, already knowing there won’t be a new guard there to keep watch. With Xander gone, I’m nothing but an afterthought.
My stomach tightens as I make my way to the nearest secret door, and my stomach jolts when voices filter around the corner, sounding as though they’re heading in the same direction. I spin around and run as quietly as I can to the end of the hall, hiding behind the far wall so they don’t see me.
Sheina. My heart falters. And Paul.
My brows draw down, and my insides curdle with confusion, wondering what it is they’re doing together and why they’re lurking through the hallways late at night.
When they open the secret passageway and step into the castle’s tunnels, my stomach drops to the floor. I follow behind them, trailing far enough away where they won’t notice I’m there. It takes ten minutes to reach the end of the tunnels, a small stone staircase leading to a small door that opens to the outside, and they exit, whispering words too low for me to hear.
Again, I follow, stepping into the chill of the cloudy night, and realizing we’re in the middle of the forest. And I have no idea where they’re about to go.
CHAPTER 41
Tristan
It’s a very interesting turn of events to have my brother listening to my words as though they’re gospel, and it’s just more proof that he’s truly lost his mind.
If I wasn’t so fixated on the memory of how my little doe felt wrapped around my cock, maybe I’d find some humor in the irony of the boy who spent his life telling me I wasn’t worth the dirt on his shoe, asking me what he should do.
Granted, all of this is from my careful manipulation of his hallucinations. I saw a weakness, and I pounced. The rebels are large and growing every day. I have many factions hidden in plain sight. We’re everywhere, even in the spots you wouldn’t suspect. But I’m not an idiot, and if there’s opportunity to strengthen our odds, I will always take it.
Which is why I lightly suggested last night that Timothy not have a proper burial—something that Edward could use to sway opinions of the king. People don’t do well when one of their own isn’t treated with respect.
“Brother, I’m sorry to bother you, but I didn’t know where else to turn.” I shake my head, pacing as though the thoughts are plaguing my mind.
“Out with it, Tristan. I’m busy,” he snaps, leaning back in his chair and puffing on a cigar.
“It’s about father,” I whisper, glancing around the room as though someone will overhear.
This gets his attention, and he sits forward, his brows rising. “Has he told you something else? Come to you in a dream again?”
I hesitate for a few long moments. “He has. But… I don’t know.”
“Tell me,” he hisses.
“In my dream… the king of Andalaysia was sending troops to our southern border.”
Michael grips the roots of his hair. “What? You think they mean to wage a war?”
Blowing out a deep breath, I shake my head. “I don’t know, Michael. It’s probably nothing. Fuck!” I kick the wooden chair leg. “I feel like I’m going crazy.”
“No.” He shoots to his feet, walking around the desk until he’s in front of me. He grips my shoulder tight. “You’re not crazy. We are not crazy.”
I nod, running my palm over my mouth.
“Did he say when?”
Shrugging, I glance up at him from under my brows. “I can’t be sure.”
Michael chews on the inside of his lip. “We can’t tell the council of this, they won’t believe it.”
“Michael, you’re the king. This is an absolute monarchy, not a democracy,” I say. “Don’t let others make decisions as if Faasa blood runs through their veins. It doesn’t.”
His eyes flare, his chest puffing out as my words sink into his psyche. “We’ll send troops to the southern border. Just to be safe.”
“Brother, I think that’s the right choice.”
Edward stares at me as I lean against the tavern’s bar top, lighting a joint and bringing it to my lips, saddened that I can’t still smell Sara on my fingertips.
Every cell in my body is craving to hunt her down and chain her to my side. It’s unhealthy; this obsession, but it’s here all the same, and I’ve never been known for my solid state of mental health.