The truth is, I don’t know this Christopher and I’m not even sure he knows himself anymore.
“We should give Rowan the heads up,” I murmur. “But first, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Oh?” he asks, growing concerned.
I swallow hard, telling myself that keeping the truth from him is the same as lying. I know he gave me his “blessing” about pursuing my feelings for Christopher and Rowan, but thinking something is going to happen and knowing it happened are two different things.
“I kissed Rowan,” I blurt out, since that feels easier, especially in light of Christopher’s betrayal. “And… I slept with Christopher.”
“Oh.” His tone is neutral, but when an emotion finally settles in his gaze, I’m surprised that it’s concern. “Right before…?”
I nod, freshly humiliated.
Even more of a shock is the fact that James takes me into his arms and holds me tightly. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs into my hair. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think the Christopher you know would have done this.”
It means more than I can tell him. I return his embrace, reassured that at least one thing isn’t going to change. I need James, and not just as my “consort.” He’s become one of my closest friends, and right now, I need all the support I can get. “I want to believe he can come back from this,” I whisper. “I’m just afraid he’s too far gone.”
“Hey,” James says, tilting my chin toward him. “If there’s anyone who can reach him, it’s you. I never put anything past your ability to believe in someone.”
His words touch the wound deep in my heart, but doubt settles in again. I want to believe him, but if love and belief were enough, Albien would be home right now.
“Hey,” Rowan bellows down the hall. I turn, afraid this is going to become another one of his macho man showdowns, but the look on his face stops me cold. “Have you guys heard the news?”
“That depends,” I say warily. “Please tell me it’s nothing that happened in the last hour.”
Normally, Rowan would make a joke to lighten the mood, but he doesn’t seem like himself right now. He’s uncharacteristically somber and I don’t like the worry in his eyes when he looks down at me. He turns to James and some strange understanding seems to pass between them. “Lady Jenna and her guard are back, and that asshole Raoul’s with them. The Pentarch just called for an assembly, and it’s gonna be televised.”
“An assembly?” I cry. “Why? What’s happening?”
“I don’t know,” Rowan says darkly. “They won’t say anything. I was just ordered to bring you.”
“Come on,” James says, placing a hand on my shoulder. “They’re probably just preparing to make the announcement about Harquest.”
I nod, following them both down the hall toward the grand balcony. It’s where Albien was planning to host my coronation, before they decided being outdoors was too much of a security risk. It’s a lovely evening without a cloud in the sky, so I’m sure the Pentarch will leap at the chance to have a dramatic backdrop for their victory speech.
All I can do is hope that Mace doesn’t pay us another appearance. Then again, it might be the only way to get Raoul and the others to take his role in all this seriously.
With James on one side and Rowan on the other, I feel relatively confident walking out onto the balcony, but that all fades when I realize just how many people are gathered below. A wall of guards surrounds the property, keeping everyone in line. The sight of the mass of people below gives me vertigo.
There are so many of them, their faces all somber as they look up at me for answers. Answers I can’t give them. Their world is about to change forever, with the announcement of one who’s betrayed them all as well as me. So many of them have placed their faith in Harquest. I’m just a stranger, and now their King is missing. I know the truth needs to come out, if only because they deserve it, but I’m starting to understand the other side.
The Pentarch are all gathered on the balcony, and Raoul rushes to greet me, as if James and Rowan have simply been acting in my place. “Your Majesty,” he says, bowing with a somber look on his face. “I had hoped for the chance to speak to you alone first.”
“About what?”
Raoul hesitates. “There’s something you should know.” He looks out at the crowd, frowning. “Something we all must accept.”
His words frighten me, and time seems to slow down. Raoul places a hand on my shoulder and leads me toward the railing. The other four of the Pentarch part to make way for us, and the glimpse I get of Jenna’s confused face tells me she’s as much in the dark as I am.
“My dearest ladies and gentlemen of the Eternus League,” Raoul begins, addressing the crowd with a low voice and his head held high. “It is with a heavy heart that I announce war has once more come to our lands.”
A hush falls over the crowd. No one dares to speak. War was inevitable when it came to outing the rebellion the General has had planned for months, maybe even years, but there’s something about the way Raoul is behaving that makes me doubt it’s all going to plan.
“For months, you’ve all rejoiced with the royal family in the return of one of its most precious members,” he says, looking down at me in adoration that feels contrived, at best. “What you didn’t know is just how much our Princess went through in order to return. Far from being rescued from a hidden tower, she rescued herself, along with the aid of the three noble knights who came with her.”
His words take me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting Raoul to extend a bit of credit to me or the others. Maybe there’s more to him than I thought.
His voice grows strained as he turns back to the crowd. “The truth, my fellow countrymen, is not easy to hear, but your Princess has determined that you all deserve to know it, and I support her wholeheartedly. Some time ago, one of our own began to plot against the royal family, culminating in an attempt on our beloved King’s life.”
The news shocks the crowd anew, disbelieving murmurs spreading throughout the garden below. If Raoul is trying to set the stage to turn public opinion against Harquest, before news of his arrest can spread, he’s doing a damn good job of it. Even I’m freshly enraged.
“It is only through the Princess’ heroic efforts that we now know this traitor, who’s preyed upon his close proximity to the royal family and this nation’s good faith, was also responsible for the spread of the vile lie that Her Majesty was killed in the same accident that claimed the lives of our King and Queen.” The gathering is silent once more, the air heavy with Raoul’s words.
The doors open in the balcony across the castle and three guards lead out two men, their heads covered in burlap sacks. My heart beats faster as I recognize the both of them. I don’t need to see their faces to know it’s the General and Ryland.
“These men not only conspired to kidnap Princess Victoria and use her in the most extensively premeditated act of betrayal this kingdom has ever known, but we now know for fact that they murdered the King and Queen,” he says, his voice growing hoarse with rage as he points at the two men the guards have forced onto their knees. “And now, as I was grieved to learn this evening, our dear King Albien was added to the list of their treachery.”
At Raoul’s signal, the guards unmask Ryland and Harquest, but the crowd’s shock has nothing on my own. Albien? Surely I heard him wrong. Albien isn’t dead.
I know he isn’t.
“No!” I cry, grabbing Raoul’s arm. It’s a breech of decorum, but I don’t care. “You’re wrong. Albien isn’t dead!”
Raoul just looks at me with a pitying gaze, but there’s something behind it I don’t trust. “I’m sorry, Danica. I know this is difficult for you to hear, but it’s the truth.”
“No,” I seethe. “My brother is alive. I feel it! Whatever they told you, they’re lying.” I don’t know what Ryland is up to now, but I’m sure he knows where Albien is. We should be out there looking for him, not hanging the traitors in a victory lap.
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Herin and Gianna move toward me, but Raoul holds up a hand to stop them. He reaches into his jacket, his gaze softening as he pulls out a small item. When he opens his palm to reveal an exact replica of Albien’s locket, I realize this isn’t just a speech. It’s a performance. I’m just not sure who’s doing the acting.
Raoul seems to take my shock as acceptance that what he’s saying is true, even though I’m more certain now than ever that my brother is alive. Someone made that locket and I still don’t know if it was Raoul, but someone is going through a lot of trouble to convince me that Albien is dead.
“I’m so sorry, Princess,” Raoul says gravely. If he’s the liar, he’s certainly giving an award-winning performance as he closes my hand around the locket. “We found this on the body.”
“Not Albien’s,” I choke. Someone pulls me away and I almost fight back, until I realize it’s James. The look on his face tells me he’s bought the lie, and so has Rowan.
“I’m sorry, Dani,” he whispers, pulling me into his arms.
I stand there frozen in shock. None of this makes sense, and I don’t know who to trust, beyond Rowan and James. Before I can catch my breath, the sound of a sword slicing through flesh draws my attention as well as the crowd’s.
We all watch in horror as Harquest’s head rolls onto the balcony floor. Ryland stares down at it and even from across the castle yard, I can see the color drain from his face.
“There is no place in this kingdom for traitors,” Raoul says coldly. “Especially not those who would spill their own blood.”
The executioner’s blade rises up over Ryland’s head and I scream at the top of my lungs, “No!”
James is barely able to hold me back as my hands wrap around the balcony railing. I turn to Raoul, my nostrils flaring in rage. “Stop it!”
Raoul and the others give me bewildered looks, as if public executions are the norm and I’m the one overreacting. While I once wanted nothing more than to kill Ryland myself, the idea of actually doing it leaves my mouth dry. Still, it’s not out of concern for him that motivates me to speak up.
Albien is alive and Ryland is my only chance at finding him. I have to find a way to delay the execution, but I know if I don’t come up with another excuse, they’ll just think I’m in denial.
“He killed my brother,” I say, struggling to even speak the false words. I just know it’s the only way. “It’s my right, not yours.”
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Raoul says, even though I can tell he’s uncomfortable beneath his calm exterior. “Whatever you wish.”
I hear the Pentarch muttering about getting me inside before I “make a scene,” as if this whole spectacle could be anything else. My head is spinning, but I let James and Rowan lead me in, as long as they’re taking me away from Raoul and the others.
Chapter Fourteen
The moment Rowan closes the door to my private study, I leap up from the chair James led me over to. “Are they gone?”
Rowan looks at me blankly. “What?”
“The hallway. Is it clear?”
He hesitates, listening for a moment. “Yeah, it’s clear. What—”
“Albien isn’t dead,” I blurt out, looking between him and James. As soon as I see the pity on their faces, I groan. “I’m serious. I know what you think, but either Raoul is lying or the men who found that body were. It’s not Albien.”
“Danica, I know this is difficult for you to accept,” James begins, reaching for me.
I move out of his grasp. “No! I’m not in denial, I’m telling the truth,” I insist, pulling the locket out from under my shawl. I’ve worn both mine and Albien’s ever since his disappearance, since having the piece of jewelry that’s belonged to him all his life makes me feel like he’s close somehow.
James takes the locket and examines it carefully. “How did you get this from Raoul?”
“I didn’t,” I say, folding my arms. “I found it in Albien’s chamber the day of my coronation, along with his robe.”
James and Rowan exchange a look of confusion. I know explaining this will mean coming clean all the way about Christopher, but it can’t be helped.
“When Christopher broke the spell on the castle, he used my necklace to do it. He thought Albien was still inside, because it worked, but when we got upstairs, all that was left was the locket and that robe,” I explain.
“Wait, Christopher broke what now?” Rowan asks.
“It’s a long story,” James mutters, looking intently at me. “You’re saying the locket Raoul has is a fake?”
“And a damn good one.”
“Why the hell would anyone make a copy of something like that?” asks Rowan.
“There’s only one reason,” I answer. “They want us to think Albien is dead, and since they don’t have his actual body, that necklace was supposed to be my ‘proof.’”
“Why would anyone want to fake the King’s death?” asks Rowan. “I mean, sure, there are plenty of folks who’d wanna kill him. We’ve already got that figured out, but this doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I just know we can’t trust Raoul, or any of the Pentarch, for that matter.”
“That much is a given,” James mutters thoughtfully.
“So what now?” asks Rowan.
“I have to get to Ryland,” I say, even though he’s the last person I’m emotionally ready to come face-to-face with. “If anyone knows where Albien is, it’s him.”
“If Raoul is the one behind this, he was in a hurry to get rid of the only witness,” says James.
“Exactly.” I turn to Rowan, since he’s been assigned to the prison on a few occasions. “Can you get us in?”
He hesitates. “You’re the Princess, so technically, you should be able to go wherever you want.”
“Technically, but we’ve all seen what the Pentarch thinks of me,” I mutter. “It was no accident they told me about Albien’s ‘death’ in front of all those people.”
“That was definitely a low blow,” Rowan agrees. “Alright, I’ll see what I can arrange.”
“Thank you,” I tell him.
“Anything for you, dollface,” he says, winking at me before he leaves the room.
My face flushes as the door falls shut, leaving me alone with James.
“Dollface?” he asks dryly.
“Just Rowan being Rowan,” I mumble under my breath. Secretly, I’m relieved he’s on our side. Christopher leaving the way he did shook me, but it’s time to get my head back in the game. There’s too much at stake.
* * *
By the time Rowan calls for us to meet him, it’s well past midnight. Definitely after the hour decent Princesses are supposed to be sleeping soundly, but it’s hard to get a moment’s peace in this castle.
Supposedly, Rowan paid off another guard to take his shift, so he’s the only one in this wing of the dungeon. I’d always thought “dungeon” was more a matter of speech than anything, but as James leads me down the dark and winding corridors, I realize it’s all too literal.
There are huge stone cells with iron bars and giant padlocks hanging off them. They’re all empty, at least the ones we pass, but the dark stains on the walls look too much like blood for comfort.
“Come on,” James says, guiding me down another path. I can tell he’s as uneasy as I am about being down here. This kingdom is at war within itself, and I’m starting to feel like the enemies on the other side of the territory are the least of our concerns.
I guess for all its glorious cities and formal customs, Eternus isn’t really all that different from Marok. The old politics and rules of the game still apply, just on a vastly different scale.
Rowan is waiting for us outside a gate that leads deeper into the dungeon than I particularly want to venture. He’s wearing a somber look on his face as he studies me. “You sure you’re up for this?”
“Yeah,” I answer, even though I’m anything but. James touches my shoulder and follows behind as
Rowan leads us into the inner chamber. There’s a long, dark hallway with a single cell at the very end. It’s poorly lit, save for a single bulb hanging above the iron door, but I can see the shadow of a man tied to a chair inside.
The stone walls are carved up like massive claws recently dug into them, but there are too many marks to be the result of one person. As much as I hate Ryland, the sight of him exhausted and worn down, having obviously struggled in his wolf form to escape for hours on end, is a bit much to bear.
I swallow hard as Rowan opens the door. It creaks loudly and Ryland lifts his head, his eyes meeting mine with open defiance.
As I stand before him, it’s pain rather than fear that engulfs me. This is the man I trusted. The man I called my father my whole life. The man whose absence I grieved and whose honor I defended so arduously.
No, I’m not afraid at all like I thought I’d be. I’m saddened, and enraged to no small degree, but he’s powerless now and he’s lost the ability to ever make me fear him.
His days are numbered, and he knows it. He meets my eyes without shame, proving he’s not even half the man I thought he was.
“Well, look at you,” he says venomously. “Adapted quick to the royal treatment, didn’t you?”
I try to quell my rage and remind myself that I didn’t come here to exact my revenge, but he certainly makes it tempting. All the love I once felt for him has turned to bitterness and betrayal.
“All I ever was to you was a pawn,” I say through clenched teeth. “A bargaining chip to get what you wanted.”
“You say that now, but it took you long enough to figure it out, didn’t it?” he sneers.
“Yes,” I answer, my voice dropping. “You were a very convincing liar.”
“Isn’t that sweet. Something tells me you didn’t come here to walk down memory lane with your old man.”
I know I should ask him where Albien is. No, demand that he tells me, before I lose control, but there are too many questions left unanswered. Too many skeletons left to unearth in my past.
Court of Alphas: A WhyChoose Shifter Romance Page 7
