“What are you doing?”
“I don’t want to cause any problems.”
“I completely understand. Just go ahead and ignore me however you feel necessary. Just give Kole what he wants. I think he’s disgruntle about the current company. Trever’s off with my father so he’s just lonely.”
“I’m sure Jay’s not helping.”
“Yeah, I’m sure she’s not but you can help distract him. You’ll be doing everyone a favor.”
“I won’t be seeing it as helping. Try my best to ignore you, remember?”
“Well, great. Then I will you and I’ll start right now.” I hopped away from him quickly out into the clearing where the fire was and immediately approached Zayden from behind, startling him when I sat myself in his lap. “Relax. It’s just me.”
“I know. I just didn’t expect you to do that.”
I laughed.
“You all right?” Ruby asked.
“Of course.”
Ryon stepped out from the dark behind me with the wolf pup and walked around without making eye contact with anyone.
“Is he all right?” Jaylyn asked, following him with her eyes.
“He’s fine.” Ryon answered, still not looking over. He had somewhat of an attitude on his voice but I guess that would have been expected of him and he just went on ignoring us after that by whistling ahead at Kole and tossing a gold coin in his direction at the same time.
Kole caught it instantly before he even turned around and laughed while he did. “You’ve been thinking of that all day, haven’t you?!”
“A good portion. I actually made a list so you better get started.”
Kole was stopped before he could reply when my father and Trever walked over side-by-side and interrupted the steady balance of separation between the groups.
“Zayden, may we have a word with you?”
Zayden’s eyes glanced around and started to get out of his chair, making me move from his lap. “Yeah. Sure.”
“Zayden.” I grabbed his arm to stop him from taking another step from me.
“Adele, you’re doing it again.” My father smiled.
I looked back at Zayden and he could probably sense my worry. “It’s all right, Love. Stay here.”
My father nodded to the advice and Zayden slowly pulled from my arm, following them farther from hearing distance.
I still had my eyes directed that way, cautious about what was happening.
“Adele, blink, would you?” Kole said. “They’re not going to hurt him. Like I said, things you’ll need to know before the big secret is out.”
I finally moved my eyes by narrowing them and turning them to Kole. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”
“I believe it enough to know what they’re telling him.” Kole smiled, sharing a glance with Ryon only feet away.
“What?” Troy asked, curious like everyone.
“You really want to know?”
Eyes moved towards the east of Zayden’s escape and my curiosity had risen for the answer.
Chapter 5
Zayden
I wasn’t worried about this as I walked behind Aleksander and Trever but I was curious.
“What is this about?”
“We’re sorry to pull you away like this.” Trever said. “But we didn’t think this would be something you’d want done as a group.”
“What?” I hated having to ask it again.
“There are some things you should know before you get home.” Aleksander said.
“Well, really only one thing but it’s still important.”
I stood wondering if they were going to be all night about this or finally get around to telling me whatever it is they want to tell me.
“Is this about my father?”
“Of sorts. It’s about how much you don’t know him and the one thing he’s always kept from you; your mother.”
Confusion immediately struck across my face but I instantly retaliated with certainty in the false information they must have received. “No. You must not know of what you speak. That couldn’t be true. She died having me.”
They shared one of those looks again and Aleksander stepped in with a question. “Your father told you the story of our past. Did he not tell you that’s how he met your mother?”
I was a little surprised and admit that I let the conversation continue by answering. “No, he didn’t tell me. He doesn’t talk about her and I don’t ask. My mother is dead.” I said it very clearly and bluntly while taking a step forward to make my point. “He wouldn’t have lied to me about that.”
“Zayden, listen to me when I say, she is alive and she may not be what you’d expect.”
I wanted to walk away. I didn’t want to think of any of this yet there was still something that kept me falling deeper in conversation that I hoped I wouldn’t regret. “What do you mean?”
“The reason he kept her hidden from you.” Trever said. “All those rumors that surfaced while you were young. He did it because she’s Kaluian.”
I was blind-sided by shock and left almost speechless. I couldn’t believe to think it were true but still, I kept being pulling farther in the longer I lingered and let it last. “That’s impossible. He wouldn’t—she’s dead.”
I wondered if saying it over and over to myself would make it true but they kept insisting otherwise.
“Zayden, she’s not.” Aleksander said.
“I’m sorry but you must be mistaken. This can’t be true. I mean I—”
“He lied to you. His been hiding your Kaluian mother from you since you were born.”
“How do you know of this for sure?”
“I know her or at least I did once. It was a long time ago. We were all young but older than you, except for Trever here when we were all close friends. During our time of rebellious acts we stumbled upon an abandoned paradise that was built in the mountains, hidden away from the world. We used it as our meeting place. That was the only way we could get together amidst the growing hatred of the war and that’s where your mother and father fell in love.
“On the horrible night I know you already heard of, your mother was one of the few that escaped but she ended up sneaking herself back into Seni to see him and she never came back. Your father kept her hidden so no one would discover what she was. When you were born, Izin insisted that the best thing for you was to grow up thinking your mother was dead because of the feuds in war. If it got out, she’d be killed and so would you. I went through the same thing with Adele.”
“But she knew her mother. She knew where she was from. You didn’t have to lie to her.”
“Yes, well, things were a bit different for us. We didn’t have a royal image to uphold. It was easier for us to keep things quiet when the public’s focus wasn’t on us.”
I took a breath and started pacing in front of them, my mind just scrambling to find the right answers, the truth in all of this.
“Believe it, Zayden.” Trever said, watching me and probably listening to the inconstant thoughts going through my mind. “The sooner you do, the better. We’re not telling you this to cause future problems. It was something you needed to know.”
“If my mother has been alive all this time, how could she just sit back and let him do this to me?”
“She didn’t have a choice.” Aleksander said. “Izin has always been extremely protective. His word was always the final one.”
“But where did he keep her? Couldn’t have been far.” My questions were coming out just as fast as I could think of them and Aleksander and Trever tried their best to keep up.
“True.” Trever nodded. “You’ve seen her before actually. You just wouldn’t have guessed she was your mother. You don’t look like her at all. You look like your father.”
“She could have been a maid perhaps.” Aleksander suggested, just fueling my thoughts even more. “Someone who worked near you or maybe close to your father so no one would suspect a thing.”
“She i
s a maid, Zayden and you have seen her. Even talked to her. More recently than you know.”
I went in silence, listening to my own thoughts and thinking back to when I was last in Randal. It seemed so long ago but I remembered Kathryn. My father was with her; they were together; I’ve seen it. I was curious to know if I was right and knew I was just by seeing Trever’s smile. He must have been in on my thoughts and I simply just muttered her name for it to be said. “Kathryn.”
“You know her then?” Aleksander asked.
I kept my glance forward and my voice held tones of regret for all my past encounters with her. “Yes.”
Chapter 6
Adele
I was sad for him. How could his father not tell him that his mother was alive? I was anxious to see him but my father and Trever were walking back without him. “What’s the matter? Where is he?” I was worried and of course I thought of the worst.
“It’s okay, Adele.” My father assured me. “He just needs a minute.”
“Is that really true?” Ruby asked. “About his mother?”
“I’m afraid so. He’s not mad at any of us. We’re not the ones who’ve been lying to him his whole life.”
My eyes shot back over to where I first saw him disappear and got up from my chair.
“Adele, don’t!” Ryon took me by the arm and pulled me back.
“Let go! He won’t hurt me.”
He didn’t follow. No one did when I walked alone through the trees to find Zayden. It was quiet and I had to slow down, almost stopping to listen for any signs of another.
“I’m all right, Love.”
I turned to the sounds of Zayden’s voice and he was standing completely still, leaning up against a tree. I got closer, cautious of his condition as I kept my eyes on him without a blink. “Are you?”
He looked up, showing me that his eyes were still blue and held his hand out to me. “Yes.”
I took it and he pulled me close in front of him while I gently rested my hands on his chest. “I wish you didn’t have to find out this way.”
Zayden smiled but I think he only did it to keep the conversation happy. “I know, me either but hey, look at it this way, you’re not so alone in the world as you thought.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s Kaluian.”
I was surprised. “They didn’t tell us that.”
“It shows that we were truly made for each other. We make each other whole.”
He was right and I leaned in closer to kiss him. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“There’s something else that I know too.”
“What?”
“She already loves you.”
I paused for a moment. What he said didn’t make any sense. “What does that mean?”
“You’ve already met her. It’s Kathryn.”
I felt my mouth drop but I instantly thought of Izin and started to back away from Zayden. “Really? She couldn’t possibly love me.”
“Why would you say that?” I merely met his eyes and he understood. “She’s not going to be mad at you for it. It wasn’t your fault.”
“I guess. I didn’t mean to interrupt your moment. It must be really exciting news for you.”
“I wouldn’t quite say that.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s always been there and I had no idea. I’ve been lied to and treated her like—like a servant. That’s no way to treat a Queen of Seni.”
“But you didn’t know. It’s not your fault. She probably expected it.”
“Well, still. To me, it’s completely unacceptable behavior.”
“You’ll get the chance to redeem yourself, Zayden. We’re going back—together.”
He sighed and leaned his head back against the tree, pulling me in front of him. “I know.”
“I don’t think you father’s to blame either.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“Zayden, think this through. They probably did it to save you. It was hard for me growing up knowing what I did. I wasn’t allowed to say a damn thing. For a time people started thinking I was a mute. Could you imagine how it would have looked if people started to misjudge you, their Prince? Your father didn’t want to risk that. I think he made the choice for—”
“The image!” Zayden snapped, showing his attitude for this has not yet faded. “Not for me personally. He did it to protect himself. He lied to me! All these years, making me feel almost scared to ask him anything about her while he walked around like he went through some traumatic loss. It was all a hoax. He never lost anything. She was right there the whole time.”
“Zayden, don’t you dare take this news and make it into something bad. Yes, what he did was wrong but you’re not understanding the why. What your father did for love would have been treason on the very crown he wears. How is that so different from what you’re doing?”
“It won’t be the same. Our son will know you. He’ll know both of us.”
“Because you have the will to change it. Your father went through a stage of grievance after the separation and it ate at him until he fell so deep in his hate, there was no escape. That’s not you. You’re not him. You hold nothing against us and it’s the reason you’ll make sure we’re together but the difference is everyone will know it.”
He was quiet after that. I didn’t know what he was thinking, hopefully seeing my way but I let him have all the time he needed.
“Everything will work out. We’ll make it.”
Zayden finally smiled and kissed me. “Thank you. I’m glad you came out here. I needed this.”
“I wasn’t going to let you do it alone. I’m here for you. Always.”
“Your conversation with Ryon must have went this well. I noticed a somewhat change in his behavior.”
I backed away enough so I could see his face clearly and looked surprised by how he changed the subject. “Why do you ask?”
“I wasn’t asking. I was just making a statement.”
“Oh, well, yes. It went—everything was—he’ll be fine for a while.”
“Are you okay? I wasn’t trying to find out what you talked about or anything.”
I was looking in his eyes and thinking of what really happened with Ryon during our talk. I was feeling guilty from keeping it from him and came out with it quickly, all in one breath. “Zayden, I kissed him.” His look instantly became blank and I had to reassure him. “But it meant nothing. I just wanted to—”
“It’s okay, Love.”
“What? Really?” I was a bit surprised to get this kind of response out of him and I went further with it to find out why. “You’re not mad?”
“No. You know I know you still care about him. You make your own choices and as long as you chose it, I won’t fight it.”
“I did. It was. He actually refused me.” Zayden laughed, trying to keep it quiet. “What? You think that’s funny?”
“No. I’m sorry. It’s just—well, a little funny, yes.”
“Thanks a lot!”
“Oh, no. It has nothing to do with you. Just funny that he’s wanted you back all this time but when you give him the opportunity, he shoots you down. To me, that is a little funny. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh.”
“It’s okay. I guess I should be glad you’re taking this so well.”
“Everything you do is your choice and if I should get a say in the matter, I’d say I would much appreciate you not doing that again.”
“I didn’t plan to, Zayden. I just—”
“I know. Just be with me to be with me, not because you think you have to. You can choose another way if you wanted.”
“Don’t say that.” I leaned in even closer, almost as close as I could get without kissing him again. “You know I love you and this is what I choose. That won’t change.”
He had to see it and I would do what I had to just to make him believe it.
Chapter 7
Jaylyn
Kole took
control of dinner and was able to make it faster than Adele could ever had and we were eating it when they got back.
“Oh, looks like you have thought of it.” She said, taking her seat next to her father and looking around at how the circle of chairs got bigger.
“You expected us to wait for you?” I asked. “I’d starve but isn’t this the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?” I held up my bowl made of bread with soup in it while Zayden got one for himself and Adele.
“It is cute. Kole did this, I assume.”
“Who else would you expect could?” He smiled.
Adele brought a spoonful up to her mouth and paused, looking at it before taking the bite. “It’s not poisoned, right?”
Kole laughed. “No! Why would I poison yours?”
The Great Seni Fighters paused from eating and glanced down at the bowls in their hands.
“Oh, relax. I didn’t poison anyone’s. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already—a long time ago.”
“It’s okay.” Aleksander said. “He knows better.”
“Yes. An unfortunate mishap I agreed to.”
“Well, it’s good.” Adele said. “Thanks for doing the work for me.”
“You won’t have to clean up from it at least.” Ruby smiled.
I agreed excitedly. “I know! Finally! Dinnerware you can eat! Love it!”
Trever laughed. “You’re like a year-round pregnant woman, did you know that?”
“I am not!”
“Yes, please quit saying that.” Kole said. “It creeps me out every time.”
“Wonder why?” Ryon muttered sarcastically.
Trever shared in his laugh until Adele looked over and noticed Ryon didn’t have one of the bowls in his hand. “Did you eat already?”
Silence hit Aleksander, Trever and Kole extraordinarily quick and they all looked towards Ryon almost emotionless. “Ah, no. I don’t—never mind.” He got right up from his chair and simply walked away without even finishing his sentence to give Adele a proper answer.
“What was that?”
Raining Light (Fate's Intent Book 5) Page 3
