The King's Secret

by Maryam Durrani

  “You and that prince put on quite a show,” Ashes’s irritat-

  ing voice said. For a peaceful amount of time, I had completely

  forgotten she had ever existed.

  But unfortunately, she did.

  “He’s not a prince anymore,” I replied, keeping my head focused on the path in front of us.

  “Oh, that’s right. Everyone seems to know that, anyway.”

  My head snapped towards her. “Everyone knows what?”

  “How he faked his death because he was so ashamed of his father’s actions. He would’ve been a weak, weak king if he stayed, anyway.” Her cinnamon eyes narrowed, her face contorted into a look of evil. Sometimes I wondered if she wanted to be hated for attention.

  In Ashes’ face, I saw myself. The moments I did were seldom, but when I did, it was clear why she had chosen me to be the person to look up to.

  I simply didn’t care.

  Ashes wanted to be like that.

  Uncaring, cold, angry. Respected. Powerful.

  Someone I used to be.

  “He would never have been a weak king if he stayed. Lorelle was the rightful heir, and that’s why he did what he did.”

  “And that made him weak.”

  “Not everyone is as malicious and spiteful as you, Ashes.”

  “I learned from the best, Assassin.”

  I sighed. There was no use arguing with her—she couldn’t help being so . . . hateful. “What else do they say about Xavier?”

  “That’s all. Annie cornered him once, asking him all these personal questions.”

  I frowned. “Who’s Annie?”

  “One of the servants. She asked him why he gave up everything he had, and the next thing she knew, he started running.”

  “She shouldn’t have gotten so personal,” I scowled. “It

  wasn’t her place.”

  “That’s true, but it shows you how fragile the prince—Xavier, I mean—has become.”

  “He’s not fragile,” I snapped. “Annie—whoever she was—had no right to ask such questions.”

  “If he weren’t so fragile, it wouldn’t have mattered. Besides,” Ashes shrugged, “Xavier is smart enough to know he can take his place back.”

  Ashes was right. Lorelle only took her place as queen because Xavier left it open for her. It wasn’t her right. Her father had chosen to give his position to his cousin, King Sadim. Xavier’s father. Now, if something happened to Lorelle, Xavier could take his place back.

  “All he has to do,” she said with a smirk, “is slip something into her drink.”

  “If he wanted to, he would’ve already done it.”

  Ashes shrugged again. “We’ll see.”

  “What,” I let out a humorless laugh, “do you really think Xavier is capable of that?”

  “If you don’t, then you really don’t know him.” She gave her blood bay mare a nudge, its red-brown coat gleaming under the rays of the sun.

  The glare of the sun made it hard to see through the snow. The horses trotted, kicking up white puffs as they did.

  I pulled on the reins, slowing Walnut—my new name for the Butternut lookalike—to a gentle trot. Lance glanced at me over his shoulder. His cheeks were bright pink from the cold,

  lips chapped and eyes slightly watery from all the wind blow-ing in our faces.

  “What do you think we’ll find when we arrive at Illkis?” he asked, his breath coming out in white puffs around his lips.

  “Destruction. Maybe flames. Maybe . . . nothing.”

  “It’s terrible, isn’t it?” he asked, letting out a sad laugh. “We’re worried about a war while this beast is circling over our kingdoms ready to strike at anything and anyone.”

  I nodded in thought. “I wonder why King Albion decided to leave behind a weapon that nobody could control.”

  “Maybe he was a mad king. Maybe ruling such a vast kingdom drove him insane, and he decided to end it once and for all.”

  “That is valid reasoning,” I said with a long sigh. “Do you ever just feel . . . exhausted?” He waited for me to continue, urging his steed on in silence. “I don’t remember ever . . . not working. For the first seven years of my life, I was abused by a family that . . . wasn’t even my family. Then I murdered people for a king who ended up sending me to a rebel base to save his dying son, and then I escaped to Crea. I rode a ship to a pirate island and fled from a kingdom trying to kill me. In the meanwhile, my wrist and arm were stomped on until I completely lost feeling. I can’t even shoot a bow anymore.” I groaned, pouting. “And that’s just a quick recap.”

  “Not to mention your parents were murdered and the only mother-figure you loved—Queen Celeste—died too early.”

  I raised my eyebrows at him, surprised. “You remember that?”

  “Of course I do. All those long talks on the roof . . .” He smirked. “How could I forget?”

  I blushed. “I tried hard to,” I mumbled, and suddenly his eyes turned sad.

  “I was that easy to forget, huh.”

  “No,” I corrected, “that’s not what I meant. When I left

  Astodia, I couldn’t . . . think. About anyone else. Except you.” I felt my face heat up. “What I mean is, I felt guilty for leaving, and then when Xavier came back . . . I was angry, but so, so

  relieved.”

  “So that’s why you chose him?” I frowned in confusion, waiting for him to elaborate. “You chose him because he came back at the right time to comfort you. Maybe if I’d looked a little further and found you before him, you would’ve chosen me.”

  “No,” I shook my head. “That’s not it at all.”

  “That’s what it seems like,” he gave me a sad, knowing smile. “He was just lucky he got to you first. If you felt guilty, it meant you wanted to come back.”

  He clicked his tongue, urging his horse forward. I scowled after him, but my heart slammed against my chest in fear.

  What if Lance was right? I’d only chosen Xavier because he’d come back when I needed someone. If Lance had appeared . . . would I have chosen him instead?

  I swallowed the lump in my throat, feeling sick.

  No, it wasn’t true. It couldn’t be.

  I stared ahead, breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth to keep my lungs steady. I couldn’t think about this now, not when so many people needed our help in Illkis.

  That night, we camped a bit deeper into the forest around the road.

  We would’ve stayed at another village, but all the towns and villages were at least a day apart, and Illkis was the closest.

  I didn’t sleep.

  I stayed awake while the fire was put together, Knights tak-ing turns standing guard.

  “You should sleep,” Lance said, blinking his green eyes wearily. It was his turn to switch for the night, and he was heading back to his tent. He stopped, turning back to me. “I’ll

  stay up. You rest.”

  “No.”

  “Adalia—”

  “Thank you, Lance, but I’d rather stay guard.” I gave him a reassuring nod.

  “I’ll stay up with you—”

  “Go,” I urged. “Rest. We need you at your best.”

  He finally gave in, eyes droopy, forcing himself back into the tent he shared with a Knight named Lucan.

  Night fell, and the air chilled me to the core. The hairs rose up on the back of my neck, howls sending shivers down my spine. Wolves were awake, and they were hungry. Starving.

  I stood, keeping my eyes focused and my mind alert.

  The horses were tied to their posts, their heads bowed as they slept.

  “Here,” a voice said, making my head snap towards her. Ashes stood, her lips turning a shade of blue. She was holding out a bow for me to take. “For the wolves.”

  “I’m fine with a sword,” I shook my head.

  “You need the bow. Trust me. It’s better if you can stop a pack from a distance instead of waiting for thirty to pounce on you at once.”


  Fine. I took it from her hands, my fingers brushing against hers. They were as cold as ice.

  “Sit next to the fire,” I motioned towards the burning flames. They crackled as Simon added a new log to it, fueling the fire.

  “I don’t have a clear view from there,” she replied, and I scowled.

  “That doesn’t mean you should freeze to death. I’ll watch your side. Warm up.” I knew she was glad for the offer because she took it quickly, turning to find a place next to the heat. She rubbed her hands together, letting her eyes close as warmth returned to her body.

  I turned back towards the dark again, pulling the bow and letting my fingers adjust it. I felt the wood and nocked in an arrow, holding it up. Did familiarity run through my fingers, sending tingles up my arms? Was I confident like I should have been?

  No.

  The twitching reminded me of that. Something in my wrist jumped restlessly. If I let go of this arrow, it would find its home in the snow instead of the tree I was aiming at.

  I set my jaw, frustrated, and lowered the bow.

  The hoot of an owl rang through the night sky, reverberating on the trees.

  And then I heard a snap.

  I held up the bow, aiming my arrow at darkness, trying to adjust my eyes. Flames from the fire still danced in front of them, and I blinked a few times to clear my vision.

  Another snap.

  I let out a soft, three-noted whistle—a signal of warning. Around me, I felt the defense tighten as the Knights pulled out their bows and swords, alert.

  I pulled the bow back, the string brushing against my nose.

  What happened next occurred too quickly.

  A gray wolf, nearly the size of a horse, jumped out from the dark. I held up my bow, aiming towards the eye, and released the arrow. It whizzed through the air, planting itself in the wolf’s shoulder. It let out a whimper, but the arrow was only

  enough to slow it down.

  “Wolves!” I shouted, stepping back.

  Saliva dripped from their jaws as they slowly came out

  from behind the trees, growls rumbling from their bellies. They were starving.

  I reached for my sword, but I had no time to yank it out as the wounded wolf leaped onto my shoulders, slamming me into the ground. I struggled, pressing my hands against its chest and burying the arrow deeper into the wound. The wolf howled in pain, its jaws snapping inches from my face. I inhaled its hot, putrid breath, gagging as I tried to push it off me.

  I yanked out the arrow, planting it through its eye. The wolf twitched, its body going limp, flattening against me.

  With some effort, I hauled it off me, warm blood pouring onto my neck. I choked, scrambling to my knees as three wolves surrounded me.

  I pulled out my sword, waiting for them to pounce. Behind me, I heard a yowl as Asselin drove his sword through another wolf.

  They attacked at the same time.

  Their powerful jaws snapped at my elbows and knees as I ripped through them. This was a huge pack, and they seemed as if they hadn’t eaten for days.

  Scarlet liquid poured onto the soft white snow, creating brutal patterns over it as one by one, the wolves fell into the snow.

  I stood back, my chest rising and falling as I examined the scene around me. The remaining wolves had retreated, but I knew they would be back.

  “Is anyone injured?” I called out, stepping over a gray, furry body.

  “Everyone’s fine,” Taj’s voice came in a reply. His boots

  sank in the snow as he made his way towards me, face streaked with blood. His eyes ran up my arms and to my face, taking in

  all the sticky blood. “Are you hurt?”

  I shook my head. “It’s from one of the wolves,” I replied,

  sheathing my sword with a sharp clang. “They’ve gotten bigger.”

  He nodded. “They seem to grow larger each year.”

  “I wasn’t expecting an attack. They were desperate. It makes me wonder how the people are doing.”

  “From the wolves?”

  “No. In terms of food.”

  He nodded. “We’ll help them. We can send word back to Lorelle and visit the other villages after Illkis.”

  “There’s no time for that, Taj.”

  I turned away, only to come face to face with Ashes.

  I groaned. “What is it now, Ashes?”

  Her face was a sickly pale. “Uh, my arm.”

  My stomach suddenly dropped to the floor, a sick feeling rising up my throat. For a moment, for a second that seemed to last forever, I thought, this was it. One of the wolves had gotten to her arm, and she had fallen into the same fate as me. It had all happened too soon, and this meant everything she had ever worked for was over.

  I reached for her arm, holding it into the light from the evanescent fire.

  There were a few chinks in the armor, blood pooling from under it, dripping down her fingers and into the last spot of innocently white, unmarked snow.

  “What . . . where did you get bitten?”

  “I don’t know,” she replied, her voice colored with confusion and fright. “I don’t feel pain, but that could be the shock . . . or cold, I don’t know, I don’t know.”

  I started peeling away the armor. Everyone watched in silence as I pulled up the last bit of cloth.

  A relieved sigh escaped my lips.

  “It’s not that deep,” I said, undoing the bandana around my

  neck. I wrapped it around the wound as she sucked in air between her teeth. The armor had protected her bone from snapping, and it didn’t look like the wolf had held on for too long. The blood was mostly from the throat of the wolf she’d slit.

  “That’s a relief. I thought I was going to become like—”

  Her face flushed deeply as she stopped herself. I knew Ashes meant it as a joke, but at the same time, her words stung.

  “Like me?” I raised an eyebrow. “I might’ve missed the wolf’s eye, but yours is too close to miss, Ashes,” I warned. Taj laughed.

  She blushed, thanking me for the bandana.

  “We’ll have to go. We can’t stay here,” I said to Taj and Lance, who was busy wiping blood off his sword with a rag.

  He looked up wearily.

  “I barely got a wink of sleep, Adalia . . .”

  “We have to keep moving.”

  “They won’t come back. Trust me, they don’t have the guts to come back.”

  I chewed on the inside of my lip, wondering if it was the right time to argue with weary Knights. I decided it would be best if I didn’t.

  “Fine. But if I so much as hear a twig snap . . .”

  “I’ll be the first one up and packing,” Lance raised his arms. “Now, it’s time for you to rest. Come on,” he motioned. “You can switch with Simon.”

  Simon scowled in our direction upon hearing his name.

  “I told you, I can’t.”

  “You’re covered in blood, and you’re tired. I can see it. Come on,” he tugged on my wrist.

  I wanted to protest, but he was right.

  “Only for an hour.”

  “Okay.”

  I faced the Knights on guard. “Reyner, Kay,” I addressed them, “Keep your eyes open. If you find yourself falling asleep, wake someone up to take your place. Don’t take any chances.”

  They nodded, returning to their positions.

  I turned to Lance’s tent, pulling it open and slipping inside. I rolled up in the blankets.

  “If you hear anything, wake me.”

  “You don’t need me. You’re a light sleeper.” He crawled to the opposite end of the tent, wrapping himself in a layer of blankets.

  “You say that like you know it well,” I mumbled.

  “Of course I know it well.”

  I could feel my face burn.

  “Can you two shut up,” Ashes called. “We’re trying to get some rest.”

  “Why don’t you shut up?” Simon’s irritated voice came through the fabric of the ten
t. “You’re louder than both of them combined.”

  “I’m going to kick you in the teeth.”

  “Why don’t you kick yourself in the teeth?” Simon growled back.

  “Both of you, shut up,” said Lance.

  Lance shook me awake.

  There was a dull throbbing in my skull, and I sat up, rubbing my eyes. For a moment, I’d forgotten where I was.

  “This tent is the last one to pack up,” he said gently. “I let

  you rest for as long as you could.”

  That woke me up completely.

  “Lance, I was supposed to be the first one awake.”

  I scrambled to my feet, tugging on my boots, and pushed

  my way out of the tent.

  The Knights had already mounted their horses, waiting for me, as Lance started putting away the tent. I walked over to Walnut, untying her from the tree trunk and mounted.

  In the morning light, I could see the battle from last night clearer. The bodies of the wolves had been piled on top of each other, blood and guts splattered across the snow.

  “We could use the fur,” I said to Taj.

  “Braylen and Gene will take them back,” Taj said, shooting a look at two of the Knights who seemed to inwardly groan, hanging their heads. He turned back to me. “Is that fine?”

  I gave him a nod, whipping the reins slightly to urge Walnut back on the trail.

  “We’re getting closer,” he said, pointing at the snow. “The tracks are fresh.”

  “Survivors?” I asked.

  “Possibly. Although, there will be much destruction. Prepare yourself.”

  “Don’t worry about me. Worry about your knights,” I said, jutting my chin towards the men behind me, and he laughed.

  “Hey,” he said, reaching up to point. “There’s someone there.”

  I followed his finger to see where Taj was pointing, to find a body lying in the snow.

  “It looks like a woman.” I clicked my tongue, urging Walnut to go faster. I pulled up next to the body, buried in snow, and leaned towards it.

  The next thing I saw, I would never forget.

  She was alive, but barely. Her skin seemed to have melted

  off her as she reached up towards my horse, grabbing for my leg. My heart thudded as she gripped my ankle, her raw hands scrambling. She was blind in one eye, her face unrecognizable. Her shirt had been seared through, fusing with her flesh and blood.