A few minutes later, a clacking in the rocks up the valley road drew their attention, and their father appeared. All previous thoughts vanished in Kyrin’s excitement, and she and Kaden left the cover of the rocks to meet him.
“Good,” he said as he dismounted near the side of the road. “I was hoping I was getting close.”
“I hope we didn’t go too far,” Kyrin told him. “Captain Darq thought this would be a good place to camp.”
“This is fine. How long have you been here?”
“Since noon.”
He looked surprised, and Kaden said, “It’s too bad you need your horse. You could’ve ridden with us.”
Their father smiled. “I would’ve liked that.”
After helping him unsaddle and feed his horse, and tie it where the dragons wouldn’t spook it, they led him up to their camp in an outcropping of rocks. The others greeted him kindly, and they all scrunched around the fire for a warm meal. While they ate, Kyrin and Kaden shared more about their life in Landale. Kyrin still wished her father could join them. His enthusiasm about the camp was easy to see in the eager way he discussed it with Trask.
Darkness had fallen across the valley by the time they finished their supper. As different members rose to rinse their supper dishes, Jace quietly offered to take Kyrin’s plate for her.
“You don’t have to do that,” she told him.
But he said, “I don’t mind.”
With heartfelt thanks, she handed him her plate, and he turned to extend the same offer to both her father and Kaden. Warmth bloomed in her chest and blossomed into a smile. Jace had come so far in the few months she’d known him, and she thanked Elôm for such progress. Her eyes lingered on him a moment before her anticipation to speak privately to her father returned.
She shifted her attention to him. “Do you want to go for a walk?”
When he nodded, Kyrin and Kaden led him away from the campfire and followed the crooked path that angled down toward the road again. Aertus had almost completely risen above the mountains, and Vilai wasn’t far behind, giving them ample light to pick their way along the rough terrain. Once the voices of camp had died away, and the silence of the night surrounded them, Kyrin stopped. Her heartbeat quickened as she turned to face her father. All evening she’d waited for the right moment to share her news, and she couldn’t contain it any longer.
“I have something to tell you. Something I learned from Rayad just after I came to camp.”
Her father waited, interest piqued, and Kyrin said, “Your father, Jonavan, wasn’t a traitor. At least not by our standards.”
Her father’s brows drew together. Kyrin hastened to explain everything Rayad had told her about how Jonavan had led men to force a village to worship Aertus and Vilai, only to end up joining the villagers in their opposition. Though he’d been executed and branded a traitor following the struggle, all evidence suggested he’d believed in Elôm before his death.
William stood silent for a long moment. Kyrin had never seen her father cry, but moonlight reflected in the moisture built up in his eyes. Two tears trailed down Kyrin’s face in the shared emotion. Her father stared out at the dark valley as the information sank in. He shook his head and cleared his throat, though his voice still came out raw and quiet.
“I had no idea.”
Kyrin put her arm around him, and he hugged her close. “He was a hero,” she whispered, unable to imagine how she would feel to go her whole life believing her father was a traitor and then find out the truth. She looked up, and watched a slow smile come to his face in a moment of open vulnerability she hadn’t witnessed before.
He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly before smiling down at her and squeezing her shoulder. “Thank you for telling me. Maybe someday others will know the truth too.”
“Quite a few know now. The important thing is that you know, and we know.”
Her father agreed. He shook his head again, still absorbing the news.
“Maybe one day you can even tell Marcus and Liam,” Kyrin said hopefully.
“I’d like that.” He reached up to rub the tears out of his eyes. “I want you two to pray for Liam.”
Kyrin pulled away slightly to see his face better.
“I think he’s ready to believe,” he told her and Kaden.
Kyrin’s heart skipped.
“He saw Josan and Timothy, while Marcus was searching for them, and let them go. He was also very distraught when Marcus allowed Aaron to be interrogated. I spoke with him this morning. He believes it’s wrong that the emperor is killing people because of their beliefs. I told him we’d talk as soon as we returned to the fort.”
He paused, but Kyrin’s thoughts were already jumping back to her conversation with Kaden earlier.
“I was afraid to explain things here because I don’t know if he could handle this information on his own. And I don’t believe he’ll be able to continue serving in the army if he does turn to Elôm. I want to get him out, but I’m not sure what to do after that.”
“He can come to Landale.” The excitement of the prospect burst through Kyrin. “Trask would be happy to have him, and he’d be safe there. He’d be able to learn and grow and wouldn’t be under any of the emperor’s or Grandfather’s influence.”
William nodded slowly, a slight smile on his lips. “He would love that.”
Kyrin looked over and traded a grin with Kaden. They might not get to have their father and younger brothers in camp, but it looked like they would get one of their older brothers. If only they were done with this mission. She could already imagine him in camp with them. But then her thoughts drifted to Marcus, and her excitement faded. It wouldn’t seem right without him there as well.
“What about Marcus?”
Her father sighed, and his expression sobered. “He needs your prayers too . . . maybe even more than Liam. I still don’t know how to approach him.”
Kaden broke in now, frustration edging his tone. “How can he not see what he’s doing? How wrong it is?”
“I think he does somewhere deep inside. I can see the conflict in him and how he struggles with his decisions at times. The problem is that he truly believes he’s doing the right thing. He’s very much the way I was when I was his age. He feels an almost painful need to prove himself. For me, it was to prove I wasn’t my father. For him, it’s to prove his worthiness to the General and to himself. Your grandfather has very high expectations, but I think Marcus’s personal expectations are even higher. He fears failure. That’s why he’s so dedicated to succeeding, even when it means ignoring the part that wishes things could be different.”
Kaden grumbled, but Kyrin could see more similarities between her two brothers than her twin would ever admit. They both had their own stubbornness, and were both dedicated to what they believed. They just happened to be on opposing sides.
She sighed and hung her head. As excited as she was about Liam, she was equally sad about Marcus. She longed to save him, somehow, from the emperor’s grip, but how did you save someone who didn’t want to be saved?
“Is there nothing you can say to him?” she asked, her voice small.
“I’m afraid veiled words won’t penetrate,” her father replied, “especially as time goes on and he begins to make a name for himself. The only way may be to tell him the truth outright, but what he’ll do with it . . . I don’t know.”
A cold hand seemed to grip Kyrin’s throat, and she had to swallow to loosen it. “You don’t think . . . he wouldn’t turn you in . . . would he?”
Her father’s hesitance put a hard knot in her stomach. “No . . . I don’t think he would, but it would trouble him deeply.”
“Will you tell him?”
“Sometime. His eternity is far more important than my life here.” He must have sensed Kyrin’s rising fear at the risk involved and offered her a reassuring smile. “But we don’t know what the future will bring. Right now, the only thing we have is to pray. We’ll pray for guidance
and the right circumstances. We can only guess what may happen or how Marcus will respond. Elôm is the One working on his heart. He can bring about the perfect events to open it to the truth.”
Kyrin gave a quick nod. Her father was right, and she willed hope to take hold.
Hours slipped by, with the moons arcing across the sky above Kyrin, Kaden, and their father. They found a small grouping of rocks to sit on not far from camp, but far enough that they would not disturb everyone’s sleep, and talked of all manner of things. Oftentimes, Kyrin just sat with her arms around her knees as she listened to her father and brother talk, enjoying the sound of their strong voices, and smiling at the way Kaden’s rose in enthusiasm.
Sometime around midnight, Kaden rose and blew on his hands. “It’s getting cold. I’ll get us some coffee.”
Kyrin and their father thanked him. They were quiet for a moment as he walked away, but Kyrin picked out a hidden smile crinkling the corners of her father’s eyes. She tipped her head questioningly, and he finally asked, “So you and Jace . . . you’re just friends?”
Kyrin’s eyes widened, but she looked down as her cheeks warmed even in the cold. She’d not been prepared for such a question, though she supposed she’d given her father adequate reason to wonder, the way she’d spoken so highly of Jace in the last hours.
“Yes, just friends.” She looked up again to meet his interested look and shrugged, still self-conscious. “Besides, I don’t think Jace would ever feel that way. He has too much he struggles with. He’s so tortured by his past, and I’ve seen him so broken. I can’t imagine the pain and fear of wondering if you have a soul.”
“But you believe he does?”
Kyrin looked him in the eyes, and deep conviction strengthened her voice. “I know he does.”
Her father nodded. “Me too.”
Kyrin sighed. She didn’t know what she would have done if he hadn’t agreed.
“Well, whatever happens in the future, and if one of you decides you do want to become more than just friends, just be mindful of and careful with your feelings. You’re far too precious to settle for someone who won’t treasure you.”
Kyrin smiled at his words and nodded firmly. “I will.” She laughed lightly. “And don’t worry. Any man with interest like that will have to answer to Kaden. He’s already made that clear.”
Her father joined in her quiet laughter. The sound of it seemed to chase away the chill around them, and Kyrin wished more than anything that he would never have to leave them.
“Good for him,” he said.
As if drawn by their mention of him, Kaden returned with three steaming cups of coffee. He passed them around, and Kyrin took her first sip. She breathed out in satisfaction as the hot liquid warmed her insides.
“Talas put more on if we need it,” Kaden said.
Kyrin smiled again. They probably would need it. They still had much more to talk about.
With a loud gulp, Gem swallowed down the hind section of a mountain goat—part of what Talas and Glynn had brought back after a brief hunting excursion at dawn. Though the dragon could easily have consumed more, she gave a contented rumble and dipped her head toward Jace to rest it against his chest. He rubbed her cheek scales and smiled at how quickly she could go from ferocious carnivore to gentle and loving. She purred and whiffled his coat with her warm, meaty breath.
Amidst her little chirps and warbles, Jace’s gaze wandered over to the fire and landed on Kyrin. She and Kaden stood near their father, who discussed his plans with Captain Darq. On this second morning of their journey, Valcré stretched out in the distance from their mountain campsite. William had met them in the late afternoon the day before and had chosen to spend the night with the group before riding into the city.
Though Kyrin’s face was calm, she kept twisting the cuff of her sleeve between her fingers, and she’d been distracted during breakfast. Not that he could blame her. Valcré didn’t hold much good for either of them. Just seeing the city brought up old memories he wished he could erase too. If only they could avoid the city and call the mission a success now that they had Josan. The sooner they could get the Scrolls and leave it behind, the better. They were much too close to Emperor Daican. Jace didn’t envy Kyrin’s father in having to face him.
Gem gave him a little nudge at his inattention, and he turned back to her, but his gaze stopped on Falcor. The crete eyed the Altairs with an expression like stone, as usual. Jace clenched his jaw and hardened his own face to match. Even after all this time, the crete had not warmed up to them.
Someone stepped into his line of sight and blocked his view of the crete. His eyes refocused, and he found Leetra facing him with hands on her hips and an accusatory glare.
“Do you have a problem with Falcor?” Her voice was as icy as the breeze coming off the mountains.
Jace lifted his brows. The question should be whether or not Falcor had a problem with them. He was the one who regarded them all with a cold indifference, not that Leetra was much better. Before Jace had a chance to decide how to respond, she spoke again.
“He’s a good man, a natural leader, fearless warrior, and very highly respected in our community.” She raised her chin higher. “And soon he’ll be my husband, so if you have a problem, say so.”
Jace’s muscles went taut, and embers stirred in his chest that he would not let flare to life. A scowl threatened, but he breathed deeply before speaking in a low voice, “Would it hurt to show a little gratitude toward those who have chosen to help you? Some of us are risking a lot.” He tipped his head at the Altairs.
She blinked, her face suddenly blank, and her gaze faltered. It was difficult to tell on her brown cheeks, but they might have turned a bit pink. She shifted, but apparently pride didn’t allow for an apology. With one quick glance at him, she walked away.
He peered after her as she sat down by Falcor, but from her stiff, unyielding posture, he didn’t anticipate a noticeable change of heart—another good reason to complete this mission and return to camp. He huffed out a short breath and fixed his attention back on his dragon.
A short time later, someone spoke his name. He turned to come face to face with William. Self-consciousness kicked in, but the kind way William looked at him was so Kyrin-like it put him more at ease.
“Sir?” he asked.
“Before I leave, I wanted to thank you for the way you’ve protected Kyrin. She shared some things with me over the last couple of nights, and you have my deepest gratitude.”
Jace looked down and shrugged. No fathers he’d ever known had wanted him anywhere near their daughters. “It was nothing,” he slowly raised his eyes back to the captain’s, “compared to what she’s done for me.”
He wasn’t sure he would have survived before she brought hope and a sense of purpose back to his life. He hadn’t even wanted to. An upwelling of emotion rose into his throat and pricked his eyes. He tried to swallow it away, but it didn’t quite remove the roughness in his voice. “I’d do anything for her. Anything to protect her.”
“It does me good to know that,” William said. “I’ve been unable to be around for her most of her life. It comforts me to know others like you will be.”
He offered his hand. Jace took his forearm, and William gripped his firmly. They stood a moment while William sized him up before saying, “I see a man of strong character in you, Jace. Don’t believe any lies to the contrary.”
Jace’s throat constricted again as these words struck a raw chord in his heart. He nodded slowly and had to work the tightness loose before managing a hoarse, “Thank you.”
William gave him the warm, compassionate smile Jace was so used to from Kyrin, and actually made him feel he was worth something. After that, William returned to the fire. Jace, however, did not move as he breathed deeply until his emotions fell back behind the wall where he usually tried to keep them contained.
A nauseating ache built in Kyrin’s stomach. She’d dreaded this moment all morning. She glanced at
Kaden as they stood quietly while their father readied his horse. Though her brother had seemed unconcerned the last time they’d spoken of this, the tautness of his jaw betrayed his misgivings. Kyrin pressed her fingers into her middle. It had been better when Kaden wasn’t worried.
When their father finished and took in the sight of their faces, he offered a heartening smile.
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. I’m among the emperor’s men every day. This is not much different.”
But it was, or at least it felt different. Facing the emperor himself seemed far more dangerous than facing his men, where her father blended in more easily.
“I have a perfectly legitimate reason to visit the palace,” he continued. “The emperor will be far too busy with other things to question my motives. I’ll have supper with him, if he wishes, get the Scrolls out, and leave in the morning. It’ll be over and done in a matter of hours.”
Kyrin gave a quick nod and tried to convince herself it was as easy as that. If her father wasn’t worried, and she couldn’t detect that he was, then she shouldn’t be either. However, she looked at him with all seriousness.
“Beware of Davira. Avoid her, if you can. I think she’s the one who found me out.” Goose bumps crawled down her arms at the memories. Of course, the princess had no supernatural powers, but Kyrin couldn’t stop her fear that Davira would suspect her father just by seeing him.
“I’ll be wary,” William promised.
Kyrin drew in a cold breath that ached in her lungs and throat. She shouldn’t allow herself to get so upset, but tears burned her eyes. Her father must have seen them, and his smile gentled as he opened his arms to her. She stepped into them and let the comfort of his embrace wash over her.
The King's Scrolls Page 15
