by M. Lynn
Trystan flattened his hair and focused on a patch of dead growth. “What happened here? I thought Dreach-Dhoun was supposed to be full of magic, full of life. But I don’t feel it. Not like I did outside the palace. And everything is so…”
“Dead?” Ramsey finished. “Magic wielders are supposed to be conscious of the earth. Most people aren’t able to draw much power at once so it’s not an issue, but occasionally there are some. When too much power is taken at once, it steals all life from the ground.” He gestured around them. “This was the price of saving Calis’ son.”
Trystan sucked in a breath. “Davi—”
“He was gone. Calis brought him back.”
“That’s not possible.” Trystan shook his head. “Briggs told me magic can’t bring someone back to life.”
At the mention of Briggs, Ramsey’s face darkened for a moment before the look disappeared. Trystan watched him carefully.
“Most magic cannot, that is true. But I’ve never seen anyone with the power of Calis. Combine that with my crystal that’s in his possession and he can accomplish the impossible.”
Fear shot through Trystan. How were they supposed to escape from a man like that, let alone beat him in battle? It made everything they’d gone through so far seem trivial in comparison.
“But Davi didn’t come back the same, did he?”
Ramsey shifted his eyes away. “His memories have been altered.”
“He’s not the same man I knew.”
Ramsey met Trystan’s gaze sharply. “He is. I’ve been watching you all for many years. Calis used his son to see through his eyes. Davi may still be in there. The memories don’t make the man. I have hope for him yet.”
“How? Davion looked at Ri as if she was nothing. If he was still in there, he couldn’t break her like that.”
“He doesn’t remember her.” Ramsey’s voice was so quiet, Trystan almost didn’t hear him.
Trystan shot to his feet. “Not possible. Not for Davi.”
“It’s true.”
“How? How did he suddenly lose all thoughts of the one person who made him whole?”
“It was me.” Ramsey paced from one side of the garden to the other. “I have been made to do a lot of things in my life that I’m not proud of.”
Trystan fell back onto the bench. “You took them? You stole her from him? How could you? All these years, the people of Dreach-Sciene assumed you were a prisoner. Even after you stole the magic. We didn’t want to believe a member of the Tri-Gard could be in league with Calis.”
“I was protecting you and your sister.”
Trystan buried his face in his hands. “That makes no sense. Protecting us from what? You? You sit here at Calis Bearne’s side and call that protecting us?”
“You don’t understand.”
“Make me understand.”
“I can’t.” Ramsey pushed a breath out through his teeth. “Not yet.”
“That’s not good enough.”
“If I tell you what I know, you’ll never save Dreach-Sciene.”
“Sounds like a load of bull to me.”
“It’s not,” a feminine voice said.
Trystan lifted his gaze to Lorelai as she walked toward them. His back stiffened.
“Ramsey,” he said through clenched teeth. “What is going on?”
Ramsey put a hand on his shoulder. Trystan suspected it was to keep him from leaving.
Lorelai hugged her arms across her chest and shifted from foot to foot. When they’d met in Dreach-Sciene, Trystan had been entranced by the eerily beautiful seer. She’d had a confidence and calm his father had loved.
At the thought of his father, pain stabbed through him and he looked away, his lips curling in disgust.
Lorelai coughed uncomfortably. Seemed she too had changed since they’d seen each other last.
“Trystan, I believe you know Lorelai Bearne.”
Trystan grunted and his hard eyes found hers. “Do you still see his face?”
She covered her mouth with her hand.
He continued. “Because I do. I imagine it. His death. He was alone in his room with only the person who betrayed him. He should have been surrounded by those he loved. My father deserved more than a knife in the middle of the night.”
She bit her lip. “I see him every night.” He hadn’t expected her to answer.
Ramsey gripped Trystan tighter. “Lorelai isn’t who you think she is. She’s going to help us.”
Trystan regarded his grandfather. “Since when is there an us?”
“Since you need me, boy. That’s why you came, is it not? It’s why you allowed yourself to be captured by the most powerful man in the world. I’m guessing old Briggs told you I could get us out of here. I’d have escaped a long time ago if I could have been assured of your safety. Calis has had you watched since you came out of the womb. But now you’re here and it’s time to see what freedom tastes like once again.”
“Are you joking?” Trystan pointed to Lorelai. “We can’t trust her.”
“On the contrary, she is the only one we can trust.”
This was what Trystan had been waiting for, so why did he hesitate? Something didn’t seem right. If he had his way, he’d challenge Lorelai to a duel and fight for his father’s honor. The honor she’d taken from him so brutally.
“Why is she helping us?” he asked Ramsey.
Ramsey shook his head. “Your arrogance makes you think your people are the only ones harmed by Calis. Lorelai has experienced her fair share of tragedies. You are not alone in that.”
Lorelai studied her feet.
Did he have a choice?
He sighed. “What do we do?”
“You wait,” Lorelai said. “My uncle may be away, but Davion is still here.” She sighed. “I love my cousin, but he won’t understand. Not about this. I was once where he is now.”
Trystan couldn’t help himself. “What changed?”
“Your father… he didn’t deserve…” She shook her head sadly. “But then my mother…”
Ramsey gave her a sympathetic smile, but Trystan didn’t know what the hell she was talking about. Lorelai had killed his father. Of course, he hadn’t deserved it, but she hadn’t considered that when she was picking up the blade. And her mother? Calis wasn’t said to have any siblings, but if Lorelai was his niece, that must have been false. What happened to her?
Neither Ramsey nor Lorelai seemed primed to give him any answers.
“Come.” Ramsey pulled him to his feet. “We must get you back to your room before anyone notices you’re missing.”
“Wait,” Trystan pulled away from Ramsey’s grasp, not quite sure if he should trust them with what he was about to reveal. Did he even have a choice? He thought back to that room he’d be returning to. The palace was a fortress. He had no hope of finding his sister or getting to the crystal in Calis’ possession. What would the rest of his friends tell him to do?
Find a way out of Dreach-Dhoun at any cost.
“Lonara gave me this.” He pulled the crystal from an inside pocket of his trousers. “It’s a fake, of course. A replica of your crystal. She said we need to exchange the two, and to trust in you. I’m thinking either of you will have better luck getting closer to Calis with that than I will.”
Trystan dropped the crystal into Ramsey’s outstretched hand. Ramsey studied it with interest.
“It’s a perfect imitation. Lonara has done well. We will handle this.”
Trystan rubbed the back of his neck, silently questioning his decision. “I still don’t understand how you think we’ll get away from the palace and out of Dreach-Dhoun. Before we came, Briggs led us to believe it would be easy, but have you seen this place?”
The look from before flashed across Ramsey’s face. “Don’t believe everything the old man tells you.” He led Trystan to the door. “As to your question. Nothing we do will be easy, but we don’t really have a choice, do we?”
Ramsey ushered Trystan through the do
or. His words still echoed in Trystan’s mind as he spotted the sleeping guard once again. With a shake of his head he pushed into his room before the guard could wake.
As soon as the door slammed shut behind him, his eyes widened. Standing near the window looking out over the palace grounds was Davion.
Chapter 22
Without turning, the prince of Dreach-Dhoun spoke. “It seems we have some traitors in the palace.”
“Dav,” Trystan croaked.
It was still surreal, seeing someone he’d thought was gone forever.
But when Davi turned, the look in his eyes was something Trystan didn’t recognize.
Trystan took a step back.
“My father is going to punish that guard and the sorcerer who put him to sleep.” Davi shook his head, his face darkening. “My own cousin. You’ve turned her. Twisted her thoughts. Ramsey doesn’t surprise me, but Lorelai would never betray us again.”
Us. Them. Him and Calis. He was the dark king’s son.
Wait. Again? She’d betrayed Calis once before?
Davi tapped his fingers against his leg. “My father released her from the dungeons and this is how she repays him.”
Lorelai was in the dungeons? Trystan wanted to ask why, but knew he wouldn’t get an answer.
Davi pulled at his dark hair. “Lorelai wouldn’t do this.” He hung his head. “She knows what it would mean for her. How could she?”
Trystan wanted to go to him, to tell him it was going to be okay. Instinct. That’s all it was. He’d spent his life wanting to protect Davi. He clenched his fist at his side to prevent himself from doing something stupid like reaching out.
Davi’s eyes hardened as he lifted his head. “You.” He lurched forward. “This is all your fault.” He shoved Trystan back. “Everything is because of you!”
Trystan couldn’t refute that. It was true. Davi had only been taken because he’d saved Trystan.
Davi wasn’t finished and his voice rose with each word. “Fifteen years. Was that not enough for you? You took me from the one place I belonged and imprisoned me.”
“Dav, you belonged with us.”
“Don’t lie to me! I know everything. My memories were gone at first but a lot of them have returned. You and your father were cruel. I was just a boy, and you kept me locked up.” He shook with rage.
“That’s not true,” Trystan pleaded. “You’re my brother and Rissa-”
He didn’t get to finish the statement before Davi’s fist crashed into his face and he stumbled back.
“I don’t know her!” Davi’s face reddened.
Trystan touched his cheek gingerly. “I think you do.” He stepped forward. “I think you know everything in that head of yours is a lie. You’re one of us Davi, whether you want to be or not. You’ll always be family. You can’t make us stop loving you.”
“No.” Davi lunged and Trystan ducked out of the way.
“This feels familiar,” Trystan said.
“Because you used to beat your prisoner,” Davi spat.
“Because we learned to fight together.” Trystan jumped forward and shoved Davi back. “Fight me. Hit me. Do whatever you need to do. I can take it.”
Davi stepped back with a growl and ran a hand through his hair. It was a quirk so utterly familiar that Trystan almost laughed. How did they get here? The orphan boy who’d been raised right alongside him watched him as a predator watches its prey.
“I won’t lose control,” Davi said to himself, breathing in deeply. His body relaxed. “I have no choice but to tell my father about Lorelai and Ramsey’s treachery. It’s going to break his heart.” He shook his head mumbling, “and mine.”
“Dav, please, think about this. You don’t have to tell him.”
Davi shook his head. “You may have no loyalty, but some of us do. I love my cousin, but my father is king.”
Trystan stumbled back until his legs hit the edge of the bed and he sat. There’d been a time when Davi was unquestionably loyal to Marcus Renauld. When Trystan imagined being king, the image had always included his best friend by his side. Now Davi stood beside another king.
“I’m stationing a new guard outside your door to prevent anymore wanderings.” Davi’s voice was cold. “At least until my father decides what to do with you.”
Davi crossed the room and when the door slammed behind him, Trystan laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. His face still stung, but it was nothing compared to the anger ripping him apart from the inside out.
Maybe it would have been better if Davi died like they’d thought he had. Now Calis Bearne was even destroying the memory of him. Soon, there’d be nothing left between them.
His fingers trailed over his bruised skin. At least it was proof. They were still alive.
Davi would tell Calis of Lorelai’s betrayal, but maybe Ramsey had another plan.
One step at a time.
First: Save Dreach-Sciene.
Second: Save it again.
Third: Kill Calis Bearne.
Chapter 23
Davi fidgeted as he leaned against the wall outside the one room he shouldn’t be visiting. What on earth’s name was he doing there?
Two guards stood to the sides of the door.
He pressed up against the cold stone and wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. His father had summoned him that evening for the first time since he’d returned. Davi was certain it was to tell him of Lorelai’s betrayal.
When he hadn’t mentioned it, why did Davi keep quiet?
Because he knew what his father would do to her.
He released a long breath. Rissa was on the other side of that door. The fiery-haired princess he couldn’t get out of his mind.
“You okay, your Highness?” the guard outside her door asked, looking sideways at him. “You look like you’re about to keel over.”
“Fine,” Davi pushed out. “I’m… fine.”
The guard chuckled. When they weren’t in his father’s presence, many of the Dreach-Dhoun soldiers dropped their stoic countenances. As soon as the king appeared, they closed themselves off, not even letting a single smile through. Davi assumed they’d seen too many of their comrades punished when his father was in one of his foul moods.
He hated that side of the man. If he hadn’t seen something else in him, he’d be in a very different place. But his father loved him. He was sure of it. That was all he could ask for, right?
Except for today when the only other family member he had stood on an opposing side. On Rissa’s side. Her emerald gaze was seared into his mind. She looked at him as if he held pieces of her world, but he couldn’t remember.
He ran a hand through his hair, pulling it back into a tail. Why couldn’t he remember? Everything else came back to him. Every moment of abuse he’d suffered at the hands of the Renaulds. All the loneliness of his imprisonment. She claimed to have been there too, but all he could see in his mind were Trystan and his father.
His father told him to be wary of the girl. She was an enchantress just as her mother had been. Lovely and deadly in the same breath. He’d seen the longing looks his father gave her as if she was Marissa Kane herself. Each time, Davi’s body tensed up defensively. He couldn’t explain it, but when his father had told him he had to leave again to deal with a magical disturbance at the border, he’d been almost relieved. For at least a few more days, the mysteriously familiar girl was safe.
He shook his head. Thoughts such as those were dangerous, and he had orders from his father. Orders that would finally give him everything he’d wanted since he woke with no memories.
“Your Highness?” the guard pulled him back to the current situation. Davi was a prince of Dreach-Dhoun who had no business consorting with prisoners.
That didn’t stop him. He motioned the guard to unlock the door and then charged into the room.
Rissa stood near the bed in nothing but a silk nightgown they’d supplied her with. Her hair hung damp about her shoulders, but those eyes hadn�
�t changed.
There was a challenge in them.
She raised her chin and stilled its quivering. “Yes?”
Her gaze asked the same question he continued to ask himself. Why was he there?
“What the hell do you want, Davion?”
His name held so much venom when she said it. A memory caught in his mind. A chastising voice. His lips curved up.
“Davi, you will answer me when I speak to you.” She crossed her arms, her foot tapping against the ground.
“I’m the prince of Dreach-Dhoun,” he said lamely. “I will speak when I deem it necessary.”
Fire blazed in her gaze and she charged toward him. “I don’t care who the hell you think you are.” She pushed him back. “I know you aren’t Davi any longer, but if you insist on walking around with his obnoxious face, you will leave this instant.”
He touched his face. He was Davi. Just maybe not the Davi she thought she knew.
She pushed him again, and it was only then he noticed the tears hanging in her lashes. He grabbed her wrists when she shoved him again.
“Don’t touch me.” She yanked them back.
“Says the girl who is trying to push me out of the room.”
“You’re annoying,” she growled.
“And you’re angry. I understand.”
“I hate you.”
He shouldn’t have cared but her words stung and he stepped away from her. “I only came to make sure you were still here and not escaping your room like that brother of yours.”
That stopped her. “Trystan? Is he okay? What do you mean he escaped?”
He reached for her without thinking and tucked an errant strand behind her ear. She sucked in a breath and he dropped his hand.
“He’s okay. For now.”
“For now? What does that even mean?”
Davi turned to leave.
“Davion,” she pleaded. “Don’t go. What did you mean? Is my brother okay?”
He stepped through the doorway and swung it shut before she could come after him. Her voice followed his every move.
“Davi,” she cried. “Please. Just… talk to me.” Her voice quieted.
