Deep breath, my darling.

  Ambria listened to the soothing voice in her head—Mateo’s voice. She inhaled profusely, letting it out in a large gust.

  I believe in you, Bri. And I will be right by your side through it all.

  Her grief rose up her throat, cutting off her air. She shoved it back down, refusing to let it control her, to ruin the moment. And then a royal guard emerged from the council chamber, gesturing her forward. Ambria lifted her chin and strolled through the doors.

  Everyone sat around the circular table, the king at the point that directly faced her. All eyes were fixed on Ambria, scrutinizing and analyzing. As if she were a threat, something to be scared of.

  Bri smirked a little. “Your Majesty,” she addressed the king, curtsying gracefully. Her mother would have been proud.

  Not anymore, she wouldn’t.

  The King of Lithera cocked his head, the glinting crown resting on his head listing slightly to the side. “Lady Ambria.” His grin was more intimidating than welcoming. He signaled to a seat with extensive space on either side of it. “Please, have a seat and we shall begin.”

  She nodded her head, rising from her curtsy and gliding to her chair. On her left she was flanked by Lord Rosenar, and on her right was Lord Norwood, who smiled warmly to her. She returned his silent greeting.

  The Privy Council started up as if the tension of her presence were non-existent, going through their motions like she wasn’t there at all.

  Lord Ellymae addressed the king. “A thief was caught and detained in Hyfaine yesterday. He awaits a fair sentence, Your Majesty.”

  The King of Lithera waved his hand almost carelessly. “His crimes?”

  “Thievery, pickpocketing, vandalism, and destruction of property.”

  “Have him locked up for a year or two. Perhaps he’ll rethink his ways then,” the king declared, scratching his chin absentmindedly.

  Ambria spouted, “That is no way to condemn a man.”

  The king turned to her. “Oh?”

  “A proper trial,” she elaborated, “is the law, is it not? And you can’t have one if the accused isn’t even able to defend his actions!”

  A moment passed in silence before the king decided to deign answering her. “A thief is hardly worth the effort it would require to carry out the full process of a trial. I have given him a generous sentence. And that is it.”

  She spluttered, “That is not—”

  The King of Lithera put up a hand, silencing her objection. “Just because your presence in this room is being tolerated, my actions are not up for you to debate. Nor will they be questioned.” His eyes speared right through her.

  Ambria was breathing hard, nostrils flaring. This isn’t fair this isn’t fair this isn’t fair—

  And then they moved on.

  “We have received no word from anywhere regarding the location of the Crown Prince or that of his bride. A small unit of the prince’s Guard has been sent out in search of him, led by Lieutenant Zarin. He and his team have been gone for almost eleven days, with no updates on progress or leads,” dispelled Rosenar.

  The king sighed. “Then how do we suppose to go about this? My son had no clear intentions for why he left without a word.”

  Ambria listened quietly—angrily—as they argued back and forth over the matter of Alaric. Her friend. She knew why he’d left, where he’d gone and for what reason. But she held off, for she wished for him to succeed, to come home with Kerensa by his side.

  Lost in her head, she suddenly realized the room had fallen silent and that their attention was focused on her. The only woman in this room. Ludicrous.

  “Sorry, what was that?” she questioned, barely reining in her temper in time.

  Callaway chuckled. “Do you have anything to input, Lady Ambria, on the subject of our missing Crown Prince?”

  Bri mulled the question over in her head, examining it for traps or pitfalls. The only thing to do was speak her mind. “What if he has a larger reason to be traversing Lithera on his own? Perhaps one he believes he must accomplish. Maybe we are not the only ones looking for someone.” She looked directly at the King of Lithera as she spoke, drilling into his hazel eyes and piercing through to his rotting soul. “Maybe he will come back of his own accord, when he is ready.”

  She felt their stares on her as she pushed out of her chair and sauntered out the doors, dazed and hurting and enraged. There was one pair of eyes that lingered on her back the longest.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Wren and Alaric woke at the crack of dawn, ready to leave Marawood.

  “If my sense of direction is correct—and it always is,”—he winked at her as he helped hoist her into the saddle—"then we aren’t too far from Duvine.”

  “Is it the best idea to go through a busy town, Ric?” Wren asked while Alaric swung onto the horse in front of her. “You know, since everyone will be looking for us. And not everyone will have a good reason to.”

  “It’s the only idea we’ve got if we both want to survive all the way to Evaleer.” He glanced back at her, setting the stallion in motion.

  She nodded, and they trotted through the trees making idle chat as they winded through Marawood. Soon they both fell into silence, and Wren could hardly bear the thoughts swarming her mind.

  Forx was just on the other side of Marawood—that fact had been eating away at her ever since she had realized where the Ravyn witches had taken her. My parents… They were only a few miles away.

  So is Cormac.

  She wondered what her village looked like now, after the reward Cor must have received for capturing the Bloodbird. Wondered if he was a savior among them, the one who had freed the people of Forx from complete poverty and ruin.

  “Kerensa.” Ric’s rumbling voice brought her back to this place beneath the trees with him, like he’d known the signs of her wandering mind. “Don’t go too far into your head, alright? No good things will come of it,” he told her softly.

  She rested her head against his shoulder, taking a deep breath. His scent enveloped her, the jasmine and steel suited to him—familiar to her.

  “At the witch camp,” Alaric started, changing the subject mercifully. “The Ravyns—they didn’t hurt you?”

  “No. They more or less treated me as a guest, as they so diligently explained.” She paused for a moment. “Except for the golden cage, that is.”

  “And what did they do when they found you no longer possessed the pendant?”

  Wren hesitated. “I don’t think the witches only wanted me for the Ravyn Shield, Ric,” she confessed just loud enough for him to hear.

  It took a minute for him to process this. “Then why?” he inquired cautiously. “That witch, Phoebe, and the one I fought…they both called you Aevym—Erese for bird. How come?”

  She met his gaze, startled. “I—I don’t know.”

  His eyes narrowed, a flicker of hurt lingering there. “Are you lying to me?”

  Wren could do nothing but look on, wide-eyed, a pit of despair and hopelessness yawning open inside of her.

  Ric said nothing for a very long time, and it was only when they broke through the line of Marawood that he swore, “We made vows to one another, Kerensa. I won’t ever let anyone hurt you.” Though he didn’t say anything else, she heard his unspoken words: So please don’t hurt me.

  She hugged him to her atop the horse. “I know,” she whispered to his back.

  And then the bustling city of Duvine came into view.

  Known for exotic traders that came from all over the world to converge in the cliffside city, Duvine was a splash of colour among the dull tones of Lithera. Banners of all shades of the rainbow flew from windows and shops, attached to carts of extravagant wares. Alaric navigated the slush-covered yellow stone paths while Wren marveled at the sights. Bundled up children ran through the streets laughing, and the atmosphere of Duvine was cheerful. Lithians went about their day, and Wren spotted a diverse crowd of faces and cultures mingling outside in harmony.

  It all seemed like a fantasy world, hidden away in the pocket of a ruthless kingdom.

  Alaric halted their stallion outside an inn. The snow-dusted sign swinging in the breeze above the door read The Nimble Rose.

  “We’ll spend a night here,” Ric disclosed. “Then be on our way to the capital tomorrow.” He dismounted and smiled up at her. “I’ll be gone a moment.”

  She waved him away. “I’ll be fine without your supervision, Prince.”

  He lifted a brow. “No stealing?”

  Wren clucked. “There are some promises I can’t make.”

  Ric rolled his eyes before ducking inside the inn.

  Wren sighed, surveying the surroundings. Carts lined any available section of space along the side of the roads, and the smells wafting to her were irresistible. Cinnamon and cumin, and the delicious scent of fresh bread making her mouth water.

  “Excuse me.” A man’s voice behind her interrupted the splendid moment. She turned in her seat to face the man sitting atop his own horse, resplendent in the regalia of Lithera’s Guard.

  Wren did a double take. “Leander?” she expressed.

  “Kerensa?” he exclaimed, her false name leaving a staleness in the air.

  Then Alaric walked out of the inn and spotted the guard.

  “Your Highness.” Leander placed a fist over his heart and bowed his upper body.

  “Leander? What are you doing in Duvine?” Alaric walked over to the stallion Wren sat on.

  “We’re looking for you, Your Highness,” he explained.

  Wren exchanged a glance with Ric. “We?”

  “A unit led by Lieutenant Zarin, milady.”

  “Gray is here? In the city?” Hope shone in Ric’s eyes.

  Leander nodded.

  Ric swung back into the saddle in front of Wren. “Then by all means, lead the way.”

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Gray urged his horse along the loosely packed streets of Duvine. He and his team had arrived in the city earlier that day, and they had split up to gather any information they could concerning the location of the Crown Prince or the Ravyn witches. He was about ready to give up for the day when shouting arose from behind him.

  He turned his horse around and spotted two members of his unit making their way down the crowded road to him. Gray recognized one as Leander, and the other—

  He spurred his horse forward, picking his way through the citizens on foot, his heart racing at a mile a minute. It can’t be.

  They met in the middle of the road, a broad grin splitting Alaric’s face.

  Relief lifted Gray up. “Ric, thank the gods,” he sighed, a smile breaking his features as well.

  “I’m here, too, you know.” Kerensa poked her head out from behind Ric in the saddle.

  Gray crowed a laugh. “So, he did succeed in his self-appointed mission.”

  Kerensa glared at Alaric. “With more than a few close calls, but we’re ok.”

  Gray nodded and said to Leander, “Go find the others and meet back at camp.”

  Leander saluted and went on his way, throwing one last grateful look at the pair on their horse.

  “You’re not staying in the town?” Alaric queried.

  “We staked out a spot on the perimeter of Marawood, in the unlikely case of stumbling across witches,” Gray clarified. “Come on.”

  He led them back through Duvine and outside the city boundaries, galloping across the plains to the outskirts of Marawood, where they had set up tents and their things. Calen had been left to watch the woods.

  “Lieutenant,” he called, standing from his spot on the ground. “Any news?”

  “Only good, Calen,” Gray declared, hopping from his horse. “We found them.” He gestured to the stallion stopping beside him.

  Alaric leaped out of the saddle and assisted Kerensa off the horse.

  “Your Highness, Lady,” Calen greeted them, bowing low. “It’s wonderful to see you safe.” He rose, smiling.

  “The others should be here soon and then we can leave for Evaleer.” Gray looked back to Ric and Kerensa. “We can bring you home.”

  ༺═──────────────═༻

  There was that word again. Home.

  Every time she heard it, it felt as though she was lost, drifting.

  It was the worst feeling she could ever have imagined.

  Wren floated away from the camp, from Zarin and the strange guard. From Ric. The snow crunched beneath her feet as she stalked into the trees of Marawood. She needed space—space to think, to breathe, to figure out what in three hells she was doing.

  “Kerensa?”

  She almost broke down right there at the sound of the name that did not belong to her on his lips, a tentative push of air.

  “What am I doing, Ric?” she asked erratically, pulling at her shortened hair. “Where am I going?”

  Concern masked his face. “What do you mean? We’re going home, to Evaleer,” Alaric said carefully.

  She laughed bitterly. “Evaleer is not my home, Ric, and you know that.”

  “Where else would you go? Back to Cebrev?” Alaric walked over to her, taking her hands. “You can have a home in the capital. With me.” He cupped her cheek with one hand.

  “And what?” she murmured. “I don’t belong here. Your people won’t want me as queen if that ever comes about. And your father…” Her voice hitched. “I won’t live a life of lies, Alaric.” Wren pulled out of his grasp.

  He looked down. “And what about me?”

  She wrapped her arms around herself. “Neither of us wanted any of this in the first place. It will be better if we…if we…” She sniffed, unable to finish her reasoning as tears welled atop her lashes.

  He lifted his head to look her in the eyes and the anguish his held was almost unbearable. “I started to,” he professed, the words tumbling out of his mouth like he hadn’t been able to stop them in time. “Want this. Want us.” Alaric took a step toward her. “We’ve barely even given whatever it is between us a chance. And I know you can feel it too, because otherwise you never would have kissed me that night. Don’t you think,” he murmured, moving until there was only a breadth of space separating them, “we deserve to try?”

  Wren began to shake her head, but he stopped her with a hand on either side of her face. A tear escaped, sliding down her cheek. His thumb was there to brush it away. “I vowed to cherish you forever. For better or for worse, until death does us part. I meant every word I promised you. I won’t go anywhere without you.”

  “I’ve heard that before, Ric,” she sobbed, “and all it ever left me was alone and broken-hearted.”

  She thought it looked like he might start crying, too. “Please,” he breathed against her lips. “Please come back with me. Let me show you that I will do right by you. Every single day we have, from sunrise to sunset.”

  “There’s so much we don’t know about each other. There’s so much you don’t know and I—”

  “I will tell you anything you want to know, and you can tell me anything I need to know. Just come back.”

  “I wish—”

  “You’re all I want.”

  She pulled back a little at that, staring up into his sea green gaze as her heart stalled its rhythm.

  He elaborated, “I don’t want to go back to what my life was like before you came into it.”

  “Oh, Alaric,” she sighed, palms pressed to his chest.

  His eyelids fluttered closed. “Say you’ll come back to Evaleer with me. Please.”

  Wren had no idea what to say. She knew she should say no, that she couldn’t put herself through all that that entailed again. If she went back to the capital, she’d become the king’s pawn again and she doubted she would ever be able to escape. But if she didn’t go back… Alaric was right. Where else would she go? Marawood was no longer the safe haven she’d once thought, now that it was riddled with Ravyn witches, and she wouldn’t be able to look out for herself anywhere else in Lithera if everyone was on the hunt for the Bloodbird. Which meant she’d have to leave the continent. And without any money to board a ship… The situation was pretty much hopeless.

  A part of her knew that there was only one answer she could give him. Maybe it made her a masochist, but the truth was, she didn’t want to leave him, either. “Okay.”

  His eyes opened. “…What?”

  She smiled even as she cried. “I’ll go with you.”

  She barely had time to blink before his lips were on hers.

  Gods, I hope I don’t regret this.

  ༺═──────────────═༻

  Taking her hand, Alaric led Kerensa back towards the camp, where Gray and his contingent of six guards were busy deconstructing tents and packing up food, securing it all on the back of the horses. Kerensa slipped away from him, and he watched her approach Tarian and help him fold a sleeping mat.

  “Everything alright?” Gray sidled up to Alaric’s side, glancing between him and Kerensa.

  He exhaled deeply. “I think so.”

  Gray arched a brow. “Okay. We leave as soon as everything is ready. We’ll be back in the capital within the week.”

  Alaric nodded, popping his knuckles with his thumbs.

  It didn’t take long for everyone to be mounted and prepped to move. Alaric placed a foot in the stirrup, swinging onto the stallion that had taken him into Marawood and back out again with Kerensa by his side. He reached a hand down and pulled her up behind him, breath shortening momentarily as her arms circled his waist.

  He truly couldn’t imagine a world without her in it anymore.

  Gray led their party, the rest of his men surrounding Alaric and Kerensa in a protective bubble.

  Alaric prayed that that protection would be unnecessary, that no danger would befall them as they rode home.

  They traversed in stoic silence for a few hours before the guards began casual banter between the six of them, taking the slightest edge off the tension that hummed in the air.