Illusion: Book Four of the Grimoire Saga (38 page)

She hesitated, eyes on his, but eventually looked at the floor. Her shoulders hunched, and she tenderly leaned her face into her hands.

He expected her to apologize. He wanted to hear her mutter something, to at least see the beginnings of her regret. But she sat there, face in her hands, and said nothing.

He turned to the soldiers in the room. “I’ll be back soon, and then you can go on break. You’ve all had a rough night, too. Until then, Blood Gavin is not to enter this room. Remy, find me immediately if he tries.”

Remy nodded and set his hands behind his back, apparently ready to stay as long as it took. A rush of gratitude warmed Braeden’s chest, but he simply patted Remy on the back and slipped into the hallway.

This would be a long night.

Braeden managed to nap for about an hour before a nightmare kicked him awake. As he blinked himself conscious, he caught fleeting glimpses of the dream—Kara, with her hands around Evelyn’s neck; someone screaming; a burst of green light.

He swung his feet over the side of the bed and rubbed his eyes. The warm air clung to his bare chest and tickled the hair on the nape of his neck. Sweat ran in beads down his back. He examined his hands and massaged the gray skin.

He glanced around his old room. Nothing had changed. Several windows beside the bed let in the early morning. A red haze burned on the horizon, barely enough to light the first few inches of sky. Green curtains framed the glass, held open with golden tassels. A red-brick fireplace filled one corner. Two logs lay in the pit, charred from the last fire he’d set in the room. A dresser with five drawers sat beside it, filled with old gear and clothes. A wooden shelf filled one wall, every spare inch covered with silver weapons he’d collected on his travels.

When he’d first walked in, he expected it to be in shambles—perhaps the aftermath of a tantrum once Gavin realized Braeden wasn’t what he’d claimed to be. But the room sat as he remembered it. Kara hadn’t been there to greet him, but he assumed she’d gone for food. Apparently, she still hadn’t returned.

He grinned, remembering the time Kara knocked on his door and joked about needing a chaperone to enter. He rubbed his neck. She was only a friend, back then—a key to a lock he hadn’t figured out how to open. He smiled. At least a man could change.

He grabbed a shirt from the dresser and pulled it over his head. He’d had his rest, at least all he would get until they sentenced Evelyn. His stomach twisted with nerves. He didn’t know how this could possibly end well for anyone involved. The only options he saw were to execute her and exterminate her entire race, or let the crazy woman free to rule a nation.

He shoved his feet into his boots and slipped into the hall, tucking in his shirt as he headed for the kitchens. He’d get something to eat and ask the cooks to prepare something for the guards watching Evelyn. He grumbled. He should probably get something for the little princess, too.

“Braeden!” a woman shouted.

He twisted and glared up the hallway, nerves on fire. Twin ran to meet him, lifting her skirt as she hurried.

“Twin, is everything okay? What’s wrong?”

“Everything’s fine. Sorry if I scared you. Kara’s back with the Bloods. She even brought their generals and Garrett.”

Braeden huffed. “I need food.”

She paused, but her face relaxed into a smile. Her eyebrows curved a little, and she patted him on the back.

“I’ll bring you all food,” she said.

“Thank you.”

“Stay strong, Braeden. You’re Kara’s rock right now.”

His heart melted, and his shoulders relaxed.

“Thank you,” he repeated.

She gestured back the way she’d come. “Go on.”

“Please prepare some food for the soldiers, too. They’ve been watching Evelyn all night.”

“I will. Now go.”

He nodded and made off in the direction she pointed. As he walked, he shifted. His body hummed, and the gray skin faded to olive. He shrank, muscles tightening as he returned to the Hillsidian form he’d once thought of as his true body. He no longer knew which he preferred, but tensions would be high without the added stressor of a Stelian in the room. He could swallow his pride and shift form long enough to debate Evelyn’s future.

His body ached. His head weighed on his neck, begging to return to his pillow. But he soldiered on, ready to end what he’d started.

Chapter 28

Deliberation

Braeden opened the war room door to find a full house of assembled yakona. Evelyn still brooded in her chair at the far end, while Gavin sat in the seat Braeden had occupied earlier. Kara leaned one shoulder against the wall, head turned toward the captured queen. Little pulses of green glittered beneath her skin, darting along her veins. Her arms crossed in front of her body, but Braeden could imagine the scars on her right wrist from the long-gone wrist band. Garrett leaned against the window across from her, eyes on the window behind Evelyn’s head.

Only Frine acknowledged him when he entered—everyone else stared either at Evelyn or at the floor. Aurora and Gurien sat in the chairs near Kara, while Frine and a Lossian Braeden recognized from past war meetings sat in the chairs opposite them. Richard and the Hillsidian general Mino filled the seats to Gavin’s right. Quite a few places remained empty, but no one else needed to join them.

“Did you secure Ayavel?” Braeden asked the Lossian Blood.

Frine nodded. “We found a rogue isen army attacking Ayavel. After—”

“Deidre’s army,” Kara interrupted without a sideways glance.

Frine paused, eyeing her, but eventually continued. “After we overwhelmed the isen—quite a feat, mind you—the Ayavelian defense surrendered. I believe they were rather confused as to who they could trust. Much of the city is burned.”

Evelyn whimpered.

“She betrayed you, Evelyn, just as Carden would have,” Kara said.

The Ayavelian queen kept her eyes on the floor.

Braeden turned instead to the soldiers. “You may go. There’s food waiting for you in the kitchen.”

They nodded and left without a word. After a few moments of shuffling, the door clicked shut behind them. Silence settled across the long war table.

“I’m fairly hungry, myself,” Frine said.

Braeden nodded. “Me, too. Twin’s bringing a platter or two for us.”

No one answered. The room settled into silence once more. Wind rushed against the glass. The walls creaked. Timber bent in the gust.

Braeden set a hand on Kara’s shoulder. She reached back and wrapped her fingers around his. She squeezed once, gently, and held him without a look backward. Her eyes remained on Evelyn, who continued to stare at the floor.

“Stay calm,” he whispered.

She squeezed his hand again in confirmation.

The door swung open, and Twin entered with a silver platter. Bunches of grapes, cheeses, and breads lined half of the tray, while slices of ham, bacon, and seasoned chicken filled the other half. “Food’s here.”

Braeden’s stomach growled on cue. Twin set the platter on the table, and hands reached for it within seconds. Braeden grabbed a chunk of bread and a handful of bacon before returning to the wall with Kara. She hadn’t moved. He offered her the bread, and she accepted. It sat in her hand, uneaten, as she stared at the Ayavelian Blood.

“You need to eat,” he said between mouthfuls of bacon.

She bit off a hunk of the bread and chewed in answer.

Only Gavin and Evelyn remained in their seats, neither looking up from the floor. Braeden sighed—he couldn’t be hateful and eat while his prisoner watched. He picked up a slice of ham and a handful of grapes and walked to Evelyn’s side. Her eyebrows lifted as he neared, and her head followed. He raised the food in offering and set it in front of her. She resumed staring at the floor, but as he returned to Kara’s side, he caught the young queen reach for the meat.

“I’m afraid we can’t avoid this any longer,” Frine said.

Aurora leaned back in her chair. “What to do with our young Blood Evelyn?”

“I’m your age,” Evelyn snapped.

“Humph,” Aurora muttered.

Braeden grabbed a bit of cheese from the half-full platter, his stomach still rumbling. “I know this isn’t easy. As with any decision we make, we must be absolutely clear on the consequences. What we decide tonight will have a lasting effect on Ourea, good or bad.”

“It will have a lasting effect on yakona. Ourea will live on,” Garrett corrected.

Every pair of eyes turned toward the muse. He focused the heat of his gaze on Braeden, and Braeden suppressed the desire to look away. He cleared his throat.

“Very well,” he said.

“To begin, does anyone have any suggestions?” Aurora asked.

“Occupation of Ayavel and imprisonment of its Blood,” Frine answered.

“That’s a lovely way to start a riot,” Aurora retorted.

“Without a Blood to lead them, they won’t be much of a threat.”

Braeden frowned. “Instead, they will grow resentful and learn to hate us in the same way Stelians hated all of you.”

Frine groaned in defeat. “What should we do?”

“I think we should get the whole story,” Kara said, her eyes still on the queen.

The room hushed. Chairs creaked as royals and generals turned toward the Vagabond, but she said nothing else.

“I agree,” Frine said after a pause.

“Blood Evelyn?” Aurora prompted.

Evelyn glanced upward, her eyes shifting across those in the room. She hesitated when she reached Garrett. “He has to go.”

“You have no bargaining power here,” Kara snapped.

Evelyn flinched at her tone. Braeden rubbed his hands along Kara’s arms and redirected a healing technique into her body in the hopes it would help her stay calm. He’d used it once on her when they first met—a quick spell to get her to sleep. He doubted it would have such a strong effect on her now, but he hoped it would at least relax her shoulders. Her arms eased into his hands, and she leaned back into his chest. He let out a quiet breath of relief.

Evelyn’s lips parted. She hesitated, but ultimately continued. “I won’t be in the same room as a drenowith.”

Gavin smacked his fist on the table. The wooden planks rattled, barely contained in their nails. Kara flinched. Aurora gasped, and Evelyn jumped back in her seat. Twin and Richard both covered their gaping mouths. All eyes shot to Gavin.

Braeden held Kara a little tighter and resisted the impulse to kiss her on the back of the head for comfort. She didn’t need those sudden movements. He marveled that she could contain herself at all. The first Vagabond must have been doing wonders in helping her remain calm.

The Hillsidian Blood glared at Evelyn, looking at her for the first time since Braeden entered the room. “You violated our trust, betrayed us when we needed you most, and attacked my home. You will answer whatever question we ask.”

Evelyn lifted her chin, but her eyebrows betrayed her. They curved upward like they always did when she cried. She had to be on the brink of tears. “You all are lost.”

Braeden frowned. She’d said that in the woods, too.

“What does that mean?” Frine asked.

Her lips trembled, but she continued. “The drenowith control you, now. They own the Vagabond, and the Vagabond owns you.”

Evelyn glared at Kara. Braeden’s grip tightened around Kara’s upper arms, but she didn’t move. She didn’t reply. He wished he could see her face, but for whatever reason, part of him knew it was best he couldn’t.

“The drenowith killed my aunt. They murdered her because she tried to capture one of them. They—”

Garrett interrupted. “As much as I would have loved to break your aunt’s neck for what she did to my Adele, I didn’t kill her.”

Evelyn grimaced. “Liar.”

“Believe what you want, child. I didn’t have the opportunity. Someone beat me to her.”

“Who?”

Garrett shrugged. “I wish I knew.”

Aurora crossed her arms. “So that’s all? You betrayed us because you have a grudge against a drenowith?”

Evelyn set her chained hands on the table, pleading. “Don’t you see? Yakona have warred in Ourea for eons. This is their chance to end us, to destroy us, to make the world as it was before we came to Ourea. They led my aunt to the Stele all those years ago in an attempt to kill her! Every year, they practice magic they can’t begin to fathom, and it backfires. They cause almost every ‘natural’ disaster on Earth out of greed and selfishness! They kill millions every year between our world and on Earth, and yet they think we’re the problem. You’re not safe with him. You can’t trust him!”