Of Darkness and Crowns (18 page)

Bax’s serious tone pulls my attention back to him. I understand exactly what that one word conveys. Don’t
hope
. Because really, all Caben is doing is giving Bale the time she needs to manifest.

“But it’s something, right?” I ask. Hating with every fiber of my being that I sound so wanting.

With a thick sigh, Bax says, “It’s something. Maybe. Drenching his brain with alcohol at least keeps Bale in the dark.” He chuckles, and I glare. “Sorry. Badly timed pun.”

In spite of the shuddering and commotion invading the room, I hold my place. I advert my gaze to watch Caben stumble to the wall monitor, and with some difficulty, flip it on. For now, he’s lost interest in me and is yelling at the screen, demanding something of it.

I turn away from my friend and start toward the monitor when Bax says, “Just be careful.” I glance back at him at once. “Caben is present. In his mind. But Bale’s hold on him, the power saturating his mind and will…he’s not the same, Kal. Please don’t make that mistake.”

As always, Bax offers sound advice. And I try, truly, to take it. But having Caben back—in any way or form that I can, sane or not—I’m afraid is too tempting. Again, I’m the furthest thing from a saint. I’m not divine or without flaws. I’m human. And what’s more dangerous—a human in love.

Ballads have been written about the obsessively dumb actions taken by people in love. Their stories never end well.

The monitor flickers as Caben finds the transmission he’s seeking. The chaos outside is affecting the signal, but I can still make out what’s happening. My stomach lurches as the camera pans the inner-court, then hones in on a group of women standing atop the dais.

“The battle hasn’t found its way into the Court yet, then?” I say. “What’s going on? Why hasn’t everywhere been evacuated?”

Caben’s angry roar crackles in my ears, and I squint at the monitor, trying to see what he does.

Oh, no
. No.

I’d nearly forgotten all about Councilor Teagan in the midst of the chaos and a drunk Caben. But now I spin and find her leaning against the door to her cell. A solemn, justified expression on her face.
Cleansing the madness
, she said.

That’s what the empress and Councils have planned. They’re executing the mental ward patients. Executing Caben’s mother.

But that’s only to lure him here—their plan to get Caben close to me. They can’t have any real intention of going through with this. I’ve lost some faith in my leaders recently, but I can’t believe they’d all out fail me.

“Liars!” Caben shouts.

Bax is at his side quickly, trying to turn his attention away from the monitor. “She will make it, Prince. We need to leave.”

We do. Because their plan was successful. Caben has found me—he’s now in my presence. “Bax, this is what they want. For Caben to be
here
.”

He nods and waves his hand toward the screen. “Yes, but they’re expecting him to try to save his mother. The inner-court is heavily guarded, awaiting him.” He cocks his head toward the door. “We have some time.”

Right. I gather my thoughts, only coming up empty. What is our plan? Bax and I to escape with Caben? And Lake? And the Otherworlder army? To go where? This can’t be right. As much as I want to be with Caben, was going to track him and would do anything to save him, I hadn’t thought much past that.

Anywhere we go, the armies will follow.

But all my scrambled thoughts cease when figures appear on the screen. They climb onto the platform. Dark uniforms, swords slashing at the guards holding Caben’s mother captive. The Nactue.
My
Nactue are fighting
our
own people.

“You see,” Bax tells Caben. “Like clockwork. There are a few you can still count on.” He winks at me.

My stunned silence is all that answers him. What the
hell
is going on?

Bax manages to pull Caben away from the screen now displaying his mother’s escape. Through all the chaos and my own confusion, I’m relieved for her, and for him. I should never have doubted my friends. Then Kai’s last moments here, when she was trying to convey something to me, suddenly make sense.

They are standing with me.

And doing the right thing; supporting Caben. The quick relief washing over me, unlocking my tight muscles, doesn’t last long, though. Once word of their rebellion reaches what’s left of the Cavan Council—I fear for them.

Before we’re through the door, a tugging grips my stomach. I glance at Teagan. She’s staring right back at me. I don’t know why I do this now, other than she has information, and maybe, possibly, I’ll need it. In her own misguided way, she believes in her cause. That she’s helping the world with her actions. And maybe because she’s the only one so far to be completely honest with me.

“Wait one second,” I say to Bax and the others. Bax must understand my intent, because without asking, he takes the key from Caben and hands it to me. I give him a quick nod.

Then I ready my sword as I walk toward Teagan’s cell. I give her a stern glare, and unlock the door. “This means nothing other than I believe I may need you. And I don’t want any of your sordid knowledge falling into the wrong hands.” Like our Council’s, or Julian’s, when they discover Caben is long gone and I’ve escaped.

Her lips spread into a slow, creepy smile, and I almost regret my decision. Grabbing her arm, I lead her toward Bax and then take one of the chained cuffs from his belt. I’m sure they’re what Caben used to hold him hostage…but I drive that from my head. My range of emotions has already spread me thin. I only cuff one of her wrists, so she can run if needed, but link the other to Bax’s belt.

His furrowed brow voices his displeasure with this idea. I shrug. “If they get to me, you can get her out of here. We might need her.”

Whether it’s a sound strategy or he’s losing patience, I’m not sure. But he just grunts and leads the councilor ahead of me. I smile.

I fall in behind our party moving through the corridor. “Do we have any kind of plan? Where are we going from here?”

“One of three down,” Caben says, holding up three fingers as he jogs in a drunken pattern in front of us.

I look to Bax for an explanation. “You and the Perinyian queen are two. Three is my family,” he says.

Of course. And the Nactue make this retreating party of traitors complete. At some point, I figure we’ll all meet up and…await Caben’s transformation into the damned goddess. But at least we’ll be away from those who would kill anyone in order to see that fail. There’s no solution yet, but maybe now we can find one.

With that thought, I glance at Teagan. I’ll find a way to stall Bale, even if that means tearing the cursed moon from the sky.

♦
21
♦

Caben

T
AKING A SWIG OF
liquor from my flask, I peer at Kal over the rim. That’s not an easy task to perform while dashing through hallways and down stairways. With a mismatched party of fugitives. And mutants.

But my eyes always find her.

She’s the light to my dark. Everything within me gravitates toward her—wants to be bathed in her brilliance.

My booted foot trips over a step, and I nearly fall face first into the marble floor. I right myself at the last moment, earning a bemused look from the object of my obsession. Serves me right. I sound like a whipped husband from Cavan.

I need to stay focused. Well, as focused as I can while drinking unduly. Our quickly hatched plan has gone well. So far. But that’s only because the Councils weren’t expecting the Nactue to side with me. Not that they did, of course. It was all for Kal. Their leader. But her faith in my recovery, from what Bax said, is why they agreed to this madness.

My scout reported that, as Bax claimed, Kal had been taken prisoner. Not only her, but my new accomplice, also. With both Councilor Teagan and Kal locked away, that left us with few options. And zero allies. However, Kal’s best friend Lilly proved to be a useful alliance. I suppose she thrilled at the prospect of Kal becoming Bale’s new vessel.

Truly, I should punish my scout for getting caught. I know Bale would have me do just that. But I believe my leadership role is about to become null anyway. Everything is going according to a new and better—although hastened—plan. As long as the Nactue make sure my mother’s safe, I can leave this world…content. Maybe even satisfied.

And they are all about their honor, right? They have to keep their word.

Getting Bax’s family out of harm’s way is the final step before we leave the disaster-riddled country—what’s left of
my
country. For his ultimate bravery, a near sacrifice in coming to my den, he’s at least earned the safety of his family.

As we round the corner toward their chamber, I decide it’s nearly time.

With a relieved sigh, Bax raises his thick hand and knocks on the door. Three quick raps followed by three slower ones. His family’s secret knock. How special.

The door opens, and Bax’s wife—I assume—falls into his arms. They whisper words of reassurance to one another as his father within the room cradles their baby son. All important possessions have been packed and placed at the ready.

I envy Bax in this moment. Able to feel, caress,
touch
the ones he loves. Hell, it’s more than envy.

Covet.

Sending a sideways glance at Kal, I accept that my feelings for her are more powerful than love—all white, flowery bullshit. That desolate darkness still lurks inside me…I know. Alcohol can’t void such power. But the combination of all that’s light and dark; good and wicked—whatever stirs within, it’s heightened my emotions for her infinitely.

They’re more raw. Tantalizing. Consuming. They take hold of me and I’m at their mercy. It’s why I don’t have to rationalize my next move.

Taking one last sip from my flask for courage rather than sanity, I hold the cool silver to my lips, savoring. Then I slip it into my pack. I draw my sword. Bax is the first to recognize this action, and he slowly separates from his wife and shields her behind his back. Yes, love. There’s the selfless act of it.

He cares for Kal, too. And
would
attempt to stop me, if not for being hindered by the woman chained to his side.

“Now, Lake!” I shout, and reach for Kal. I’ve got her unarmed and locked in my arms, forearm anchored around her chest, before Bax can make his move. I kick her sword, sending it farther across the corridor.

Lake’s sword is drawn and aimed at not Bax, but his wife. I give Lake another mental applaud. He went for the hurt instead of the kill.

Kal’s breaths quicken. Her body hums against mine. I can feel the mercury beneath her skin heating, building, summoning strength for the fight. Only she won’t need it. There’s no duel here, only a lost man trying desperately to feed his addiction.

“There’s no more need for this, Caben,” Bax says to me, though his beady little eyes are trained on Lake. “Your mother has been promised to you. As long as no harm comes to Kal, you’ll get what you bargained for.”

A chuckle slips from my mouth. “I have no intention to hurt her.” I use the edge of my blade to bring a hank of Kal’s dark, glossy hair to my nose. Inhale deep. “It’s just time we were leaving.”

I back up a step, coercing Kal to move with me, my sword at her neck, and Bax quickly interjects, “Wait.” I halt.

“Don’t be foolish. Kal cannot be kept safe if she’s anywhere near Bale.” Bax grits his sharp teeth. “This is not the plan.”

“It’s my plan!” I shout. “I’m the one who dies. I’m the one who sacrifices everything…” My arm begins to shake, and I bear down on my sword to keep it steady. “Kal comes with me or I will watch all this”—I fling my sword out for just a second to wave it around—“everyone and everything, burn. Now make sure your little loyal Nactue keep their word, or I just might end her after all.”

It’s an empty threat. At least I try to believe as much. But the frantic circumstance that is my fate has pulled the world from beneath me, and I’m grasping at the seams of my sanity. All I know, all that is real, is Kal. She’s mine.

“I’m all right, Bax,” Kal says. Her voice doesn’t betray the trembling of her body. “Take care of your family. Give the Nactue one last order from me.” She swallows; I sense the hard bob of her throat at it moves against my sword. “They’re to keep the queen of Perinya safe. Guard her as they guard their empress…I—”

I jerk her backward, and she forces out the last of her words quickly. “I belong with Caben.”

A slow smile curls my lips. At last.

Bax’s expression pales even more than his usual pasty shade, but I’m leading us around the corner before any words leave his gaping mouth.

♦
22
♦