The flames release their embrace as I stalk towards my companions. “Have any of you acquired any information that could possibly lead to who is working with Brecca?” I ask, and they all shake their heads in answer. Jaw locked, I meet each individual gaze, my amethyst eyes stressing the urgency of our situation. “We have to find him. Him, her, them.” I flick a hand. “Whoever the fuck it is, I don’t care. I just want them found. Now.”
“It has to be a royal or a noble,” Amara says as she sits down on the grass, crossing her legs.
“I'm leaning more towards a royal,” Zander adds, rubbing his chin. “Nobles may appear to be held in high esteem, but they don't have access to the guards, and none are on Adelphia's council.”
My interest piques with this information. “Who is on her council?”
“Only the Captain of the Queen’s Guard and her children.”
“What about Theon's wife?” I scrunch up my face, trying to remember the female’s name. “Kiora?”
“That’s her,” Zander says. “But she's not on the council.”
Interesting. If I was a princess destined to be Queen, I don't think I’d be too pleased with the idea of not being part of the current one's inner council.
“Could she be the one working with the Breccans?” Amara voices my own thoughts, plucking at the grass.
“Unlikely,” Tristan replies with a sneer. “She prefers to spend her time drinking and fucking her way through court.”
Amara snorts. “Sounds like a happy marriage.”
“From my understanding, the heir is oblivious to her promiscuous activities,” Tristan says, peering over his shoulder with an anxious tap of his boot.
“Could it be the heir?” I ask.
Tristan's tapping ceases. “No. from everything I’ve learned about him, he's an honorable male.”
“It could be Darius or Aurora,” Amara proposes.
“No,” Tristan and I answer in unison.
Zander and Amara share a look before Zander speaks in a gentler tone. “I know it may be difficult to believe such a thing about someone you care about,” he says, his gaze darting between me and Tristan. “But it could be either of them.”
Pursing his lips, Tristan balls his fists in fury, ruby flecked darkness pouring into the swirled marking on his cheek as he lunges for Zander.
I snatch at his forearm and drag him behind me, feeling unnerved at the role reversal when I give him a warning look. “I've searched both Aurora’s and Darius’ auras,” I say, returning my attention to Zander once I’m sure Tristan has calmed. “It’s not them.”
“You're sure?” Zander asks, his expression dubious at best.
Eyes narrowing, I bite out, “It's not something one can fabricate.”
Zander looks to Amara who shrugs her shoulders. I roll my eyes at their lack of faith.
“Alright, then,” Zander says. “What about the Queen?”
“She's capable of it,” I reply. “She has a darkness to her, but it's not her.”
“It might be,” Amara argues.
I shake my head. “No it can't.”
I think back to when I first saw Adelphia in front of Aurora’s shop. Arrogant, vain, selfish, and drowning in darkness. But that darkness was not inherently cruel or evil. It was created from grief and pain, something I know firsthand how difficult it can be to resurface from.
“The darkness within her was caused by the Breccans. As such, she would never work with them. In her eyes, she lost everything to them.” I try to tuck my hair back into my cloak, but the rippled, wavy strands continue to pull loose. “I doubt she'll act against them unless she has no other choice.” I gather my hair to one side and wave the ends at Zander. He chuckles, walking past my line of sight to stand behind me.
“If she lost so much to Brecca, why wouldn’t she act against them?” Zander asks as he weaves his nimble fingers within my hair, plaiting the locks with a speed and skill I’ve always been envious of.
“Because she's terrified of them,” I reply, recalling the thick terror coating her entire aura. It’s the same terror that has engulfed me, but unlike her, I've never allowed it to define my actions or determine how to treat others undeserving of blame.
She suffers, but that doesn't excuse her need to make everyone else suffer along with her. I doubt she even sees the effect it has on those around her. She's too narcissistic to take notice.
Zander tickles my cheeks with the end of my plaited hair and I giggle, snatching it from him and tucking it back into my cloak. He wraps his arms around my neck from behind in a familial embrace and I clasp my hands around his forearms. I wish for a different male’s arms wrapped around me, but I'm comforted by my friend's affection nonetheless.
Amara stands and swipes grass off her backside as she peers over her shoulder. “Okay, so none of us think it's any of the royals.” She turns to face us and slaps her hands to her sides with a frustrated huff. “Which brings us back to having no leads.”
Tapping Zander’s arms, he releases me and I step forward. “Tristan, search the royal chambers as well as Aurora’s loft above the shop.” He nods and my gaze ventures to Amara’s. “Since you've already managed to get into the armory, I'm assuming you've mapped out the Guard’s base?”
“Of course.”
“Did you find any blades made from anything besides steel?” I doubt she did, otherwise she would’ve already mentioned it, but I must ask.
Wincing, Amara stares a hole through her shuffling feet. “No, but I wasn't really looking for it, either.”
“Of course you weren’t.” Tristan rolls his eyes and she smacks his arm.
“I was just trying to get in and out,” she spews through clenched teeth.
“You should have searched for it anyway,” he scolds, smacking her back.
