Lifting his chin, he meets my gaze with an almost bland expression. “No one outranks me when it comes to the Queen.”
Grinding my teeth so hard it feels as if the molars are beginning to crack, I eye the male who’s been my mother’s personal guard since before I was born.
Aerin and I have never been close. I'm not overly affectionate and neither is he, but since he's never far from my mother’s side, he’s been a constant presence throughout my life. That in itself forged a somewhat tenuous relationship. Not a perfect one, for we’ve had our fair share of rows. Mostly because he's an arrogant dick, and being the Queen's closest confidant, he rarely disagrees with her while I often do, but I've never once doubted his loyalty to the Queen, and by extension, her family. Including me, the unwanted bastard. Which is surprising to say the least, considering Aerin was the first person to find my mother after King Rainer’s assault.
I don't know the exact details of that day, but from what has been told, once Aerin found his beloved Queen broken in mind, body, and spirit, he lost all sense of self and fell into the throes of bloodlust. Consumed by a crazed, trancelike rage, Aerin killed King Rainier before carving his body into over a thousand pieces. They say that many tried and failed to pull him back from the brink of madness, but he was only able to regain his sanity once he realized how close to death my mother truly was.
It’s difficult for me to grasp that Aerin was capable of such violence when I've only ever known the Air immortal as a calm, apathetic individual. But in moments like this, when he’s determined to uphold my mother’s bidding and his eyes are hardened to steel slits, I can see the madness glinting beneath.
A growl rumbles within my chest as I press forward, forcing him to step back. “I could move you myself.”
“You could, but you’re on thin ice with the Queen as it is.” He glances at the three commanders standing at my back and lowers his voice to a whisper. “If you disobey her again, she'll not think twice to follow through on her threats. I don't want to see you on the streets, Darius.” With a sincere expression, he adds, “Neither would Theon or Aurora.”
At the mention of my siblings, I roll my neck, easing the tightened muscles as I attempt to calm myself. My mother’s threat to strip me of my rank and banish me from the palace may be a new one, but it isn't surprising. What is surprising is that she thinks I actually give a shit about my rank. I don't. I'm the most powerful and skilled warrior alive to date. Her stripping me of my command won't change that, and I couldn’t care less about gold or status. What I do care about is the Gods Cursed knocking on our door and the Kings Council refusing to acknowledge it.
The little control I have over the situation would be lost if I was stripped of my command, and I can't trust whoever my successor would be to take the necessary actions to protect our Kingdom. Griffin would, but it's not guaranteed that as my second he would assume my role. Which is why instead of blasting Aerin out of my way and storming through the door, I take a reluctant step back from him and blow out a calming breath.
“There's been another Soulless attack.”
Aerin pinches his eyes shut. “Was anyone injured?”
“Two guards,” I reply. Wanting to keep this information quiet as long as possible, I sweep my gaze across the hall, searching for any possible loiterers before lowering my voice. “They said they were attacked by over three dozen Soulless.”
“Three dozen?” Eyes widened in shock, his head jerks back. “That's not possible.”
“I thought so too, but it's true,” I reply with a bitter laugh, rubbing the back of my head. “We can't continue to field these attacks blind, Aerin. We need to act.” Placing my hand on his shoulder, I implore him to comprehend the severity of the situation. “I need to speak with my mother.”
Aerin groans, his shoulders slumping. “I can’t disobey a direct command, Darius. I’m sorry.”
Anger spiking, I curl my finger into his shoulder, digging all the way to the bone. “If I was Theon or Aurora, would you allow me through?”
The ensuing silence is answer enough.
Frustrated and livid, I shove him into the door and storm away, my commanders falling silently into formation behind me.
“Your mother spoke to me after you made your proposal to the Kings Council!” Aerin calls out. I slow to a halt, glancing at him over my shoulder. “For what it's worth, I agree with you.”
“Did you tell her that?”
“I did.” He nods, his lips flattening to an irritable line. “But she was not interested in my thoughts on the matter.”
All I can do is grunt in response, imagining how infuriated my mother must have been when her most loyal servant spoke out against her to back an idea presented by me.
“Your mother is a complicated female,” he states delicately. “But when it comes to Brecca, she's incapable of thinking rationally.” Aerin glances over his shoulder, seeming afraid that Adelphia could be listening on the other side of the door before he returns his gaze to me. “Usually I wouldn't involve myself in such matters, but I'll try to speak with her again. With the Soulless activity and the disappearances in Raetia, there's a possibility she may reconsider her decision."
Stiffening, I slowly turn to face him. “What disappearances?”
“The missing Raetians?” he asks, his brows bunching in confusion at my blank stare. “There have been several disappearances over the last few months. King Luthais hasn’t acknowledged them, but my sources believe them to be suspicious.”
“Why am I just now hearing of this?”
“I assumed you knew.”
“I did not,” I growl, furious I'm just now hearing this from him when it should have come directly from my mother.
He watches me for several moments before lifting his chin, his features hardening in resolve. “I'll speak to her.”
Good luck with that.
Nodding stiffly, I spin on my heel and storm down the hall, my commanders trailing behind as I force myself to retreat before I race back and break down that fucking door.
Passing my chambers, then Theon’s, Kiora’s, and Aurora’s, we descend the staircase before leaving the royal wing altogether. Rage bleeds from my pores and seeps into the air, casting a palpable menace around myself that all can sense. Palace staff scurry past or duck within alcoves, lords bow with trembling limbs, and I have to restrain myself from barking at the bumbling guard when he struggles to open the arched doors to the palace.
“She’s really not going to do anything?” Ajax asks, moving swiftly across the palace grounds.
“No.” I nod to the guards before stepping through the golden gates, feeling the hum of the ward vibrate along my skin before entering the courtyard of the nobility district. Attempting to calm my mind and the fury singing in my veins, I watch the lords and ladies of the nobility casually stroll along.
Completely unaware of the threats lurking outside our walls, they bask in the sunshine of another beautiful day. Shopping, socializing, gossiping. Laughing children weave between legs and hide beneath skirts while others linger near the magicked water fountain, dipping their hands into the water before praying to the gods with a toss of a golden coin. They all seem so happy and free, without a care in the world. I fear if we continue to do nothing, they won't remain that way for long.
“That's horseshit!”
Kace barks a humorless laugh. “Welcome to the selfish minds of royalty.”
Selfish, vain, and cruel. Adelphia is all these things and more. But my mother wasn’t always that way. She was once a kind and compassionate Queen. Loved by all her people, including humans. But after the death of her husband and King Rainier’s assault, something inside her broke, twisting her into a fearful creature so full of hate and pain, I sometimes wonder if that other version of herself ever truly existed.
I can't deny that I’ve seen that loving version on occasion. When she smiles at Aurora and laughs with Theon. I even think I may have seen it once or twice directed at me when I was a child. Regardless, all these moments are fleeting, swept away with the wind in a blink of an eye before she burrows back into herself, returning to the cold Queen of Cascadonia. But as I watch the Seboians laugh, play, and live, feeling ignorantly secure in the knowledge their Queen will keep them safe, I realize that even though my mother’s trauma was no fault of her own, her refusal to acknowledge it is. That is what has made her unfit to rule. As a result, she is no longer a queen I can blindly follow.
The moment the thought enters my mind, my anger instantly cools within my veins. My muscles ease and the turbulence within my mind slows to a pinpoint focus, determined to protect Seboia regardless of the consequences. Adelphia may not be willing to face the truth, out of fear or indifference, I can only guess, but I can use her detachment to my advantage.
