Chapter 30

Chapter

Thirty

SILAS

Ned sits in pure silence while we tell Markson everything that happened in the cellar, like the bound man has some weird idea that we might forget about his existence if he remains quiet. It irritates me that he'd even think that he'd get away with harassing Callisto.

"Ned, what the fuck is happening?" Markson asks.

He continues to stare at the ground, like even refusing to look at us might fix everything.

"Ned, you are a lieutenant. You've fought for this country for years, and now you just… switched sides?" Markson asks.

Still nothing.

I notice an unusual-looking ring on Ned's finger and yank it off. As soon as I do, I can feel a spark of fear, telling me that I can get my magic to work now that the ring isn't present. Handing it to Markson, I say quietly, "Put him and his father in a room; I can make them talk." I'll just have to find somewhere quiet and alone to do it. Somewhere the others can't watch.

Markson seems to think about it for a bit before nodding. "Okay." With that, he hurries off.

"Hey, did anyone think to grab the coin?" Callisto asks. "I know Silas was so excited about his new saddle that I think… we all… maybe forgot the very thing we were protecting?"

"Huh," Madden mutters. "It's alright, I'll have my friends bring it."

"The friends that could barely lift it?" Callisto asks.

"Fuck, fuck, fine," he grumbles as he looks at the long distance we've already come.

"I will grudgingly carry you in a half-hearted apology for not paying attention to the bird," Dandelion mutters before shifting.

Madden is absolutely thrilled as he rushes for him, and the moment he's seated on Dandelion's back while looking ecstatic, Dandelion bolts and nearly loses him.

"They're kind of cute together," Callisto says, but my mind is elsewhere. "Silas?"

"Oh? Uh, yeah, they're very cute," I say.

Callisto hesitates and then scrutinizes me. "Are you okay?"

I glance over at him and give him a confident smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You just said they were cute." He's still scrutinizing me, like I said something wrong.

"Yeah? So… did you," I remind him. "I was just agreeing."

Clearly, this way of thinking still makes me suspicious. "Yeah, but I don't see you actually agreeing that any part of that is cute," he says as he points to Madden clinging on as Dandelion terrifies some child who'd been walking down the street. They scream, drop their stuff, and run as Dandelion pays them no mind, all while Madden is beaming on Dandelion's back… hell, maybe that look alone is what scared the child.

"That was super cute. I loved the part when they shrieked the most," I tease, which makes Callisto laugh.

"You're something, alright. I'm sorry I nearly got your tongue cut off. I was going to tell them everything if they got too close," he assures me. "But I didn't want you to think that I was just going to let you get tortured over some information. None of that is important enough to me to risk you getting hurt or killed."

"Nah, we were all good. I'm glad you didn't and held out as long as you did," I say as I give his arm a squeeze. "You did well."

"Besides dropping the coin and not being able to poison them or any of that," he says with a sigh. "You had to save me again ."

I eye this suspicious man. "You saved me from plummeting to my death in that ravine."

"But you saved me from bleeding to death."

"And you saved me with your vines and poison."

"And you saved me… with your wyvern that first day, didn't you? When those people were trying to abduct me," he says.

"Did I call Zepher? No, I actually didn't. She does her own thing, but I wasn't really going to let them take you. I just didn't want to draw any attention to myself. She simply saved the day before I did."

He watches me for a moment. "So what's bothering you if it wasn't my inability to fix the situation?" Callisto asks, his blue eyes that are speckled with purple watching me closely. I reach out and push some of his wavy white hair out of his face, but the wind immediately blows it back. "I know! It was because you didn't get to hold Madden's toe coin in your mouth! If it'd make you feel better, I'm positive Madden would enjoy trying it again."

"Funny," I say as I draw him in close. "Honestly, it's nothing."

Callisto glances over to where Markson is taking Ned into the barracks. He watches for a minute before turning to me. "Is that what's bothering you? If you don't want to do that, you don't have to. None of us would ever make you do something you're uncomfortable doing. And Markson can be quite sassy. He might get the information out of them."

"I know I don't, and I don't mind doing it. I just… don't want you to watch."

"Hmm…" Callisto says, but before he can say more, Markson's bird comes fluttering over to us. "It's a good thing Dandelion's not here." His teasing tone is trying to lighten the mood as he turns to follow after it, but all I can offer him is a forced smile.

I watch him for a moment before tossing out, "Why don't you stay out here and wait for Dandelion and Madden?"

"Because I don't want to," he says with a smile as he reaches out and slides his fingers between mine before squeezing gently. So much of me wants him to stay back here and wait for the others, but as soon as his fingers are intertwined with mine, I can feel a strength from them that I hadn't felt before. How can such a simple touch make me even breathe easier? How can he do this to me with such ease?

Callisto confidently leads me over to the barracks where I'm surprised to find Ainsley waiting for us inside. It seems like she's often involved in things that a lot of royalty would send their advisors off to deal with.

And I'm even more surprised when she gives me a bow of her head. The sign of respect isn't something I'd ever gotten from anyone in Vermillion even after all I did for them. After the war was finished, I wasn't even acknowledged for all I did. Only the fae generals were. No, I had to keep myself a secret; otherwise, I would have been seen as an enemy for what I'd done before the two sides had worked together. They likely would have brushed aside all I did for them and had me killed out of fear I'd go against them again or for what I'd done during the civil war. How funny it is that they had not a damn problem using me when they needed me, though.

I release Callisto's hand, unsure if she'd find the familiar display rude and choosing to err on the side of caution.

Instead, she says, "I am deeply sorry for what the two of you just went through. I am ashamed that two of my own citizens, one even a part of my army, would do this. I had taken all four of you in with the promise of giving you a place to rest while we figure more things out."

"It's fine, I'm sure I deserved it. I did steal shit from Davy when I was a kid," Callisto says with a beaming smile and a wave of his hand. He's always so carefree, but it's clear that the innocence I once felt that he had is more Callisto wanting to think the best of people but knowing deep down that anyone could turn against him at any moment.

"I promised three of you, you know, the three that didn't steal shit or break into the rooms in the castle he was prohibited from, that you should be welcome here," Ainsley amends, which just makes Callisto laugh.

"You broke into more shit?"

"It was a dare… I was dared to sneak in and touch the penis statue in their meeting room…" Callisto whispers. "And then once I was inside, I was like wow, this is really nice, so I found a hidden area, and that's how I proceeded to sneak in before all of their meetings and listen for a few months. And I would have gotten away with it if Markson hadn't caught me."

I shake my head before turning back to Ainsley. "It's really alright. No harm done," I say. "I'm just going to talk to those two and hopefully get something we can use out of them."

"I would like to watch you conduct the interrogation," Ainsley requests.

I look at her in surprise. "You want to be in the room while I use my magic?" Does she really trust me that much? I understand that I could use my magic on her anywhere, but to willingly go into a room where I'm using it shows a level of trust in me that I'm not used to from the royal class.

She gives me a big smile. "I would… if that's feasible."

I hesitate. "You could just give me questions to ask."

"I trust your questions; I just would like to be present to hear their answers," she says, and how the hell do I tell the queen no? I mean, she's asking but she doesn't even have to ask. She could just demand I do anything she wanted, and I'd have no choice but to do it.

"Um… okay. I'd prefer to not have many in the room, though, since I have to concentrate to not affect them."

"So then just me and Callisto then," she says with a smile, like she doesn't even insist on her guards being present!

"No Callisto."

Callisto completely ignores me and wanders toward the room the prisoners are in. "I'm your support, alright? I got this."

"I'm fine alone," I assure him.

He just tosses me a stubborn look. "You're super finer with me."

I sigh, realizing that I'm not going to win this battle. It's not like he hasn't already seen me kill. My hesitation is purely based on my own anxieties.

Walking into the room, I look over at Ned and Davy who are both handcuffed and waiting against the far wall.

"The rings they wore stopped my magic; do you know about those?" I ask Ainsley.

"I do. They're a very rare ring that can only be worn by someone who doesn't have any magic themselves. It will block all magic, so even if Callisto could have touched them, he likely couldn't have done anything to them either. Now if someone has magic, the ring will make them unable to use their own magic as well, which is why it's rarely seen or worn."

"I see," I say as I turn to the two men. "You have one more chance to answer me truthfully."

Neither say anything, so I take a deep breath and fixate on Ned since he'll be the easier one to break. I step toward him as darkness invades the room. All sources of light are immediately gone, and the darkness pulses and flashes around me. I don't plan to kill them, but I can still use their fear against them.

Ned cries out and tries scrambling back, but he can't get away. Davy's not receiving the brunt of my attention, so he still has the ability to fight against me, especially because I'm only feeding them small amounts of my magic. I don't want to push them so hard they break and refuse to give us anything.

"Ned, don't talk! Don't talk!" Davy yells, trying to keep his son focused.

"Tell me everything," I growl, and Ned screams as he begins to thrash in his chair.

"Y-You're a monster!" Ned cries. "A fucking monster!"

Fuck. Maybe I won't even get anything out of him. Maybe he'll be too terrified of me, and all of this bullshit will be for nothing. And Callisto will realize that I really am a monster and finally look away… look anywhere else.

Gentle hands slide around my waist as I feel Callisto's chest against my back. His fingers hold me tightly, like he's trying to give me strength.

"Stop fretting about me," he says as he rests his head against my shoulder. "I don't know what breakable and angelic image of me you've built up in your mind, but I care about you no matter what or who you are, and nothing you're doing is going to change that."

My body is tense against him as he leans against me without even a hint of unease. I've been called a monster, a demon, and god of death so many times that maybe I even started to believe it myself.

"Ned, just answer the questions, and it'll be all over," Callisto says, voice even, not showing a hint of fear at all.

"M-My dad started working for him and forced me into it!" Ned stutters.

"Working for who?" I ask.

"D-Duke Arthur," he says.

Duke Arthur? Obviously, I know of the man; he was a notable figure in the war and while he never did any of the fighting himself, he was known for barking orders at others. He's King Samuel's brother, the father to Prince Eli, the prince who Callisto posed as. During the war, the duke had been in charge of many of the armies. His tactics were cruel but because he'd always come out on top, the king permitted it, but after the war, he was given his own castle and a piece of land far from the capital and never ventured back. It's very likely the king wanted to drive away the cruel man now that he was no longer needed.

I guess I can understand that as well. The moment the king was done with me, I was best to disappear into the shadows. But it's much harder to make your own brother disappear. Especially if he's heir to the throne if the king never has any children.

"What does he want?" I ask.

"To usurp the king," Davy says through gritted teeth, like he hates that he's giving up this information.

"I know so little about him; does he have the magic of necromancy?" Callisto asks me.

"I actually don't know. I never even saw him fight with his magic. He liked to sit at the head of his army and boss them around, not engage in battle himself. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times as he tried to bark orders at me and was irate when I chose not to listen," I say. "He was very effective, but his methods were cruel and he rarely cared how many he had to sacrifice to accomplish them."

"Please don't kill us," Ned begs. "Please!"

"Why does he want the coin and the prince's body?" I ask.

Davy answers, "I don't know! He liked to use our location in Langsten to watch and report, and when it became apparent you two were here, I was asked to observe both of you. But when Ned came back hurt after a fellow soldier found out what he'd been doing and tried to stop him, he told me what was going on in Vermillion and what the duke needed. I knew that if I got what the duke wanted, he'd take very good care of us."

"Why does he want to usurp the king?" I ask, though I have to assume it's to take the crown.

"I don't know!"

"How does he plan to do it?"

"I don't know!"

The way his fear thunders through his chest shows me that he's telling the truth.

"Do you have any other questions?" I ask Ainsley.

"That is all," she says as I drop my hold on them. They both cry out, shaking and sniveling as the room returns to normal.

I slowly glance over at Callisto to see his reaction, expecting to see remorse or pity for the men, but he just pulls back from me. The three of us step out of the room before Callisto turns to me and folds his arms over his chest.

"So the king decides the duke's son will become his heir and instead of celebrating, the duke starts a war… maybe because of the death of his son?" he asks.

"Would he have even known his son was dead when the other parts of this rolled into place?" I ask. "All we know is that while the prince was going from the duke's home to the capital, he lost control and killed all of his men."

"Right, right… what if the prince was supposed to kill the king?" Callisto says, sounding excited. "Okay, right? So when I arrived, the king said how late I was and that he'd sent out some men to look for us, but I rode straight there, pushing the horse faster than I'm sure a carriage would have travelled."

"So you think the prince was not supposed to slaughter his own men but the king? Yet because he was held up, the prince lost control and killed the soldiers?" I ask, trying to figure this out. "But how does one put a spell on someone to force them to kill others at a later time?"

"There are all kinds of magics in this world," Callisto says. "Just because the duke never showed his power doesn't mean he's magicless."

"True," I agree. "I just feel like if it was something that could… do this, he'd have used it during the war."

"What if it's not his magic, though?" Ainsley suggests. "There are some magics that allow you to harness the magic of another. Maybe he's using another's magic?"

"It's possible. But what we do know is that he wants the prince's body?—"

I cut Callisto off. "Or something that was on the prince."

He looks thoughtful. "I mean… before burying the body, I felt him over, just in case he had something else on him. I thought that if he had something distinct on him, I could use it to prove I was the prince. But he had no other satchels and nothing in his pockets."

Callisto's quiet as he ponders before continuing.

"When the king lost his mind, he stabbed me and was pissed my blood didn't do anything. Maybe he needed the prince's blood? But finding the body… I mean, he's dead. You're not getting much blood out of it."

"Maybe he doesn't have to be alive?" Ainsley asks.

"Well, we have the coin and know where the body is. So right now, we're the people keeping Duke Arthur from doing whatever he's hoping to accomplish," I say.

"And he knows we're here, which puts Langsten in danger," Callisto adds. "I really shouldn't be here."

Ainsley sets a hand on his shoulder. "Callisto, you can't blame yourself for any of this, and you can't just rush back to Vermillion because you're afraid you'll put us in danger. You are such a big part of our lives and are too loved to lose," Ainsley says. "We're going to work together and figure out how to fix this, alright? If the duke is so determined to take over the throne that he's enlisted in magic like this, he's not going to hesitate to attack Langsten. And right now, both of you and your powers are unique enough that they could save many people."

"But we could save them faster if we go right to the duke and kill him. Restore peace. The current king might not be the best, but he's better than the duke," I inform her. "The duke was never a kind man. He's likely why the king placed him in the middle of nowhere with a new title."

"I understand…" she says.

"I'll go alone?—"

Callisto looks at me like I've just said the stupidest thing he's ever heard. "Then I'm going alone too. You can go alone a different way."

Why is this man so stubborn when I just want to keep him safe? "Callisto, please."

He pins me down with quite the look. It's very clear that he's not putting up with my shit. "I'm going. We're both going. Ainsley is right. We both have magic that can put us at an advantage."

"I didn't mean for you to run off and face him alone," she says like we're both fools.

"No, but think of how many lives we could save if we could do so."

"Do we leave the coin here?" I ask.

"No… because we don't know if he wants the coin to help him… or if the coin is the only thing that can stop him," Callisto says, sounding determined. "I promise I'll keep it safe… much safer than I did in the cellar."

I really don't want to put Callisto in danger. I want to leave him here where he'll be safe, and if I make it out alive, I'll come back to him and we'll build that happy home we were talking about.

My stomach tightens in anticipation. "Callisto?—"

He gives me a shake of his head, like he's already aware of what I'm going to say. "We're safer together and I'm not listening to another word of it. We move out at dusk," he says, and with a turn, he's out the door and off to prepare.

I'm left standing alone in the room with a queen who looks quite amused.

"Callisto is a very determined man," she says.

"I… see that."

"Because I know you're thinking about it, if you snuck off alone, he would chase right after you. It's better to go together than for him to wander off alone, is it not?"

I sigh before rubbing my head.

"Allow me to send some of my men with you."

"No. I don't want anyone to see it as an excuse to start a war with Langsten. Just the two of us will go. I… I'm going to try to keep Dandelion and Madden here, but there are no promises. They're both stubborn as well."

"I understand. And when you all are done, I truly hope you'll both come back here and make a home and life for yourselves. I would be so lucky to have you."

I nod slowly.

"Callisto looks happier than I've ever seen him. He was always such a reserved boy, struggling hard to open his heart to others out of fear they'd leave him like everyone else. I've enjoyed watching him grow throughout the years, but watching him with you shows me how far he's really come."

"I'm… glad to hear that."

We head out the door and over to where Callisto is speaking to someone I don't know as the queen says to me, "Silas, when you return, if you ever wanted to join the army, I'd have a place for you."

"Sorry, I have no interest in that," I respond.

"We're going to create a tavern to poison people," Callisto sweetly says. "While Silas poisons them and knocks them out, I'm going to steal from them."

"You two are ridiculous," she decides, but she's smiling as Callisto laughs, proud of his joke.