10. Aramis

Chapter 10

Aramis

Y e drugged him with a truth serum and questioned his integrity, making him out to be a villain with no one to defend him!" I'm pulled from the depths of sleep as Nero's voice echoes down the stone corridor of the hallway. I rub my hand across the scruff of my beard as I stare up through the bars.

"It wasn't like that," a vaguely familiar feminine voice replies.

"Oh nay? Ye didn't ask specific questions that would paint all the crimes he's committed over the years without a chance to defend himself?" Nero counters.

"He told no lies, Nero. He is guilty of those crimes," she says. Their footsteps echo closer.

The council had dragged me out of this cell on three more occasions, and every time, it was the same routine. They bound my arms behind my back, made me kneel in front of the council, administered the serum, and proceeded to ask question after question. They were mostly curious about the Shadowvale army, a smart move considering there were thrice the number of the shifter rebels adept for battle. In a direct conflict, the shifters would need help to survive an attack from such a mighty force.

They were also curious about the workings of the castle, probably to help spies infiltrate. Questions about my father's rule, Tricella's modus operandi, and even questions about Kieran. From a strategic point of view, my knowledge of their enemy was extremely valuable—the only thing I could offer them—so I never opposed and willingly shared all the information I had. Arguably, the truth serum wasn't even necessary. But every time, after hours of relentless questioning, it ended the same way. They'd ask me if I willingly captured shifters and delivered them to Tricella, to which the honest answer was always a condemning yes.

I blink away the dryness in my eyes, rubbing to clear the blurriness of sleep until my surroundings come into focus. The room is dimly lit, with only a small window high in the wall letting in a sliver of morning sunlight. My body aches as I stretch my arms over my head, the result of falling asleep leaning against the rough stone walls.

"Aye, Evolet, but ye also did not give him time to answer how he's helped his people. Ye haven't spent the last hundred years with him as I have. Aye, he may be a bit naive and stubborn, but at his core, he is honorable," Nero says.

I glance up as their steps slow and they come into focus. Nero stands beside an elemental member from the council, her light brown hair pulled up into a messy bun atop her head.

"Aramis, yer looking worse for wear, mate." Nero's lips pull up, but his smile doesn't meet his eyes. His clothes are wrinkled, hair mussed as though he has been running his hands through it half the night.

"Ye could use a shave." He wrinkles his nose. "And a shower."

"You're one to talk," I say, nodding at his disheveled state. My attention goes back to the female as the key scrapes in the lock of my cell and the door swings open. "No burly guard to tie me up and drag me to the council this time?"

She eyes me appraisingly, raising an eyebrow. "Would you prefer it if I tied you up?"

Nero snorts and I turn, glaring at him. "No, but perhaps Nero over here needs a taste of–"

"I don't sleep with draken. Nothing against shifters, but water and fire really don't mix." She rolls her eyes and gestures for us to follow her.

"They should not have forced ye to answer the questions under a truth serum," Nero growls as he keeps pace at my side. His hands flex, claws extending as we make our way up the stone staircase at Evolet's heels.

"I volunteered, Nero," I say, turning to him and holding up my banded wrists. "I'm willing to do anything, be anyone, to prove my loyalty to my people."

Prove to her I'm changing.

"Yer a good man, Aramis."

Then, why do I feel like the villain?

"You're a good friend, Nero."

"Hurry up, or do I need to find you two a room?" Evolet calls as she opens the door.

Nero pauses with a hand on my shoulder. "I know this is not the situation I'd hoped for, but remember the people are terrified. Show them the prince I've known my whole life, inside." He taps a finger to my chest.

I nod before following Evolet out the door and through the village until we reach the council room. Evolet takes her seat at the table with the other seven members of the council, who are all standing over the large map of Shadowvale. They glance in my direction for only a second and then continue their hushed conversations. No glass vial awaits on the table, nothing to bind by arms. This is different. Usually, when I am taken here, they hide all hints about their plans, but this is a war council in session. I stand tall, with Nero at my side.

"Aramis Adrastos, once again, you come before the council of Thorns. Kneel," Aries says, leaning back in his chair.

"I will not kneel before the council," I state quietly, turning to face him.

"Defiant? Would you rather we throw you back in the cells?" he taunts.

"Aries," Roger growls.

I turn my attention back to the council, battle strategies and political treaties whirling in my head. I must play my cards right. They need me just as much as I need them.

"I do not refuse to kneel out of disrespect, but because I come to you as an equal." I lower my chin respectfully. "I come before you to prove my loyalty not to the queen, but to my kingdom and its people."

The council's whispers fill the air, their urgent tone mirroring the desperation that consumes me. Nero's comforting presence offers a sliver of hope.

"Come forth, Aramis," Evolet says, and indicates a chair at the far end of the room, separated from everyone else. I look at Nero suspiciously, who reassures me with a nod.

"The council wants you to audit this meeting. Maybe they're starting to warm up to ya." He winks.

"Hmm, you make a fair point, Gideon." A woman with deep blue hair turns to Victor, continuing a conversation started before I entered the room. "Do we petition for sanctuary in Kallistar?"

"To travel through the forest with this many people, including the sick, elderly and injured would be ringing the dinner bell for the shadow beasts the Prince and Lockheed talked about. It would also be more difficult to hide from the elementals that still support the crown,"the old man explains, crossing his arms over his tunic. The shadows under his eyes have darkened since the last time I saw him. Things must not be going well.

But he's not wrong. If what I saw of the encampment coming in is anything to go off, then they would be impossible to miss if they all moved at once.

"Any updates on the escape routes?" Roger asks, holding his chin pensively.

The woman with the blue hair nods. "We have ten people currently scouring for routes. According to Maeve, there's roughly three groups of five refugees on their way here from the west. They're all that's left from the attack at Stafmore."

Another attack. Tricella has not stopped.

Nero leans my way. "Ye've met Evolet. She's a water elemental. She helps Victor stay up to date with everything. Maeve is an owl shifter. She's able to go airborne without being noticed. My bloody wings would be impossible to miss."

I nod, more and more impressed by the organization the shifters have put in place to counteract Tricella.

"We have mole and weasel shifters trying to dig tunnels from the outskirts of the capital all the way to the citadel," Evolet continues, following lines on the map. "It will be risky and take time to make them secure, but we cannot forget about the people there. They need our help, especially now that resources are scarcer than ever."

"We should attack while we have the element of surprise," Aries growls.

"We are not out to start a war, although we may have no choice if it comes to that. But this is not the time to think about attacks, Aries. We need to help those who are unable to flee," Victor replies.

"The crypts." The words leave my lips without thinking and silence dawns on the room.

Everyone's eyes focus on me, but Victor gestures to continue.

I clear my throat and stand, squaring my shoulders. For a second, I feel like I am back home with my men.

"The crypts lead to the forest on the southwest side of the castle. The moles could use them as entry points to the citadel."

"I used that route to smuggle out Sybil," Nero adds. "I worry it might be compromised now, Aramis."

I scratch the stubble on my cheek and attempt a step closer to the map where the castle, my home, stands at its center.

"But that's not the only way out from the crypts." A faint memory comes back. It's my mother and I walking hand in hand through the crypts to lay flowers to our ancestors.

If you're ever in danger, my love, trust your grandfather's secrets . My mother had whispered, resting her index finger to her rosy lips before pulling a secret lever next to my grandfather's marble sarcophagus. Ancient stairs opened before me, and as she helped me down, we reached a narrow hallway; at the end of which, I could see the golden light of the sun.

The grate at the end of the tunnel has a hook at the side. Open it and run, Aramis. Follow the stream until you're safe. I remember nodding but thinking I'd never need to run anywhere as long as I was with her.

I clear my throat again, gently willing my mother's ghost to disappear. I explain how to access the old water duct to the council.

"This is excellent," Roger says as everyone around the table nods in agreement. "It will give us a way in and out of the castle."

"Would you be able to draw a map? Are you sure Tricella does not know about its existence?" Evolet asks whilst furiously taking notes.

"Of course. And no, the old ducts don't even appear on the castle's plans. As far as I know, my mother stumbled on them by accident," I say. For the first time, I feel like I have finally made a difference in this war, but the feeling is short lived.

"How can you trust him?" Aries crosses his arms behind his head, a smug expression on his face. "Maybe he's in league with her, and he wants us to take that passage to deliver us straight to her. We should just kill him and be done with it. Give the people relief knowing they'll sleep safer with him dead."

"As we've told ye, multiple times now, Aries, Aramis and I come to petition for help and offer aid. We are not working with the queen." Nero is quick to come to my defense and I think, not for the first time, what a good friend he is.

How did he hide this essential part of himself from me our whole life?

I must do more. This is my chance to prove myself.

"I will take your bloody potion and tell you everything again if I must," I say to Victor, head held high.

Everyone turns to the head of the table, curiosity etched on their faces as they wait for Victor's answer. The old man studies me in silence, his determination mirroring mine.

"There will be no need for that. The Prince has proven himself compilable, not giving us any reasons to doubt his loyalty. Knowing about the crypt passages is the type of knowledge we've been after for months. It will help us to save more people, which is ultimately our priority." Murmurs rise from the other council members. Not everyone agrees with Victor and would rather still see me rot in a cell.

"However," Victor continues, raising his hand to reinstate silence. "This is a democratic council, and I understand some of you still harbor doubts about the Crown Prince. Therefore, until we're able to successfully use the passage and can confirm the Prince has not sent us into a trap, he will remain under our control."

Fuck .

The thought of having to return to the cells makes me dizzy. My shoulders slump, eyes landing on the table in front of me. I can't waste any more time. Sybil?—

"Yet," the old man mutters and my head snaps up again. "Like everyone at this camp, the Prince too has to pull his weight. We will allow you to roam the grounds as long as you help with tasks. You will be under the supervision of Aries; the Goddess knows Lockheed's relationship to you is too personal, and I have a feeling you two together cause only trouble."

Nero subtly elbows me, and I try not to snicker. This is good. I want to help them.

The mating bond tugs in my core. She is safe.

I am coming, my love.