22. Chapter Twenty Two

Aknocking resounds on the thick wood door.

"Come in," I bark gruffly. Nero and I stand opposite each other over the large table in the middle of the library, poring over a map of Shadowvale and the surrounding territories. I desperately try to focus on the territories and borders of my kingdom but it"s as if someone has taken a piece of my being and run miles from me. The Queen's seer has been down for the past two nights with a migraine, unable to see where the rebels plan to attack next. He should be thankful a headache is all he is recovering from. Fingers tap impatiently on the polished surface of my desk, a futile attempt to distract myself from the restless thoughts swirling within. Winter is coming and we can't afford to lose any more crops or livestock, lest my people starve. You always arrive late at the attacks because they are not real, Sybil's words come back to me and I close my eyes, willing her voice to disappear.

"Your majesty?" A voice trembles out behind me. Slamming my fist against the table, I open my eyes and turn around.

"This better be important—" The words die on my tongue as I see the small messenger boy standing in the doorway. His entire body quivers, his eyes wide. Shit. I didn't mean to scare the poor boy. I soften my stance and gaze before taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry. We just have important matters to discuss in this meeting. What do you need?" I raise my eyebrow in query, and the young boy visibly shakes as he takes a deep breath, ready to share.

"The Q-Q-Queen requests your presence immediately, sire." He stammers before dropping his gaze to his feet.

"Of course. Let her know we will be down momentarily." As he swiftly leaves, I run my hands through my hair and collapse into the nearest chair.

"Aramis." Nero draws up a chair next to me. His focused gaze is filled with intent, and it's clear he'd like to discuss something with me. We just don't have time for this now.

"Not now, Nero. I just… need a moment," I mutter, pressing my fingertips against my brow. The moment I close my eyes, all I can see is the vision of her hazel eyes peering at me with hatred, like I was the most vile creature in the world. Why can't she see that I am only trying to defend and protect my people.

"Aramis," he says urgently.

I stand, ready to take action."The longer we stall, the more she will take it out on you or that poor boy. Or one of her many other servants."

"There is something I need to talk to ye about." He begins again, stepping into my path.

"It has to wait." Walking around him, I grab my cloak from a peg on the wall and sling it over my shoulder. "Let's go see what she wants so we can get back to defending this kingdom."

Nero lowers his gaze and nods in acceptance.

"Yes, yer majesty." He replies quietly, falling behind me. I briefly glance back at him. His face is a mask of calm except for the furrow of his brows and the frown that tugs at his lips. A hint of guilt pains my chest as I wonder if I am as good a friend to Nero as he is to me. I make a silent promise to talk to him and find out what is causing him to worry so much. We only have each other left in this world.

***

As we enter the throne room, I reluctantly bow before the King and Queen. "Father, Tricella. You summoned me?" I raise my head and look at my father's face. He gazes at the empty corridor with a glassy, faraway look, lost into the distance where dust motes float in a beam of sunlight shining through the colored glass window panes. The last years have not been kind to him, deep lines now crease his face. Long gone is the man that taught me how to ride a horse, laughing uncontrollably as I struggled to balance, whilst mother painted in the garden, her loving eyes following us with apprehension. I've watched him slowly disintegrate, pulling further into himself, his grief forever clawing at him, intensifying like ever-growing weeds in a garden of despair as I simply stood there, powerless.

The tapping of fingernails on the marble throne draws my attention back to my stepmother. Her lips pinch in displeasure.

"I have another task for you," she commands coldly.

Great goddess, what could she possibly want now? I study her face; her smooth, porcelain skin, and the way her long hair shines as it curls around her face and body. Even as my father looks beyond his age, Tricella is more youthful, more delicate in physique. Hasn't she looked particularly glowing sinceyou brought me to your castle? Sybil's words echo in my mind once again, and I shake my head. My jaw clenches in a silent struggle against the tumultuous emotions threatening to unravel my carefully constructed world..

"How can I be of service?" I rise from where I kneel on the floor. I allow a hint of smugness to tug the corner of my lips, knowing it will infuriate the woman standing in front of me. There was a time, when I was just a boy desperate to fill the void his mother had left, where I desperately tried to win Tricella's affection, hoping she could replace what I had lost. I soon realized, however, that she was just like one of those monsters I used to read about, but dressed in the finest silks and with the face of an angel, and you never trust a monster.

"A certain important prisoner of mine has escaped." Tricella says. Lifting a hand, lazily inspecting her nails. She flicks an imaginary dust mote to then glances at Kieran. He kneels before her, head bowed on the hard marble floor beside her like a dog on a leash, utterly pathetic.

"You have many prisoners," I reply in a bored tone, but my heart pounds and my gut clenches. This cannot be real. "How could a prisoner possibly escape? All of our magical fortifications are renovated. We've doubled the guards and completed repairs to the outer walls that were damaged from last year's winter storms. There isn't a single way in or out of the castle that isn't known about and constantly monitored." Except possibly the secret exit outside my mother's resting place. But only three people know about it; my father, Nero, and myself.

"Now isn't that the very question I've been asking myself," Tricella replies, her words laced with accusation as she leans forward in her throne, staring me down.

I laugh at the incredulous unspoken accusation. "What?" I wipe my hand over my mouth, clearing away all humor. "Who has escaped?"

"The very acquisition you brought to me just weeks ago." Tricella glares at me, attempting to pierce my heart with ice daggers.

I maintain a fa?ade of indifference, masking the complex swirl of emotions beneath my stoic exterior. She is free. She is free… but is she safe? My mind races, conjuring all the possible places she could be. I force my body to stand still and maintain my regal posture, but all I want to do is run.

"Are you accusing me of helping her escape? After all I went through to retrieve her?" I bristle with demand at the unspoken charge. Cover your relief. Don't let her see. I raise my brows in disbelief.

"Well, I wouldn't have thought so, but then Kieran here informed me of an interesting encounter you two had last night?" She leans back in her chair, lacing her fingers as her lips curl into a wicked feline sneer. "From what I have heard, you were holding her in a very… protective manner," Tricella adds and I need to stop myself from unsheathing my sword and killing Kieran here and now. "I cannot even imagine what your poor mother would have said if she knew you were fraternizing with the very people that killed her!" Her words slice open an old wound and I can see my father flinch at the mention of her. I take another deep breath, my fists clench at my sides. I know what game she is playing, but she won't get the reaction she is hoping for this time around.

"Your prisoner would have escaped last night had I not stopped her running through the castle unsupervised," I spit in Kieran's direction, and vow that I will take my revenge when the time is right. "Can't Kieran just look for her once his little headache is over?" .

"Kieran is working on other matters for me," she says dismissively. "You and Nero shall go and fetch the unicorn for me. I want her back. She belongs to me. This time, make sure she isn't able to escape." Her voice drops threateningly. She waves a servant over who hastens to bring her a goblet of wine, dismissing me. I ignore the tug in my gut, willing me to shout back at her that she is mine.

"What do you plan to do with her when we return?" I challenge her, my hand resting on the hilt of my sword. "Why are there countless shifters still locked in the dungeons instead of being sent north?" I fix my gaze upon Tricella, determination burning in my eyes and demanding the truth. I can sense Nero tensing behind me, his knuckles white on the marble floor, reading to intervene should things escalate. This is the first time I've openly questioned her, in complete disregard of the consequences. Even my father turns his gaze on me.

Tricella's cold, calculating eyes meet mine over the rim of her goblet as she sips her wine."What did you say to me?" The tingle of magic fills the air as she slams the goblet on the arm of the throne, the ruby red liquid staining the cream sleeve of her gown and skirt.

"Don't fucking play coy now, Tricel—" I explode, no longer able to keep hold of my anger.

"How dare you! You impertinent boy," Tricella screams, and as she stands in protest, she unleashes her magic with a blast. The throne room trembles with ominous energy and panic ripples through everyone present. Their faces contorted with fear, unsure of what to do. The air crackles with an otherworldly power, but I do not yield. I square my shoulders in defiance, sword drawn. No more, I think to myself. Nero tries to reach me but with one swift hand motion, Tricella sends him flying across the room.Her magic pulsates in the air like a poison; draining the world of its energy.

"You have been a thorn in my side since the day I entered this castle." The queen takes a step in my direction and as she comes closer, I see dark purple veins pulsating along her forearms, but as I ready myself to confront her once more, a faint voice cracks my growing fury.

"Aramis." My father's voice speaks, rusty with disuse. He stands unsteadily and then lifts an arm and lays it on Tricella's forearm. "Enough. Do as your stepmother requests. You must stop the threats to our kingdom."

I watch as he wearily sinks back into his throne, a mix of hate and sorrow clenching my heart. The sound of his strained voice echoes through the room. "I'll take you out for a ride when you're done with your studies," he then mutters, so silently that I question if I have imagined the words. His face contorts in pain, sweat glistening on his forehead, and I furrow my brow in concern. Can grief alone cause a man to wither this much?

Tricella's powers disappear as quickly as they have appeared. Pretending as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened, she sits back on her throne. "You're dismissed. Take your dog with you." Her eyes gleam, her grin feral as she waves towards the door.

My eyes, still fixed on her, have a newfound clarity. Feeling as if I am slowly resurfacing from the depth of an ocean of lies and conjectures I have cowardly hid under, I turn towards Nero and lead us both out of the throne room. I'm finding out the truth.

Once I capture myself a unicorn.

Again.

***

"That was…intense," Nero says, keeping pace with me as we make our way back to my wing of the castle. "What happened back there?"

"I am not entirely sure, but something isn't right." I slam the door open, startling a maid changing the sheets on the bed. "Leave us."

She quickly grabs her basket and leaves the room. I throw my magic out, closing the door and creating a barrier blocking prying ears from overhearing. Nero takes a seat by the fire, leaning back and crossing his fingers before him. He looks at me circumspectly, trying to ascertain what I'm not saying.

"It's just something Sybil said." Leaning over the table, I let my finger run along the aged parchment map. I trace from the castle down to Bellevue, where her house would be. Is she heading back home?

"I thought Sybil wasn't anything more than a shifter?" Nero's tone is casual, but when I glance up at him, both eyebrows are raised. He tosses his feet on a chair before him as he leans back in his chair. "Since when do ye believe anything that crosses her lips?"

"I don't know what to believe anymore." I reply grimacing and take a deep breath. "When I saw Sybil in the dungeons she told me things I refused to believe, but I am starting to wonder if that was a mistake." As the words hang heavy in the air, my shoulders sag under the weight of the undeniable truth that has finally breached the fortress of my denial.

How did you escape, Sybil? Where would you go? The questions come unbidden. I have to find her. I have to know she's okay.

"I have to find her, Nero. She knows the truth."

My finger lazily draws circles on the faded ink marks of the forest to the North. It would be suicide to be out there without shelter. There are no known villages directly North of the kingdom. Only thick forest that leads to the Mountains of Aldervora. Shadowvale winters are anything but mild. She is just as likely to freeze to death as she is to be eaten by beasts. A chill runs down my spine, leaving the hair on the back of my neck standing up.

"Ye think Tricella has a hand in it?" His chair lands on all fours with a thud as he stares at me.

"No–yes, I don't know." I sigh, glancing back up at Nero. "She seems to be desperate to have her. I don't think she would have allowed her to escape." She needs her.

"No matter how high they rise or how much they amass, those who lust for power will always have a ceaseless craving for control and more dominion." Nero grips the arms of the chair so tightly his knuckles turn white. I glance up at my best friend, concerned at his obvious anger.

"Nero, are you well? I apologize for not hearing you out earlier."

"Do nae worry about me, mate." Letting go of the chair, he stands up and knocks me playfully on the shoulder with a grin but his smile doesn't reach his eyes. "Where do ye want to search first?"

"Well," I muse. "If I was a prisoner in a foreign kingdom, I wouldn't seek refuge in towns that would sell me out. She likely doesn't know the territory at all, but knows we came from the South. I expect she's going to head north."

"That's what I was thinking. Unless she's that desperate to go back home?"

"Sybil is not a female to run back home with her tail between her legs." I snort with derision. "No, if I learned anything about her on our journey, it's that she's smart and resourceful." That beautiful, magical witch is too smart to go home. "Do you think anyone saw her escape? That could give us a clue."

"I could ask the servants and guards." Nero pushes up to stand.

I shift my gaze from my friend to the open window. I can see storm clouds hovering above, casting a dark gray hue over the room. The sunlight peeks through the covered sky, creating a dancing pattern of light and shadow on the table in front of me. The scent of snow permeates the air. I can hear the distant rumble of thunder in the distance. While thundersnows are not unheard of this far North, they are rare. And deadly.

"Be quick about it. Meet me at the North gate in an hour whether you've discovered anything or not. I don't want to waste the precious daylight. Or tempt a storm."

Sliding into his vacated chair, I bury my face in my hands.

What am I even going to say if we find her?

More importantly, what will I do with her?