43. Mira

forty-three

Mira

Despite the freedom to move around the castle and city as we please, it doesn't take long for me to grow restless. We need to be mobilizing an army if Yurghen really has the followers Tairyn claimed. A shadow darkens my thoughts with his name. Where is he right now? Is he safe? Did Malicryn come to claim me and kill him as punishment?

My chest clenches at the thought. Surely he fled. He wouldn't have stayed to wait for her. Tairyn wouldn't let something happen to him. He's too calculating and powerful. With his Chroma, he'll probably be ruling a small town by now.

Nearby, Sunder grunts at something Callum says. The two can barely be in the same room. The testosterone levels in this palace are way too high for me. Every sigh, every grunt feels like it could be the one to light the powder keg of tension wrapping around us.

All my mates feel it. I can see it in the way they walk with shoulders tight, constantly alert, looking for danger. The constant Dampening Shields around us aren't helping either. Unable to feel our bonds, unable to channel the Chroma tingling beneath the surface, it's a feeling I'm growing too accustomed to lately.

I consider going into the city to look for the other woman, but a leisurely stroll around the sprawling castle gardens sounds better at the moment. I've had enough of people. Solitude sounds nice, except my two ever-vigilant guards trailing behind me. Elora, her figure straight and poised as always, carries a hint of mischief in her gaze in a way that reminds me of Tairyn. But maybe everything reminds me of him right now.

The other guard, Amirah, couldn't be more different. She makes no effort to hide her dislike for my presence, making it clear that she views me as an unnecessary liability in her duty to protect the king.

With a sigh, I take in the grand and ornate halls, with high ceilings and intricate carvings adorning the walls. Light streams in through stained glass windows, casting colorful patterns on the marble floors. Dust particles dance in the beams of sunlight, giving the space an ethereal feel.

Past a heavy wooden door, lays a lush courtyard filled with overgrown hedges and wild flowers, almost like it was forgotten by the landscapers years ago.

My steps come to a halt as I take in the sight of the meticulously maintained gravel path, not a single out-of-place weed in sight. With each crunch under my feet, I can't help but notice how perfectly the rocks and pebbles have been arranged, almost like a patterned carpet leading me further along. Despite the wild tangles of bushes and twigs that line the sides, they seem to know their place and none dare cross into the walkway, creating a clear and inviting pathway ahead.

I finally reach the heart of the untamed labyrinth and discover King Cor'than sitting by himself on a stone bench. He seems lost in thought, his eyes fixed on a bunch of vibrant yellow flowers at his feet.

At my arrival, he looks up, eyes clearing a distant fog. "Ah. The Vessel. Join me."

I pause, barely stopping myself from looking behind me as if there's another Vessel he might be speaking to. He glances at Elora with a dismissive nod as she retreats to the edge of the courtyard. Amirah is slower with her retreat, making sure to give me a warning glare as she goes.

"Your Majesty," I say, taking a slow step forward. Does join me mean sit next to him? Would that be presumptuous? I've never interacted with royalty before, and this world is so much more dangerous than mine. If I made a faux pas next to the King of England, my picture would be in the news for a day. Here? I'm not sure I'd live to see the next day.

His eyes soften as if understanding my hesitance, and he pats the stone bench next to him, scooting over to make ample room for me. It feels so normal. I take a seat on the hard bench, hands folded gently in my lap. Delicate like a lady, my ankles cross too. Shoulders back. In my head, my anxiety chants at me.

Don't fuck this up. Don't fuck this up.

Time slows to a crawl as I try to steady my shaking hands and racing heart. Each breath is labored, as if I'm being suffocated by the weight of my own words. But I can't stop them from spilling out as nonchalantly as if I were chatting with an old friend.

"So what's up?"

Stupid .

At last, he pivots towards me, his face displaying genuine curiosity. His eyes glance upward toward the clear blue sky and back to me. I almost laugh at him. Almost. "What is up? Is that a human idiom?"

A smile creeps onto my face as I see the pure innocence in his expression at that moment. "It is, Your Majesty. It can be a greeting, like saying how are you. But it can also ask a serious question like ‘You seem sad. What's wrong?'"

He nods to himself, turning his gaze back to the yellow flowers surrounding the bench. "So my brother finally found his mate," he says half to himself. I brace myself for some critical comment about my birth or lack of skills. But he just nods his head. "I'm happy for it."

Although his voice sounds anything but. I still my fingers, trying to dance in my lap at the long stretch of silence before he speaks again. "Those Shards in there… I'd heard about what Malicryn did. A rumor at least. But nothing could be proven, and to retaliate against her family would have been an act of war. I already had so much to do in my own lands. So much to fix. It was easier not to believe them, and that he'd simply run off to live out his days. I should have acted."

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but why did you care? You did try to kill him, didn't you?"

"I always cared for my brother, even when I didn't like him, which was most times. The ugly business with the crown, it was a necessary step to take to protect our kingdom. But it was also to protect Dan'thiel. He had too many self-interested people around him. Too many spiders whispering in his ears everything he wanted to hear. But no, I never made an attempt on his life. He was exiled only."

As Cor'than exhales deeply, it seems like a weight he has carried for years is finally released. "I have many things I regret, but standing against him is not one of them. It was the only course of action."

Part of me wants to argue. There must have been another way. A way to avoid the scars of that deep betrayal, of the killing that ensued. So I keep my lips tightly sealed, clamping them with my teeth just in case any other dumb words try to claw their way out.

"Regret is a poison," he says abruptly, gaze unfocused on the horizon. "It seeps into your bones and eats at you from the inside out until there's nothing left but an empty husk."

"Sounds like the words of someone who has a lot of regrets."

Cor'than chuckles, a low, rumbling sound that somehow manages to radiate warmth. "Yes, they do, don't they?"

A smile tugs at the corner of my lips. He seems so much older than the story the faint lines around the edges of his eyes and dark brown hair tell.

"But you're wrong, I think," I say, hesitating a moment before meeting his gaze. "Regret isn't a poison. It's a reminder of the lessons we've learned and the growth we've achieved. Without regret, none of us would ever change."

The comment renders him silent, his gaze dropping to the stone beneath our feet. His fingers brush through his hair, ruffling the strands in an absentminded gesture. I hadn't expected my words to hit so close to home.

"You're quite wise for a human," Cor'than finally says, his tone carrying an underlying note of respect. He continues to stare down at the ground, deep in thought.

I think better of my initial urge to blow on my fingernails in a gesture of mock gloating, instead taking the opportunity to dig for information. "I heard a rumor about another human here."

His eyes meet mine, widening in surprise. "I'd almost forgotten with all the excitement of the last couple of days. There is a human here, from your world. She's looking for you."

I blink at him, confusion rolling through me. The sounds of birds chirping in the trees and crickets chirping seem to echo in my mind. "Looking for me? Why?"

"She saw the poster with your face on it. Traveled with some thugs to get here and search for you."

I struggle to wrap my head around his words. The ‘Wanted' poster for killing the Keeper of the Portals. Is she a bounty hunter, maybe? I open my mouth to ask more questions, but we're interrupted by a guard approaching.

Cor'than stands to receive the message, so I mimic him. My mind is spinning with so many questions that I barely hear the man tell us that a scout has returned with news of Yurghen.

After the guard is dismissed, the king turns to me. "You seem like a decent human, Mira. I hope you and my brother find some peace after all this. For now, I must attend this meeting."

He says the last as a way of parting before turning on his heel. The crunching gravel beneath his feet acts like a summoning to my guards. Amirah arrives first, looking at the area as if searching for clues at the scene of a crime. Elora, however, gives me a calculating look, scanning me top to bottom. Perhaps trying to figure out if I'm a threat after all.

Mind still reeling, I say half to myself, "Better get back to my mates. A scout has just returned."

I just hope they brought news we want to hear.