When the physician gathered up his supplies and left, Trev turned to follow him, but Kyrin held him back. She licked her lips and fought for the courage to question him.
“What will happen to the man who tried to kill me?”
“He’ll be punished. Imprisoned, maybe.”
Kyrin’s throat ached and constricted around her words. “Will he be executed?”
Trev didn’t answer for a moment, his eyes sympathetic. “It’s possible.”
Kyrin stared down at the floor. It was surely more than possible.
“I’m sorry, my lady, if this upsets you.”
Kyrin worked hard to conceal her distress. What might he think to find her so distraught over an enemy of the emperor? She looked up at him and forced a weak smile.
“Thank you for shouting the warning.”
“I’m glad I saw him and that Kaden reached him in time.” He winced, no doubt remembering back as she was. “It was close.”
Kyrin raised her hand to her chest where the dagger would have plunged, and a shudder ran through her.
“If you need anything else, my lady, let me know,” Trev said quietly. He stepped out and closed the door behind him.
Kyrin stared at it a moment, and then turned to Kaden. She swallowed against the pressure rising up toward her eyes.
“That’s two people now,” she whispered. “Two people who will be dead because of me.”
Kaden shook his head. “It’s not your fault. You can’t blame yourself.”
She pressed her palms against her eyes, but when she pulled them away, the tears spilled over. “But I had a part in it.”
Kaden rose to stand before her. “This just gives us more reason to go through with our plans. We will get out of here.”
Kyrin brushed her fingers across her cheeks and gave a shaky nod. She begged Elôm that escape would come quickly.
Kaden remained with her for most of the afternoon—long enough for her to gain some hold over her emotions. Still, when he left, a cold descended on the room. Kyrin huddled in her chair as her mind replayed the events of the day more times than they were welcome. She rubbed the ache between her eyes and prayed for peace in all this. Or perhaps it was more answers she sought—answers for why Elôm had placed her in this position and what she could have done differently to change the outcome.
She contemplated skipping supper and going straight to bed when Holly arrived to announce that Daican wished to see her. Spasms shot through Kyrin’s middle. To face him now after the trauma of the day and after discussing escape plans with Kaden right inside the palace left her weak. But she let Holly help her clean her tear-stained face in an attempt to look more presentable, though a glance in the mirror at the drawn, pale, and red-eyed girl in her reflection destroyed any hopes she had for her appearance. The emperor would just have to see her as she was, without masked emotions or layers of cosmetics to help conceal them.
The cold hollow in her chest spread through her limbs as she walked alone to the emperor’s office. She paused just long enough for Mister Foss to let her inside. The usually grumbling little man didn’t say anything this time. Despite a grim expression, something akin to sympathy flickered in his eyes. Maybe he wasn’t completely sour after all.
Bracing herself, Kyrin stepped into the office. Daican sat at his desk, but rose the moment he spotted her.
“Miss Altair, I was told you were unharmed, but it is good to see it for myself.”
She swallowed, her throat still sore from her earlier tears, and forced herself to hold his eyes. They were warm, as usual, but her plans with Kaden put her on edge.
“I wouldn’t be if not for Trev and my brother.”
Daican stepped around the desk and closed a little of the distance between them. Kyrin fought the discomfort of his nearness and worked to recall her former ease in his presence.
“Yes, Trev informed me of the details. You’re lucky to be alive.”
Kyrin dropped her eyes. How long would it take before the vision of that dagger wouldn’t keep flashing in her mind? Cold like melting snow slid through her veins, and she suppressed a shiver.
“I assure you, I will not allow this attempt on your life to go unpunished.”
Kyrin’s eyes rose back to the emperor, and her stomach convulsed. She breathed out slowly, convincing herself not to be sick. Her first instinct was to plead for mercy for the young man and avoid another death on her conscience, but how could she do that? It had not just been an attack on her, but on the emperor. The desire for such mercy would no doubt reflect poorly on her mask of loyalty.
She wavered under the pressure of what to say as she endured the emperor’s scrutiny. Maybe it was only her nerves, but a little of the light seemed to have gone out of his eyes. Her tongue grew thick and useless despite her mind’s outcry to say something. But, as the silence lengthened, Daican beat her to it.
“I can see you’ve had a trying day. I’ll not keep you.”
Kyrin swallowed down any drop of moisture she could find, but her voice was as thick as her tongue. “I’m sorry, my lord. You’re right. It has been very trying.”
“Go and rest then. I shall see that you’re not summoned for the next couple of days unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
Kyrin’s breath seeped out in a release of tension. To have a couple of days to herself was more than she could have hoped for. “Thank you, my lord. I’m most grateful.”
Daican gave her a nod and a smile.
Kyrin backed toward the door and let herself out. She glanced at Mister Foss sitting at his desk and hurried past to her room. But she couldn’t shake the nagging sensation that, like Daican’s eyes, something had been off about the emperor’s smile.
Aertus and Vilai hid behind the lingering clouds when Kaden stepped out of Tarvin Hall. The courtyard lay in deep shadow except for the glow from the library. He strode toward it, but slowed when he came near. This would be the first time he visited Sam since Kyrin had left. He winced. He hadn’t handled her absence well, and Sam would be disappointed.
Preparing himself to face up to Sam for his behavior, Kaden stepped into the library. Quiet loomed around him. Never once had he found anyone but Kyrin here in the evenings. He walked deeper, and his footsteps echoed faintly.
“Kaden.”
The deep voice drew his focus to the right. With a warm smile, Sam approached him. “I was hoping I’d find you here one night.”
And that was the great thing about Sam. Even if he was disappointed, he never showed it.
“How are you doing?” His gold eyes held Kaden’s, open and inviting.
“It depends. We really need to talk.”
Sam motioned to the nearby couches. “Come, sit. There’s no one else here.”
Kaden dropped down into the same seat he and Kyrin had occupied just before the promotion ceremony. Had it only been a couple of weeks ago? The separation made it seem more like months.
“A man tried to kill Kyrin today,” Kaden said. Though they’d instructed him not to speak of it because it might embolden others to try the same thing, Sam needed to know. “He came at her with a knife.”
“Is she all right?”
“Yeah, but it was close. Her bodyguard spotted him coming, and I stopped him before he reached her.” Kaden shook his head. He still saw it perfectly in his mind. Thank Elôm for the quick reflexes he’d developed in training. Had he been one second slower, his sister might be dead right now.
Sam sighed in relief. “Do you know why he tried to kill her?”
“The emperor threw his father into the workhouses. This was the best way he could find to hurt Daican.”
Silence followed for a long moment.
“Things aren’t going well for her,” Kaden said at last.
Sam leaned forward to listen as Kaden relayed all of Kyrin’s troubles at the palace.
“She blames herself for what’s happened to these two men, and she’s afraid Davira will discover she’s a follower of Elôm,
if she hasn’t already.”
“I was afraid this would happen,” Sam murmured, his eyes troubled.
“We’re planning to leave,” Kaden said, and before Sam could speak, he continued firmly, “I won’t leave her there to face this.”
To his surprise, Sam did not speak against these plans. He only sat in contemplation for a moment and then said, “You do know what you’ll be risking if you go?”
“It’s not any more risky than Kyrin staying at the palace and being found out.”
“It will be a dangerous life,” Sam warned gently. “I don’t know how far the emperor will go to find you, but he’ll try. You’ll need to find shelter and work. It won’t be easy.”
“I know.” He wasn’t naïve. He would have to work hard to keep them fed, sheltered, and protected. Harder than he’d ever worked in his life. He knew that, but he was willing. “I’ll do whatever I have to do. We just have to get out of here.”
“When do you plan to go?”
“As soon as we can. We’ll have to gather supplies and figure out how to get out of the city and where to go.” Kaden held Sam’s gaze. “Will you help us?”
“Of course.” The talcrin paused, thinking. “If you can give me a little time, I know a few people. I have an idea of where you’ll be safe.”
The oppressive clouds that gathered in Kyrin’s head the night of the dinner followed her everywhere and only grew darker with the strengthening sense of paranoia that plagued her waking hours. The only ray of hope came in the prospect of escape. Just enough to cut through the heavy gloom and give her strength each day. She had only seen Kaden once since their talk in the bell tower, but every day he prepared for them to leave. Kyrin held onto these plans and hopes for the future like a lifeline keeping her afloat.
In the quiet of the early afternoon on the fifth day, she rested on the couch at the foot of her bed with her eyes closed in prayer. The next day she would be required in the throne room as the emperor met with another round of Valcré’s citizens. But if all went well, it would be the last time.
A rap at the door broke the stillness. Light but insistent, it no doubt belonged to Lady Videlle. Holly’s knock was much softer, almost timid. Kyrin breathed out hard in frustration. It seemed her quiet afternoon had ended. Clearing her expression, she crossed the room and opened the door to Auréa’s head mistress. Whatever she had to do, she would do it to the best of her ability, as always. However, the woman’s pinched face and the lack of sparkle in her eyes gave Kyrin pause.
Videlle spoke no greeting, saying only, “His Majesty wishes to see you.”
Invisible spiders crept up Kyrin’s arms. She waited a moment for Videlle to say more. Surely, Daican only wanted her presence at a meeting, but the woman just stared at her. Her thoughts dangerously close to running off in directions she didn’t want to contemplate, Kyrin stepped out to follow Videlle. The silence between them was unnatural for a woman who rarely stopped talking.
At the tickle of sweat, Kyrin brushed her hands against her skirt. Her eyes darted to each hall they passed as if to find an escape. She shook her head. She had to get a grip and stop this constant panic always creeping just beneath the surface. Daican had any number of reasons to summon her.
At the emperor’s office, Lady Videlle motioned her inside without a word. Kyrin looked at her, but the woman wouldn’t meet her eyes. A warning chill snaked down Kyrin’s back. With no recourse, she stepped into the office. The waiting group did nothing to aid her waning confidence. Daican, Davira, Sir Richard, and Sir Aric all stood around the desk. The door closed behind her, and she looked back. Videlle had not joined them. Kyrin’s gaze returned to the emperor. His expression was controlled and difficult to read.
“You wished to see me, my lord?” Every effort went into keeping her voice as even and normal as possible. How despicable, this dangerous game of deception. She glanced at Davira and regretted it. Such cold, pitiless eyes. She’d falter if she held them long.
“It’s time for the staff to worship, is it not?”
Kyrin’s insides lurched, and her eyes slid back to Daican. Her only answer stuck on her tongue with the taste of their condemnation. “Yes, my lord.”
“And what were you doing?” His eyes pierced hers, his voice as controlled as his expression. Where was the man with the charming smile who almost lulled her into a sense of security?
Kyrin made an unsuccessful attempt to swallow, almost choking herself, and her lips moved clumsily. “I was…in my room…praying.”
Her cheek twitched, barely hiding a wince. Of all questions, she needed to have answered this one without stammering or hesitation.
“So far, no one has seen you at the temple.”
This statement carried more than a hint of accusation, but the throbbing rush of Kyrin’s blood almost drowned it out. Please, not this. Like mice fleeing sudden light, her thoughts raced in all directions. She needed more time. Kaden needed more time. She needed to get out of here.
Only one small hole of escape settled before her, but would it work here as it had at Tarvin Hall? “I find it hard to concentrate with the distraction of so many people.”
Daican stared at her for a long moment, and it took sheer willpower not to fidget or tremble. He had to believe her. Just for a few more days. Please.
“Come.”
She flinched at his command, and he strode past her for the door. Kyrin froze to the tile, but one menacing look from Richard sent her following the emperor. In silence, they marched through the palace. Kyrin’s breath came in short pants. Her thoughts rushed ahead, creating all the worst possible scenarios, but she battled them with all her strength. She would get through this, she and Kaden would escape, and they would have the free life they’d always dreamed of and planned for. Elôm, please, let it be! They were too close to fail now.
When they passed through a door and entered the courtyard behind the palace, everything inside her tumbled to a tangled halt. Just ahead loomed the temple, and Daican set their course straight for it. A violent tremor raced through Kyrin and stalled her feet. The end had come. The deception was over. Paralyzing certainty of this rushed over her and stole the breath from her lungs.
A strong shove from behind forced her onward, but heavy weights dragged from her ankles. Elôm, no, please, I can’t do this. The temple’s tall, wide doors drew near like the gaping mouth of some giant beast. Kyrin darted a look left and right—to the gardens, to the outbuildings—anywhere to escape. But they would find her. She would never slip past the wall. Not alive. And then, a numbing clarity settled over her. The time had come to take her stand. There would be no going back now. No escape.
But what if she failed? Blood beat her eardrums, and she gulped for air. She was a coward. What if she gave in to her fear? What if she didn’t stand? Her chest shuddered and fiery spasms shot through it as if her heart just might stop. Such a thing might be preferable to facing what would come when they reached the temple. She slowed again at the doorway, but this time, Richard’s rough hand clamped around her arm to drag her inside. Her heart rate spiked and her vision clouded. Help me, Elôm! Please!
The shadows of the interior engulfed them. Struggling to get enough air, Kyrin stumbled through the short hall that opened up into a cavernous chamber in the belly of the temple. Hundreds of candles gave off an eerie, reddish light. Incense hung thick in the air. It coated Kyrin’s tongue and throat with a bitter film that choked her and accelerated her dizziness. Richard yanked her to a halt, and Kyrin raised her eyes. There they stood—the two towering gold idols of a man and woman that were more ornate and larger than the ones she’d once bowed before at Tarvin Hall. Her knees trembled.
Dead silence hung over the chamber. Most of Auréa’s staff was present, and all eyes fixed on the group. Here, Daican turned. He grabbed Kyrin and pushed her forward. She winced in his tight grip. In a low, forbidding voice, amplified by the open space, he commanded, “Bow before your gods.”
Wide eyes locked on the
glittering idols, Kyrin shook from her fingers right down into her core. Her thoughts scrambled in every direction, chased by fear and the pounding, overpowering cry to give in to the emperor’s demand. All she had to do was bow. She didn’t even have to mean it, did she? She only had to convince him long enough to get away. Strength faded from her knees. But then, it was as if some force stepped in, melting the terror, casting it from her body, and wrapping her mind in a protective shield. An upwelling of strength and confidence she had never known before took its place. Her racing thoughts ceased and her mind stilled. Clarity came again, though not with a wash of dread, but assurance.
“Bow before your gods,” the emperor repeated with more force this time. The words resonated against the walls.
Kyrin drew in a slow breath and filled her lungs. No longer did her pulse thunder in her head. She slid her eyes over to meet the emperor’s, and her voice came out soft, yet strong with words never before uttered in the palace temple.
“They are not my gods…Elôm is my God.”
With this declaration, warmth burst through Kyrin’s chest with a giddiness that almost trickled into laughter. She’d done it. No more hiding, no more pretending. The truth was out, and it cloaked her like a soothing blanket.
The world seemed to rest at a standstill for several seconds, but then came a collective gasp. Murmurs rose up and filled the hollow space with sharp hisses, but Kyrin’s gaze remained locked with Daican’s. In that moment, his true nature revealed itself—the ice, the darkness in his eyes she expected from the beginning. Though his expression barely changed, it hardened to iron.
“Aric,” he snapped. His eyes never left Kyrin. “Take her away.”
The man’s strong hands closed around her arms, and only then did Kyrin withdraw her eyes from Daican’s piercing gaze. Amidst the murmurings and whispers, Aric escorted her out of the temple. Leaving the dark interior, they stepped out into fresh air and sunshine. Kyrin looked up as the light hit her face. She soaked in the heat and radiance, so pure compared to the eerie gloom of the temple, resting like a comforting hand against her cheek.