Page 33 of Renegade Kings

The kitchen staff turned back to what they’d been doing, and Winnett gave me a sympathetic smile before doing the same. Yeah, I wouldn’t have been convinced by my little speech either.

These people had been through hell, and they deserved some peace. They deserved to know that there was some hope, at least. This was what being a leader was all about. My father had always told me that the purpose of a leader was to make the hard choices, to stand in front of his people, between them and whatever trouble came their way, and bear the brunt of their survival. We were their shield, and these people had lost their shields if they’d ever had them to begin with.

So it was time to step into the path of Arik, his Endless army, and whatever creatures he somehow had fighting for him. Maybe this was what Fizzle’s so-called prophecy was about, not the way we were supposed to die on the battlefield, but that we would stand up and fight in the first place.

Okay, so maybe that was more like wishful thinking, but it was enough to make me ready to walk out that door and figure out what my next steps should be. Denial… such a beautiful motivation when you find yourself in a bind.

I pushed out of the seat I’d found myself in and headed to the door. There was nothing else to say here. These people didn’t need empty promises, they needed to see people following through on what they were supposed to be doing in the first place.

It was time to take meaningful action, and unfortunately for me, that involved putting my life on the line one more time.

Chapter 14

Rhidian

This wasn’t the Alyssandra I remembered. The one who had fire in her eyes even though she wasn’t supposed to.

When Fizzle had told me the truth about Alyssa, I hadn’t wanted to believe it. It wasn’t meant to end that way for her. She was supposed to live a long life in a court filled with love and laughter, grandchildren running around her feet as she watched on proudly. Sacrificing her to stop Arik shouldn’t be the plan, and yet it was the only plan we had… for now.

I listened at the door as the others told her their truth. There was nothing in this place but death. It had flooded the hallways before we’d arrived and never left. Of course, Nymeria was trying to tear it down. The Spring Palace should fall and finally become the grave to the poor souls who had perished here. Only then could they finally rest.

We’d come here with hope. Actually, no, it had been nothing but naivety. I’d thought I was the smartest fae in all of Nymeria to consider this place to hide the broken and lost. Not my proudest moment. Every life that we’d lost here was on me.

And now I was gearing up to add one of my only friends to that list.

I heard their screams day and night. A constant torture echoing around my mind of those we’d lost, those we’d never even had a chance to save. I’d do nearly anything to make it stop. I just had to hope she could forgive me because the only way to save the rest of them was by working together.

She stopped in the doorway as soon as she saw me. Surprisingly, she didn’t look as pissed as I’d thought she would. There wasn’t an ounce of hatred in her eyes, like I deserved. If anything, Alyssa looked broken, and I realised it was even worse than if she’d despised me. After all, I was the one who had marched her here and made her take the first step on a path that led to her death. And now she knew what I’d done too.

“I thought you’d slink back into the shadows and just keep following me,” she finally said as she stepped past where I was leaning against the wall and headed deeper into the palace.

“It’s time we talked. I owe you an explanation.”

She hummed in agreement, but said nothing else. Alyssa had always been like this. Happy to watch and wait. I’d always thought it was because she was calculating her next move, then I’d realised it was more about self-preservation. She learned the moves of those around her, and only then did she feel like she was safe.

I’d learned a lot from Alyssa when she’d come to the Summer Palace with her parents, and it was those lessons that had kept me alive this long. I’d have been murdered in my bed long before now if it hadn’t been for her.

She turned towards the lower living quarters that had once been used for visiting dignitaries, and I immediately knew what she was looking for.

“They’re not down there,” I told her and she finally stopped in her tracks, turning to glare at me. “They moved into the palace workers’ quarters and the barracks.”

Alyssa’s eyes widened in surprise and then they filled with that fire I remembered from all those years ago. “There is more than enough room…”

“Hey.” I held up my hands in surrender, already seeing where this was going. “I didn’t pick their rooms, they chose for themselves. The people here are from the villages, Alyssa. They’re not used to palaces, and they didn’t feel comfortable coming further inside. Besides, the stories about this place aren’t exactly fun, you know. They use the kitchens to prepare the meals because they’re bigger and that’s about it.”

Alyssa nodded carefully, her face wrinkling in thought before her eyes darted to the doorway next to her. Before I could say anything else, she’d made up her mind and swung open the door, holding it open as she swept an arm out to invite me inside.

Despite what I’d just said to her, I wasn’t ready for this. This conversation would cement her feelings for me, and I didn’t know if I was ready to lose her forever just yet. Because how could I ever give her an acceptable explanation for what I’d done that wouldn’t make her hate me? She never knew it, but Alyssa had saved me all those years ago. She’s shown me I had a choice. That I didn’t have to just accept what I was told had to be. I’d have died in that palace if I’d stayed, but because of her, I had the courage to leave. The courage to stand up and be exiled from everything I’d known because I knew without a doubt that there was something better out there for me. And it had been hard. But I’d found a purpose and along the way I’d saved as many people as I could.

She’d given me a reason to keep living and now I was returning the favour by condemning her to death.

With a sigh of resignation, I walked through the open doorway, heading over to the two armchairs sitting in front of the empty stone fireplace. The dust was thick in here and it billowed out of the fabric as I dropped into the seat.

I winced as Alyssa looked doubtfully at the other seat. Not that I could blame her. I’d brought this on myself.

“We’re just talking,” I said quietly, the hurt radiating in my voice even though I knew I wasn’t entitled to it.

Alyssa finally sat, staring into the empty fireplace, and for a moment, I wondered what she saw there. What memories she had in this room and if they were hurting her.