My hands flew to my mouth. “No!”
This was all my fault. I was the one who brought Lilith back. It was because of me that Rafe had lost his father and probably his kingdom as well. He would never forgive me for this.
“Once I realized what had happened, I knew the prince was no longer safe in the castle, so I went to Rafael and told him what we had discovered. At first he didn’t believe me, but he learned the truth himself soon enough. He managed to escape the palace guards and took us with him.” Penelope wrung her hands together. “There was no time to rescue Silverthorne. The dungeons are too heavily guarded. We were lucky to get out of the palace alive.”
“What about Rafe?” My mouth turned dry. “Where is he now? Why didn’t he come with you?”
“We managed to make it to Silverthorne Castle. We found your Aunt Serena and Erien. They had escaped from the Summer Palace when Silverthorne was taken and were rescued by the rebel group known as the Silver Swords. The rebels are using Silverthorne Castle as their base in Eldoren.”
I stood up. “We have to help Rafe,” I said, balling my hands into fists. “We cannot let Morgana take his throne too.”
Penelope raised an eyebrow. “There is nothing you can do from here. Prince Rafael needs an army, and the last time I checked you still don’t have one.”
I sat back down in my chair and hung my head. “I don’t know if I ever will.”
Penelope took my hands in hers and looked me straight in the eyes. “I know I have kept secrets from you and it will take a while for you to trust me again. But I want you to know I had no choice, I had to do my duty. And keeping my identity a secret until you were ready was essential to my mission. I wish I could have told you sooner, and believe me, I thought about it many times, especially when you ran away from the Summer Palace.” She looked away briefly. “Maybe if I had, you would have done things differently.”
“I should have listened to you.”
She gave my hand a small squeeze. “We all make mistakes, Aurora, but it is what we learn from them that makes all the difference. I am here now, and you are not alone anymore.” She leaned forward and hugged me. “We will find a way to get your mother back, and I promise you we will find a way to help Rafe. But first there is still much to do here in Elfi.”
I hugged Penelope back. I was glad she was here, but I was not so sure how much to trust her with anymore. I had to be careful and wait to see how strong Penelope’s loyalties to her sister were.
“There’s more,” said Penelope.
“Whatever it is, it’s fine. Just tell me. It couldn’t really get any worse.”
But I was wrong.
“I explained Rafe’s present situation to you,” said Penelope.
I nodded, waiting for her to continue.
“Although he has the backing of Silverthorne’s army, they are completely outnumbered. All the other nobles have rallied to the Blackwaters either by choice or by force. Rafe does not have enough soldiers to wage war on the king’s army and the nobles of Eldoren combined. The prince is backed into a corner and he has no other option. He spoke to Santino about getting his army or at least part of it to help him take back his throne. But Santino had to get the consent of his father to take his troops into Eldoren to join Rafe.” She paused. “The emir agreed, but only on one condition.”
“Which is?” I said, my eyes narrowing. I didn’t like where this was going, and my heart sat heavy in my chest as I waited for her answer.
“Prince Rafael has to marry Katerina Valasis,” said Penelope. “That was the condition set by the emir. He wants his daughter to be Queen of Eldoren, thus gaining a foothold in the west.”
“And has Rafe agreed?”
Silence.
“Has he agreed?” I asked again, slowly and more sternly. I had to know.
Penelope shook her head. “I don’t know. I left before he decided anything. Kalen stayed back to help him. And with the state of the world as it is right now, I didn’t want my son to come on such a perilous journey.”
“But he hasn’t rejected the offer?”
Penelope shook her head. “No, he hasn’t.”
“What about Leticia? How come he’s not bound by his vow to his mother?”
“Leticia has married Zorek Blackwater in her quest to become queen.” Penelope had a disgusted look on her face as she spoke. “She has released Rafael from his vow and the engagement.”
“Do you think Rafe will marry Katerina?” I asked, my voice faint.
“With the state Eldoren is in, I don’t think he has a choice but to accept the offer. If he does go to Brandor, it will be to marry Katerina and get an army to take back his throne.”
I didn’t know what decision he would make, but for now it looked as if I was nowhere on his agenda. Penelope said he didn’t have a choice, but in the end we always have a choice. How foolish I was to think he would keep his word and come back for me. Brandon may have been a traitor, but he told me Rafe had done this many times to a dozen different girls. I was stupid if I thought I was different, that he loved me like he said he did. Rafe was not who I thought he was after all.
I went to my room and lay down on my
