“What’s going on down here?” I perked up and felt my muscles tense at a new voice in the conversation. It was Bahz. “There’s so much noise they can hear it up the damn stairs!”
The older soldier cleared his throat. “Deepest apologies, Lieutenant. It won’t happen again.”
“You know he’s not a normal prisoner, right?” Bahz’s voice nearly growled with anger. “He knows you. He knows everyone you talk about. And he killed our Queen. This isn’t a playdate.” I couldn’t help but feel he was a little harsh. He wasn’t wrong, of course, but he was abnormally aggressive over such a small command. “If I hear another word out of this prison, you’ll both be joining him on treason charges.”
There was a pause before two voices answered, “Yes, sir.”
The guards remained silent as Bahz’s light footsteps left the room and ascended the stairs, gradually fading until the slam of the door punctuated them at the top of the staircase.
“When’s the General’s trial supposed to be?” the Private asked. I perked up with attention.
“The trial? That starts tomorrow.”
3
Daath
Syrion and I sat across from one another in the study; he was looking over some maps while I was reading reports from the reapers. We’d spent more time than usual in the Moonstone Castle while we were trying to heal. Being closer to the Source was good for us. The wounds from Minerva’s torture had gone, but I’d be lying if I said I felt completely recovered from the events. I felt weaker than I wanted to, and sore, and I knew Syrion felt the same. We’d always enjoyed working in the study. In the Moonstone Castle, our study was sleek, with almost no clutter to distract us. I forewent using a desk to lounge in a dark burgundy velvet armchair while Syrion preferred the dark-stained wooden executive desk.
I was making some notes on some of the reports when a certain silver-eyed woman burst in, bringing a smile to my face. She was always a pleasant sight, especially now as Syrion and I were still healing. Her long, silvery purple locks framed her elegant face and fell over her shoulders like a waterfall. Her gait, confident and strong, commanded attention in a way that was absolutely admirable and incredibly sexy. Her eyes were always full of warmth and curiosity for the world around her, a safe place that my brother and I could escape to anytime we missed her… Well, they usually were at least.
“Hello, little owl-”
“Why didn’t you tell me about Kalian?” Myrcedes cut me off.
I shared a look of confusion with Syrion before bringing my gaze back to her. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t believe you. After everything that happened, you promised to be honest and stop hiding things from me!”
“What are you talking about?” Syrion’s eyebrows pinched together in confusion.
She rolled her eyes. I knew she felt upset, but I didn’t think I’d ever stop enjoying watching her do that. Her look of exasperation and irritation was far too attractive for her own good. “Hestus told Siena that Kalian is on trial in the fae realm for murdering Minerva, and you two didn’t tell me!”
I blinked in surprise and glanced at my brother. “Myrcedes, we didn’t know. All we knew was that he helped you, Hestus, and Maluc get to us, and he was gone without any sort of introduction.”
She seemed to relax a touch. “You… you swear you had no idea?”
“Of course not,” Syrion said, standing from his readings. “We told you, we won’t hide things from you anymore.” But despite knowing she hadn’t been lied to, Myrcedes still looked upset.
“What’s the matter?” I leaned forward, taking her hand in mine and rubbing my thumb over the back of her hand in circles.
“What’s the matter? Daath, he’s on trial for something he didn’t do. He didn’t murder her. I did it!”
“Yes, and I’m sure he’ll explain that in court,” I shrugged. I didn’t see what the big deal was. If he truly couldn’t lie, it would force the court to believe him. “If anything, they may convict him of treason.”
Her silver eyes gazed at me in frustration. “And that doesn’t bother you?”
“We don’t meddle in political matters,” Syrion explained as she pulled her hand from mine. “It only causes problems. We learned that a long time ago.” Problems was an understatement. Back when we felt like it was our responsibility to police the universe, if someone seemed like they were overreaching their power or mistreating innocent people, we would step in. That simply led to wars we had no business being in and usually more loss of life than was necessary. We were Kings of the Night; I ruled the Underworld. There was no point in trying to be anything else. If a tyrant found their way to power, I needed only to send reapers to collect the souls of their victims.
“This isn’t about politics. This is about a man who sacrificed everything to save the two of you!” She balled her hands into small fists that rested on her hips. “It doesn’t bother you? If he hadn’t defected from Minerva, who knows what would have happened? I don’t even want to think about what she would have done to you both!”
I paused at the thought. She had a point. When the Unseelie Queen had kidnapped my brother and me, I’d managed to let Myrcedes know, and I told her to send the gargoyles and go into hiding herself, but she came anyway. It was luck that Kalian showed up at the same time, and it was because of his knowledge of the palace and Minerva’s plan, as well as his alchemy, that they safely got where they needed to be. The woman we loved was stubborn and would have likely come to get us on her own, so if it hadn’t been for his help, there was a chance Myrcedes could be dead.
Syrion sensed these thoughts, and I could tell his own train was similar. In times
