Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
“Is he the next in line?” Jasper asked, only to have Adeline frantically shush him for daring to speak when royals were talking.
Saida smiled warmly at the young wizard and Adeline. Her gaze seemed to linger on Adeline, causing the mercenary to blush. “In Wolfrest, the king chooses the heir to the throne. It’s not determined by the order in which we were born. Prior to all this happening, everyone believed it would be Orian or Xeran—”
“Orian,” Nylian corrected her sharply, but Saida rolled her eyes at him.
“The king never made an official announcement as to who the crown prince was,” she continued. “I’m out of the running because I’ve begun my apprenticeship as a healer.”
“And being a healer means you can’t be the queen?” I interjected.
Nylian’s expression softened as he looked at me. “Not a healer, no, but a learned spell caster. It’s part of our oldest laws that no one who can use magic may sit on the throne. Both healers and wizards are out.”
Saida bounced a little on the sofa. “Apparently, thousands of years ago, there was this evil dark wizard who took control of the throne, and the people had a hell of a time getting rid of him. Ever since then, they outlawed any kind of spellcaster from being king or queen.”
A snort escaped Nylian. “I feel like that’s the only bit of our kingdom’s history that you ever bothered to learn.”
“Probably.”
“So, with Prince Xeran and Prince Orian out of the way, the spot of heir to the throne is up for grabs,” Adeline stated, finally finding her voice.
“That’s the way it looks.” Saida turned her head to Nylian and frowned. “When Uncle Thallan sent me word you were on your way, I really thought you’d be returning with the Western Dragon Army on your heels.”
“Impossible. All our enemies have heard of what has happened, and they are plotting ways to take advantage of it. Uncle and the Western Dragon Army are the only thing standing between both Lockeheim and Galinaes and Wolfrest’s complete demise. He can’t make a move on West Vale.”
And I had a feeling that Nylian’s siblings were well aware of that. Particularly Jandar, since he was already making a play with the Eastern Dragon Army.
“The sooner we can get the antidote to Prince Orian, the better. It’ll be the fastest way to settle all of this mess,” I stated.
“You have it?” Saida squealed. “You actually got it?”
“Sort of,” Jasper murmured, sagging in his chair. “Lady Covington refused to give us the antidote, but we got all the supplies from her as well as her poison recipe book. We made it ourselves, but I’m not a hundred percent sure it will work.”
“It will,” Nylian said in a hard, firm voice. “If we have time, we can have the royal healers look over it before we give it to him, but I’m confident it will work.” He turned his attention to his sister. “You will remain here tonight. Tomorrow, Prince Montcroix and I will make our way to the castle to see Orian. I have the antidote. I want you to stay with Jasper and Adeline. They will remain behind. They have several of the Lockeheim Poison Maker’s books, and they need to be protected at all costs.”
“I promise to keep them safe,” she replied with a broad smile. “And the books!” she tacked on with a little laugh. “Did you find out who bought the poison?”
Nylian shook his head. “There were complications, and we didn’t get that information. However, I have a plan for that too. Tomorrow, this will all be settled one way or another. Peace will return to Wolfrest.”
Even if it meant Nylian had to wash these streets in royal blood to get that peace.
My stomach twisted as I stared at my beautiful elf prince. His goal might be to save Orian and catch a killer, but mine was to make sure he got out of this battle alive. Keeping Nylian alive was the only thing that mattered to me.
Chapter 29
A Complicated Truth
We separated a short time later, and everyone stumbled to their bedrooms.
Well, I almost made it to my bedroom, but a hand grabbed mine at the last second and Nylian “dragged” me into his bedroom. We shared a quiet, simple meal together, and we brainstormed a few ideas about how best to handle tomorrow’s inevitable shit storm. While we’d sneaked into the city, it was only a matter of time before word leaked to the rest of his siblings and the consorts in the palace. Right now, I was hoping we could get in a few hours of sleep prior to the guards and assassins showing up on his doorstep.
But sleep was scarce. My chances of sleep weren’t made any better when I opened my eyes to find I was in the bed alone. My heart jolted as I leaped out of bed and pulled on clothes as quickly as I could manage. If that stubborn idiot had dared to go to the palace without me, I was going to wring his neck.