Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
My heart is like ice in my chest as I lead Elsie upstairs. My mother trusted Tarix. I didn’t like him, but I never suspected a thing. He hid his talents well.
Once we exit on the level of the Great Hall, I head straight to Tarix’s quarters, only to find them empty.
I stop a servant who walks past with a pile of clean bath sheets in his arms. “Have you seen Tarix?”
“Your Highness.” The servant bows. “He left earlier this evening to visit the sacred site.”
Of course. With a free pass from my mother, Tarix is a regular there. He’s one of the staunch believers.
Gaia comes running up, her face drawn and pale. “Mother just told me. She’s pulling up portals, trying to find him. What can I do to help?”
“Search the palace.” I turn Elsie to me with my hands on her shoulders. “Will you help her?”
She nods tersely. “Tomorrow, when it’s light, I’ll call Betty. It’ll be easier to search from the sky.”
“Let’s hope that won’t be necessary. I want that son of a dragon found before daylight.” I kiss her on the lips before letting her go. “Be careful.”
She wraps her fingers around my hand. “You too.”
Gaia takes off in the direction of the banquet hall. Elsie holds on for a moment longer, our fingertips brushing as I finally break our contact.
When I pull up a portal to take me to the sacred site, I focus hard on keeping my power in check. Betrayal burns hot in my gut. When I get my hands on Tarix, I’ll make him regret every act of treason he’s committed against our people. Theories are forming in my head. Did he instigate the Phaelix attack? If so, why would he want to overthrow our rule? What, except for power, can he gain from killing his own flesh and blood? He can’t be stupid enough to believe the Phaelix will let him rule once they’ve gotten rid of the rest of us. They’ll crush him like the insect he is, wiping away his existence like a dirty stain.
The guard jumps at attention when I walk out from the portal at the site.
“Tarix,” I say, not needing to explain.
The guard’s chin trembles. “He left a short while ago, Your Highness.”
I gnash my teeth. “Did he say where he was going?”
“No, Your Highness.”
And his mind is too vague for Kian to find him.
I stomp up the path, heading for the village. He could be hiding out there. But after a long time of asking around, I know I’m not going to find him there.
In a rare act, I open my mind to Kian.
Nothing.
I reach out to Elsie via our bond and find the same—there’s no sign of my cousin.
If my mother can’t find him either, there’s only one explanation. He’s hiding, and he’s hiding well. Somehow, he knows we’re on to him. He must’ve seen us coming when his portal collided with ours.
It’s almost the middle of the night, but I portal myself to the nearest Phaelix village.
I’ll find that traitor if it’s the last thing I do.
Chapter 21
Elsie
Aruan hasn’t returned all night. I’ve been pacing his quarters, waiting for daylight so I can start my own search. I have to keep busy, or I’ll go out of my mind with worry. Gaia assured me her brother will be fine. I know he will be. Tarix is no match for him. Neither is an army of Phaelix. I’ve seen what Aruan does to them when they dare to attack. Still, it doesn’t stop me from fretting about the man I’ve slowly but surely fallen for.
At dawn, Aruan sends word via a runner—a man with the power to run faster than a high-speed train—that he’s searching the villages farther north. Kian and the royal guards return from the island with the rescued slaves at sunrise. The queen sends them back to their homes after Kian has wiped their memories. The king leaves with a squadron of guards to comb through the southern villages while the queen opens portals all over Zerra to find her rogue advisor.
I set out after breakfast, flying on Betty’s back all the way to the Phaelix settlement where they captured me, but the village is deserted. I scout the surroundings until the sun sits high in the sky, giving Betty frequent breaks to rest.
When I finally return to the Water Palace in the late afternoon, I’m dusty and tired with nothing but a sunburned face to show for my efforts. I prod our bond, needing to reassure myself that Aruan is fine. As always, the connection is vague, but it assures me that he’s safe and well.
I’m in the cleansing room, splashing cold water on my face when the archway dissolves and the queen appears in our room.
My heart jostles in my chest, my mind screeching to a halt as I realize I’ve just thought about the room as ours. Not just Aruan’s.