Warrior's Heart (Book 1 of The Warrior Chronicles)

Chapter 59

After the ceremony, they were shown to rooms on the top floor to rest. Leyla would have preferred to set out immediately, but the Prorex had things to discuss with the Warrior King and it was late into the afternoon before he returned to tell her they would leave at first light. Leyla refused dinner and continued to lie on the bed, staring up at the canopy until the keep grew quiet. Eventually, exhaustion claimed her and she slept.

When Leyla woke, it was still dark outside and the candles on the chest of drawers had melted into little stubs. Rubbing her eyes, she was pushing off the bed when she noticed the sword and belt balanced against the chair near the door. She recognised the silver belt and jewel encrusted sheath as Raphael's. How had it ended up in her room?

Suddenly energised, she fastened the belt over her dress and was comforted by the familiar feel of the weapon on her hip. Had Raphael left this here on purpose? It was strange to think he might understand her that well. Tying her hair up quickly, she blew out the remaining candles in the room and moved to the door. Her old practice tree was beckoning.

The corridor outside was empty and almost pitch black, lit only by the burning torches on the ground floor far below. Since the Green King was in residence and several dozen Green Soldiers as well as Light Guards would have been put up in the barracks, the inner Keep security would be in code blue formation; doubled guards in front of the royal chambers, tripled guards on the inner perimeters.

She moved swiftly and silently, avoiding six patrols before making it outside. In the shadow of the outer walls, she ran, all the way around to the north side of the keep until the tree was within sight. There were no doors on this side of the castle and the sheer drop behind the tree was unscalable which meant the patrol only passed by once an hour during guard changes.

Her muscles itching for a work out, she was almost at the tree when a shadow stepped out from beneath it.

"Leyla." Alec's smile looked hesitant in the moonlight.

Her heart felt like it was being stepped on. "What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping you would come." His smile faded. He rubbed the back of his neck, pulling her eyes to the circle she had drawn only hours ago. At his wedding.

"You are as good as a King now. I should probably bow, right?"

His eyes flared with frustration. "You don't want to know what happened?"

Leyla took a deep breath. She had to stop being angry. Being angry meant she cared. She had to stop caring, only then would the pain stop clawing at her.

"Tell me."

He hesitated at her cold tone, not moving closer as he began, "By the time I explained everything to the King, Mira had convinced him that although I was fine, I was attacked by you. I told the King it wasn't the case and that asking for your punishment was paramount to asking for war with the Land of Light." Alec started pacing, latent anger evident in every move of his body. "I told him the Prorex saved me. That there was no evidence that you were anything but a victim. It was like talking to a wall."

"He didn't want to be convinced." Leyla guessed.

Alec's eyes were hard. "I was told to choose. Marry or the King would proclaim war."

"He wouldn't have done that," Leyla shook her head. Yes, the Warrior Kings had always wanted to rule over all Four Kingdoms, but their wars had always been against the Greenlands. Fighting against the Land of Light, an opponent with unknown abilities, was just too risky.

"With the Prorex and you inside the keep, this would have been the perfect opportunity," Alec grimaced. Then he stepped towards her, his expression pained. "I couldn't risk it, Leyla. If he declared war, you would become a prisoner... a bartering tool."