FOR HER, HE WILL SET EVERY KINGDOM ON FIRE.
Kyron LeFur never wanted to be king. He may have united a torn people and ended a bloody war, but none of that matters without his queen. She sacrificed her crown for him, and now he will stop at nothing t...
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The full moon glows bright in the midnight sky when I slip out of bed. I wanted nothing more than to hold Raelle and fall back to sleep, but my brain wouldn't quiet. Too much can go wrong during our journey to Sibyl. Not to mention that we don't know where our findings will lead us next. Will we return to Pliris empty-handed, or will we be on the hunt for the legendary Cruel King's Stone? Either way, I can't rest with so many possibilities and no clear course of action.
Treading lightly through the room, I pull on my pants and shirt. The last thing I want to do is wake Raelle when we have a long day ahead of us. I worry the journey to Sibyl will be hard on her. Weeks of being locked away in the treetops of Allaji took its toll on her body. She needs these last peaceful moments. I take the Eppori and Poseda from the box on my dresser and put them in my pockets. With my boots and jacket in hand, I kiss her on the forehead and ease out of the room. After I finish getting dressed, I head down to the corridor to where to officers of the king's guard have offices. I tap two knuckles against Leif's door and wait.
Leif isn't technically part of the guard, but his ability to solve problems and strategize makes him too valuable to let go. I created a job for him—a special position as a strategist. His first assignment was finding Raelle and the Cyffreds. With one half of the job complete, he is still diligently working to figure out the other. He's close to finding them, and I hope his talent served him well throughout the night.
Wel opens the door with a tired but cheerful smile. "Your Majesty," he says, stepping aside with a sweeping bow.
I like Wel. Despite the tragedy he has faced on the battlefield, he still has an air of innocence about him. He was one of my best sergeants in the army, respected and liked by his soldiers. He's a good match for Leif, complementing his carefree attitude and taking swings at his ego when he needs to be brought down a couple of pegs. Wel is the best kind of person and exactly what Leif needs.
I step into the office to find Leif and Abrum hunched over the map. Both men are disheveled, with their hair mussed and their tunics wrinkled and rolled to their elbows. A hint of guilt punches me in the gut. I was losing myself in Raelle while they have been working to save all of us. I'm here now, and I'm ready to help.
"How's it going?" I ask, moving in next to Abrum.
"Good. We located the general area of the map," Leif says, taking a mug of steaming liquid from Wel.
I look over the terrain. As general of the army, I spent hours milling over maps and studying battles of the past. It was my job to not only know Pliris' layout but other kingdoms as well. Nothing stands out to me—not a body of water or a mountain range. I'm not sure this place exists anywhere but on this map.
"Where do you think this is?"
"The northern mountains of Sibyl," Abrum states, running his palm down his face.
It's good news and bad. Sibyl is the smallest of all the kingdoms, so getting to this place shouldn't be much of a detour. The bad news is that the mountains are cold, and the climb is rigorous. It's common to hear stories of over-confident hikers never coming home after trying to reach the summit. I've trained for years to build my endurance, and I wouldn't think of trying the feat. If that stone is at the top, Raelle and Ulric will never make it.
