Alabaster Cities (Kings and Thieves Book #2)

Chapter 28

**this chapter is a garbled mess, and I apologize**

Chapter 28

Ari wasn't sure how much more he could take.

They spent their days socializing with the royals and their nights either on the ship with the boys or in the forest with the witch coven. So far Eli had reported no luck in the village, and Ari was tired of waiting. Perhaps Aveline had been right; maybe the kingdom was draining.

Or perhaps Lord Guernot was just grating on his nerves. Every time the man spoke, it sounded like a seagull choking on bread. The only thing stopping Ari from putting Guernot out of his misery was Lyla's disapproving stare. And that he would surely be arrested if he did so (not that this had ever stopped him before).

Ari hadn't slept since Jamie had left, not that this was of any particular importance.

Was she alright? Was she doing well? What if something horrible had happened in Apreuna, and he had just sent Jamie right to the middle of it?

Ari wasn't used to this... this feeling weak. The loss of confidence. Physically, he had experienced too many blows in his life to be able to rough it. But emotionally? Ari was a mess and fighting not to show it.

That evening, when they snuck out of the palace to make their daily rounds with the coven, Lord Guernot stopped them.

"Visiting those witches again, hm?" He remarked, approaching them from the shadows of his hiding place. Ari glanced at Lyla. "Yes, Her Highness told me about those little forest trips you all love to make." His head tipped innocently to the side. "You know they're suspect in the sickness, don't you?"

Ari fought the urge to argue with him. It's not a sickness, you daft moron.

"All the more reason for us to investigate them." Lyla's response was slow and obvious, as if she were speaking to a child. "If you'll excuse us, sir."

"I'd be careful if I were you," Guernot called to them as they walked through the open doors of the palace.

"Idiot," said Ari under his breath. A raindrop plummeted onto his cheek as a rumble of thunder echoed in the white sky ahead. "If you married him, Lyla, I'd never speak to you again."

"Ari, I can assure you with a remarkable level of confidence that that will never happen."

This time, Inez and Henry both waited with Kai at the edge of the forest. Henry was bouncing on his toes like a child; Ari wondered if they'd regret letting him tag along.

"Did anyone see you?" inquired Aveline anxiously.

"We're fine. The boys were happy to leave the ship."

"Good."

"You brought the children?" Lyla brightened visibly. "I just adore them!"

"How are the royals?" asked Kai in greeting. Ari grunted in a way of response and pushed past them into the woods.

The drizzle of rain did little to improve his sour mood. It filtered through the leaves of the trees and landed with fat plops on the ground in front of them, disturbing Ari's thoughts.

According to Eli, another villager had died that morning. It was just another reminder of how much he was failing this assignment. They had to find out where the hell these drugs were coming from, and soon. But so far, the witch coven was at a loss, and Eli and his guards still couldn't find any traces of narcotic use in the village.

"It's as if they just appeared out of thin air," Ari told Aveline now, as they trekked through the damp leaves. "I mean, we've seen this a million times, Avie, we know what it looks like— but no one's selling this shit. It just ends up in their systems, and then people die. How does that even happen?"