AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shake my head. “And I played right into their hands, bringing Verrick to them, even if delivering him to them was by accident.”
“Do not punish yourself too harshly,” Adalind says kindly. “It appears they could have used any orc for the ritual. They just wanted Warchief Verrick so that they could make a statement, it seems. If you hadn’t cooperated, they would have just kidnapped a different orc and still carried through with the ritual, I’m sure. Who knew that Lord Antony Strand was part of the Cabal! And so unhinged!”
I feel a small twinge of pity for Antony, his soul trapped in the Nether with the archdemons. He was something of a friendto me once. But only a small twinge. Adalind is right that he was unhinged and he apparently hurt and killed many people in pursuit of his ambition. Perhaps his punishment is just, after all.
Adalind continues, “And the others . . . the Council of Thirteen will be quite sparse until we figure this all out.”
“The others?”
“Warchief Verrick sent the captain to gather and burn the dead after the incident last week. The captain was able to ascertain the identities of the rest of the Cabal before they were burned. There were members of the Lentley and Wilton duchies, as well as members of the Dadrom and Bellmar countdoms and some smaller noble houses as well. Not the heads of houses, but enough members that it brings up a lot of questions. We may remove those houses from the Council entirely as punishment for their involvement. We cannot risk the Cabal reforming under another banner.”
“If the Heads of House weren’t involved, I might just levy them with a steep fine or place them on probation. If you act too rashly, you might make enemies where there weren’t before.”
My friend considers my words and finally nods, “You are, perhaps, right. My own experiences with the Cabal could be clouding my judgment. I want them to be dead and stay dead. Perhaps the probation, along with some public shame, which should hurt their houses’ standing for a while. And put more spies in their houses, to be sure that they aren’t up to anything.”
I nearly choke. “Morespies?”
She shrugs, “Of course. We cannot risk another war so soon. And Rognar has had spies in Adrik for years. We will just need to expand them in those houses to make sure there aren’t any sympathetic to the Cabal left. Especially those who could have a grudge against you or the Warchief for the deaths of their family members.”
I take a drink of my water again and find myself very grateful that I am not queen. Regent is bad enough.
Adalind speaks again. “You know, not to go off-topic, but speaking of the Warchief . . .”
I feel my face heat slightly. “What about him?”
“I’ve heard the most interesting gossip about a certain flirtatious duchess and her pursuit of a taciturn orc . . .”
I smile a little at her teasing. “It is true. Oh, but Adali, I fear I have made such a big mistake!”
My friend instantly goes serious. “Whatever do you mean? Has he hurt you in any way?”
“No! Not at all, but . . .”
So I tell her everything. From the beginning, when I first decided to pursue Verrick to our fake relationship to when it became. And finally, about our fight that we had when he told me that he was falling in love with me.
“You understand, don’t you, Adali? Yorian tucked me away in Garden Manor and forced me into his bed. He took total control of my entire life and the whole time he would always go on and on about how he loved me. When Verrick said the same thing and that he wanted to Claim me . . . I . . . I . . .”
“You couldn’t help but be reminded of Yorian,” Adalind finishes kindly. She has listened intently to my story, though it was long and now the sun outside the window is high in the noonday sky. She shakes her head. “And it wasn’t just Yorian with you. Everyone that was supposed to love and protect you just used you instead. Especially your father. It was the same with me, after my real father died and they sent me to House Grimble. The only difference is that I at least had the protection of my brother Marvik . . .” Adalind breaks off, her voice wet with unshed tears. I put my hand out to rest on hers.
“Have they ever found Marvik’s body?” I ask gently.
She shakes her head, looking away from me to hide her emotion. “We have sent scouts everywhere, but there's no trace of Marvik nor of Rognar’s cousin, Dura, who was fighting him at the Battle of Fort Attis. They fell into the Dense Wood, so we think that wild animals may have gotten ahold of them first . . .” A single tear rolls down Adalind’s perfect face, her sorrow over the loss of her brother deep. I can only imagine what it would be like to lose someone that close and then to not even havetheir body to burn properly. I squeeze down on Adalind’s hand, sending as much comfort as I can through the gesture.
“I am truly sorry for your loss, Adali.”
My queen brushes away her tears with her other hand, returning my squeeze with the one I still hold. “Thank you, Pell. It is a grief that comes and goes. Someday, perhaps, I will think of Marvik with only joy and not with bitterness. But all that to say, believe me, Pell, I understand exactly what you are saying. I still can barely stand the sound of the orc’ssibilancebecause it reminds me of Yorian so much. And when Rognar wanted to Claim me . . .” She gestures to the bite mark she has at the join of her neck and shoulder. For the first time I notice she has dusted it with gold powder, like the kind I use on my eyes, so that the raised ridges glitter in the light, like she is showing off the mark. She continues, “I was terrified. For many reasons. So I understand you, Pell. But Pell . . . “
Adalind looks at me, an expression of the gentle empathy on her flawless features, “You do know . . . you must know, what Yorian gave you, what he forced on you, was not truly love, right?”
I bite my lip hard enough that I feel a sting. “I know that, logically, but my heart . . .”
“Is frightened. I know. Oh, I know Pell.” Adalind embraces me again, and again I feel tears come to my eyes. When did I get to be such a weepy woman? I suppose being close to death has knocked loose my emotions. Tightening my eyes, I will the moisture away. I don’t want to cry on my royal friend’s shoulder.
After a time, Adalind pulls back and looks me square in the eyes, her bearing serious. “I can only tell you what I was told, dear Pell,” she says, “and that is that if you don’t want to lose him, you must trust him. Trust that he is nothing like Yorian, that his love means something different and is sincere. These orcs are honorable, Pell, and they mean what they say. In fact, after everything the Warchief has gone through, it sounds like it was as hard for him to say the words as it was for you to hear them. You both have deep pain in your pasts that makes you shytowards love. That tells me you can believe his words to be true and that his Claim is not about controlling you, but about being with you always.”
I swallow a lump in my throat, thinking about her words. To be with Verrick always . . . that is a dream. It’s what I want more than anything. But what if I am wrong and I willingly put myself into a relationship that I can’t take back with another male that seeks to control me? If that male were Verrick, it would destroy me.
“How can I dare?” I ask. “How did you dare, with King Rognar?”
