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“Kazimir said he didn’t want to,” Viktor shrugged.
“Yeah, but sending word is the right thing to do,” I challenged. “You know the other monarchs are going to be pissed when he shows up.”
“We’re not at war, so it’s not like an explicit ‘you’re not welcome’ in lieu of an invitation. Besides, if they didn’t want us to show up, why would Desmond tell us Queen Viktoria had her baby?”
The Mage assigned to the Crystal Realm was hard to read, and while Ruslan had not offered the ease of communication to the Night Realm that he had given the others in his empire, Desmond had taken it upon himself to relay important information anyway. I couldn’t quite figure out his motivations, and when I brought it up to Viktor, he blew me off. It wasn’t like Viktor to be so unconcerned about something this important, and I got the sense that maybe his father was padding the pockets of the Mage.
Our fathers, along with Vadim’s and Kaztar, had been running the Night Realm smoothly since Kazimir had executed High Lords Luzak and Valintin after his coronation. Their plot against Izidora and Kazimir was not forgotten in the months we’d spent away from Vaenor, the capital of the Night Realm, on our way to Béke and back. It was then that my wariness of my best friend had grown, for the merciful male his father hadcrafted him to be slipped away faster than the wind through my fingers.
We spotted Vadim in the hall of the Royal Wing as we descended the final stair from the harem’s tower. His unkempt beard had grown shaggier in the months we’d been back, and his long hair was a mess piled on top of his head.
“Where are you headed?” Viktor asked him, and he stopped short, falling in stride with us.
“Back out to the training field. We’ve got a new batch of recruits coming in today.”
“Have you had a chance to assess them yet?” Viktor smoothed his already perfectly styled hair, a nervous habit he’d had since childhood.
“No, but they’re young, which means they’re more trainable than the older recruits we’ve been getting.”
Our boots echoed in the deserted hall as we wound our way to the front of the castle.
“What number does that put the army at?” Viktor questioned.
“Nearly three hundred thousand. The new conscription rules are pulling younglings in from across the realm. I’m struggling to find housing for them all,” Vadim replied, tugging on his beard.
“Let my father know. He’s working on getting some new buildings erected outside the city walls,” I said.
“I should ask Tibor to build me a small city out there, then I can have the training fields next to them. Would be better for everyone involved,” Vadim chuckled. “Can’t have the young ones in the taverns every night and then too hungover to train in the morning.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Viktor mused.
Vadim laughed. “I know. I came up with it. I’ll speak to Tibor this evening.”
We arrived in the grand entrance hall, and Viktor and I needed to begin arranging for our departure. “See you later, Vadim,” I said, and we parted ways in front of the massive double doors that led into the summer air.
“Do we really need three hundred thousand soldiers?” I grumbled, brushing my hair out of my face.
Viktor’s sage eyes hardened. “We need to protect our realm. It’s now three against one on the continent and only a matter of time before Ruslan shows up on our doorstep with an army of his own. You know he’s not going to let go of what Kazimir did to Izidora.”
From what Desmond had told us, Izidora was still locked between the land of the living and the land of the dead. I was certain it was her state of limbo that had kept Ruslan away from the Night Realm as of yet.
Not that anyone in the Night Realm, outside of the ones who attended Béke, knew about the events that had come to pass at the end. We’d all covered for Kazimir when we returned from Béke, an act that still left a bitter taste on my tongue.
The story was that Izidora had chosen Ruslan, Liliana had chosen to stay with Izidora, and we’d left with strained tensions and with Kazimir’s grief lodged even deeper into his heart. When he wanted to, he played the heartsick rejected mate well, garnering sympathy from all Night Fae.
How did I never see the darkness that lurked within?
I never thought my best friend was capable of the things I had witnessed while we were in the Iron Realm, and honestly, I couldn’t lie to myself and say it was all due to the mating bond. The binding magic had an effect on him too, but I was questioning everything, including some of his actions prior to Izidora’s rescue, and even more after.
But I was alone in my opinion. Viktor, Vadim, and Kaztar refused to hear my concerns. So I kept my innermost thoughts tomyself, hoping that by remaining by his side I could prevent the worst of the madness as it sank its claws into him.
After the turmoil of the past year, the Night Realm needed stability, and the cause of the many was greater than the cause of the few.
3
The world came into focus slowly, as if I were waking from a lazy afternoon nap. A gauzy overhead canopy became clear, the dark fabric highlighted by the golden sun. I blinked softly as my eyes adjusted to the light.
Where was I?
