Page 65 of Kingdom Of Veil And Vow

“Perhaps I haven’t given you the credit you are due, Xander. After all your years of dedicated service, maybe it is time you be rewarded for it.” He tilts his head to the side, his crown remaining balanced. “I am promoting you to Commander of my Trusted.”

No one moves or offers words of approval, and that only doubles the excitement I feel. This is better than I could have imagined. I will be in charge of the Trusted from here on out. “Thank you for this honor, Your Majesty. I will not disappoint you.”

“I should hope not.” He steps forward, the tips of his boots digging into the side of Miles’s lifeless body. “Many important things are on the horizon, Xander. Anyone who disobeys, who does not work towards the vision I have for this kingdom, will be punished without mercy.” His eyes search mine, and not for the first time, I wonder if perhaps magic does flow in the Maxwell line. Because how could one man hold so much evil without it? “Anyone.” The threat is clear, and I acknowledge it without breaking his gaze.

We follow King Dolian out of the throne room to his next meeting, me at his side while the rest of the Trusted trail behind, their spiteful gazes scouring my back. Though I’m now closer to the king than ever before, it’s come at a large cost. There has never been a larger target on my back than there is now.

Days later, I hold the next resistance meeting, my promotion met with overall excitement. Alden broods in the corner but doesn’t speak whatever thoughts are dancing around in his head. I don’t let the conversation move to Princess Rhea, instead keeping it focused on the king and my efforts to plan his downfall from the inside.

“I have more access to him now than I ever did before, and because of that, we can ensure he is dethroned with minimal loss of life.” It would be foolish to expect everyone to make it out unscathed, and I vowed from the beginning that I would never provide the resistance with false hope. “Your trust in me is something I value beyond measure, and I swear to you, on my blood, that I am striving to take King Dolian down. That soon, Vitour and all her surrounding towns will know the justice and peace that can come from a kingdom led by the people.” I do not want to be king so much as I understand that there needs to be a singular figurehead to represent the kingdom. I can be that, even if I’m not sure I’m owed it. If I’m not sure that it’s mine to take. But, at least for a time, I can give the people a familiar name and face until someone better can take the mantle.

With the meeting dismissed, I wait to speak to Grayson until the last of the members file out. I’m surprised when not only does Tienne hang back but Eve as well. Greeting them both with a small smile, I take in the way my friend leans against the edge of the table, my brow furrowing at the shadows clinging to her cheeks and beneath her eyes.

“Are you well?” I ask her.

“Fine, just a little run down,” she answers. But I don’t miss the way Eve looks at her, concern bracketing her mouth. “This was Eve’s first official meeting.”

“Glad to have you as part of the resistance.”

Grayson takes the chair to my left, kicking his feet up on the edge of the table. “Welcome aboard,” he offers, and Eve smiles.

“It is an honor to be among you all. I am beyond pleased to learn that there are others who feel as I do about the king. Who are willing to be vocal about it.”

“You will find there are many, even if they haven’t joined the resistance yet. The hope is that, when the time comes to rise up, they will join and our numbers will become overwhelming.”

Eve nods as she laces her fingers together in front of her. We chat a little longer, my concern for Tienne growing when she begins to nod off during the conversation. With encouragement from Eve, the two leave, and I turn to Grayson as worry stabs into my chest. “Something is wrong with her.”

He nods, the acknowledgement doing nothing to ease my nerves. “There has been a virus working its way through the barracks. Fatigue is one of the symptoms.” I force myself to take a deep breath as my mind flashes to those being treated for the Cruel Death in Vitour. In most cases, the sickness sweeps in quickly, but sometimes, it creeps slowly, a predator seeping out in the form of fatigue and dizziness and nausea. Those cases are rare, but… Seeing the concern that must be etched on my face, Grayson stands and plants a hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t worry, son. Everything is going to be alright.”

I can’t explain why those words feel like little more than an omen.

Leaving through the tunnel, I rejoin the fray on the main floor of the castle with worry still very much present in my mind. I had been so focused on the king and the Trusted—on Siyala—that I forgot about the one death sentence that was impossible to avoid once it chose you. I forgot about the Cruel Death.

The next few days pass by quickly, and I’m commanded to stay by the king’s side. I can’t risk giving him any reason to suspect my priorities are not with him and him alone, so I don’t argue that I need time to interrogate Siyala. If anything, he seems to have forgotten about her completely, instead planning something that he only speaks to Simon about privately.

But I use any opportunity I can to plan Siyala’s escape, grabbing the ledgers I need to see when the next shifter ship is coming and managing the guard schedule so that it syncs up the way I want, placing my men near the dungeon exits in a few weeks’ time. It’s inconspicuous, changes made gradually that should go unnoticed, and that at least provides a small bit of comfort.

I use Grayson to drop off letters to Siyala—where I explain why I haven’t been able to visit her. By the end of the week, my skin is crawling with the urge to see her, and I finally get the opportunity when King Dolian releases me for an hour while he attends a council meeting.

The dungeon is more full this week, and when I finally reach Siyala’s cell, I find her pacing, her hands nervously twisting in her tunic.

“It’s so loud,” she says when I get close to the bars, wary of the eyes on me.

“You’re going to have to pretend.” She nods in understanding as I unlock the door and pull it open, bracing herself for a fight. “Come on, shifter, it’s time to talk!”

She growls as my hand wraps around her arm, the contact sending a spark of warmth straight to my gut. I had spent our nights apart tormented by her words, by the memory of her weight against me. It was pathetic, really, the need that drove me to find release with my hand, wishing that it could have been hers. But she deserves someone better than me, someone she can feel safe and protected with at all times.

“Let me go, you animal!” She hits against the armor at my chest as I drag her down the hall and towards the torture room, the fake fight continuing until we are both safe behind the closed door.

Releasing her immediately, I step back and run a hand through my hair. “I hate that we have to do that.”

“It’s worth it if it means you won’t get in trouble.” Her eyes run over my face, a tether pulling at my chest at the concern in her eyes. “You are alright?”

I nod, hands coming to my hips. “The king suspects nothing of Commander Miles’s death.”

“And the king’s advisor?”