Page 87 of Sent To A Fantasy World and Now All the Men Want Me 7

About what my dad said about the Hallowed Saint’s power and a possible reason for why King Silas wanted me so badly: to help him take over another realm. When I got to the part about Nocturne breaching the barrier of the cottage that stormy night, my voice grew quieter, the pain of it still fresh in my heart.

“King Eidolon betrayed your father to save Prince Sawyer?” Maddox asked, surprise flickering over his brooding features.

“It makes sense.” Briar rubbed at his jaw. “The circumstances around Prince Sawyer’s birth have always been clouded with mystery. The queen was apparently bedridden for many months of her pregnancy, and many in the kingdom weren’t aware she was with child.”

“The prince was sickly as a young boy, yes?” Onyx asked, a frown creasing his brow. “I recall my scouts reporting how the king requested the aid of every healer within the capital, offering their weight in gold to whoever could save him.”

“Correct,” Briar answered.

“So, let me get this straight,” Rowan interjected, propped against the wall in the corner. His safe place. “The king betrayed Evan’s father to save Sawyer… and Sawyer ended up being sick anyway all throughout his childhood? What was the point of the betrayal then?”

“You recall what Varys told us,” Lake said, his hand finding mine. “He overheard King Eidolon speaking to a hooded man in his quarters late one night. The man mentioned that the treasure was lost. Perhaps Haran refused to fully uphold their end of the bargain, giving King Eidolon only a temporary cure for Sawyer’s ailment.”

“There’s one other explanation as well.” Briar rubbed his lips together, mulling something over. “One far more sinister.”

Maddox frowned. “How so?”

“Prince Sawyer’s sickness baffled us all back then,” Briar explained. “Physicians with far superior training and years of practice were at a loss. They crafted powerful healing elixirs, yet none of the remedies had any effect. In fact, the prince’s condition only worsened. Many admitted defeat and left after a few days.”

“But not you. Sawyer told me you didn’t eat or sleep until finding a cure.” I leaned against Lake, calmed by his peachy scent. He gave the best cuddles. “You even hunted down ancient texts, doing everything possible to find answers.”

An odd expression crossed the good doctor’s face. “Yes. And it was in one of those ancient texts that I stumbled across an interesting passage. One involving dark magic. Curses, to be specific.”

That caught Onyx’s interest. He’d been looking toward the set of windows and shifted his attention to Briar.

“Many texts on dark magic are forbidden in Bremloc,” Briar continued. “But I scoured through every book I could find. Days blurred together. I then came across a section on blood curses. Truly wicked little buggers. They slowly siphon energy from the body. Drain a person’s life essence until nothing’s left.”

Shock flared in my belly. “What did you do?”

“I presented my findings to King Eidolon, and he gave his approval for me to take any step necessary to save his son. He was desperate at this time.” Sadness laced Briar’s words. “Prior to my meeting with him, I overheard his advisors speaking of burial arrangements. That’s how weak the prince had become.”

I rubbed the center of my chest, trying to rid it of the sudden ache. “So, you broke the curse, and that’s what saved him.”

“Yes.” Briar released a shaky breath. “Only King Eidolon and I knew the truth. We never shared news of the curse with anyone.”

“This makes no sense,” I said. “Sawyer was only like seven at the time, right? What kind of evil jerk-face would curse a little kid?”

“King Eidolon and I suspected Haran’s involvement but never had proof,” Briar answered, his features marring with a deep frown. “When we learned of your royal bloodline, I thought perhaps King Silas believed you and Prince Sawyer to be the same and had been targeting him since birth for that reason. But after what you shared from the vision, a different theory has taken root. What if Prince Sawyer was cursed before he was even born?”

My scalp tingled.

“Clever,” Onyx said, tapping a finger on his thigh. Each of my men had a tell, and I’d started picking up on his: he tapped when deep in thought or upset. “You’re suggesting that dark mages from Haran cursed the prince while he was still in the womb as a ploy to manipulate King Eidolon into agreeing to help them find Evan. Then, they gave the king a partial cure once Evan escaped their grasp.”

Briar nodded. “However, King Eidolon wasn’t aware of the curse before I brought it to his attention. They had deceived him from the very beginning.”

“So, it was my fault,” I whispered, vision blurring as tears surged forward. “All of it’s been my fault. My parents’ deaths. Sawyer suffering for all those years. When I was the target all along. If not for me—”

“Enough,” Maddox gently interjected. He moved closer, kneeling beside the bed and grabbing my hand. He kissed my middle knuckle and regarded me through black lashes and eyes bluer than the sea. “None of this is your fault, sweetheart. King Silas is to blame. His greed and pursuit of power caused all of this. Not you.”

“Listen to your captain,” Onyx said, gaze softening. “You cannot blame yourself for the vile actions of others.”

All of it was too much for my brain to process right then.

I closed my eyes and snuggled deeper into Lake. An ache pierced the center of my chest when remembering the sight of him on that bloodstained battlefield. His arms came around me, and he nuzzled my hair, no doubt sensing that ache.

“You should rest more, love.” Briar adjusted the blanket over my legs, then patted it once. “If you wish, I can brew you some tea to help you sleep.”

“I don’t need sleep,” I said, catching his hand before he withdrew it from my lap. “I need all of you to stay with me. So I can feel you and know you’re here beside me, safe and sound.” My gaze moved to Onyx. “That includes you too.”