are starting to worry. Well, they’ve been worried.”
“I know,” he said with a sigh. “But I need more time.”
“What did she say to you?” Rain asked, leaning on his back. “You’ve never…Nothing has ever bothered you this much. You’ve been different since you and her talked.”
“Nothing you can fix, I promise,” Alchan explained. He let the sound of the world come back to him, the waterfall echoing in the cavern. This was his favorite place. Winter was coming, and the ground was freezing, but he didn’t care. This place was his retreat, and he always came back to it when the world weighed heavily on his shoulders.
Or his soul was cut open by someone he had trusted.
His own Champion had opened him up and left him to die.
“Mave leaves in three days,” Rain reminded him. “Mat comes to me every day and asks if you’re thinking about stopping her.”
“No,” Alchan answered for the dozenth time. “I have no intention of stopping her.”
“She could die,” Rain whispered, hugging him tight.
“I know.” He knew better than anyone. He knew what happened to those who proved unworthy of the goddesses who ruled them all. It was written in blood throughout his family’s history. All three of those goddesses had taken their anger out on the Andinna at one point or another.
Once, a queen and an Avatar of Amonora had despised each other. When the Queen killed the other Avatar and sat back on her throne, she died. Not from an injury from the fight. No. Legend had it that a great flame erupted and killed her as punishment for killing another of the chosen. Another story was more rooted in jealousy. An eldest daughter was jealous that her younger sister was better fit for the throne and named the heir. She killed her sister after their mother had died and tried to claim the throne for herself. She had not survived the attempt. Some said a blaze destroyed her mind from within. In the end, the youngest child, a young male, had to step up and become king. There was no Avatar of Lariana until his daughter ascended to the throne. It was considered a dark time in the history of the Andinna.
Alchan had never gone to claim the power because he had known he was unworthy. As a male, it wasn’t his right. He only wanted to be worthy, and that meant following the rules.
Right?
Then there was Mave.
Mave, who constantly tested him. Mave, who showed him the most support. Mave, his sister. Mave, who knew his mind as a warrior better than anyone. Together, they had launched this rebellion privately before any of their friends or family knew their thoughts.
He was unworthy of her, and it was killing him.
“Alchan, you need to talk to me,” Rain pleaded.
“She…she said I was unworthy of being her king,” Alchan whispered, looking down. “And it had hurt much more than expected.”
“Oh,” Rain gasped. His hands dropped away and Alchan felt him move. The young male with beautiful blue wings and sapphire eyes came in front of him. “And why is that?”
“Because…I’m…”
A coward.
Alchan growled softly. No. He was just trying to keep the tradition of the Andinna. He was trying to respect the laws laid down by Lariana. He had to. If he disrupted them, he could unfold a future that could ruin their people. What would stop future males just like his father from hurting the family and upsetting the balance again?
Doesn’t make me any less of a coward.
“Can you give me the most recent report?” he asked his Consort, deciding not to continue down that thought process.
“We know she’s attacking our supplies coming in from Kerit now,” Rain started. “Someone has to be telling her. Someone who can go into the war room and see all the stuff we keep there, but…”
“Everyone in there needs to be in there,” Alchan said softly, nodding. “Have you started splitting it up with Luykas?”
“Yes. We’ve moved the lower ranking unit commanders to their own building to discussions with their own copies of the maps. Only the Company and the other generals will have access to the full maps with everything. Dave and Learen now work in their home with Trevan keeping watch. They still file the supply information away in the war room, but it’s hidden. Not perfect, but a start. We’re hoping it’ll slow everything down, and we can start looking for strange activity. If anyone is trying to get into places they shouldn’t be, then we