be opening the window anytime soon.”
“It’s all right during the day if you need some air,” I tell him, “but don’t accidentally leave it open when you join us for dinner. Who knows what might be waiting for you when you returned.”
“So Draegan is safe during the daylight hours?”
“Safer,” I say. “Our weather patterns are unpredictable and unforgiving. The sun is often scorching, and you never know when a lightning storm will roll in. The blight, the sickness, Chasm tarantulas, rift serpents, and things of that sort are all present during the day. They’re not easy to avoid.”
“But most everything else? Like curipers and the saelties?”
I nod. “Nocturnal in nature.”
“Is there anything else I should know about?” he asks, and then he nods toward the window. “Anything out there, in the wilderness?”
I narrow my eyes, studying his deceptively innocent face. “You’re planning to escape.”
“Not alone.” He watches me, his light brown eyes calm.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Come with me, Cassia.” He leans forward, his expression earnest. “Help me navigate Draegan, and I’ll take you into Renove. You’ll be an ambassador for your kingdom. As soon as I accept the crown, I will offer aid to your people.”
I laugh at the thought. “We need more than aid, Braeton. Have you listened to anything I’ve said? You can’t fight these things—it’s a war we cannot win. What are you going to do? Send soldiers? We did that in the beginning.”
“Renove doesn’t have the resources to support all of Draegan’s people,” Braeton argues, looking frustrated. “Your father’s plan will not work. Where would we put you all? What would we feed you?”
“My brother said your kingdom is flourishing,” I argue.
“It is,” he says. “I won’t deny it. But, Cassia, you’re talking about the mass exodus of an entire kingdom.”
We fall into silence. I know Braeton is right—and sadly, I know my father would acknowledge he’s right as well. Our king wishes for the safety and health of his people, but he has no love for Renove. We’d come in as conquerors, and the people of Renove wouldn’t fare well.
There would be turmoil, anger, and eventually, another war.
We can’t steal a kingdom.
“What’s going to become of my people?” I ask him softly, closing my eyes and pressing my hands to my face. “We’re dying, Braeton.”
I don’t hear him rise, but when I open my eyes, he’s kneeling in front of me. “I will help you.”
“How?” I demand bitterly.
“I don’t know.” His eyes turn to my hand, and he stares at it for several seconds before he hesitantly takes it. He looks as if he expects me to pull away, and he seems surprised when I don’t.
I stare at my hand, encased between his larger ones. This is the first time he’s touched me affectionately since he was delirious. Our relationship has been purely platonic, and even if my stomach flutters when he’s near, there’s something substantial holding me back from wishing for more.
“Tell me about the girl you love,” I say, needing details to firmly remind myself his words were never meant for me.
Braeton’s fingers jump against my knuckles. “What girl?”
“You spoke of her when you were sick. You talked about taking her to a forest, that you were sorry you and she were caught and brought to Draegan.” I look down, finally tugging my hand from his grasp. “You thought I was her.”
He’s quiet for several long moments. “Cassia…there is no girl.”
“But…” I look up, searching his face.
Looking embarrassed, he sits back on his heels. Extending his hands in front of him in a helpless gesture, he says, “It was you I dreamed about. I had your name and your voice, and I don’t know why, but my subconscious placed you in my memories.”
“So there’s no one waiting for you in Renove?”
“My family, my sister, my people.” He watches me carefully. “But no—no one else.”
“Oh,” I say stupidly. “All right.”
The room becomes so silent, I almost wish for the saelties haunting cries.
Suddenly, I stand. “I should go.”
Braeton frowns, looking like he wants to say something but he’s holding it back. I walk to the passage, feeling slightly dazed.
“Cassia, wait,” Braeton says before I go. “Will you be back?”
I press a hand to my nervous stomach. “Do you want me to come back?”
“Yes,” he says quietly.
“So I can be an ambassador?” I say with a biting laugh.
“No. So you can be…you. Just you.” He flashes me his crooked smile. “Who else am I going to beat at Echelon?”
The truth is, his offer is