back to me and bows his head with deference. “But for the first time since the Chasm’s creation, we have hope.”
I glance at Amalia, wondering what’s going on behind her too-calm, fawn eyes. She’s innocent to the point of naïve, but she’s not a fool. Soon, she will connect the fairy’s words to the event we triggered—if she hasn’t already. My only saving grace, and possible downfall, is that the princess trusts me implicitly. Even if doubt is trickling in, she’ll push it away for as long as possible.
But I am swiftly running out of time.
Sensing she has my attention, Amalia meets my eyes. Her face is solemn, her emotions unusually shielded. She offers no smile, but instead studies me in a way that makes me want to squirm like a boy caught in a lie.
“Are you well?” I ask her, dropping my voice.
Slowly, she nods, a smile finally ghosting across her face. She turns to look back at the waters we just traveled. “It’s a lot to take in.”
I make a noise of agreement.
“Rhys,” Aeron says lowly, his tone too urgent.
Startled, I turn to him. “What is it?”
He nods toward the dock. Along with the people celebrating, a band of twenty or more knights waits, wearing my family’s purple and gold on their tabards.
“Rhys?” Amalia squeaks. “Are those—”
“Knights of Draegan,” I say as if it’s a curse. I glance back, seeing the dinghy is almost ready. “Stay here with Tryndon. I will speak with them first.”
“Rhys—”
“They know me,” I explain, racking my brain for answers I don’t have. “I’ve dealt with them before.”
“Are they friendly? What do they want?”
But we both know—they want Amalia.
“I don’t know,” I say. “But I’m sure it’s fine. Aeron, Lewis—come with me.”
Lewis shoots me an uneasy look. Now that he’s acknowledged my words are true, he knows as well as I that we can’t deliver the princess to my father.
Tryndon looks as though he wants to join us, but I nod toward Amalia, silently reminding him that I’ve left the most precious person in either kingdom in his care.
Immediately, he stands straighter, giving me an acknowledging nod.
“What is going on?” Aeron quietly hisses as we board the waiting rowboat.
“The curse is seeping from Draegan into Renove,” I tell him before I launch into the story of our meeting with the fairy in the woods. I leave nothing out.
Aeron gapes at me, and it’s obvious he thinks I’ve gone mad.
“You saw it,” Lewis says to Aeron under his breath. “The mist cleared in the Chasm, and they healed the sea.”
Aeron stares at me. “You’re telling me Cassia must marry Amalia’s brother?”
I bristle at the idea, but I give him a curt nod. “If the fairy can be trusted…yes.”
The knight shakes his head, looking as if he doesn’t—can’t—accept it.
“Whether you believe me or not, tell me now, do I have your allegiance?” I demand as we grow close to the dock and my waiting knights. “Or will you serve my father?”
He bristles. “You’re asking me to choose between you or my king, Rhys?”
“Rhys is your king,” Lewis whispers. “He’s the true heir—which is confirmed by the way the magic responds to him.”
Aeron growls, shaking his head. “This is ludicrous.”
“Aeron, please,” I say. “I’ve always had your back, and you’ve always had mine. I need you on my side.”
Aeron studies me for several seconds before he finally lets out a frustrated sigh. “But Cassia—”
“Yes or no?”
“Fine, yes.”
Relieved, I nod.
“What are we going to tell them?” Lewis asks. “They’ve come to accompany us to the castle.”
“I know.”
We reach the dock, and immediately, the knights fall to one knee, bowing their heads before me.
“Welcome home, Your Highness,” says Gunder, the man at the front and the captain of my army. He glances toward the ship. “We’ve been waiting here for the last month. Congratulations on a successful mission.”
“Stand up,” I say sharply. “Off the ground.”
Startled, the knights rise. I glance back, desperately hoping Amalia didn’t notice the display. Thankfully, Tryndon has taken her away from the rail. He might not be good for much else, but my brother is a master of distraction.
“As you likely saw, the princess is with us. She is under the impression we are Renovian knights, here to rescue her brother. I ask you to continue the deception until I have spoken to my father and know how he would like to further proceed.”
They mutter agreements.
“What do you require of us, Your Highness?” Gunder asks.
I want them to slip into the crowd and disappear, but