Once he was inside, the Knights pulled the doors closed and locked them. The sound of the metal locks slamming home sent a chill down my spine, but not for me. Was this the day my father had come to kill me for my rebellion? Did my mother’s magic only go so far, or was it just a dream?
I could stand the idea of my execution. But I had to protect my friends.
My father’s glittering eyes met mine. He saw Nora at the table, and there was a flicker of interest in his eyes. “Watch the girl. He likes the girl.”
“I wish that were true,” Nora muttered.
Pend said, “I just want to talk, Caldren.”
Now he used the name that he had given me. He used to always call me my boy. I guessed I preferred it this way.
“Anyone will tell you I’m always happy to talk. Too happy, according to some.” I rose from my seat. “Would you like to move to a more private location?”
“Yes, I think that would be great. I’ll just have my knights check the premises.”
At that, his knights began to move through the entirety of the Twisted Pines. Enough of them still held the doors and were stationed in the pub that no uprising would be very successful.
Two knights behind the bar cleared a shelf of liquor, sweeping the bottles off to smash onto the floor. “Nothing back here,” one said to the other. Pend watched them in amusement, then moved down the hallway to the storeroom and kitchen, which were also being searched.
I leaned back, arms folded over my chest, and gritted my teeth. The sound of Knights rummaging through my stockroom, office and the kitchen set me on edge. They were destroying everything. But that didn’t matter as long as they didn’t find our entrance to the tunnels. That entrance was the true reason why I had become interested in becoming the bar’s proprietor.
Customers sat in horrified silence. Nora leaned back in her chair, her arm slung over the back, assuming a posture of indifference. But there was no hiding the fear in her brown eyes. Fury wrenched at my chest. These were my friends I was supposed to protect. I was failing.
Morick continued drinking; he didn’t seem disturbed at all. Bryden seemed on the verge of a panic attack, which was no surprise, given what happened to his village. His hands were pressed tightly together, his fingers interwoven, his knuckles white. I wish I could ease his pain. I hated being helpless in the face of my father’s power, but the best thing I could do to protect my friends was to keep my mouth shut.
When my father had finished destroying the one thing I had left to my name, two knights came to stand over me. “The king will see you.”
“Fantastic.” I stood and brushed imaginary lint off my jacket, then gave my friends a sunny smile. Bryden looked miserable, as if he thought I was about to be murdered. “Keep an eye on the place for me, will you?”
The knights each grabbed one of my arms and dragged me down the hall.
“I do know the way,” I told them dryly.
They released me in the hallway, outside my office. Pend stood inside, rifling through the papers on my desk. He didn’t bother looking up as he gestured to me, inviting me into my own office.
He finally looked up at me, fixing me with those intense golden-amber eyes. Jaik’s eyes, too. “I’m sure you’re curious why I’m here.”
“Very.”
“I have a simple proposal for you, my son.”
And there it was. He must want something from me instead of to murder me. And even though I knew better than to be taken in by Pend Deragon, part of me still stuttered when he said son.
Why did I doubt this proposal was really simple? “Did you want to go into business together?”
“I know you’ve been flirting with the rebellion,” he said simply.
I shook my head, feigning protest, even though I’d always known that I wouldn’t entirely escape my father’s spies.
“I know you’re hurt,” he went on, and I stared at him, stunned, as he continued, “But I would like you to come back to the work like you were raised to do. I’d like you to return to protecting the kingdom.”
“I don’t know why you think I’m part of the rebellion.” The rebellion was our best chance of protecting the kingdom.
Pend sighed, as if I were being stubborn. “It’s all forgiven now. No matter what else you’ve done, you’re the king’s son.”
“Not anymore, am I?”
“You know how shameful dragon royals consider having a son who isn’t dragon born. But I’ve regretted the way we treated you ever since you left. I’ve missed you, Cal.”
I’d always wanted to hear those words. Too bad that I couldn’t trust them.
“I know that will take time for you to believe,” he said. “But if you’ll stop playing at being the general for those rebels, I’ll make you a general in my own army.”
“And what else do I have to do?” If my father was going to let me close, he’d be watching me, he wouldn’t trust me, but I might be able to get the information needed to really help our people.
“Do you think we might have a deal, Caldren?”
“You still haven’t explained what is really in this for me.”
“I can’t restore you into the line of succession. But I can make you nobility again. And I can restore your inheritance of wealth.”
“It will depend on what you want me to do, Father.”
“Well there is one more thing.” Pend paused, tilting his head, staring at me. I knew how easily he read people—especially my brother and me. “You have to bring your brother back down to earth.”
Back down to earth. That used to be his way of saying someone needed to be cut down, punished, humiliated.
The memory of Jaik’s haughty face, the way he’d lifted his chin when I tried to apologize, slammed back into my mind like a fist.
I smiled at Pend, displaying every bit of rancor I felt for my little brother. “Oh, Father. I’d do that for free.”
Chapter
Thirty-One
Branok
In the morning when we were getting ready to leave the Academy, Jaik came to me. “I want you to guard Honor today.”
I stared at him, perplexed. “I would think that’s what you would want to do.”
“I want to be the eyes in the air. And anyway, you’re the best at spy craft of any of us. If there is any danger to Honor from within the ranks, you would be the one best able to assess it and protect her.”
I frowned at him. “Are you feeling all right? You don’t sound like yourself. You think you’re the only one who can protect Honor.”
It wasn’t as if I was dying to take over the job. I still thought that my friends had to be protected from Honor.
“Do I have other motives? Yes, I do. Do we really need to discuss them?”
“Yes, I do.” Ultimately, no matter his motives, I’d follow Jaik’s orders. It was just the dragon’s way. And he had earned my respect many times over. But I was still curious.
“All right. I want you to start getting along with her.”
That was it? “I wasn’t aware that I had been disrespectful in any way to your girl.”
“You know damn well you haven’t been, or you and I would have had words long ago. But that’s different. I can tell you don’t like her, and so can she.”