“Which of my warriors do you wish to speak to?” the chief asked, confused.
Nikau’s gaze flew straight to me. “Braxton.”
Damn it. Now what? Had Lachlan sent his dogs on me?
Kingston’s eyes also reached me, silently asking if I was willing to talk to him, so I nodded. “It’s fine, Chief.”
Stepping aside from Evie and the guard, I stood next to the wall and watched Nikau stop before me. Neither Kingston nor the guard moved a single inch, and he glanced at them before focusing on me. “I assume you trust them all with your life and your secrets.”
It wasn’t a question, but I answered, nonetheless. “I trust them.”
A small smile reached his lips, and he nodded, taking a deep breath before standing tall before me. “I served our Harbinger of Justice for many years. Hallowed be his name,” he began, nostalgia feeding his smile. “I served him in secret from inside the walls of the Hollow, and as I look back on my life, I think that without knowing it, I pledged myself to his cause even before the Uprising.”
He knew.
“The instant I saw you during the rescue mission, I thought you were him.” His head shook slowly, in disbelief. “For a split moment, I thought our Harbinger had returned, but after we arrived here, I realized my mistake. You looked like him, you talked and behaved as he did, but you were not him… you were his son.”
Everyone tensed around me, yet the emotion and admiration brimming in his eyes told me he was sincere.
Pulling out his sword, he stood it on the ground and knelt beside it, just like Asher had done with his spear, pledging himself to me as my commander.
Nikau’s men knelt behind him.
Kingston and I exchanged a startled gaze, both realizing the same thing.
“Nikau, I—”
“Braxton Skystorm, I have been watching you since I arrived, and you have proven yourself to be as honorable as your father,” he began, interrupting my words. “I pledge myself to you as I once did to him, sword, strength, and soul. You have my loyalty and my life. From this day on, I, and those who follow me, will fight for you and your kingdom until the end… if you’ll have us.”
The instinct that served me well so many times in the Mirror World, what my friends used to call my magic, flared to life, and I finally recognized it for what it was—another one of my Dragon powers. One that was always there for me even when something blocked everything else. I could only describe it as my Dragon essence scanning his. The light ignited in my eyes, and every emotion Nikau felt suddenly made its way through me, telling me exactly who he was and his every intention.
There was absolute honesty in his words. He’d worshiped my father, and now he was extending that sentiment to me.
The light receded from my eyes before he lifted his head, waiting for my response.
“Rise, Nikau Battlesky. I accept your pledge of loyalty and welcome you and your men to our cause.” The words felt so formal coming out of my mouth, but it was our custom, and the answer he deserved.
Both relief and honor colored his features when he stood, taking a step closer to me. “Your past is safe with me,” he whispered so only I could hear. “I will guard it as I shall guard you, with my life, my prince.”
Holy shit. My gaze widened when I realized what he’d meant.
Stepping back, he and the men behind him bowed once more before leaving.
“He knows who my mother is,” I told Kingston and Evie the moment they came to my side.
“How?” Evanna asked, startled, but Kingston just sighed next to us.
“He used to turn a blind eye to Princess Keira and Khayden’s clandestine meetings when he was just a slave. We both did.”
“That is what he meant by saying he pledged himself to the Harbinger even before the Uprising,” Evie guessed, and the chief nodded.
“I think many of us unknowingly did,” the chief confessed, his gaze lost somewhere in the past. “It was hard not to recognize the kindness and compassion in your father’s heart, and the love they shared.”
“Should we fear he’ll tell Lachlan or the others?” Asher asked, joining us.
“No,” I answered confidently. “I felt his essence. I can trust him.”
With a nod from Kingston and Asher, the discussion was closed, though I could still sense the fear it stirred in Evanna. If our people found out that Raithian was my “grandfather” and she knew, it might be the end of it all.
Taking her hand in mine, I brought it to my lips for a kiss. “You can trust me, even if you don’t trust him. He won’t say a thing.”
She forced a smile to her lips and nodded, squeezing my hand, but I knew that even if she wanted to believe me, to trust him, the fear of losing everything her parents had given their life for, the kingdom they built from nothing, was ingrained in her. I couldn’t blame her, I just needed to make sure the weight of my secret didn’t come down on us, crushing us.
“Would you please help me upstairs? I’m suddenly so tired.” Willow’s voice echoed when we reached the stairs, and Evie perked up, glancing past Elijah and Islay to the front.
When my gaze followed hers, I noticed Willow was facing Kingston.
“Of course, Lady Willow. It will be my honor.”
I expected him to hold her hand, or arm, maybe even carry her upstairs, but he only offered his arm for her to take.
Her smile dimmed in disappointment, and she briefly looked back at Evie, her best friend. Willow’s gaze said, I told you so, before she gratefully accepted his gesture, and they began to climb the stairs.
We all shadowed them in silence.
My gaze followed Evie’s movements while she absentmindedly walked around our room, undressing. She’d been acting strangely since yesterday, but I’d already asked her, and she didn’t say. I would not grind her about it. If she wanted me to know, it had to come from her.
Still watching her leave each piece of clothing in a different place, I began to remove my arm shield, placing it on the dresser.
“Something happened with Lachlan,” she suddenly blurted, sitting on the bed.
Every inch of my body tensed, though I kind of expected that whatever it was had to do with him. If that asshole kissed her against her will, he was as good as dead. Giving her a chance to explain, I tried to remain calm and walked towards her, sitting by her side. “Okay.”
“He approached me after the meeting with our people and asked if we could talk. I agreed.” She nervously glanced at me, probably expecting me to be angry or something, like another hotheaded “macho” guy might do.
Was I happy they talked in private? Hell no. But I wasn’t a neanderthal, and I knew her heart was mine. I reached for her hand instead, holding it.
Seeming relieved I was taking this so well, she squeezed my hand, our fingers intertwining. “We walked around the castle, and he brought me to the end of the cave on the other side. When we arrived, I found a beautiful field of flowers he laid out there for me… The kind that only blooms in one part of Caelisium. A place my parents once chose as refuge, a place that briefly gave us peace. My mother and I used to pick those flowers in baskets for our people, to bring them hope. It’s one of the most beautiful memories I have left of her.”
Dread spread through me like wildfire with her words because I knew what that meant. Not only because it was fucking obvious, but because I’d recently asked Asher what I could do to propose.