My breath caught.
“This is the bloodline I believe you’re descended from, Poppy. Or at least what I’ve been thinking.” His hand returned to the desk. “Empath warriors. It’s the only one that makes sense. A few could’ve been lost in Solis, unable to return to Atlantia at the end of the war and therefore presumed dead. One of them at some point could’ve met a mortal, years and years later, or the child of two of them did, creating either the first generation that gave birth to you or—”
“Or one of my parents was…was an empath warrior.” Stunned, I was unable to move. “Did they have a certain eye color? Because I don’t have gold or hazel eyes.”
“No. Yours are the color of an Atlantian spring—of dew-kissed leaves.”
I blinked.
Casteel looked away, clearing his throat. “Anyway, the warrior bloodlines had no specific distinguishing traits.”
Then my mother or father could’ve been one, or the child of them. “Is it possible that Queen Ileana or King Jalara were so close to them and had not known?”
“It is possible. But they would have known what the Ascended were if they were an empath warrior.” Bracing his weight on his hand, Casteel dipped his head so we were almost at eye level. “So, I think they were first-generation. And like you, didn’t understand why they couldn’t sense emotions from the Ascended.”
“But I can’t use it as a weapon or anything like that.”
“The abilities change once mortal blood is introduced.” His gaze flickered over my face.”
“How did they die?” I asked, and then immediately realized the answer. “They couldn’t use their abilities against the Ascended, could they?”
“Either because they couldn’t sense emotion or didn’t know how to. They were still exceptional fighters. It would explain your almost natural talent with weapons.” His voice softened. “Bolder and braver than any of the other lines.”
My gaze fell to the faded ink. Empath warriors. Could it be that I was descended from a bloodline so powerful they could take out an army before a battle even began? One favored by the children of the gods? Could it be that I was a part of this bloodline? It sounded right. It felt like a final puzzle piece being found. It felt right. The corners of my lips tipped up, and I smiled.
“Beautiful,” Casteel whispered.
Startled, my eyes flew to his. The moment our gazes connected, I couldn’t look away. His head was so close to mine, his mouth even closer—close enough that if I tilted my head and leaned in an inch or two, our lips would touch. My heart started pounding. Did I want that? Did I not want that? I didn’t move to put space between us. My eyes began to drift closed—
Casteel moved back, his head turning to the door. He slid off the desk just as a fist sounded. “Come in.”
Naill entered, hand on his sword. “One of the watchers signaled that we have company, coming from the western roads.”
“Who?” Casteel demanded.
“The Ascended.”
Chapter 14
I was already standing when Casteel turned to me. “We must go,” he clipped out.
I went to move around the desk but stopped. “Wait.” Spinning around, I snatched the book and shoved it back where I’d found it, behind the other records.
Casteel noted my actions in silence, and when I came around the desk, he took my hand.
How could they have known that I was missing? It had to be too soon, especially given the storm. It had only clipped the western sides, but they would’ve expected it to slow us down.
“They’ve already entered the yard,” Naill advised as we left the library, sending my stomach plummeting.
“Be smart,” Casteel advised. And with one curt nod, Naill took off. “Come,” he said to me.
Casteel led me in silence through the dimly lit, winding halls that felt like a maze designed to trap us. We reached an old wooden door that he pushed open with an arm, and entered the kitchens. The faces of those we passed were a blur as they stepped to the side, bowing at Casteel on sight.
“The Ascended are here,” he said, and several gasps echoed. “Hide the youngest below and warn the others. Do not antagonize the Ascended.”
An older man stepped forward, thumping his fist off his chest. “From blood and ash.”
Casteel placed his fist over his heart. “We will rise.”
The people scattered before we reached the doors that led outside. We were near the stables, the air cold but still as I glanced up at the sky that had given way to night. We headed for the heavily wooded area, neither of us speaking until we were among the snow-heavy limbs. Only then did it strike me how much my life had changed.
I was running away from the Ascended.
Not toward them.
Casteel kept hold of my hand as he navigated the darkened woods.
“Where are we going?” I asked, my breath forming misty clouds.
“Just outside until I know for sure what is happening.” He caught a bare, low-hanging branch, lifting it out of the way.
I kept close as we moved along the fringes of the forest. I realized we’d moved deeper into the woods as we circled the keep and then started to move closer. Perhaps a half-hour passed before the cold began to get to me. I shivered as I curled my free hand so that it was hidden under my sleeve.
“Sorry,” he said gruffly. “I wish there’d been time to grab a cloak or at least your gloves.”
“It’s okay.”
He glanced back at me, but I couldn’t make out his expression. We continued on, drawing even closer to the keep.
Casteel stopped me. “Wait.”
The tone of his voice sent a wave of warning through me. “What?”
He jerked his chin forward. “Something is happening.”
“What?” I repeated and followed his gaze, struggling to see through the trees. “I don’t have super-special Atlantian eyes.”
“And I’m sure that fills you with wrathful envy.”
It did.
“We need to be quiet.”
I listened, which I was sure came as a shock to Casteel. We crept toward the edge of the woods, and as the trees thinned out, I could see that the yard was brightly lit, far more than I’d ever seen it.
And it wasn’t empty. Not in the slightest.
Casteel stopped once more, this time tugging me to my knees beside him. Cold snow seeped through the cloth of my breeches. Unease blossomed as my gaze roamed over the men on horseback. There were dozens, with at least half of them stationed around a windowless carriage that was nearly black in the glow of the lit torches. But I didn’t need special Atlantian eyes to know that the carriage wasn’t black, nor did I need better lighting to recognize the symbol embossed on its side. The mantles draped over the armored shoulders weren’t white, they were black.
And the carriage was crimson.
The emblem was a circle with an arrow piercing the center. The Royal Crest.
These men weren’t Royal Guards—they were the guard. Members of the Royal Knights.
“They brought knights,” I whispered the obvious, mainly because I needed to say it to believe what I was witnessing. I’d never seen a knight outside of the capital.
“Yes, they brought out the knights,” the Prince replied, his tone flat but carrying a razor-sharp edge as he let go of my hand. “So, what are you going to do, Princess?”
I could feel the intensity of his stare as I watched the keep’s doors swing open. Two knights appeared, their hands at the ready on the hilts of their broadswords as they led the inhabitants of the keep out into the cold. A mixture of disbelief and confusion thudded through me as the knights lined everyone up. I recognized Elijah and Magda immediately, as they were near one of the torches. For once, the man was quiet as he stood there, arms crossed over his broad chest. I didn’t see Kieran, nor did I see Naill and Delano, but there were at least two dozen outside the keep, and there were…oh, gods, there were children among them, shivering without their cloaks as a fine flurry of snow continued to drift through the air. What if Alastir and his men returned in the midst of this? They would have to see them before they were seen.
“Will you go to them? Shout and alert your presence?” Casteel demanded quietly.
“Why would I do that?” My head jerked in his direction. “I agreed to your proposal. I turned down Alastir’s help.”
“But that was before the Ascended were here. Right in front of you.”
“Yes, that was before,” I told him, my frustration forcing the truth out of me. “But that doesn’t change what I’ve decided. I have more of a chance of reaching my brother through you than I do them.”
Some emotion flickered across his features. “I still can’t believe you were going to try to do that by yourself. You would’ve gotten nowhere near him alone, Poppy.” His head tilted as his eyes narrowed. “Unless you weren’t planning to do it by yourself. Good gods, were you going to allow the Ascended to find you? Was that what you planned on telling the first person you came across when you tried to escape? That you were the Maiden? Did you think they’d take you straight to the capital? To him? If so, then you’re far more reckless than I ever gave you credit for.”
Air left me in a ragged burst. “I figured it would be easier to escape them than you once I got where I needed to be.”
He stared at me like I’d sprouted another head. “Once you got where you wanted to be, Poppy, you would be where they wanted you to be, alone and unprotected.”
“As if that is any different with you.” My lips thinned as I turned to the keep. One of the knights dismounted.
“You are protected with me, and you’ll never be alone,” he shot back.
There was a tug in my chest that I desperately ignored.
“And by the way, in case you were wondering, your plan would’ve turned out just as poorly as your little traipse through the woods did,” he growled.