CHAPTER 66
1614 Words
Outer Walls – Dawn
The first light of morning found Elise standing on the outer wall’s parapet, her cloak drawn tight against the damp chill. Beyond the city, mist lay thick over the valley, softening the jagged edges of the distant hills. The world looked quiet from here — deceptively so.
She traced the worn stone beneath her fingers, feeling the faint grooves carved by years of sentries’ boots. This high above the streets, the market’s clamor was only a memory; the only sound was the low hum of wind against the crenellations.
“Couldn’t sleep?” a voice said from behind.
She turned. It was Rian, one of her few remaining allies within the palace — a man who’d been part of her guard long before the council had started twisting loyalties. His dark hair was pulled back in a loose knot, his expression wary.
“Sleep’s a luxury,” Elise said.
He stepped up beside her, resting his forearms on the wall. “Word’s moving fast. The council’s announcement has half the city whispering already.”
She didn’t answer immediately. “They think pairing Becky with Kai will settle the unrest.”
“They think it’ll make them untouchable,” Rian said, scanning the horizon. “But they’re wrong. People don’t forget the cracks, even if you paint over them.”
Elise’s mouth tightened. “They’re counting on making the cracks wide enough that nothing can be put back together.”
Rian glanced at her. “You and Kai need to be on the same side for what’s coming. Whatever’s between you, whatever they’re trying to use — don’t let them.”
She exhaled slowly. “It’s not that simple.”
“It never is,” Rian said. “But you’ll both have to decide if you want to win, or just be right.”
She almost smiled at that, but the words were too close to truth to be comforting. “The trouble is, I’m not sure he knows there’s a difference.”
Training Grounds – Midmorning
Kai was already there when Elise arrived — not practicing this time, but overseeing a group of younger soldiers as they drilled. His voice was sharp but measured, the kind that carried authority without needing to shout.
He noticed her before she reached the edge of the sand. His jaw flexed, but he didn’t send the soldiers away.
“I didn’t expect you,” he said when she stopped a few paces from him.
“Then maybe you don’t know me as well as you think,” she replied.
The soldiers pretended not to listen, though Elise could feel the weight of their curiosity.
Kai dismissed them with a curt order, and they scattered toward the far end of the yard. Only then did he turn fully toward her.
“We don’t have time for another argument,” he said.
“Then we won’t argue,” Elise answered. “But we need to speak plainly.”
His brow furrowed, suspicion flickering. “About?”
“Becky. Luka. And the council’s plan to keep us divided.”
He gave a humorless laugh. “You mean the plan that’s already working?”
Her temper prickled, but she kept her voice even. “Only because you let them make you react instead of think.”
His eyes narrowed. “And you never react? You walk away, Elise. Every time we disagree, you shut down and leave. You think that’s strategy, but it’s just another kind of surrender.”
The words hit harder than she wanted to admit. “Walking away is the only way to keep from saying something we can’t take back.”
“And what if that silence costs us the ground we’re standing on?” he demanded.
“Then maybe you should stop giving them reasons to take it,” she shot back before she could stop herself.
For a moment, neither spoke. The space between them felt fragile — stretched thin, like a rope fraying strand by strand.
Finally, Kai looked away. “They want me to play the part of the dutiful fiancé until the public swallows it whole.”
“And will you?” she asked, the same question as yesterday, but softer now.
His gaze snapped back to hers. “No. But I might have to act like I will.”
That answer sent a ripple of unease through her. “If you’re not careful, pretending becomes believing — for everyone watching.”
He gave a grim smile. “Then maybe it’s time we make them watch something else.”
Council Hall – Noon
Becky moved through the high-arched corridor like she belonged there — which, in a way, she did. The aides who passed bowed politely; some looked at her with the kind of interest that spoke of fresh gossip.
She liked that.
The council chamber doors were closed, but that didn’t matter; she wasn’t here for a meeting. Luka was waiting just inside the shadow of a side passage, his stance relaxed.
“You’re late,” he said without heat.
“I’m effective,” she countered, slipping past him toward the far end of the hall where the tall windows overlooked the courtyard. “The more they see me near the council chambers, the more they assume I’m already part of their inner circle.”
“And Kai?” Luka asked.
She smiled faintly. “He’s still bristling. But that bristling will turn to doubt soon enough.”
“Especially if Elise starts thinking he’s halfway to agreeing with the council,” Luka said.
“That’s the idea,” Becky murmured. “We don’t have to break them outright. Just bend them until they can’t hold the weight together.”
Luka’s eyes gleamed. “You push him. I’ll pull her.”
North Quarter – Afternoon
Elise had returned to the same narrow street where Luka had found her the day before, though this time she wasn’t walking aimlessly. She was following a thread — a quiet whisper that someone had been spreading rumors about Kai’s meetings with Becky.
It didn’t take long to find the source.
A woman at a spice stall leaned in conspiratorially when Elise asked about the talk. “They say the match is more than political,” the woman said, her tone eager. “That he’s been visiting her chambers in the evenings.”
Elise kept her expression neutral. “And who told you this?”
The woman’s eyes darted sideways. “Just something that made its way from the palace kitchen.”
Palace kitchen. Luka’s handiwork, no doubt.
When she turned away from the stall, Luka was standing a few paces off, as though he’d been waiting for her to notice him.
“You do get around,” he said lightly.
“You’re wasting your time,” she told him.
“Am I?” he asked, falling into step beside her. “Because from where I’m standing, you’re already wondering if there’s truth in what you’ve heard.”
“I know who benefits from those whispers,” she said. “And it isn’t me.”
“That doesn’t make them untrue,” Luka replied, his tone maddeningly casual.
Elise stopped, facing him squarely. “If you’re trying to drive a wedge, you’ll find I’m harder to move than you think.”
Luka only smiled, but there was something in his eyes — the quiet certainty of someone who’d already set the next part of the game in motion.
Kai’s Quarters – Evening
The rain had come in sudden bursts all afternoon, leaving the palace courtyards slick with puddles. Kai stood by the window, watching the clouds shift, when there was a knock at his door.
When he opened it, Becky stood there, hood pulled back, a faint sheen of rain in her hair.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said immediately.
“Neither should you,” she countered, stepping inside before he could stop her. “The council will expect you at dinner tonight.”
“I’m not going,” he said.
Her eyes softened — too deliberately. “You’re angry. I understand that. But you can’t win this by disappearing. The public needs to see stability.”
“That’s the council’s line,” he said sharply.
“And maybe they’re right,” Becky replied. “You think I’m here for them? I’m here because I don’t like watching you throw away every advantage you have.”
Kai turned away, but her voice followed him.
“You think Elise will stand with you through this? She already looks at you like she’s deciding whether you’re worth the fight.”
He froze. “You don’t know what she thinks.”
“I know what I see,” Becky said softly. “And I see someone who needs an ally, not a critic.”
Her words were silk over steel — and though Kai didn’t answer, the faint shift in his shoulders told her she’d left a mark.
Becky’s Chambers – Night
Becky poured wine into two cups, sliding one toward Luka as he lounged in the chair by her desk.
“She didn’t like seeing me in his quarters,” Becky said.
Luka grinned. “She saw you?”
“Not directly. But she’ll hear about it by morning.”
He lifted his cup in a mock toast. “Then we’re right on schedule.”
Her smile was slow. “Tomorrow, we press harder. I want them both too busy doubting each other to notice what the council’s preparing.”
“And when the real blow comes?” Luka asked.
Becky’s gaze darkened. “They’ll be too far apart to stop it.”
- Writer
