Chapter 9
1200 Words
“Finally, I meet the Star-bearer… I’m Eryndor Velcaryn.” He stepped forward, almost reaching to kiss my hand, but I pulled back instinctively, only to find my back slammed against Prince Zaryth.
Eryndor… He is the prince with the Ironfang beast, only his beast is nowhere close to him. I couldn’t spot it anywhere.
“Trust me, Sorenna,” Zaryth said, his voice smooth but tight at the edges, green eyes darkening as they flicked toward his brother.
“You don’t want to go with him. He’s manipulative. He’ll twist your thoughts, make you believe you chose him. But it won’t be you he’s after… not really. He ruins everything he touches.”
Were they… fighting over me?
Confusion tightened my brows. I—I thought they wanted me dead.
Rhysand said the moment they caught me… I’d be gone.
So why this? Were they pretending to be kind? Playing some twisted game? What did each of them truly want from me?
“Stop it. Please.” My voice trembled, but I forced it out, strong enough to be heard. “I’m not going with anyone. You’ll both back off while I leave this kingdom and find my siblings.”
I yelled… Frustrated, breath shaky, my head pounding with the weight of it all.
“I just told you, Sorenna… You can’t leave,” Zaryth said, a charming smile curling on his lips. “And I meant it. I’ll make sure of it.”
Prince Zaryth’s tone, laced with possessiveness, sent a chill down my spine. Had I mistaken that charming, innocent face for something safe? If I had fallen for it… I would’ve walked straight into his grip.
No. There was no way I’d choose him—not if I had to. I wouldn’t let anyone control me. Not him. He already sounded like a control freak, even with that mesmerizing, striking face.
“Sorenna,” Eryndor said gently, his voice almost tender, “if it were up to me, I’d let you walk out of Sylvarra right now… and I’d even help you find your siblings.” He took a careful step closer, eyes steady. “But think, really think. If you leave now, you’ll be hunted. The Thornevaldians won’t stop until they’ve found you. They’re your enemies… and mine.”
He let out a breath, his brow softening with perfect sincerity. “Stay here, and I’ll protect you.”
His words sounded so honest—too honest. But… could I really trust him?
Would going with him feel less like a choice and more like the only safe path I had left?
He’d promised to help me find Violet and Zach… And that alone sparked the smallest flicker of hope inside me.
Maybe… maybe he was right. I wouldn’t stand a better chance out there alone. And what if I just let him keep his promise?
He didn’t feel like a threat—not like Zaryth with his possessive edge or Rhysand with his cruel silence.
Eryndor hadn’t even brought his beast with him… as if he knew it would frighten me. That had to mean something. Didn’t it?
“I’ll go with you… if you truly promise to find Zach and Violet for me.”
My voice was quiet, my eyes softening as I locked them with his. His gaze softened in return, and for a moment… it almost felt safe.
“I sure will. Princess Sorenna.”
Maybe Eryndor really was the better choice. Maybe he wasn’t as dangerous as I feared.
But then… Zaryth’s voice sliced through the quiet like a blade.
“Sorenna, I promise you...that will be your biggest mistake.”
His once-charming eyes darkened, the warmth vanishing into something colder…something malicious.
Maybe you were going to be my biggest mistake, I thought silently, watching Zaryth’s shadow linger behind my choice.
Eryndor smiled gently, then shrugged off his black cloak and draped it over my shoulders. It was warm… oddly comforting.
“It’s getting colder and late,” he said softly. “You need a warm bath, fresh clothes, and a bed to sleep in. Tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to the king, and everyone in Sylvarra will finally see you.”
His words should have reassured me. But instead, something in my chest clicked wrongly.
The king.
My breath caught. What was I doing?
I was a Varynthian princess… And Sylvarra was our enemy. The enemy that tore through my people. That saw to my mother’s death. And here I was, letting their prince wrap me in his cloak like I belonged?
Why was I being so relaxed around them? And soon… soon I would be introduced to their devil king. The very man who had watched his sword pierce my mother’s heart.
He was the one who had silenced her forever.
I clenched my teeth, barely containing the fury burning inside me.
Fine. Show me to your king.
Show me the murderer of my mother, and I swear I will make sure his blood stains the marble floor and his eyes close in death.
Zaryth stepped back silently, and Eryndor led me through the towering black gates of the Trueborn Princes’ Court.
My stomach twisted into knots as I crossed the threshold…the last place I ever imagined I would set foot if I was to live in Sylvarra.
Every step felt heavier, like I was walking deeper into the heart of a trap I couldn’t escape.
Inside, a gentle stream flowed along the left side, its water cool and crystal blue, waving smoothly through stones that glistened faintly under the golden light.
As Eryndor moved through the right, long spiral steps appeared; below the side of the spiral steps, a small garden bloomed with flowers in vibrant hues—crimson, violet, and gold… filling the air with its scent and heady scent different from Rhysand’s court.
Eryndor walked ahead, and I followed, my steps cautious as we approached a grand chamber. My gaze caught the name carved elegantly above the arched entrance in fine silver letters:
“Eryndor Velcaryn’s Chamber.”
Opening the door to his chamber, the view was breathtaking and peaceful. In the middle lay a soft, large master bed covered in white silk sheets.
Inches away from the bed, there was the glass wall… transparent, so I could see the streets of Sylvarra from up here, glowing in quiet light and ethereal, majestic manner.
“Relax yourself, Sorenna. I won’t bite,” Eryndor said with a hint of a smile, his silver-gray eyes gesturing toward the bed.
As he moved to the closet, retrieving a long white shirt, I watched, amused by how effortlessly it seemed to slide from his hands.
“Go to the right,” he directed softly. “You’ll find a glass bathroom. The water’s steamy. It’ll relax your body and mind.”
I stepped slowly, barefoot, across the cool marble floor toward the glass bathroom, letting the quiet luxury around me sink in.
My mind spun with doubt and fear, but beneath it all flickered a fragile hope. Could I really trust him?
Maybe for tonight. But when daylight broke, I would find a way to kill the king who murdered my mother.
- Writer
