The Exiled King's Guard

Chapter 26: I Should Go

Lucas POV

Suddenly, I felt like an electric shock went through me. How could I forget her? I had seen them both less than ten days ago. And much as I hated to admit it, she had been sneaking up into my thoughts every now and then. She was a commander!? That kid must have a lot of talent if she had risen to commander so quickly.

Trying my best to mask the rush of thoughts I was having, I asked, “what about her?”

“She and the prince showed up in Emerteria for asylum. Your father has imprisoned her on grounds of dark magic. Prince Zach hasn’t been seen much, but is believed to be safe. It also doesn’t look like he wants to reclaim his kingdom. Neither did he defend the Commander when she was charged.”

“This isn’t enough information,” I managed to say. When I was in turmoil inside. Why had she been imprisoned? If my father thinks she has dark magic, then she definitely doesn’t but is posing a threat to him somehow. And what a selfish asshole of a prince is Zach to not even try to defend a subject who is literally willing to die for him.

“Lucas” Esme pauses.

I look at her, she is giving me a knowing look. I swear this woman can read my mind.

“ Don’t even think about it. We can’t afford to deviate from our mission. We have to find out who is wielding dark magic to control your father. Once we do that, you can do as many rescue missions as you like.”

“ Esme, their kingdom was attacked by the Credorans. What if there is a connection between that and my father’s dark magic?”

“Just because two things come from the same place doesn’t mean they have to be related.”

“ But it is too much of a coincidence to ignore. Don’t you think? Especially given that father is trying to get rid of the girl?”

Esme huffed, conceding to me but decidedly not agreeing with me.

“Fine, I give you a week to deviate for this side mission, and you are not taking any of my people with you.”

Good. I wasn’t even considering putting her people at risk anyway.

“What about Eli? She is on ground zero. Can I use her?”

Giving me a look, she turned to continue walking towards the cluster of huts which are the coven’s home grounds. I smile internally, Eli has a soft spot for me, she will do what I ask. But Esme knows I would never put her in danger unless I had no option. Our trust in each other was what was going to make our marriage successful.

I looked up to see Esme had stopped walking and was looking at me to follow her. As I start walking, she continues to lead the way.

“You are going to tell me about your history with this commander over dinner. Understood?”

And I know it is not a request. She is assessing danger, to her coven, to me, and to our contract. It is unusual for Esme to be jealous.

But is it uncalled for? A voice in my head asks me. I don’t know, honestly. I haven’t figured out my thoughts about Commander Ashley. What I do know is, if she is imprisoned in Emerteria, she is definitely not safe. And all my instincts are telling me that I should protect her. I wonder why Jeffery was so frantic about protecting her. Did he remember her from our trip 10 years ago? Is he interested in her? A small voice in the back of my mind piped up. The same voice which had been leading me to thoughts of her every now and then. I decided to brush it off. What Jeffery was doing in his own time was not for me to assess. Given how beautiful she had become, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was. But he wouldn’t bother me if it was a personal situation. For that, I could trust him.

Shaking my head, I brought myself back to the present. I had dinner and a long conversation to look forward to. With a slightly insecure Esme, something I had yet to encounter.

* * *

We were well into the late hours of the night. After a long conversation at dinner, I was able to reason with Esme that Ashley and Zach were important to protect. At the very least, we could save Cairintar from the fate Emerteria was in if I couldn’t free father from the magic.

Right now I was planning how to get into Emerteria what with me being public enemy number 1 over there. Esme and the sisterhood could help me with concealment till I reached Jeffery. From there, I had to rely on him and Eli for support. Eli couldn’t do concealment but she could help. And Margie, I shouldn’t forget her. Possibly one of the most intelligent women I have encountered. She had managed to keep her daughter’s gift a secret and tracked down Esme all on her own for guidance and protection. If there was a woman you needed on your side, it was her.

My plan was simple. Get in, get the girl and get out. One part of my brain was in full support of leaving the pompous prince behind to my tainted father and snake of a daughter. But my rational brain was telling me Zach was a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands. He would be much more complicated to rescue. According to Jeff’s last message, even he didn’t know much about where the prince was. Assuming he was somewhere in the palace, we would have to leverage all the secret doors and passages we could. Otherwise, we were sure to be discovered if the strict security protocols were truly well in place. Esme was right, this was a very risky mission. I asked her if they could relay a message to Eli for more information on those two. It was late, so we were likely to hear back only in the morning. It was disappointing, since I had wanted to leave in the morning, but Esme refused to let me go without some vague idea of what we would have to face once in the capital.

As I watched her try to wake the nearest tree outside, I couldn’t blame her. Being caught in Emerteria was certain death for me. And according to her interpretation of the prophecy, us getting together and staying together was key to both the human’s and the elemental’s future. I had read the prophecy too. But I didn’t know what to make of it, whereas she had been trained all her life to receive and interpret such prophecies.

I continued to watch her as she “spoke” to the tree. It was such a fascinating system of communication. Sure, we weren’t allowed to use it like the normal mail system, only in emergency situations. But we were using it more often now. And the elements allowed for it. Almost as if they themselves had a sense of urgency. The witches based on their gift could “speak” to their element, and the elements then “spoke” to each other to get the message to the person on the other end with the gift. The witches had taught me the method given how many solo missions I was doing. It had more to do with Esme giving me a tiny piece of her gift to enable this communication for me. She had truly put her faith in me. I often wondered if I could be the person she thought I was. If I truly was the person from her prophecy.

Every time I voiced my doubts, she would reassure me that if I wasn’t, the elements would not have helped me. That no human could have the gift if the elements did not wish it so. I was incredibly lucky to have such a great friend in my life partner. But then, why did my mind keep wandering to a certain blue-eyed girl I met ten years ago?

A/N:

hey guys, I am back from the dead. I will try to be more consistent with the updates. Thanks for your patience!