Kael shifted in the seat, briefly averting his eyes. "And at the end of all this?"
"You may leave," Darian said, tone flat. "Rebuild your blacksmith's shop, forge a new life."
And how did the prince know his family's blacksmith's shop needed rebuilding? Coincidence, as most trades from outlying villages had ceased during wartime, or something more?
"Pah's shop was at the heart of Trenlake." The village name had the desired effect of making the prince's brow tighten. "The elves burned it down in the massacre, got right up to Eldros's gates. Killed everyone, including my parents."
The prince winced again and turned his face away. "Rylan," he called. The door promptly flew open.
"I wasn't there to protect them." Kael stood. "The elves hung them from trees. They weren't dead when they were strung up. Death never comes easy for their victims." The prince still faced away. The thin skin over his pulse fluttered lightly in his neck, and Kael found he wanted to twist the blade some more, make the man hear the horrors of war, make him see them.
Rylan reached for his arm, and Kael snatched it away. "You'd know that if you'd been here instead of hiding wherever your father had you holed up for safekeeping."
Darian tore from the chair and lunged for the window. He braced an arm against the frame and bowed his head. "Take him away." His shoulders heaved, breaths coming fast.
Was it shame that made him turn his face away? Shame that he'd run from the war like the coward he was, while his people had fought for the griffin and died by the thousands.
Satisfied he'd done enough, Kael relented and left with Rylan.
They walked two doors down from the prince's chambers. Rylan shoved him inside and slammed the door behind them. "You need to learn to hold your tongue."
The man's cheek twitched. "This is where you will sleep from now on. By all means, admire the view from the window. We're in one of the highest towers. Don't jump. You'll sleep on the lounger. The bed is mine."
The room was similar to Darian's, if smaller, with an interconnecting door that possibly led through a second chamber and eventually to the prince's room. "This is your room?"
"It is. Darian wanted to keep you with the other doulos to see what shook free since your last encounter was so fruitful. I suggested that it may not be the most efficient use of your skills and offered to accommodate you here. You're welcome."
"How was my last encounter fruitful when I almost killed a man?"
"Multiple witnesses stated the man, a new doulos, tried to kill you, unprovoked, in your sleep."
"He did…." Kael drifted about the room. There were no weapons, at least none of the obvious kind. Minimal, neat, impersonal. This room either hadn't been Rylan's for long, or he preferred to keep all personal items hidden out of sight. Probably to stop Darian from using them as ammunition. "I hadn't been sure at first. The dreams make it—" He cut himself off and reached a dresser mirror, only to find Rylan's reflection watching him closely.
"Someone took a dislike to Darian having a personal slave and decided to remove you," Rylan said. "It could be connected to Carlo's death. We don't know. Doulos, by their nature, are feisty with each other."
"If Darian knew I was attacked, why did he have me publicly flogged?" His back itched and ached from the recent trauma.
"For appearances. Most doulas are broken in early on so they know their place. He was lenient."
Acrid hate burned on Kael's tongue. These people were a different breed. The killer, whoever they were, had the right idea in attacking the prince. Maybe Kael would find them and help them eliminate all the royals. What a thought that was. From soldier to assassin. But the idea didn't sit well with him. He had more honor than that. The Vexes weren't worth his loyalty, but the innocent people of Eldros were. "Did you fight in the war, Rylan?"
"I did," the man said, surprising Kael. He didn't have the hard eyes of those who had survived.
"Where?"
"Carlion Gap."
Kael turned and reassessed the man standing before him. He was well-built with enough muscle to make him a proficient warrior, but something didn't feel right.
The Carlion Gap was one of the first border locations to fall to the elves. Eldros's forces hadn't been prepared. Nothing could have prepared them for the elves. He studied Rylan again, stepping closer, and noticed the gloves. He'd been wearing them from the moment they'd met in the pleasure house, and though Rylan was in a more comfortable uniform, the gloves stayed.
Elves often took more trophies than hearts. "You escaped them?" Kael asked.
Rylan worked his jaw and sighed. "I try not to think about it."
"I'm grateful for your service, even if the Vexes are not."
Rylan nodded and half-gestured at the room. "Don't touch my shit."
"Fair enough." Kael smiled.
"And don't get any ideas about fleeing," Rylan added, dropping into a chair to unlace his boots. He used a thumb and finger, but the remaining gloved fingers stayed rigid. "I'll have to chase you down, and neither of us wants that." He pulled the boot free, then added the second and neatly set them aside.
"Do you care for the prince?" Kael asked.
The question interrupted Rylan's smooth movements, making him stall and look up. "I must protect the royal name, as it is yours, although you seem to have forgotten."
"I did not forget. They stopped earning my loyalty when the king surrendered."
"The king negotiated peace, and he had his reasons."
Kael leaned back against the windowsill and folded his arms. "I don't blame you for wanting this peace. But we fought back, and we were winning. Eight years and we were beating them until King Talos pissed it all away because he's a coward, just like the rest of them. Just like Darian."
Rylan's smile was a sad, sympathetic turn of his lips. He stood and fumbled with the buttons of his shirt as he headed toward the four-poster bed. "Get some rest while you can. Darian keeps unusual hours."
"I rarely sleep."
"Neither does he."