Cage of Deceit(56)

Darmik came and sat on the edge of the table on the other side of his daughter.

“Should I, uh, be here for this?” Audek asked.

Rema reached out for his hand. “My dear friend, thank you for your loyalty over the years.” She smiled, and his face reddened. “I need you to go and see Trell. He is the only one besides Mako who knows where Nathenek is. Find Nathenek and tell him that we’re entering stage one.”

Audek knelt on the ground. “Yes, Your Majesty.” He stood and left the room, winking at Rema before he closed the door behind him.

“What is going on?” Allyssa asked. “Who is Nathenek and what is stage one?”

Her parents exchanged worried glances. “Honey, you must know that we love you very much,” Rema said. “We never meant to be deceitful, but sometimes, as a ruler, you have to do things that are in the best interest of the kingdom.”

Darmik reached out and placed his hand on Allyssa’s shoulder. “We never wanted to lie to you,” he said. “But we had to do what was best.”

“When I took the throne,” Rema said, “I promised to always preserve the royal line no matter what. My own mother sacrificed herself so that I could live and carry on the line. Sometimes, we have to make such sacrifices. It is part of being a ruler.”

Allyssa had no idea what her parents were getting at, but she was suddenly scared.

The door opened, and Neco slipped into the room. “Sorry to interrupt, but I have some vital information that can’t wait.” He tugged his right ear and tilted his head.

Darmik jumped up and ran out of the room after Neco.

“We’ll continue this conversation later,” Rema said to her daughter as she stood and kissed Allyssa on her forehead. Then she, too, hurried from the room.

Allyssa sat there stunned, having no idea what her parents were about to reveal. She wanted to yell at them to come back and force them to tell her. Throwing her hands up in the air, she cursed.



“Given the threat from Russek, your father should increase security around the castle. We shouldn’t be able to enter and exit so easily,” Jarvik said as he and Allyssa walked along the street, heading deeper into the city. The rain had stopped, but everything was still wet, the streets littered with puddles.

She’d been thinking the same thing, but she hadn’t wanted to say anything to her father until after she met with the assassin tonight.

“Just so we’re absolutely clear, you’re not to follow or fight with any criminals this evening. Understood?”

This was the tenth time Jarvik had said something on the matter. She wasn’t sure what bothered her more—him ordering her around, or constantly saying the same thing so many bloody times as if she were incompetent. “I said I’d behave and I will.”

“I already have six soldiers at the inn,” he continued. “An additional two are ahead of us and two more are behind.”

“You don’t plan on hovering over me at the inn, do you?”

“No,” he said, “but I will be close by. Don’t look at me. Just pretend like I’m not there—that you don’t even know me.”

“The assassin could already be watching us.” She scanned the buildings around them, wondering if there were any threats lurking in the shadows.

“Figure out what he wants and leave. I’ll have him followed.”

She stopped walking and folded her arms, waiting for Jarvik to realize she wasn’t next to him.

He swung around to face her. “Why’d you stop?”

“Is everything okay with you?” she asked. She recalled his argument with Prince Odar earlier today, wishing he’d tell her about it. But he would never confide in her, especially since they weren’t friends.

“Yes, why?” he asked, his eyebrows pulling together as if he was trying to solve some mystery.

“You haven’t stopped talking since we left the castle, and it’s exhausting.”

He shook his head. “I’m the exhausting one? I’m worried because if anything happens to you, it’ll be my head on the line.” He started walking again. “You’re the exhausting one, not me.”

She jogged to catch up to him. “Nothing is going to happen.”

“You’re about to meet a man you know nothing about except for the fact that he took down your guards and mine as if it were nothing. So yes, I’m very concerned.”

“If I wanted a lecture, I would’ve brought Marek with me.”

“There’s a reason he’s always lecturing you,” Jarvik replied. “You’re reckless, impossible, and infuriating.”