Page 180 of Salt in the Seas
The guard took them first to Gaeren’s room, but Gaeren refused to be settled until he saw where the others were staying. He wouldn’t put it past his father to escort him to his room and then return the others tothe dungeon, fabricating some lie that they’d chosen to leave while letting them rot behind bars.
“My friends are not to be allowed to leave without my approval,” Gaeren told the guard as Orra, the last of them, was given a room two halls down from Gaeren’s.
The guard lifted a single brow.
“They’re not my prisoners,” Gaeren said, “but I want to hear it from their lips if they choose to leave.”
A flicker of understanding crossed the guard’s face, followed by his lips parting in surprise. It was yet another show of distrust in his father, but Gaeren no longer cared. It was time Enla took her place at the throne regardless of her confusion. It was time for their parents to step down. And as throne warden, he would defend his sister’s right to the throne even from their own parents.
Instead of waiting for the guard to escort him, he used the small bit of energy that had infused him from the Sun’s light to march his way to his rooms, the guard rushing to keep up. When Gaeren entered, he was surprised to see the room freshly cleaned, and his heart seized with fear for Riveran. Had his friend been caught?
A steaming bath and its fragrant soaps beckoned him from the other room, but he shut the door and made sure he was alone before sliding aside the dresser and checking the secret passage. Only cobwebs remained, without any note or sign that Enla or Riveran had used it recently.
“It’s about time.”
Gaeren’s neck cracked as he whipped his head around to find his friend crawling out from under the bed, his frame seeming comically large as his chest got stuck.
“Are you just going to watch me or give me a hand?” Riveran reached out an arm.
Gaeren grinned, doing his best to pull his friend out, but without proper food and rest, he was weak, and they both ended up on the floor laughing. He dragged Riveran a handsbreadth at a time until the other man’s legs were free. They both sat up, breathing heavily.
“Enla’s been trying to convince them to free you, insisting most of your future paths hold the loyalty expected of a throne warden.”
Gaeren winced, hoping it was a lie she told rather than more fruitless searching to confuse her compromised mind. “That’s not why they released me.”
Riveran nodded. “It’s because Aeliana came.”
All thoughts of food, sleep, and bathing flew from Gaeren’s mind. “She’s here? Under the same roof as my father?”
“Enla asked that she be given her own guest quarters across the hall.”
Gaeren ran a hand through his hair, realizing mere feet and a handful of walls separated him from Aeliana. “And she’s all right?”
Riveran shrugged. “Enla says she is. The information they gave matched with what you and her parents said, finally convincing your father that the threat was true. He’s willing to consider working with the Recreants against a greater threat.”
Gaeren shook his head. “I find that hard to believe. With all the progenies he has on hand, he could have tested our words at any point in time and he chose not to. What makes him suddenly trust them? What would ever make him willing to work with the Recreants?”
“Enla said they were tested by his progenies. He didn’t give you or her parents that same honor, but perhaps that’s part of the upcoming deliberations he has planned.”
Gaeren squinted at his friend, his mind racing as he tried to map out the inconsistencies of his father’s behavior. “But they brought the navy north to fight the Recreants.”
“You’re saying you don’t trust your father’s change of heart?”
Gaeren snorted. “That should have been assumed long ago. Right now I’m saying his reason for dishonesty in this scenario has me worried. What does he know that he’s keeping from us? And is he really willing to deliberate, or is this some sort of farce?”
“I suppose we’ll have to hear your father out to know for sure,” Riveran said.
The idea of playing his father’s political games left him exhausted, especially after sitting in prison for two days, where he’d had far too much time to think about all the decisions he’d made, both good and bad, that had led him to this point. “I want to check their hands for brand marks.”
“Enla said Tobias reassured her they have none.”
“Enla and Tobias didn’t see how we were fooled by Holm.” Gaeren pressed his lips together in a grim line, regretting his sharp tone. “I want to check for myself. And I want to see what tonics Tobias is giving Mother.”
“That’s fair,” Riveran said.
“First, I should check on Aeliana.” Gaeren stood, but Riveran also jumped to his feet and held Gaeren back.
“First, you should take a bath.” He wrinkled his nose and shoved Gaeren toward the bathing room. “Aeliana will appreciate the delay.”
