Page 36 of Salt in the Seas
Gaeren had known this was where the conversation was headed. He’d thought it would be easy to refuse. But his parents’ remorse somehow made it harder.
“I’ve promised to reunite Rildan with his family back in Myndren. I have commitments I need to follow through on first.” He hoped that angle might make his father reconsider, since his father had always wanted him to show more initiative and responsibility.
His father scoffed. “Someone else can deliver things for you. I hear Riveran has been assisting you. Perhaps he could.” His father practically choked on his friend’s name.
“Well, now that you’ve brought him up,” Gaeren said, “whatisyour plan for him? He holds the mark of a traitor, and yet he’s been invited to be one of Enla’s advisors.”
A pink hue spread across Enla’s face and neck. But she lowered her eyes, leaving the king to answer.
“We invited him to be one ofyouradvisors,” his father corrected. “Riveran has proved his loyalty in his service to you. We’d even be willing to have our healers remove the mark on his forehead to aid people’s trust in him.”
“And what will you tell people of my mark?” Gaeren held up his hand, the evidence of his blood magic making his mother’s face grow pale.
Tobias rushed forward, letting a few drops fall from a vial into the queen’s tea. Gaeren frowned, both at the interruption and the uneasy feeling that his mother shouldn’t accept unknown tinctures from anyone, no matter how long they’d been in the royal family’s service.
“You were a victim, just like us,” his father said, holding out his own palm and matching scar.
Gaeren let out a bitter laugh. “This was my choice, and I don’t regret it. It saved a life. A life that then saved thousands.”
His father’s lips pursed. “Even if that’s true, that’s not the story we’ll tell the people. We’ll find something that fits with Riveran’s story when we remove his mark.”
Gaeren sat back, crossing his right foot over his left knee, attempting to hide his irritation behind a slouch. “I can’t speak for him, but I wonder if he would prefer to leave it—if he would prefer to have the people see that you were willing to trust someone who had been in such high disregard. It might give others hope that they could rise from their lowly positions.”
His father’s face darkened, and creases formed between his eyebrows. “His situation is rare. I don’t expect to find many others I would absolve of their crimes.”
“What about all the sailors who joined me in aiding the Recreants in the eastern province?” Gaeren leaned forward, truly eager to hear his father’s answer. “Several of them have the same mark on their foreheads. They were all just as willing to put their lives in danger to save our nation from Mayvus’ power. They might not have been serving the crown, but they were serving the people. Their goals aligned with ours because we serve the people first and foremost, right?”
The uncomfortable silence returned.
“I fear Larkos may have filled your head with too many ideals,” his mother said, placing her cup back on its saucer.
“It does sound idyllic, doesn’t it?” Gaeren asked. “A nation where people can make decisions for themselves, where they can work hard and be rewarded for their efforts, where they can be given equal opportunities regardless of what family they’re born into or how much money or starblood they have.”
His father snorted and his face grew more red. Danton shifted, as if warning Gaeren he was going too far.
But Gaeren couldn’t stop. “These people are going to bring a war to your door if you don’t change something. If you don’t find a way to put things in their favor, they will find a way to turn it around themselves.”
His father’s eyebrows rose. “Are you threatening us?”
A laugh bubbled up in Gaeren’s throat. “I’m warning you of a threat that’s already there. I don’t want to see anyone in our family hurt, but I also don’t want to see the people hurting. I will never aid them in battle against you. But I won’t stand by as their rights continue to be stripped away.”
This time, Enla’s face paled as the conversation touched on topics they had yet to discuss. Perhaps she hadn’t sifted the future for his thoughts on politics because she assumed he was far more concerned about his bond and sailing.
“I’m leaving tomorrow for Myndren. I will reunite Rildan with his family. Depending on what’s happened in my absence, it might be best for me to stay there and aid them. I think my talents would be wasted here.”
“Talents,” his father scoffed. “You were raised to be a throne warden, but you’re too entitled to take on that role. I thought you were too soft, but now I suspect that you’re too immature. You’re still trying to prove yourself, and the easiest way for you to do that is to go against us. If I tell you to go right, you go left. It’s the way it’s always been. But for some reason, I thought that when things got hard, your sister would be able to count on you. I thought your bond as siblings would at least give you enough scruples for that.”
The anger that had been building in Gaeren halted as he took in the tears clinging to Enla’s lashes. Was that what shethought too?
Tobias rushed forward again, but Enla waved away whatever soothing tincture he offered for her tea.
Gaeren cleared his throat. “My decision to leave has nothing to do with my care for Enla. She is my sister, and that will never change. I would gladly give my life for her. But unless she changes the way our family is leading the Vendaran people, I don’t know that she can be my queen.” His words rang through the room with a finality that shocked even him. He hadn’t meant to say something so definitive, so treasonous. He’d expected that time and distance would make them realize that was likely how he felt, but he knew the blunt words stung far more than a distant realization would.
Enla’s face grew blotchy.
“I’m surprised you didn’t sift that,” he muttered.
Her lips trembled, and she gave a slight shake of her head. “I did, and it hurts just as much to hear it the second time around.”
