Page 119 of The Last Storm
“Thank you.” He released me and stepped away. “I still have to tell everyone else and Doran… Well, we haven’t even spoken since he gave me this.” He gestured to his chin. “He’s been working with his commanders since well before sunrise.”
He held the door open for me and we entered his chambers.
“We don’t know when the army will mobilize, so they’re working as quickly as possible to make sure everyone is ready.”
“And the army—they’re at the northern tip by where you had your camp?”
“Yes, it’s the closest and fastest way into Ravaryn from the Capitol.”
“Why is there an army this time? Why not more small attacks? I could understand if Evander was still pushing to get me back, but… he thinks I’m dead?”
“He’s starting another war. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re using your ‘death’ as the spark.”
As we walked, my thoughts clung to Evander.
The difference between him before the Ten Year War and now was stark. Black and white. Before, he was caring and kind. He was a good father that radiated warmth. But then he dragged us along to the war, putting us more in danger. It was completely out of character.
And now, none of those words could be used to describe him.I don’t understand—
And then it hit me.
My feet halted as my mouth fell open.
“I can’t believe I haven’t thought of this before. King Adon is the manipulator.”
He stopped walking and turned back to me, his eyebrows pulled together in confusion.
“Yes…”
My thoughts and heart were racing in tandem as everything clicked into place.
After the war, his entire identity shifted and centered around his role as general. He became harsh and distant. Only focused on his duties and orders. The ideal general.
He didn’t seem like the same person… Because he wasn’t.
“We both said it made no sense for Evander to bring my mother and me with him from battle to battle, right?”
He nodded slowly, still unsure.
“Because a man wouldn’t want his wife and daughter in danger… But what if it wasn’t his thought at all?”
“It was Adon’s,” he breathed and I nodded, meeting his gaze.
We rushed to the library, passing Doran on the way. Rogue grabbed him by the sleeve without saying a word and dragged him to the library with us. We found Alden and Iaso sitting in the chairs under the window.
“Good, you’re all here,” Rogue said. “We need to talk.”
We pulled chairs over to theirs and explained everything.
It was Doran who spoke first. “So Adon, the manipulator, is your brother?”
“Yes.”
“Adon became king six or seven years before the war started. And then over the ten years of war, Evander became a completely different person. Everything he believed in changed. It had to have been Adon messing with his mind. He became the ideal general, I suppose.”
Doran sighed, bracing his hands on his knees. “It would be the most logical scenario. He’s already convinced everyone he’s human, so it makes sense he would go one step further and align them with his motives.”
“So how do we undo it?” I asked, looking at Rogue. When he didn’t respond, I turned to Alden, then Iaso. “We can… undo it, right?”
