Resistance (Ilyon Chronicles Book 1) (22 page)

Kyrin glanced at the chair, and pieces she had not yet considered fell into place. The emperor also had a son, Daniel. Now the queen’s answer to her husband’s question made more sense.

Daican’s annoyance vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and his gaze switched to Davira with another look of pride. “We’re close, aren’t we?”

Davira smiled lovingly at him, though something about her sent a chill down the center of Kyrin’s back. “Yes, Father.”

Attention returned to Kyrin then, and Daican asked about her afternoon with her father and discussed the coming visit from her grandfather and brothers.

A short time later, the doors to the dining room burst open. Everyone looked up with a start. A young man in his mid-twenties strode into the room. One look at his dark, short-cropped hair, fit build, and amber eyes left no doubt about his identity, though he stood a bit taller than his
father. Prince Daniel garnered most of the whispers and female giggles at Tarvin Hall. Inheriting all of his father’s good looks, he had the added benefit of youth that made him irresistible to nearly every young woman within a hundred leagues. And he was decidedly unattached.

Kyrin stared wide-eyed at him, though it had nothing to do with his looks. She was the only woman she knew who wasn’t smitten with the prince. No, the man drew her gaping with his behavior. He tromped around the table, pulled out his chair, and sat down hard.

“Sorry I’m late.” He barely glanced at his parents as he snapped open his napkin and laid it on his lap. “I had to dispatch a group of bandits on the way back. A dreadful waste of time.”

“Daniel,” his mother warned sharply.

The prince’s brows rose as his eyes settled on her. “What? Don’t believe me?”

A devilish smirk broke out on his lips.

“You were to be here on time.” Daican spoke with a sharp edge to his voice, and his eyes glinted as he glared at his son.

“Like I said, I was detained by unforeseeable circumstances,” Daniel replied without looking at him.

“And your men will confirm that?”

Daniel just shrugged and motioned to the nearby servants. “I’m starving. Never had lunch.”

“Have you even washed up?”

Kyrin caught the way the emperor’s fist squeezed the life out of his napkin.

Daniel raised his dark eyebrows to his father now. The prince wore a hunting outfit with a couple of small twigs and leaves still clinging to it. His dark hair flipped out at odd angles from riding, and the distinct smell of pine, earth, and horses drifted across the table.

“First you scold me for being late and then get after me for not taking the extra time to wash.”

Kyrin couldn’t imagine using such a flippant tone with her own father.

Complete silence settled over the table. Daican and his son glared at each other in an intense battle of wills.

At last, the emperor ordered in a low, controlled voice, “Out.” He then added more forcefully, “I’ll not have you disrupting this meal.”

“Suit yourself.”

Daniel shoved his chair back, tossed his napkin onto his empty plate, and strode out of the room exactly as he’d entered. Silence fell again. Kyrin didn’t dare to move and draw attention to herself. If only she could sink into the cushion of her chair out of sight. To witness a heated argument between the royal family on her first night in Auréa was not an ideal way to begin her service.

She peeked at Daican, who glared at his plate, and then glanced across at Davira. Fire seethed in the princess’s eyes. Beside her, the queen breathed slow, measured breaths. In a moment, Daican composed himself and once more turned a calm expression to Kyrin.

“I sincerely apologize, Miss Altair. My son has an unfortunate habit of forgetting his place.”

“I understand, my lord,” Kyrin murmured.

From that point on, the meal lost a little of its pleasure, though the emperor did his part to keep things light. When they finished for the evening, Daican bid her goodnight with his hope that she would find her position in Auréa agreeable.

Kyrin left the dining room with a keen desire for rest. As pleasant as the meal turned out to be, the weariness of the day descended and weighed heavily on her shoulders. She couldn’t wait to get the shoes off her pinched and aching feet. Holly waited in her room and helped her change and wash up for bed.

A gentle tap came at the door just as they finished, accompanied by her father’s voice. Holly opened it to him and bobbed a curtsy. She glanced back at Kyrin.

“Will there be anything else, my lady?”

“No, Holly, thank you.”

The young woman left the room, and William closed the door.

Kyrin sank into one of the padded chairs at the end of her bed and rubbed her feet. Her father took the seat across from her.

“Now you look more like the Kyrin I remember.”

They shared a smile.

“I’ll hate having to wear that stuff every day.”

Her father rested back in his chair with curious eyes. “How did it go?”

She stared at him in silence for several seconds. If not for the vivid memories, the last couple of hours would have seemed like a strange dream. “I’m confused. He wasn’t at all what I expected. He was so
…nice. He was kind to me and easy to talk to, and even funny.” She hesitated. “It’s difficult to see him as an enemy. He is our enemy…isn’t he?”

William leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “I don’t think that’s something that can be answered by a simple yes or no, especially not by me. I don’t know him well enough for that. Like you, in my personal experiences with him, he’s been very kind. But I do know he is opposed to the teaching of Elôm and has done things you and I would never approve of, so that requires caution from us.”

The rich food Kyrin had eaten churned in her stomach as her encouraging outlook on supper faded. Her father reached out and took her hand, squeezing it securely, the way he had when leading her around as a child.

“Don’t worry. You’re a smart girl. You’ll figure this out.”

T
he next morning brought much more anticipation than Kyrin had expected for her second day in Auréa. She sought her father the moment Holly finished with her hair and cosmetics, after a mighty battle not to fidget with impatience while the girl worked. She and her father took breakfast together and remained in the privacy of the drawing room to talk while they awaited the rest of Kyrin’s guests.

She chuckled at a story he told of her younger brothers, and then tipped her head a little as her eyes caught on a dark leather cord peeking out from around his neck. “You still wear it.”

He looked down and reached into his collar to withdraw the cord. A shiny, dark-flecked stone hung from it, matching the blue of their eyes.

“Always.”

Kyrin gazed at it. Such a small, insignificant object, yet it represented a much different time of her life.

“It was so long ago, but I still remember asking Carl to help me make it for you, almost like it was yesterday.” The old gardener’s smiling face played in her mind, and a half smile touched her lips. She didn’t think of him as often as her father or brothers, but she did miss him. He’d always been like family. She couldn’t have made the parting gift for her father without him.

“It must be a remarkable thing to have all your memories so clear.”

Kyrin’s smile faded. The quickest and clearest memories to jump to her mind were ones of
goodbye, of cruel words, and of nighttime tears. “Not always.” Her throat ached, and the sting worked its way up into her nose, then her eyes. “I just wish I had more memories of home.”

William put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her hair just above her ear. “So do
I.”

“If only Kaden and I had realized what was at stake. We could have hid our learning abilities and how we pick up on things.”

“Ah, your mother wouldn’t have wanted that. She always wanted to see you become something more than you could have back in Mernin.”

Kyrin tensed under his arm, and her ribs pressed into her lungs. “Only because that’s what Grandfather wanted.” Her voice matched her taut muscles.

“Perhaps, but that’s only part of it.” William pulled away enough to face her. “Really, Kyrin, she’s very proud of you and Kaden.”

Kyrin let these words rest in her mind and bit back the urge to argue. Maybe he was right.

“Keep in mind,” he went on, “had you and Kaden never come to Tarvin Hall, you never would have met Sam, and you might not have followed the King now.”

The tension released, and Kyrin drew a full breath. A smile even worked its way to her lips. “True. I hate how things are, but no knowledge of Elôm would be far worse in the end.”

He patted her shoulder. “Very much worse.”

They grew silent at a knock on the door. A footman stepped into the room. “Excuse me, Miss Altair, your brother has arrived. He’s in the parlor across the hall.”

Kyrin had just enough restraint to retain some semblance of dignity and not dash from the room to meet him. Who knew when Lady Videlle or a member of the royal family might be nearby to witness her actions. But she did share a huge grin with her father as they left the couch. At the parlor door, she let herself in and closed it just enough to hide her father, for now. Kaden stood in the center of the room with his gaze lifted as he scanned the rich, albeit dark, interior. His eyes dropped to her and rounded.

“Kyrin.”

If he intended to say anything else, her enthusiastic embrace cut him off. She squeezed him tightly and relished the sense of security he brought.

“I know I just saw you yesterday morning, but it already feels like such a long time.”

She pulled away and took a step back to let her brother look her over. Slowly, his forehead furrowed.

“Wow,” he said, but his voice was dull.

“You don’t like it.”

Their eyes met, and Kaden hesitated. “No.” He was quick to say, “Don’t get me wrong, you look beautiful, it’s just
…it’s not you.”

“I know,” Kyrin put him at ease. “I don’t like it either, but I don’t have much choice.”

“We never do,” Kaden muttered and half-scowled. “So, why was I summoned?”

Giddiness fluttered in Kyrin’s chest. “To celebrate my promotion.”

Kaden cocked an eyebrow, and Kyrin laughed, enjoying the ability to surprise him. “Don’t worry, part of this you will like.”

She hurried back to the door, peeking around it to grin at her father, and then pulled it open fully as she turned to watch Kaden’s face. At the way his quizzical expression transformed into one of open shock,
a pleasant warmth surrounded her heart.

“Father.”

They met near the door, where William hauled Kaden into his arms, and they traded a crushing embrace. Tears pushed to Kyrin’s eyes, and she dabbed the corners. She wouldn’t ruin Holly’s work this time.

William held his son at arm’s length, his eyes beaming. “Look at the fine young man you’ve become.” He glanced at Kyrin. “I’ll say he’s grown.”

She chuckled again as she watched them with delight—the two men she held most dear.

Kaden shrugged. “I guess I’ve put on a couple of inches.”

“You’ve probably caught up with Liam now.”

“He’s got the Veshiron height too, huh?”

“Yes, you two certainly inherited your grandfather’s stature, and it won’t surprise me if Michael and Ronny have as well, especially Michael. Already tall and lanky for a twelve-year-old.”

Kaden shook his head. “Man, I’d like to see them. Michael probably doesn’t even remember us.”

“I’m afraid not.”

“A bit much to expect, I guess,” Kyrin said. “He was only two, and Ronny was just a baby.”

She imagined his little body, so soft and cuddly in her arms, and his big brown eyes, like their mother’s. If only she could hold him again, but he was no longer a baby. Just what did her brothers look like now, ten years older?

Kaden crossed his arms. “I assume since they haven’t shown up at Tarvin Hall, Kyrin and I got all the special talent in the Altair family.”