Arc 9-15 (Patreon)

“It’s too dangerous.”

Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. Alana has come a long way when it comes to her home, but the north still ensnares her sensibilities in a way I can’t understand. Not even my all-consuming hatred of the Grimoires can compare to the obsession of the James family with their war, sustained by their traditions.

I spoke with her father. He claimed that his ancestors made a vow beyond words never to surrender the north. That a James would always choose Victory. I don’t know if there’s anything magical to that claim, but I do know that there is something in the water up there if generations of horrendous loss isn’t enough to make them rethink their insanity.

My knight looks so much like her father when she frowns. Not so much in looks, but in countenance, a severity that drapes over their shoulders like a slate gray shawl. “If he finds out, we’ll have broken faith.”

I wrap my arms around her neck, pressing against her. “How would he find out?”

“He will.”

“Sweetie, please. Stop thinking like a misbehaving daughter. Remember, the only other option is killing him.”

She scowls. “He’ll go back.”

“Why in the saints’ name would he do that?”

“Because he’s a James,” she pronounces, like it makes all the sense in the world.

“Come on. If they’ll kill him?”

“He’s already done it once.”

“Sure, because…” I trail off with a wince. “Ah. That might be a real problem.”

“What?”

“His love. Little Water. He risked death for the chance to be with her.”

“So—”

“Ah.” I cover her lips with a finger. “That isn’t the end. Little Water is one thing tying him to the north. Anything else you can think of?”

“No. I mean, he is close with his mother, but I think that is merely because he is the last of her children that lives. They hardly spend time together. Is it rude to say that he would be able to go without seeing her?”

“I don’t think so. Being related doesn’t mean being close. Now, there’s nothing at all? Maybe a good friend or a bastard child?”

She scoffs at the suggestion. “Khan’s closest friend is the snow. Before Little Water, I would have wagered everything I owned that he would die unwed and childless.”

“Good.”

“How is that good? If she’s the only thing he cares about, he’ll hold on that much tighter. It’ll be impossible to separate them.”

It’s my turn to grimace. “And if I tell you that she doesn’t feel quite as strongly?”

Blue eyes as clear as the sky despite the gloom widen. Then she snarls, the fierce emotion behind her bared teeth sparking the thing in me that squirms in the face of Kierra’s brutality. I bite back a sound that doesn’t fit the mood as her hands go to my waist, fingers digging into my skin hard enough I can almost call it painful. “No. You can’t interfere with that.”

“I—” I clear my throat, removing the unhelpful hitch. “I’m not doing anything. Have you talked to her?”

“…not really,” she admits with a hint of a flush. “She doesn’t seem the type interested in small talk.”

“Not like you.” I swallow my giggles as she tries to tighten her grip. “She doesn’t seem interested because she isn’t. That girl is the most singularly focused individual I have ever met. She cares about one thing. It’s the kind of ambition that would do a noble proud.”

“Are you saying that she doesn’t love my brother?”

Come on. I can tell from the flatness in her tone and the resignation in her eyes she already knows the answer. “Alana. If someone had detained you and I didn’t have the power to free you, do you think I would go a week before seeing you? A month? She didn’t even ask to see him this time.”

She deflates. “…this is going to tear him apart.”

“Maybe.”

“Of course it will.”

“You think he doesn’t know who she is? I wouldn’t be surprised if he sees this coming. Ugh.” I cover my eyes. “I’m not making light of his feelings, but Little Water isn’t exactly duplicitous. She’s made no secret of her priorities. Don’t get me wrong. I understand Khan. If a woman I loved decided to be with me just for the benefits, I’d be perfectly okay with that. Saints, that’s exactly what a flower is.” I crane my neck to look at Talia and she flashes one of her hair-thin smiles. “I’m sure that Little Water would have treated him well. But that only applies so long as he can keep up his end of the bargain. She can’t marry him to unite their people.” Don’t make me say it.

“He’s not useful anymore.” Oof. Her saying it doesn’t make it any better.

“He’s not.”

For a minute, I think she’s going to stomp through the estate and give the lizard girl a piece of her mind. Then her fingers relax, to my slight disappointment, and she leans back in her chair. “I’ve only heard about the way he stood up to our father to not fight, but I can imagine what it took for a man who gets sick at the thought of shedding blood to stand against that kind of pressure. He thinks the same as Yulia but unlike her, he took a stand. He didn’t change the north and no one will celebrate him, but saints if they don’t respect him. He’ll always be despised, but there’s a reason he hasn’t been banned from the north.”

She shakes her head, sadness in the dip of her chin. “I respect him.”

“Don’t focus on the bad,” I urge, hating the burgeoning guilt in her eyes. “It hurts, that’s really unfortunate for him, I couldn’t imagine losing you like that, but this is about his life. Her rejection means he doesn’t kill himself chasing after her. We’ll set him up somewhere nice. Saints bear witness, if he needs another frozen wasteland to make him happy, we’ll find one. Okay? Whatever he needs.”

“If he accepts it.”

“What do you mean?”

She shrugs. “You used yourself as an example. If, er, anyone you loved left you, are you telling me you wouldn’t chase us to the end of world to change our minds?”

“You make me sound dangerous.”

“You wouldn’t hurt us. Just follow us around all day with big, watery eyes and assassinating anyone that even thinks to romance us.”

That’s…I can’t say with confidence that I wouldn’t.

“He’s not me,” I weakly answer the accusation.

“Maybe.”

“Well, we won’t know unless we ask him. He’s got to learn sooner or later.” I try to slip off her legs, but her hands renew their powerful grip. “Um?”

“It can wait.” Her eyes that have been dutifully ignoring my body finally go where they please, practically searing me with the heat of her stare. “Let him face it in the morning.”

“What will we do till then~?”

Her answer is to lift me up and carry me off to the bedroom, my chuckles creating a path that Kierra follows at a lazy gait.