Chapter 97 Before Adira strikes
KELVIN
I walk through the training grounds just past dusk, the air still warm, the sky bruised with fading light. The weapons racks stand silent, the ground littered with old targets and abandoned spears.
I see Adrian ahead, tossing a dagger into a wooden target. The throw is precise, too precise. Tense. It’s the kind of quiet anger I’ve learned to recognize.
My heart pounds in my chest so loud I can feel it in my throat. For two days I have carried this guilt, dread, uncertainty. My fingers clench and unclench as I approach. Adrian doesn’t turn at once, he is always focused when he’s training, and right now, he needs that focus.
When he sees me, his eyes sharpen. He retrieves the dagger, tucks it away. “Kelvin. What are you doing here?”
I clear my throat. “We need to talk.” My voice sounds small. He watches me warily.
He nods once, dismissing the last throw. “Alright. Let’s move somewhere quiet.” He leads me toward a shadowed corner of the ground, behind the training dummies and walls of practice stalls.
I take a deep breath. The words catch. Guilt is heavy. “Adrian... I can’t keep this buried any longer. I said something I shouldn’t.”
Adrian’s eyes flash. “What did you say?” His tone is sharp.
“This…” I hesitate, then speak, voice low, “I told Adira that even if she searched the outskirts of the city, she wouldn’t find her.”
A silence crashes between us. The world feels like it stops. Adrian’s jaw sets tight. He steps closer.
“You what?” His voice is steady but dangerous.
I swallow. “I meant it as a deflection to shut her down. I never believed she’d actually deduce anything from it. But...” My voice falters. “Now I worry I gave her everything she needed.”
Adrian’s face is a storm. He grips my shoulder. “You idiot. Do you realize what that means?”
I nod, shame flooding me. “Yes. I know now. She’s been acting odd. Disappearing. Quiet. She’s not roaming; she’s planning. And with that clue...” My voice weakens.
His eyes go hard. “She knows more than she should. And if she’s on that path already...” He shakes his head. “We can’t wait.”
I glance at the grounds, thinking how empty they feel, how vulnerable. “We can’t. I had to tell you. I had to warn you.”
Adrian steps back, anger and concern warring in his face. “Then we have to tell Darian. Immediately.”
I nod. “I agree. We should go to him now.”
Adrian cuts across the grounds. He picks up a fetched cloak, then one of the training staves. I follow, side by side, urgency in every step.
We move fast but quiet, the palace is supposed to think we’re still here. We slip past guards, path lit by torchlight, edges of shadows. I can barely breathe.
We cross beyond the main walls, through alleys and service corridors, until we reach the edge of the city. The air is cooler here. The distant hum of traffic, but quieter.
We reach the building. A single guard patrols ahead. Adrian places a hand on his hilt, but the guard steps aside, someone with enough rank, whispered orders. The door opens, Adrian leads, I slip in behind him.
Inside, low light, sparse furnishings. Darian sits in a chair by a table, head bowed. He looks tired, drawn. When we enter, he lifts his head slowly.
“Kelvin, Adrian,” he says quietly, surprise flickering. “I wasn’t expecting-”
Adrian cuts in. “Darian. We need to tell you something important.”
I swallow hard. “I told Adira something I shouldn’t have.” I pace across the room. “I told her… the outskirts. That she wouldn’t find Iris there.”
Darian’s eyes narrow. His jaw presses tight.
Adrian steps closer. “That clue, your slip... she’s perhaps already using it. She’s been strangely absent, knowing more than she ought. She might act tonight.”
His face hardens. “You gave her that piece.” My guilt is a stone in my gut. “Yes.” I barely whisper it.
Darian stands. He moves unsteadily; the wound in his side has not healed fully. I start forward to help him, but Adrian blocks me gently. Darian steadies himself.
He eyes me, anger and betrayal mingled. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I was afraid.” The truth. “Afraid you’d hate me.”
He looks at Adrian, expression fierce. “Is this true?”
Adrian nods. “Yes. He confessed. We came straight away.”
Darian’s eyes are cold. “So she knows. And now she’s coming.”
A beat. Then he breathes, voice low but firm. “Iris is in danger. We go. Now.”
Adrian moves to grab weapons and supplies. I follow, trembling.
Darian whispers, “You helped me. But know this, if there’s any betrayal now, I will not forgive.”
I nod, heart pounding so hard it hurts.
We step out into the night. The door locks behind us. The city air presses on us.
Adrian leads. Darian limps but moves with purpose. I fall behind, guilt burning me, but resolve harder than steel.