“I didn’t want to make him a target, and he wanted to make his own mark. You know how that is,” Fal said, his eyes direct on hers. “Before your father died, he named Phelan as his successor.”

  “Did he know Phelan was your grandson? Wait,” his words caught her attention. “How did my father know Phelan?”

  “Phelan’s father was your father’s spymaster.”

  Edana’s face registered her surprise. “Aral has a son?” She studied Phelan’s face again. How had she missed that? The resemblance was there. The mouth. The eyes.

  “Phelan began working for your father at a very young age. Cian provided his training and for the last two years Phelan has served as King’s Champion.”

  Edana struggled to take it all in. There were so many secrets. Her father’s. Aral’s. Phelan’s. Was the truth so dangerous? “Why didn’t he tell me?” she muttered to herself. The King’s Champion was known as the right hand of the king, dispensing justice where and when needed. Only the most trustworthy would be considered for the job. Her father’s champion was one of the most well-known in recent years. Not his appearance, obviously, but his name. Her father’s champion had been known only as the Wolf. That her father would name the Wolf as his successor wasn’t a surprise. That he hadn’t told her was.

  Fal answered her question. “I told your father not to tell you.”

  Edana’s mouth dropped open as her eyes kindled.

  Fal laughed warmly. “There are so many destinies at play here, child. The two of you weren’t meant to meet until now.”

  “But why? He’s been part of my life in a roundabout way for years, apparently, and I never even knew. Why couldn’t we know? If we had, I wouldn’t have chained him and locked him in the dungeon.”

  Fal’s eyes grew distant. He seemed to be looking through her. “If it had been known that Phelan would succeed your father, if the two of you had met under less--shall we say--stressful circumstances, you would have fallen in love and married. If you had married, you would both be dead by now.”

  Edana dropped her head into her hands. Ask a simple question, she thought. None of this made sense to her. Phelan would be king, and since he was the grandson of Fal, chances were good that the Stone would acknowledge his right to rule. Even though he wasn’t king yet, the result was inevitable.

  Her world had just changed again. Why argue with it? What good would that do?

  “What would you have me do?” she asked quietly.

  Fal leaned across the bed and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. Her skin hummed where he touched. “Have faith. Trust each other. Be strong. Keep pushing him. You make him stronger.”

  Edana didn’t see how. He’d just said that if things had been different, they would have loved and died. That told her that love made you weak. But who was she to argue with a god? Instead, she nodded.

  When Fal turned to go, Edana stopped him by laying a hand on his arm. The shock of it ran up her arm and spread throughout her whole body. Fal smiled and his dark eyes danced. Edana smiled back dumbly. Her brain was filled with the deep hum she associated with the Stone. She’d been on the verge of asking something, but as soon as she’d touched him, she couldn’t remember what.

  “Your family,” he said, prying the thought from her mind. “For the moment they are well. Your mother is angry, but she knows you are coming for her. Though you may be surprised what you discover when you find her. Your sister is worried as well, but her emotions fluctuate. She is trying to conceal them, but I sense anger, disbelief, and even happiness mixed in.”

  Edana shook her head to try to clear it. She would remember not to touch a god again. “Thank you.”

  “Remember, be strong.” He looked once more at Phelan before meeting her eyes. “Keep each other safe. I will see you again soon.” With that, he leaned across the bed and laid a gentle kiss on her forehead. The humming intensified briefly. The sensation made her dizzy. Edana closed her eyes against it. When the feeling dissipated and she could open her eyes, Fal was gone. As was most of her energy. It seemed she would need a little more rest.

  She started to turn but swayed on her feet as she did. She would never make it back to her own room. Instead, she decided to trust Fal--and Phelan by extension.

  Edana lay down in the bed next to her future king. She hoped he would forgive the impropriety since it was his grandfather’s doing.

  For now, Edana would sleep. Half-truths, lies, danger, gods, and prophecies would have to wait a few more hours.

  CHAPTER 24--PHELAN

  Phelan woke slowly. He was relieved that he didn’t feel too horribly, but he didn’t exactly feel great either. His head throbbed from too much sleep, a sensation he hadn’t felt since childhood. Aside from a few aches and bruises, though, his body was intact. His wound, in fact his entire right side, was gloriously warm.

  He slowly opened his eyes, knowing that the light would be too much for his eyes to adjust to quickly. Blinking to clear his vision, he saw Edana curled up next to him in sleep. Her hair had come loose from its braid and was in a disheveled cloud around her head as it lay on his shoulder. One arm draped across his chest. Her breathing was slow and even. For a moment Phelan marveled at how fragile she looked.

  Despite her small stature, she’d always brought to mind one of the Amazon warriors from the stories. He wished she hadn’t fallen asleep with him. Wished he hadn’t caught her trying to help those villagers. Then he wouldn’t know how delicate or how kind she could be. Then he wouldn’t feel this need to take care of her.

  Groaning at his own foolishness, Phelan tried to rise and immediately realized his mistake.

  Apparently, Edana didn’t like to be woken abruptly. She jerked upright and planted her tiny fist in his face.

  Phelan cursed loudly.

  Realizing her mistake, Edana froze. “I’m so sorry,” she said quickly. “You startled me.”

  Phelan wiggled his jaw to make sure it wasn’t broken. Had he just thought she was fragile? Delicate? Clearly he’d been mistaken. “The next time you hit me, I might forget I learned anything about chivalry and hit you back.”

  Edana’s mouth twitched as she tried to suppress a smile.

  She failed.

  Phelan’s eyes narrowed as a peal of laughter erupted from her. “I’m glad my pain amuses you,” he said darkly.

  When Edana’s laughter wound down, the look in her eyes became angry, then quickly wary. “I apologize for hitting you…Sire.” Her tone was bland.

  Phelan regarded her closely for a moment, but it appeared she had schooled her features to a neutral expression. “It appears I’ve slept through a great deal.”

  “Yes. You missed your grandfather’s visit.”

  He nodded. The old man had said he would leave it to Phelan to tell Edana the truth. Apparently Phelan didn’t work on the same time frame as his grandfather. He should be angry, but he could admit to feeling relieved. For some reason, the hurt he read in Edana’s eyes made him feel guilty.

  “I wasn’t sure how to tell you.”

  “Tell me what? That you knew my father? Pretty well, it appears. That your grandfather is a god? That you lied to me about the Stone?”

  “Wait just a minute,” he began. I didn’t lie about the Stone. I said I was a guardian, which is true, by the way. And yes, I knew Cian. He was a friend and mentor to me.” Phelan rose and walked to a small chair placed in the corner. His next words would likely be hard for her to take, and Phelan didn’t want to be within striking distance.

  “He was poisoned over a year ago. I was in Britannia at the time. He called me home to help find the culprit, but we couldn’t determine who was behind it. It had to have been someone close to him, but we couldn‘t prove who, though we suspected Morfram. He would have needed help too. If it had been only him, it would have been a simple matter. Before I learned anything more, Cian sent me to Wales to meet with their court physician, but nothing helped.

  “When the poison finally killed him, I was told to find you and make sure Morfram didn’t try to kill you as well, but I didn’t know if you had been the one helping Morfram.” Her outraged expression made him smile. “It didn’t take long to figure out that you couldn’t have been behind it. I knew after Cian died, I would finally get the chance to come out into the open. He understood the need to keep you in the dark about the succession and the need to keep us separated.”

  “Why wouldn’t he tell me about the succession?”

  “You were raised to rule, to lead men. He once told me that before he spoke to Fal, he had every intention of naming you his successor. You would have been ten or so at the time. I think he was relieved when he found out about me. He didn’t know what kind of trouble you would face if you were chosen.”

  Phelan shrugged his shoulders. “He didn’t know how you would react to me, especially since Fal warned him to keep the two of us apart, and now, with everything that’s going on, you don’t have a lot of time to think about it. He knew I would need you. Despite the fact that you’re a woman, the soldiers know you. They may have heard of me, but I don’t think they’d be willing to follow my orders until after I’m crowned. Since we can’t exactly have a coronation in the middle of a war, I’ll need your help.”

  Edana shook her head in denial. “You’re the King’s Champion. They have to follow you.”

  “Edana, I’ve been away for the last three years. Before that, I served the crown in a more…dubious position.” Phelan didn’t think Edana needed to hear about his years working under his father as a spy and assassin. “These men don’t know anything about me other than my nickname.”

  “The Wolf,” she said.

  Phelan nodded and rose, moving back to sit on the edge of bed. “Given the fact that we’ll be fighting against Cian’s chief advisor, I don’t think my name will be enough to convince them to trust me.” He turned his body to face hers and took her hands in his. “You were meant to lead our people against Morfram. I’ve had some time to think about this.” He swallowed his pride and said the one thing he hated most. “I’m sorry for suspecting you and treating you the way I did, but we’re in this together. I know it. You know it. Help me. We will do this together. Afterwards, you can go back to hating me.”

  Edana stared down at their joined hands for a long moment before lifting her eyes to meet the brilliant gold of his. “It tingles,” she murmured.

  “What?” His brow winged up in question.

  “When you touch me, my skin tingles.”

  Phelan gave her a wolfish smile.

  “Not like that,” she laughed. “It’s like when Fal touched me. I feel a jolt. Then my skin tingles. I can hear a low hum in my head. It’s like being a little drunk.”

  Phelan’s smile widened. “You’ve been drunk, Princess?”

  Edana blushed. “Kyl and I wanted to try ale. We just tried a bit too much. Anyway, when you touch me, it’s similar. It’s…powerful, I guess. Wait, do you have powers? Is that why?”

  Phelan winced. “I prefer the term abilities. Nothing too exciting, though. I heal faster than most people,” he gestured to his body, “as you can see, and if I focus hard enough, I can catch glimpses of things that haven’t happened yet. It’s not pleasant. I either see things I don’t want to, or I don’t see anything and get a bad headache and a bloody nose. The old man always says there will be more someday. Something about the powers being locked away, and just waiting for the right key to turn the lock.” He shrugged. “Whatever that means.”

  Edana studied him for a moment. “We need to make a deal.”

  Phelan was immediately wary. “What kind of deal?”

  “You were right. We need to work together. We will work together. You help me find my mother, and I’ll lead the army until you’re crowned, but I don’t want any interference from you.”

  “I don’t think I like that,” he interrupted.

  “If you disagree with an order, we can discuss it in private,” she continued over his interruption. “An army can only have one general.”

  “And what will I be doing while you’re playing general? You don’t have enough experience to lead an army on your own.” He stressed the last part.

  “You’ll be a king. You’ll fight for Eire, and you’ll get to know the men serving you. Let them see you. You’ve got an advantage going in. Everyone’s heard of the Wolf. Your fighting skills are already legendary. The name doesn’t hurt either.” She paused as if considering her next statement. “Why do they call you the Wolf?”

  In response, Phelan turned his arm over to expose the inside of his wrist. A dark shape of a wolf’s head marked the skin. “It’s a birthmark. The first time Cian saw it, he said it went with my eyes.” He smiled at the memory.

  Edana only nodded before continuing. He figured she would have more questions later. “It’s one thing for them to respect your abilities and another for them to respect you. Show them you’re not just a soldier, but a king, too. Eventually, you won’t need me to lead them.”

  “I’m not a soldier Edana. I’m a warrior. There’s a big difference between the two.”

  Edana nodded in understanding. “I’ve seen you fight. Being a warrior is about knowing your individual strengths. Being a soldier is about incorporating those strengths with the strengths of others. When you fight with others by your side, it becomes instinctual.”

  “Cian said something similar to me once.”

  “He was a smart man and a good king. A good father.” Tears glistened in her blue eyes before she could hide them.

  Phelan once again thought of her fragility and how much he hated that she made him want to comfort her. This was likely the reason they were kept separated for so long. If he was overly worried about her, he would weaken himself. A king needed to be strong. Remote, he told himself.

  He looked down at their hands, still entwined. He couldn’t afford to get too close to her. To anyone, for that matter. Cian had left him a kingdom on the verge of war. He couldn’t let anything come before the land itself.

  But he couldn’t bring himself to let go of her hands. It was nice to be close to someone without worrying about secrets that needed to be kept. So he held her hand. Just one moment more, he told himself. As he’d said, they needed each other.

  “Is there anything else?” he asked as he finally forced himself to release her.

  “No more lies. For the moment, you and I are partners. If we’re going to succeed, then we need to know we can trust each other.”

  Phelan nodded. “I agree, but what happens when this is over?”

  “When we’re no longer partners?”

  He nodded again.

  “We can try for friends.” Edana smiled. “The urge to kill you faded days ago.”

  Phelan returned her smile, but he knew there was one thing he couldn’t tell her. A last promise to a dying man that would likely lead to more animosity between them. He would keep that to himself a little longer, at least until he was sure she wouldn’t kill him in revenge.

  Edana held out her hand to shake on it. “Friends?” she smiled.

  Phelan gripped her small hand in his large one. “Friends. Now, we need a plan.”

  CHAPTER 25--KYL

  Kyl and Ianna rode as far as they could before stopping. They ate, slept, then woke after a few hours to do it all over again. It took nearly nine days to reach the village of Lahinch. Nine days of green hills and dark forests. They tried to avoid towns as much as possible until Kyl couldn’t stand the look of exhaustion on Ianna’s face any longer.

  Lahinch was only about two leagues southeast of Hags Head, the southernmost point of the Cliffs of Moher where Edana was heading. With any luck, they would be able to find Edana and fill her in on what was happening back in Tara.

  By this point, Kyl and Ianna were tired and hungry. Kyl was desperately in need of a fire and a soak in a tub after so long on horseback. Ianna was likely feeling the same way, if the strain on her face was any indication. At least he was used to it. All things considered, she’d managed to move a lot faster than he’d expected, considering she’d rarely spent time on a horse in the past.

  When they rode into the village, Kyl offered up thanks to the gods that the place boasted an inn. They would be able to get a full night’s rest before they had to set out a dawn.

  They located the inn on the northwest edge of the small town. It was a moderately sized timber and wood structure. The wood was faded and the stone worn down by the cool winds that came off the ocean. There was a small stable located near the inn. Overall, the buildings weren’t in the best condition, but anything would be better than sleeping on the ground for one more night, and the horses would probably enjoy being out of the wind this close to the coastline.

  Kyl looked over to where Ianna was dismounting. A young boy came running out of the stable, waiting to take their reins. With a smile and a thanks, Kyl handed off his horse to the boy. Kyl and Ianna had put up the hoods on their cloaks when they neared the town, hoping to avoid any unwanted attention if someone recognized her. Just now, her shoulders were slumped and her eyes dull with fatigue. He knew she was a strong young woman. He would gladly admit that he’d underestimated her. She was more like Edana than he’d realized.

  Kyl walked over to her and took her hand, interlacing their fingers. “Are you alright?”

  Ianna yawned and nodded. “I’ve never been more tired in my life. I need sleep.”

  Kyl led her forward and knocked on the inn’s door. He heard footsteps and muffled voices before the door was opened by a small, white-haired man in an ill-fitting tunic and breeches. “Yes?” His voice creaked.

  “We’d like a room for the night,” Kyl told him.

  The old man hesitated. He glanced over his shoulder at something Kyl couldn‘t see. “Alright. Just the one, then?” He cast a quick look in Ianna’s direction.

  Her hood still covered her face. Though she was tall, it was obvious she was a woman. Kyl considered this briefly. His desire to keep her safe outweighed his concern for propriety. “Just the one.”

 

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