Daithi P.O.V.

Kaeda weeps next door. Seems she believes a pillow will mute her cries, but the whimpers are soft hums in the tent, only momentarily drowned out by passing footsteps. Were her injuries from the fall earlier worse than she let on? Did the medicine not help?

I step over to the entryway...only to swiftly turn away.

What am I doing? It’s none of my concern.

Time passes. Then she quiets, giving me silence.

Odd behavior for one that has always been seen with a scowl. Kaeda Jordilyn is one of Hagen’s most formidable tools. She has gathered and dispersed some of our most sensitive information for years, sneaking in and out of enemy lines without detection, achieving far more than her peers. She had never been so compliant though, always a handful, always a mouthful, often only a step away from a painful execution. But she did as she was told with expertise that others didn’t have for the right price. She was tolerable for what she accomplished and I put up with her.

But now something is different. Something is off.

She smiles. She pries. She struggled riding a horse today. On the training grounds, I’ve witnessed her never missing a shot with her bow while on horseback. What happened? She’s somehow a completely different person. And she knows more than she should, even for her. She may know what I want though, so she’s valuable. For now.

“Still awake, Your Majesty?”

I gaze at Rehan, who is returning from drinking with the soldiers. The smell of alcohol burns my nostrils. I realize now how quiet the camp is. It’s late, most are asleep. His smug expression lessens when spotting the map sprawled out before me.

“Shouldn’t you be keeping your eye on the girl?” I glare at the knight that isn’t doing his job. He shrugs.

“She’s asleep,” he answers when checking in on her then comes to my side. “I admit that I’m not entirely sure why I am keeping an eye on her.”

“Because your emperor commanded it of you.”

“That is called abuse of power.”

He smirks while I roll my eyes. He leans against the desk, examining what I have hundreds of times since retrieving the map. I always expect to find another secret or another riddle. Father never made anything simple. Always said that ruined the fun.

“Won’t you tell me what’s really going on with her? With this,” he says.

“This—” I tap the map. “Is exactly as it seems, but that—” I gesture to the tethered folds of the tent, separating Kaeda’s space and my own. “Is a mystery that I expect you to find out.”

My words confuse him based on his raised brow. He steps back, alternating his attention between Kaeda’s tent and me.

“She’s a spy,” he deadpans. “Hagen’s spy. And so far, there’s nothing peculiar about her. Give me a thousand years and I may still not have revealed all the secrets she might carry.”

He crosses his arms, standing firm. “Excuse me if I sound disobedient, you summoned me to help retrieve Arlador but now I’m also watching over a girl? You have to know I’d come wanting answers eventually.”

My teeth grind when admitting to what I hate, “I don’t have many answers.”

I quietly step over to the fold. Light filters into Kaeda’s tent where she now rests soundly, cheeks stained from tears. When she stirs from the light, I swiftly close the fold, allowing her to rest easy.

Returning to Rehan, I whisper, “Hagen agrees that she has been acting strange ever since a head injury at the training grounds. She wakes then suddenly knows more about me than she should.”

“Again, she’s a—”

“She claims to have knowledge concerning Arlador.”

Rehan stiffens. Jaw set. Hands twisting into his shirt. “She could be lying.”

“Yes, which is why I am testing that theory, which is why you are watching her.”

“And if she is right? What then?”

I ignore his questions. None know of our deal and I intend to keep it that way.

“We’ll see, but for now, the issue lies with how she came about this knowledge.” I round the table, mulling over the thoughts that have lingered since awaking to a thief in my bed. “Acting strange. Sudden knowledge. Convenient timing. Too convenient, wouldn’t you agree?”

Rehan nods, already catching on to what I’m implying, and how I feel about it. “You think a chaos elementis is involved?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” I growl. The memory pains me even now. I wish to burn the past to ash. “Perhaps,” I add. “Perhaps the training accident wasn’t an accident. Perhaps she is right, but only because another is involved.”

“Kaeda may be a puppet on someone's strings.” He pouts, switching from serious to playful in a blink. “Pity, she’s a delight.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling the inevitable headache coming on. “You never change.”

“Why change perfection?” He winks. “Alright, I will keep watch for anything suspicious,” he promises when rolling up the map. I glare at him for it, more so when he holds it to his chest and adds, “Now, please, get some sleep.”

“Ordering the emperor around?” I smirk at his eye roll. “I’ll rest later.”

“So he says until the sun suddenly rises and he realizes he didn’t get any rest,” Rehan mocks. He hands the map over. “Does she know what awaits us at Kresin then?” he asks, nodding his head in Kaeda’s direction.

“She claims there will be a water spirit guarding the island and sirens waiting for us in underground caves.”

“Perfect matches against you. Suppose I’ll be getting my hands dirty.” He cracks his fingers.

“I am more than capable of handling them.”

“If that is what waits for us upon arrival then you need to save your strength for later, but we also need to take into account that she may be lying.”

“Who do you think you’re talking to?”

Rehan shrugs. “Just making sure you aren’t getting rusty after sitting on your throne all these years, Your Majesty.”

“Leave already. You’re giving me a headache.”

“You always have a headache.” He gives a swift bow and a wave over his shoulder.

“Rehan,” I call. He glances back. “Tread carefully. We don’t know what she may be hiding.”

“Your concern for my safety is most appreciated.”

“And this stays between us.”

“Of course.” He smiles and walks away.

I lay the map back out on the table, searching for more clues, for another sign. I don’t trust this. I don’t trust Kaeda. I don’t trust my father, and so, sleep eludes me as it normally does.