Path to Destiny

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

After Mayra left, I brooded in my room. She was right in all respects, and I hated it. I needed to tell Titus, but when?

Maybe I should just hide in a hole forever and tell no one where I was?

Or I could fully ignore Ezra until I told Titus.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. And when I opened the door, I realized that staying away from Ezra was thoroughly impossible.

He cleared his throat, and an uncharacteristic mark of anxiety showed in his face.

"Yes?" I asked warily.

"May I come in?" His question was quiet.

Danger flags raised in my mind, and I thought about what Mayra said. I looked out into the hall, but there was no one. Titus wouldn't know. "Only for a little bit," I said, ushering him in. "What do you want?"

He settled into the chair beside my bed. "I need to tell you something."

I sat cautiously on the bed. "Yes?"

"I have made a grave mistake."

I waited for him to continue, and when he did, he was somber and sat with his hands clasped.

"The plan to overthrow Jada Harari went wrong due to my actions -- and my inactions," he said finally.

"What do you mean?"

"I thought the Harbingers were a danger to this world, that they needed to be eliminated, chained up." It was then that his hazel gaze met my affronted one. Conflicted emotions crossed his face. "Seeing Illtyd, seeing the power of the Shadow and" -- he took a deep breath, his eyes still on mine -- "seeing you... I have changed my mind about the Harbingers."

Unease spread through my body. "I thought you changed your mind before the mission. I thought you trusted us," I said, my eyes narrowed. "Are you saying you didn't trust me when we started?" Not that I would have blamed him for not trusting me. I didn't trust him before we infiltrated Drush. Neither did Hadrian or Synnove -- or they wouldn't have sent Titus after us.

But why would he include me in such a dangerous mission with him if he didn't trust me?

He swallowed. "This entire time," he said, "I knew that Jada Harari was a manipulative and evil woman. I knew it wasn't the cardinals. I knew it was her. From the start, I...kept you out of the way by making you think it was them."

Ezra looked away as my heart went numb. He continued: "Because you were the Harbinger that prompted the treaty that killed many of my people, I...wanted you out of the way so I could kill Jada myself."

My throat closed up, and when I finally was capable of speaking, I could barely form a word. "You..." I clutched my head. He knew it was Jada. This wasn't happening. Not again. Not again. "You betrayed me," I finally got out. When he didn't reply further, I repeated, "You...betrayed me." Another shapeshifter. Another deception.

I rose from the bed and faced him in his chair. "What about that elvin dagger you found? That was Rowan's. Did you--" I rose from the bed. "Did you know he was in prison? Was Rowan actually trying to kill Queen Jada?"

Ezra shook his head, black strands of hair falling from his ponytail. "I didn't know she imprisoned him, though I suspected he was in the vicinity."

"Why?" I'd felt this before, felt it with Therin when he masqueraded as that little boy and murdered Hadrian's entire caravan. But this... this was different. I'd spent time with Ezra. I...trusted him. "Tell me why, Ezra," I snapped. I felt my voice rising to hysteria. "Did you plot with Jada? Help her imprison us?"