Jaden half-expected the crown to have been claimed by his aunt Nissy or one of the twins in his absence. But Moira and Zemisha greeted him in the grand hall, flanked by a little army of perhaps a dozen men. Caleb and Liandris stood among them in their castle guard uniforms, hands on their sword pommels. Liandris had filled in since his enrollment, the width of his shoulders revealing regular practice with the bow.
There was also Bastian, a skilled swordsman who had served as lieutenant in the war. Standing tall in his black-and-golds, Bastian had a squared jaw and eyes of different colors, one blue and one brown. Next to him was Master Gareth, the strict archery instructor from Jaden's time at the barracks.
Bryani had taken Sofi and Chana to visit the theater, leaving Jaden and Kitera alone with their welcoming committee.
"We're glad to have you back, my king," Zemisha said with an elegant bow.
Kitera shot Liandris a glare. "Shouldn't you be training?"
He went pale. "I . . . I thought I should . . ."
"No, I don't care," Kitera snapped. "Back to training. Now."
"Right away." As Liandris stormed out, his booted steps echoed across the vast high-ceilinged room.
Moira cleared her throat. "Trust me, we did try to reduce our, um, personal guard, but these gentlemen insisted."
"Actually, these men" – Zemisha gestured at Bastian and the others in military uniform – "arrived from the barracks along with two hundred more, sent by Lord Kemon to reinforce the garrison."
"Good," Kitera said. "Did he send scouts as well? The Azurians might be on the move. Our former queen might be with them."
Bastian took that one, "Yes, scouts were sent to the south and south-west." Kitera nodded in approval.
Jaden addressed Moira, "And your reformed prisoners?"
She smiled. "Seventy of them are in training. Master Gareth was kind enough to offer his services."
The old man's keen eyes met Jaden's. "If the Azurians attack the castle, you'll need as many archers as you can get. I thought you could use the help."
Jaden's chest swelled with gratitude. "Thank you."
"You could help train the guards," Kitera suggested.
Master Gareth's expression became stern. "I was already doing that, seeing as their captain was absent." Kitera took the blow and held her tongue. Jaden cleared his throat.
"Anything else of note?"
Moira glanced at Zemisha, who lowered her gaze and took a deep breath before looking back up at Jaden. "There is something else, yes. It's about my half-brother."
Jaden's heart skipped a beat. "Myzian?" The man whose blade had slayed Matt.
She shook her head. "His name is Neros. He's here." Kitera's hand reflexively went to her sword hilt, which Zemisha noticed. "Don't worry, we had him locked up in the dungeons."
"He was acting crazy," Moira said distastefully. "Insisting on taking Zemisha away as if she was his property."
"In Azuria, I would have been tied up and handed to him without a second thought," Zemisha pointed out.
"Well, this is Fellera," Jaden said.
"Thankfully," she replied. "In any case, one of the guards volunteered to torture Neros for information." Her gaze brushed over Caleb. "Of course, I would need to act as translator, since my half-brother doesn't speak a word of Felleran. But I haven't made up my mind. I was wondering if we could discuss it together?"
"We shall visit Neros together," Jaden decided. "Meet me in an hour at the dungeons' entrance."
"Very well," said Zemisha.
Then everyone was dismissed.
Kitera avoided Jaden's gaze as she left, much like she had done the whole journey from Quickrivers. Jaden held back a sigh, though he couldn't avoid the pang of guilt. He'd played a major role in her father's death. She probably needed some time.
After an hour spent washing up, resting, and meditating, Jaden made his way to the dungeons. With impeccable punctuality, Zemisha waited for him, the oil lantern on the wall bracket casting golden lights on her smooth brown locks.
"Let's wait for Caleb," she said. "He was keen on being our escort. Perhaps he's hoping you'll give the order to torture my brother."
"Then I'll have to disappoint him," Jaden replied.
Zemisha nodded slowly. "There's something you should know about Neros. He's convinced he's madly in love with me. That's the reason behind his presence here. In Azuria, though not very common, it's possible for a wealthy man to make a half-sister one of his wives. That's what Neros wants to do with me. Needless to say, he wasn't exactly thrilled when our father sent me here to seduce your cousins."
"Right," Jaden said. "And do you reckon we can glean information from him?"
She glanced over Jaden's shoulder. "I suppose we'll find out soon."
Following her gaze, Jaden saw that Caleb had arrived. He bowed then straightened, set of keys clinking in his hand. "Are you two ready?"
The dungeons were much emptier than Jaden remembered. In fact, almost all the cells they passed to get to Neros didn't host anyone. He rather preferred things this way, and reminded himself he had Moira to thank for it.
"Here we are," Caleb announced after they'd turned a corner.
Neros sat in the back of his cell with his arms around his knees, his face boyish and miserable under thick black hair. The second he glimpsed Zemisha, he leapt to grasp the metal bars, his knuckles whitening as he clutched them tight. Words started gushing out of his mouth in Azurian. Zemisha only listened briefly before waving him off. Then she caught Jaden and Caleb staring expectantly.
She sighed. "He says he wants to fight the king."
"Well," Jaden said, "does he know it's me?"
Zemisha turned back to Neros and spoke in Azurian. Neros spared Jaden a glance, then gave a derisive snort before he replied.
"He says he's not afraid of you," Zemisha informed.
"That's good, because I don't generally make it my goal to scare people. Now, can you ask him where my sister is?"
She did, and Neros raised an arrogant eyebrow as he answered.
Zemisha turned to Jaden. "He won't tell you anything unless you let him out."
Caleb got fidgety. "Would you like me to torture him, my king? You see, I've been researching torture techniques. There's one where you bring a bucket of water, and—"
"That won't be necessary, Caleb." Jaden addressed Neros, "I'll let you out of this cell since you haven't committed any crime. However, I can't simply let you go, lest you relate intelligence to your father. You'll be given a guarded room in the north tower. It's the best I can do."
Zemisha translated everything, then Neros' answer as well. "He'll take the room, but he demands that I visit him frequently."
"That," Jaden said, "is entirely up to her, not me."
Zemisha passed this along, and Neros visibly tensed, but he nodded. Then he started talking again.
"Your sister came to Blue Heron," Zemisha related. "She's with my father now. They will attack you very soon. I'll be laughing from my tower when they annihilate you. Then Zemisha will be mine." Neros was smirking by the time she finished. Zemisha seemed to shudder.
Before Jaden could reply, Zemisha stomped closer to the bars and spoke heatedly to her half-brother. Then Neros shouted something back, his voice drowning hers.
When they stopped, Caleb hesitantly inquired, "My lady, what did he say?"
Zemisha tossed back her hair and glanced at Jaden. "It's not important. I'll tell you later, if you want. In private. Neros is no longer useful to us. Shall we go?"
"Yes," Jaden said.
Caleb lowered his gaze, disappointed.