Kiono POV
"Form up! Keep your shoulders square and drive the current from your core!"
I was on the training grounds, barking out orders and running the guards through their morning drills. The thunderous thud of boots against stone echoed through the air.
Everything was operating with military precision, but my mind was still miles away, in a small cabin in the mountains and the woman asleep in my shirt.
Then, the air snapped a ungodly spike of energy tore through the palace atmosphere. It wasn't Castel's nor was it the familiar structured pressure of the council. It was raw, unpolished, and devastatingly terrifying a wave of power that I would recognize anywhere.
Astelion.
My breath hitched. I instantly looked up toward the balcony. Castel was already floating in the air like a miniature sun as his gaze locked onto the lower wings. He felt it too, and a king never tolerated an unsanctioned threat inside his own walls.
Without a word to my men, I broke into a dead sprint. My boots tore across the stone tracks, my telekinesis pushing my speed to its absolute limits as I raced through the palace doors, tearing down the grand hallways toward the source of the shockwave.
I burst around the final corner just as the blinding white light in the servant corridor imploded. Astelion's limp, unconscious body was falling rapidly from the air, dropping straight toward the debris-shattered stone floor. Panic seized my throat. I lunged forward, sliding across the floor, and caught her securely in my arms just before she could impact the ground.
"Astelion!" I choked out, my voice cracking with a terror I had never known. I shook her gently, my hands trembling against her pale, cold skin. "Astelion, wake up! Look at me!"
Her head fell back against my shoulder, her eyes tightly shut, completely unresponsive. A dangerous heat radiated from her skin.
I whipped my head around, my eyes blazing as I glared at the kitchen staff and guards frozen in the corridor.
"What happened?! Why is she like this?!"
No one answered. The maids and scullery boys shrank back under my gaze, their faces pale and distorted with an intense, paralyzing fear. Instead of helping, they began to scatter, muttering in terrified whispers as they left the hallway, fleeing the aftermath of the anomaly.
Disgusted and desperate, I tucked my arms securely under her back and knees, lifting her completely into my arms. I started walking rapidly down the corridor, needing to get her away from the prying eyes before the council found out.
But as I turned the next corner, the air went completely dead. Castel was standing at the end of the hall. His arms were crossed, his eyes glowing with a terrifying, unhinged intensity as he watched me carry her.
Adrenaline spiked through my veins. Not thinking, entirely driven by the urge to hide her from his sight, I reached out and kicked open the very first door I saw to my right.
I walked straight into a sprawling, shadow-draped guest suite.
The room was lined with dark, intricately carved wood paneling that stretched all the way up to a heavy, coffered ceiling. Tall, arched stained-glass windows cast long, muted beams of daylight across an expensive, pattern-woven rug, and a massive stone fireplace glowed with a low, crackling hearth.
I hurried over to the grand bed the left side of the room, gently placing her limp, fragile form onto the covers, smoothing her hair away from her face.
The heavy wooden door clicked shut behind me. I turned around instantly. Castel was already standing inside the room, his back to the closed door. His eyes were glowing bright in the dim light of the wood-paneled chamber, looking down at me with a quiet judgment that promised execution.
I didn't hesitate. I dropped to my knees, my knees hitting the hard wood floor right before him. I bowed my head, my hands flat against the rug.
"Please spare her," I begged, the words tearing from my throat, completely devoid of pride.
"Why should I, Kiono?" Castel asked, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that made the glass windows rattle in their frames. "She is an anomaly."
"Please, Cas," I whispered, lifting my gaze to meet his burning eyes, stripping away every title, every rank, and every shield I had left.
"As a brother to a brother... I am begging you. Do not take her from me. She is all I have."
Castel stared down at me, the heavy silence stretching between us until a cold, mocking laugh rattled in his chest. He let out a long, irritated sigh, the light in his eyes dimming just a fraction.
"Control your little pet, brother," Castel said, his voice dropping into a flat, venomous tone as he stepped closer, his shadow completely eclipsing my kneeling form.
"Because next time, I will kill her. I don't care what she means to you."
He turned on his heel to walk away, his hand reaching for the handle of the door. Then, he stopped, his profile cutting a sharp, brutal line against the dark wood paneling.
"And brother?" Castel murmured, not even turning around to face me. "I am getting tired of doing you favors. Fix it, Kiono... or your blood will be on my hands next."
The door opened and slammed shut, the heavy click of the latch echoing through the room like a gunshot.
Slowly, I stood up from my knees, my joints aching as I stared at the closed wooden door. My breath ragged in the quiet space of the bedroom.
I knew Castel meant every single word. The timer had run out. If I couldn't figure out what was happening to her, the king would tear us both apart piece by piece.