Apprentice (The Black Mage, #2)(102)

"Your Majesty." The Black Mage stood with the two Colored Robes at his side. "The Council of Magic would be in full support of this union. We think it a very wise proposal."

The king stood, fists clenched. When he finally spoke it was strained and full of unspoken rage. "Then it appears this is indeed Jerar's best interest." The man turned to his youngest. "Congratulations, my son, on your new wife."

King Lucius strode out of the room without another word.





****





The moment the king and his heir departed, the room became chaos. I flew out of my chair, slamming the door behind me as I tore into the hallway beyond. My heart was beating so fast I was afraid my ribs would explode. I could barely breathe; air was coming out of my lungs in quick, choking gasps.

I hunched over, leaning against the side of the wall while the room rose and fell all around me in a dizzying mess. I stayed there for a couple of minutes, breathing in and out, in and out, until the room began to seem a bit more static.

The door opened and closed behind me.

I turned and saw Darren standing there. "I was looking for you," he said.

When I didn't reply, he made himself speak.

"I know you are mad at me." Darren took a step forward and then stopped himself. His eyes found mine and he took a deep breath. "If you'll let me explain-"

"You lied to me."

"I did." His gaze didn't waver. "I lied, and I lied, and I lied to you. Over and over. I know what I did. I know what I said. I wanted to make you hate me."

"But why?"

"Why, Ryiah?" Darren made a frustrated sound. "Because what kind of prince would I be if I let my love for a silly lowborn blind me from the fate of my country?"

A silly lowborn? Tears stung my eyes and I turned away, biting back a sob.

Darren's hand clamped down on my arm, and he spun me around, eyes blazing. "I needed to do the right thing." His face was flushed. "Don't you see, Ryiah? I would have been exactly what you accused me of – a coward - if I had let my love for you blind me from what has been happening all around us! I know you despise me for what I did, but when I went to my father that day, he told me that we were going to war with Caltoth. That hundreds of our men were going to die, and if I chose to marry for love over wealth I would be ensuring millions more." He cursed. "The king was right. I couldn't marry you without a dowry, not unless I wanted people like Caine and Eve to die every day all so I can have a bit of selfishness."

I shoved him away. "But you never told me, Darren! You made me hate you, you told me-"

Darren caught my hand in his and I trembled. "I had to." His voice was hoarse.

"Ryiah, I was willing to jeopardize the fate of this country just for a chance to be near you. I needed you to hate me, because it was the only way I could do the right thing."

"I thought you were in love with Princess Shinako. Or that you were trying to impress your father so he'd make you his heir." I could barely get the words out.

"So did my brother. So did everyone." Darren's laugh was bitter.

My hand fell away and I took a step back, shaking. I had cried myself to sleep for the good part of two years. My heart had shattered every time he looked at her.

Darren said the next words so quietly I almost missed them. "I kept telling myself it was better than them assuming the alternative."

"What was the alternative?"

"That I had never gotten over you." Darren slammed his fist against the wall. "That I was still madly in love with a girl who hated me by sight. That Shina loathed my brother and cared for a young man in her home country. That we were both trapped in arranged marriages, wanting nothing more than to find a way out. That every time I fought with you I was really fighting myself, wanting nothing more than to grab you and kiss you and tell you that it was all a mistake. That I missed my best friend and the taste of your lips and every night that I dreamed it was only ever of your face."

My heart was slamming across my ribs and I couldn't seem to breathe.

His eyes found mine. "Ryiah…"

I forced myself to speak. "You and Shina planned this?"

"We grew up together. I knew she hated my brother, she always had. When she arrived for her engagement and told me she couldn't stand the thought of marrying Blayne, I told her about you. The two of us were miserable. At first we would just talk about how angry we were that we had to marry for duty, but then it occurred to me that maybe the gods had intervened on our behalf. The emperor wanted a new treaty with Jerar – he knows war is coming, but who was to say the treaty had to be from an arranged marriage? All my father ever cared about was a dowry. It took us a while to convince the princess's father, we had to be careful in our correspondence, but when I finally returned home after the battle in Ferren's Keep, Shina pulled me aside to tell me he had finally agreed. We still had to get my father's advisors to agree to his letter, but it wasn't that hard when any fool could see it would only bring Jerar more wealth than before."

Darren paused. "I knew we would have to wait for the ascension. We needed to have the Council present and until a few days ago they had been busy along the northern border, meeting with local commanders and their regiment to make sure our defenses were sound after the incident at Ferren's Keep."