The Keep (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #4)(58)

Alex scrutinized the old man, with his flowing white hair and shrewd golden eyes, and wondered how much he could trust what came from Caius’s lips. Alex didn’t exactly have a good track record with royals, and he wasn’t sure this encounter would be any different, though there was something sincere about the old man that was impossible to ignore.

“I think I’ll hold onto my disbelief for now. Your extended family and I haven’t exactly seen eye-to-eye in the past, and I haven’t decided where you fit into all of this,” Alex said evenly, meaning every word. “I even had the pleasure of coming face-to-face, or rather nose-to-nose, with your brother. I believe he is every word of what you say he is, and he seems less than happy with you.”

Caius frowned. “You met Julius?”

Alex nodded. “We were trying to lure you out of hiding. We broke down a section of your barrier, and he appeared… He left a stern warning for you.”

“A warning, was it?”

“I think the gist of it was, if he has to come to the keep again, there will be dire consequences,” Alex explained. “He said he wants you to begin extracting more essence, too,” he added, wanting to gauge Caius’s reaction.

The old man was thoughtful for a moment. “He’s been wanting that for years. If he wants more, he can come and get it himself. Once upon a time, I feared him like you would fear the most crippling of nightmares, but at my age, there is little left he can do to me that he has not already done,” the warden said, a faraway look in his eyes.

“Is this some kind of show, to prove to me you’re not like the royals I have met before—Alypia, her brother, and her father?” Alex asked.

“A fair question, though I honestly believe you will not find me quite as unpalatable as the royals you have already encountered.” Caius smiled wryly. “Alypia was never a favorite of mine, though I think you judge her brother a little too harshly. I would not tar him with the same brush as Alypia and Julius.”

Alex begged to differ, but said nothing, not wanting to break the warden’s train of thought. Caius rested a thoughtful finger on his chin.

“Yes, he might have been passable had he not followed Alypia around like a little puppy, clinging all the harder the more she beat him. I am not like them, and I am certainly no reflection of my brother—I do not seek out conflict as they do, but avoid it where I can. Nor do I rule out of pleasure; I rule out of necessity. I am the warden of Kingstone so that somebody worse is not. In fact, you would probably find my sentiments more in line with your own, especially where the Crown own is concerned.” He chuckled softly to himself, though there was a hint of bitterness behind the laughter.

“I can’t imagine we share any of the same values,” Alex retorted.

“Though I am technically a royal, I am no royalist. A few times in my long history I have betrayed the Crown, but they can’t simply lock you away, not when you’re the brother of the king.” He smirked, a flash of something strange glinting across his golden eyes. “And my dear brother did so hate that small disclaimer.”

Alex gaped. “You betrayed the Crown?”

Caius nodded. “Ah, that got your attention,” he teased, a smile lifting the corners of his thin lips. “I did it on more than one occasion—we had differing opinions, shall we say, the Crown and I. And when I say the Crown, I mean my brother Julius. My father’s opinions, rest his soul, were probably just as unpopular as my own, but he wasn’t there when war came and my brother sat on the throne. And so, my views were my undoing, especially considering my relation to the top dog, but I think you would appreciate the stance I took.”

The last few words and the knowing expression upon Caius’s face took Alex slightly aback, making him wonder how much the warden had known about him before his arrival at this place. It worried him as much as it intrigued him, but he knew Caius could have done away with him already, if that were what he wanted. So far, Alex thought, Caius didn’t look as if he had any such intention.

“Why would I appreciate anything you’ve done?” Alex asked.

“Because of what you are,” Caius said simply, pouring two cups of tea and passing one to Alex, who took it automatically, too distracted by Caius’s words to do otherwise.

“And what is that?” Alex asked.

Caius smiled. “The last of your kind. The last Spellbreaker.”

So Caius knew quite a bit about him, then. Alex’s heart beat a little faster.

“Who told you that? Was it Alypia? Did you see something?” he muttered, knowing his flimsy cover was blown.

Caius shook his head. “Nothing so mundane,” he replied. “I was firm friends with many of your kind, back in the day… I could never forget the sensation and scent of being near one of you, like being too close to lightning in a thunderstorm.” A wistful look glazed his golden eyes for a brief moment, his thoughts visibly distracted.

Alex was stunned by the revelation. “You were friends with Spellbreakers?”

“It’s how I know what to look for,” Caius explained, making Alex feel instantly less self-conscious about his potential “scent.” A wave of nostalgia seemed to ripple across Caius’s face. “They were glorious times, the times I spent among your kind. My great love was one of yours—the truest, purest love I have ever known. My dearest Guinevere. In all the time since and all the time before, I could never replicate it. If I had a thousand years more, I would never find it again. That girl was as rare as the very love we shared,” he said, his eyes growing misty. “I haven’t thought about her in a long while… much too painful. Anyway, that is how I came to know and love your kind. Guinevere showed me peace, and the loss of her only caused my support of the Spellbreakers to grow. I was almost glad of it when they sent me here, to take care of this place.”