Traitor's Crown (Stones of Terrene Book 3) Page 5

  Ben winced. “I don’t know who Francene is, but I can imagine Jade’s reaction to him showing up and making demands. Has he done anything about Jade’s engagement to Weston?”

  “Not quite yet.” Zak shrugged. “But he told me he’s going to wait till the rest of the Doldran leaders—as well as the other countries’ leaders—arrive for the Summit. Then he’s going to announce himself officially and declare the engagement invalid. And as for Francene, she’s the marchioness, and she’s helping Jade.” He gestured to a large gate that he strolled through, the guards on either side nodding to him, and eying Ben and the Worthington’s before their focus stayed on Geist.

  Zak glanced back at the guards and raised his voice. “They are all friends of Her Majesty, the Princess Jade. Leave them be.”

  They snapped a salute and a humorless grin twitched Zak’s lips.

  Two hallways of pale pink marble and a flight of stairs led to a closed door guarded by two men. They stepped aside for Zak, who shot Ben a quick smile. “Let’s see how high she jumps.”

  Zak swung the door open, revealing a large room with huge glass windows overlooking an illuminated garden. Two round tables sat near the glass apertures—one table was littered with cogs and parts—and the other held a stack of papers. Two people sat around it. The rest of the room along with a lounge chair, couch, and piano all faded to the background of Ben’s focus.

  How long had it been since he’d seen Jade? Two months? It felt like years, with all that had happened. Some of the tension left his shoulders and neck. At least she was safe.

  Jade leaned over the table, her back to Ben. Her voice raised, but any words were indistinct. Weston sat across from her, looking intently at whatever was in front of her while he whirled a pen in his ink-stained hand. He glanced up at Ben and Weston’s pen dropped on the table with a clatter.

  “What—” Jade glanced over her shoulder, then shoved the chair back, practically flying across the room. “Geist! Ben!” She squeezed the burly dragon hunter first, eliciting a slight wheeze from him, then she lunged at Ben for a hug. “How are you here?”

  The feeling of homesickness that washed over Ben threatened to drown him as Jade gripped his middle, the sensation of her hug so similar to Sara’s.

  “What will you do if you find a boyfriend while I’m deployed?” Ben’s voice echoed, as if in a hallway.

  Sara laughed and squeezed him in a tight hug, the top of her head hitting his shoulder. “Then you’ll come home and see that I healed enough to start a relationship.”

  “And if I don’t like him?” Ben teased. “What then?”

  Sara smacked his shoulder. “If I like a guy, you better like him!”

  “Only if he treats you right.”

  Jade gazed over Ben’s shoulder and squealed, breaking him out of the hazy memory. He jerked his head away from the sharp pitch and let her scramble past him to smother Rebecca and Michael in her affection. Tears glistened in Jade’s eyes as she gripped Rebecca’s hands. “How is this possible?” She looked over at Zak. “I’m not dreaming this, am I?”

  Ben eased back, giving them space and taking a moment to catch his breath. He closed his eyes against the tumult of emotions that came with the flashback. What if he never found a way back and she recovered from her trauma all alone? Or what if she never recovered?

  Zak moseyed to the table where Weston had remained and leaned a hand on the glass surface, inspecting the paper. “No, they’re really here.” He nodded at the document and rapped the tabletop with his knuckles. “It’s looking promising, Highness.”

  Seeing both Jade and Zak being almost relaxed around Prince Weston was throwing Ben for a loop. Zak had mentioned that things were going relatively well, but this was … odd.

  Weston leaned back in his chair and stretched. “Thanks.” He pulled out his pocket watch, glanced at it and swore. He bolted to his feet. “I’m supposed to meet my father for dinner and a progress report.” A tendon in his neck tensed as he scooted papers together and tried to line up the edges. “I’ll be back later. I’ll tell them we’re willing to continue the marriage, so long as we can have more time to get to know each other first.” He looked up at Jade, his expression earnest. “I don’t know how long I can stretch it, though.”

  “We’ve almost got the treaty done,” Jade spoke as she moved within Ben’s view, still holding Rebecca’s hand. “And Everett will say we have everything already in order so there’s no reason to wait.” Silence stretched while Jade squinted in thought. “Try for two weeks.”

  “Will do.” Weston straightened the books by his side of the table and hurried toward the door, a guard standing in the far corner detaching from the wall to follow him. “I’ll return with a report of how it went whenever I’m free. Stay safe.” He stopped at the doorway with a suddenness that made Ben momentarily wonder if clear magical barriers were a thing in this world. Weston spun on his heel and pointed to Ben.

  Ben stiffened. What now?

  “Ben. I remember you. I look forward to hearing your story when I get back.” Then Weston disappeared out the door.

  Well, that was unexpected.

  Jade clutched her aunt’s and uncle’s hands. “My mom is either at the shipyards or down the hall. Check down the hall first.”

  Rebecca beamed and the scars on her cheek stretched like four faint shooting stars. She hugged Jade. “We didn’t find her at the yards, so we’ll check down the hall. Thanks, love.”

  The door slowly closed behind Michael and Rebecca, leaving Zak, Jade, Geist, and Ben in the room. Jade gripped both Ben’s and Geist’s hands, pulling them toward the gear-covered table. Urgency colored her words, leaving no room for a mistake in what she meant. “What happened?”

  Ben and Geist shared a long look, then Geist started, backing up all the way to when they’d first parted ways in Doldra. He talked about tracking Lucio, finding him, and then his terrifying Void Magic that killed Ash and Ezekial so quickly. Zak fished a deep purple handkerchief from some unseen pocket that he handed to Jade as tears slipped down her cheeks at the news of Ash’s death. Geist shot Ben a questioning glance as his explanation neared the battle with Lucio. Ben pressed his lips together, eying Jade and Zak.

  What would they say to him being a Void Born? Or Raine?

  Would they turn him in? Would he be sent to the Hollows? Both he and Raine imprisoned with no way for him to return home? Or would Zak and Jade have sympathy, regardless of how they’d been raised?

  Could he lie?

  No. They had to know the truth if they were going to help break Raine out. It wouldn’t do well to lie to them now, then have them find out the truth later. He grimaced and nodded at Geist.

  Geist crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, his voice deceptively light while his body tensed. “We only killed Lucio because Raine and Ben are Void Born. Without them, we would have lost completely.”

  Jade’s gasp cut itself off, and her eyes bulged as she stared at Ben, the color in her skin rapidly fading to curdled milk. Her fingers floundered on the table, and Zak laid his over hers, stilling them. Jade cocked her head as if she’d misheard and she stammered out, “Void Born?”

  Ben clasped his hands behind his back as if her reaction wasn’t something that filled him with dread. He felt strangely vulnerable, having that label thrown on him here.

  Geist nodded as if it weren’t a big deal that he just announced that Ben was something that most the continent hated. He shrugged casually, his eyes cautious. “Indeed.” He shifted in his chair and reached out to slug Ben in the shoulder. “Apparently Void Born aren’t as scary as the stories say.”

  Ben forced himself to breath normally under the sudden scrutiny.

  If Zak’s gaze could cut through him and see to his core, it would. Zak nodded after a long moment. “If you’d wanted to cause harm on purpose, you’ve had plenty of chances that you never took.”

  “And it was only because you are”—Jade’s voice dropped as if afraid to be overhe
ard in the empty room—“Void Born?”

  “Lucio’s void magic couldn’t kill either of us.” Ben stared at his hands and rubbed the pad of his index finger over the calluses on his palm. How to explain all that had happened on the island? All the loss, all the fear? All the guilt for failing? “But despite our best efforts, he had a second man with him. And he succeeded where Lucio didn’t.”

  Jade closed her eyes as if she couldn’t stand to look at him. “And the barrier fell.”

  “Yes.” Ben coughed to clear his throat. What would her reaction be? Believe him and accept him, despite her culture’s fear of his origin? What if she didn’t, and she rejected him? If she didn’t take this well, there was no chance of hope for help. Patience. Let her process everything.

  “What are you going do now? Where’s Finn? Raine?” Jade opened her eyes and challenged him with her blue gaze. “Now that you know what you are, maybe even where you’re from, what next?” Her lips thinned. “What about the barrier that you were going to protect?”

  “That’s the hard part,” Geist admitted, drawing Jade’s investigation away from Ben. “Rosca ratted out Ben and Raine to the Antians”

  Zak swore under his breath, and understanding gleamed in Jade’s expression before confusion took its place. She pointed to Ben. “Then how are you here?”

  Sourness coated Ben’s tongue and he gestured at Geist. “They broke me out of the airship that was taking me to the Hollows.”

  “And Raine?” Zak’s tone hinted that he already guessed. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

  “She was on a different airship. She’s in the Hollows.” Now it was Ben’s turn to close his eyes, shutting out the sudden pity and concern that shone in Jade’s face. That look didn’t help his dread on Raine’s behalf. “And I need to get her out somehow.”

  “And what of the barrier?” Jade asked, everything in her demeanor suddenly intense. She stood and stabbed at the table with her finger. “The Elph are already mobilizing their forces. We need to prepare for war, as we’ve already seen by the refugees that are streaming in every day from various border cities and settlements. What are you going to do, just ignore them?”

  “Finn is still searching for something to fix the barrier, or something that can protect us,” Geist explained, pressing his large hands on the table, his tattoos rippling on his forearms. Scorn laced his voice. “Our good doctor’s notes were finally cracked by Finn, but now he has to piece it all together. He’s been working non-stop on them, despite his fear for his last-living family member.” A note of admonishment crept into Geist’s tone. “It’s been a difficult week.”

  “It’s been difficult all around,” Jade replied tartly. She straightened, her bearing suddenly regal. Maybe she was starting to embrace her birth role of royalty after all. “And in the meantime?”

  “In the meantime”—Ben drummed his fingers on the table— I get to Raine, rescue her, and then we work with Finn to take care of the barrier once and for all.”

  Color started returning to Jade’s cheeks, and her fingers lifted to her neck, toying with something. A flash of recognition brought a glimmer of a smile to Ben’s face as he studied the gem-lined wrench. When he’d bought it for her, there were no gems on it. “Well, those are new.” He raised an eyebrow at Zak and tilted his head at her. Zak glanced up and shrugged slightly, wearing a faint grin.

  “So to get you to focus on the barrier and all the citizens at stake, we need to get Raine out.” Jade sank into her chair and crossed her arms over her corset. “Is that correct?”

  “Rescuing her is as much for Finn’s sake as mine,” Ben countered.

  “She’s one life, Ben.” Jade waved an arm toward the door they’d come in, nearly whacking Zak with her motion. He scooted his chair back while Jade continued. “One life, against how many countless civilians?”

  Ben stared at the table, tongue-tied. He knew the logic of her argument. Had wrestled with it already on the Phoenix. Wrestled with it now. Raine might be safer in the Hollows while the battle raged, and he did what he could to help Finn with the notes. But …

  “I need to know she’s safe,” Ben said quietly, staring down at the table. So much of what he was saying went against his training. She was just one life. But a life that I care too much about to abandon. “I have to rescue her.”

  “Why?” Genuine curiosity glimmered in Jade’s voice, replacing the heat that had spiced her words moments before.

  “I—I don’t know.” Liar. He ignored the traitorous thought even as his heart lurched in his chest. “I just do.”

  Jade and Zak considered each other.

  “I need to think it over.” Jade rubbed a hand against her forehead, her expression pained. “Where are you staying tonight?”

  Geist shrugged. “The Phoenix.”

  Jade shook her head in dissatisfaction. “No, you can stay here. This is a wing that Francene has given me for the time being, so you stay tonight, and we’ll send for everyone else tomorrow.” She pinched her bottom lip, her stare distant. “I want to help, truly.” Her gaze flicked to Ben, regret swimming in her eyes. “Just let me think about it. Get a good night’s sleep.”

  Zak stood and brushed her shoulder with his fingertips before nodding toward the door. “I’ll show you a spare room.”

  Ben followed Geist and Zak out, but paused to glance back at Jade where she now hunched over the table, face buried in her hands.

  So much hinged on her decision. And he had no idea which way she’d go.

  Chapter Five

  Jade

  Jade ignored the near-silent whisper of the door opening. She rubbed at the moisture by her eyes and braced her hands against the table, pivoting in her seat to watch Zak make his way back to her. Her heart ached. “They’re settled?”

  Zak pulled the chair that Ben had been sitting in and twirled it around, straddling it and resting his arms on the low back. “I gave them the spare room by mine.”

  “That works well. Thank you.” She dropped her gaze to the mix of springs and gears on the table. “I don’t know what to think,” she confessed. “It’s Ben. I want to help him. But he’s a Void Born. And …”

  Zak settled his chin on his arms, quiet. “Remember our last game of Compatibility?”

  “What?” She screwed her face up in confusion. “When we were stuck in Doldra? Yes, why?”

  “You told me then that you didn’t think a Void Born kid could be naturally evil.” Zak jerked his head toward the other room. “Well, we’ve known him for how many months? What do his actions say for him?”

  “That’s the thing.” Jade bit her lip and pushed the pile of metal bits away. “We thought we knew Victor by his actions. And Doctor Jaxton. And they fooled us. How do we know that Ben isn’t the same?”

  Zak shifted his weight back, holding to the chair with his fingertips while he leaned over the edge of the seat. A contemplative frown matched the consideration in his eyes. “We never knew why Victor or Jaxton wanted to work with us. They just did, and we never questioned it. Ben’s been fairly honest the whole time: he wants to go home.”

  “To Sara,” Jade supplied. But what if his sister was up north? And the barrier coming down was planned? She rejected the idea as soon as it came. Geist mentioned there had been someone else on Lucio’s side. They really had tried to protect the barrier. “I want to trust him, Zak.”

  “Well, what does Ben want?”

  “To get Raine out of the Hollows.” Jade frowned at the crooked grin growing on Zak’s face. “But how—” She cut herself off as she finally caught the same steam line of thought as Zak. “We could maybe get him in like we wanted to for rescuing …” Her throat constricted and she trailed off, not finishing her sentence. Their plan for rescuing her uncle Andre. The steam rifles hadn’t left for the Hollows yet, and all the pieces were still in place. It might still work.

  “Think about it this way.” Zak moved to the chair closest to her and stretched his long legs out, brushing her ankle
with his pant leg. “You’re absolutely right, he wants to save one life over everyone else in regards to the war. Yet I trust him, for what it’s worth.” A sardonic grin lightened his face, and he ran a hand through his hair, leaving dark furrows. “I wasn’t sure about him when I first met him, but I do trust him now. And whether he realizes it fully or not, I think he’s in a similar airship as me when it comes to woman difficulties.” He looked at her, his smoldering gaze threatening to melt her innards into a fiery puddle. “He wants to save her. I say we help him. What do we have to lose?”

  Jade broke eye contact and gazed out the darkened window, feeling the tell-tale heat of a blush on her face. Ben and Raine. Both were Void Born, and she remembered all too clearly Ben’s agitation from his first failed encounter with Finn’s granddaughter. Something had changed on their trip together apparently.

  All the fears and concerns plaguing Jade suddenly melted away at the memory of Ben in the marketplace, so quick to defend her, then again in the palace, even though he didn’t even know most of what was happening. This was her friend. And Raine had been friendly while Finn was working so much on Jade’s shoulder. Raine had encouraged Jade in the physical therapy room on more than one occasion, doing all she could to ensure that Jade’s recovery would be the best possible.

  “All we have to lose is another friend.” She fiddled with the ridiculous buttons lining down her skirt. “I want Finn to stay here, though. If his notes are so important, and if they can actually do some good, I don’t want to risk losing him in the Hollows.”

  “Agreed.” Humor and pride sparkled in Zak’s eyes. “Listen to you,” he teased with gentle love. “Stepping up to being a leader, thinking it through so much.”