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Cal cupped his mug of black tea and watched the steam swirl and flicker. A breeze tugged at the kitchen shutters, making them bang against the sandstone wall. A belt of stars swung across the heavens and the new moon hovered near the horizon like a bruised and swollen eyelid.
He hadn’t seen Artemis since they’d ridden through the city gates two days ago, but there were a few extra crusts and bones in the scrap bucket, so she must have come back at some point. He was relieved to know that she’d been here. That meant Julian had kept his word. Artemis was more than capable of defending herself, but Julian was cunning and powerful, qualities that made him a dangerous enemy. And Cal still didn’t know why Julian wanted his compliance.
The front door creaked open. Artemis trudged into the kitchen and slumped onto the bench.
‘Where have you been?’ Cal asked. ‘You disappeared last night.’
She flapped a tired hand. ‘Valerius had me working a double shift.’
‘Straight after the scouting mission? Why?’
‘Because of Nick.’
Cal grunted. Nick was turning out to be more trouble than he was worth.
‘Who is Nick? You still haven’t told me.’
‘I know. Sorry. It wasn’t safe with all the others around.’ She poured herself a cup of tea and gulped it down.
‘Well?’ Cal prompted.
Her fingernails tapped the cup. Cal frowned. It wasn’t like Artemis to get nervous. Nick’s appearance had rattled her quite badly.
‘Okay. Were you ever told a story when you were little about a bush nymph who’d play an enchanted flute that would entice you into the trees and you’d disappear forever?’
Cal stared at her, confused. ‘Er...sort of. I’ve heard rumours about things called song gates. My mum used to warn me not to go into the Northern Highlands because the wind whistled through the trees and the music would carry me away to a land where giant lizards roamed under a sun that never set.’
She blinked then said, ‘Close enough.’
‘What’s this got to do with Nick?’
Her nails continued to click her teacup. ‘When General Alexander visited the mountain training camp after the solstice, I overheard what he told Roan that day and it made me feel...used. Betrayed.’ She stopped tapping. ‘Thanos ordered us to go to that Yándi camp on the summer solstice to stir up the Bandála and flush someone out of hiding.’
Cal straightened. ‘You mean Nick?’
Artemis nodded.
‘Why? What’s so special about him?’
‘The king sees him as a threat.’
With a snort, Cal said, ‘How could Nick possibly be a threat to Thanos? He has the Arai tattoo but he’s untrained. He’s not Bandála, and as far as I can tell, he hasn’t amassed his own army of Yándi warriors. The only way he could be a threat is if...’ His eyes widened. ‘Skata! Are you saying Nick has a claim to the throne?’
In a quiet, anxious voice, Artemis said, ‘He’s Nicholas Kári.’
Cal’s ears buzzed with the name. He leaned forward. ‘Seriously? The Nicholas Kári? Phoebe and Jónatan Kaléysan’s son?’
She nodded.
‘But Nicholas Kári is supposed to be dead! That’s what we’ve always been told, anyway. The Arai killed him right after Phoebe and Kaléysan were executed.’
‘It was a lie. He was never found. Rayámina took him through a song gate. That’s where he’s been for the past thirteen years.’
Cal stared out across the eastern quarter, his heart racing. Nicholas Kári was alive. Alive. And he was here. In Auremos.
What would the Korelians think when they heard that Phoebe’s heir had returned? Many of them hated Thanos. Would they accept Nick as their king? And what about the Arai? Would they follow him? Cal’s mind filled with possibilities. Nick could reopen the trade networks, put a stop to border raids, ensure Highlander children were never taken again. He could regain the people’s trust, bring the Arai to account.
He could rebuild Korelios.
‘This changes everything,’ Cal breathed.
Artemis huffed. ‘Maybe. Maybe not. Nick is not what I imagined at all. I thought he’d be more like...I don’t know.’ She fidgeted with her tea cup. ‘He was supposed to at least know what he was up against. But he has no idea about anything. You should’ve heard the way he spoke to Kráytos the other night. Nick addressed him like an equal.’
‘Well, Nick is kind of above Kráytos, if you think about it,’ Cal said.
‘Not in the Bandála ranks. He’s as low as us. When the Bandála find out about him, all they’ll care about is whether he’ll join them. If he decides not to, the fact that he’s Kaléysan’s son won’t matter. In their eyes, he could become as big a threat to them as Thanos. Nick will have to watch himself.’
The fire flared, and their shadows flickered across the wall.
‘We can protect him if it comes to that,’ Cal murmured. ‘We swore an oath to the sun god, remember? We swore to defend the king.’ A slow smile spread across his face. ‘And if Nick decides to take that path, we can help him get rid of Thanos and the Arai for good.’
Artemis stared at him. Then she smiled too.