Thorne sat in his office, the air filled with the scent of burning cedarwood and ink. Scrolls and parchment cluttered the wide desk between the king and his beta.
"They struck again," Caelum said, placing a sealed report on the desk. "A small group this time, just five men. They hit a supply caravan en route to the eastern barracks. They killed two guards."
Thorne didn't look up from the map he'd been studying. "Casualties?"
"Minimal. But the message they left was clear." Caelum's voice tightened. "They called you a traitor. Said your curse makes you unfit to rule."
Thorne finally looked up, his gaze hard. "And what do you think, Caelum?"
"I think they're fools with no idea what it means to bear a kingdom on your shoulders," he said without hesitation. "But it's spreading. The unrest. Especially in the east. They infiltrate the homes of the poor and poison their minds."
Thorne leaned back in his chair. "And these are supporters of Khaos?"
"They're men who go around trying to stir unrest in the people. They want their fate shaken in you so they can join in their cult of Khaos."
Thorne hummed, he supposed there were people who would support the devil himself regardless of all he's done. And Khaos? Khaos was the Devil's son.
"Double the patrols. Quietly. No open confrontation unless provoked. Have them all locked up and forgotten and let me know if it escalates."
Caelum nodded. "There will be new shipments of slaves today. Will you inspect them again…or?" Caelum trailed off, studying the man.
Thorne clenched his jaw involuntarily. "No."
Caelum nodded and stood up, ready to go back to his work. He stopped in his tracks by Thorne.
"Any word on the sage?"
Caelum hesitated. "Nothing. Every trace we follow leads to dust and bones. It's impossible to find a sage, Your Majesty. All of them were wiped out during the war with Khaos. If any sage was left behind after then, I'm sure they're dead and rotten by now." He paused as Thorne got up, wearing that same stormy expression. It was a permanent look for him.
Caelum sighed internally. "Forgive me for saying, my king, but finding a sage is impossible. Their existence has been wiped away from the earth."
Thorne stood by the window. From there, he could see the capital below, bathed in the bright sun. Merchants setting up stalls. Guards patrolling. Life moving on as though he wasn't stuck in the same place.
He didn't turn around when he spoke. "The gods were very clear. I will never father another child… not unless I mate with a sage."
Caelum said nothing.
"A divine being. The connection between realms," Thorne continued, his voice quiet and bitter. "Touched by the goddess herself. And they've all vanished, all wiped out by the very same man that killed my mate."
Caelum stepped closer to him, his voice gentle. "It's not your fault, Thorne. You were a king at war whose mate and unborn child died at the hands of a man like Khaos. You did what anyone would do."
"I went against their rules. I used black magic, Caelum. The gods— they don't see justification or reason," he muttered. "They only see sin. And I committed the greatest sin there is."
He heaved heavily. "I need a sage, Caelum," he said. "Or my line ends with me."
Thorne stood still, his own words echoing in his mind. Suddenly his eyes flashed with something and immediately they're fixed.
There she was. Adina.
She was in the courtyard below, walking carefully as she carried a basket full of linens. The sun kissed her skin, and for a brief second, his heart softened. She didn't know he was watching.
The bond stirred inside of him, reminding him of what he shared with her, not like he could ever forget.
Caelum followed his gaze, frowning slightly when he saw her.
He cleared his throat, "My king, Forgive me for what I'm about to say," Caelum said carefully, "But what if you breed her?"
Thorne's shoulders tensed instantly.
Caelum continued, much slower like he was walking on ice, "She's your mate. We know that much. Maybe the gods…"
"Maybe the gods nothing!" Thorne snarled, his eyes dark with rage.
Caelum lowered his gaze immediately, shoulders tensed.
"Do you think of me as such a weakling? A king without morals! One so desperate for a child that I will mate with a slave? I swore to Roseanne that I would never take up a second mate and I intend to keep that promise."
"Your Majesty—"
Thorne's eyes flashed red. "That's enough! Find me a sage to bear my pups and that's it. This is the last I will hear of this atrocious thing."
Caelum nodded once, stiffly. "As you command."
Thorne's gaze returned to the window, jaw tight. Below, Adina had vanished, but the bond still throbbed under his skin. More maddening than before.