Betrayal of Blood

Chapter 9 - Tokens

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**this is the last chapter and if you've already read Token of Loyalty, then you're good, but if you've not, then I suggest reading it**

Hrafn—

Leaving Eadburga behind had been easy, but for Sindri it hadn't. He'd left his sister and her child behind, and while they rightfully belonged in Eadburga, since Ragna was married to Aelfgar and was a Queen of Eadburga, I knew Sindri had despised it, nonetheless.

He hadn't spoken on what had happened in Eadburga for some time, over a week or more since we had returned to Taryn. He'd gone straight to his council and had them draw up battle plans, then he'd gone over which kingdom would be the best to conquer first, once his army was battle readied.

A greater part of me wanted to talk him down from war and into peaceful approaches, that perhaps a kingdom or two would change their minds and wish to align with us, but gone were the days of reasoning like that. I'd taken, instead, to overseeing him and ensuring he didn't go head on into chaos.

It bothered me that I was a bystander, witness to his hunger to bring power to Taryn and a name by any means. I'd vowed to stay by him and would do just that, except that never meant that I was going to be silent nor be afraid to voice my opposition to something that was pure madness.

Though, I had been too late when it had come to Reigar, since he'd gone behind my back on that one and had wounded my trust. He'd said he was going to Reigar's kingdom, to talk to their King Lev about extending Taryn's lands to the boundary of Reigar's border, but had instead brought his army, thus inciting a battle with Lev. It had ended with Reigar's capitol city in ruin, buildings burning with hot flames and ash raining down from the sky and the blood of their King soaking the ground.

Sindri had spared the innocent peasants from being killed, but they'd lost their entire livelihoods and homes in the flames, the fires he'd set in their city. I'd been witness to ire that matched the magnitude of scalding lava, as he'd taken it out on Reigar, and with no apparent remorse, until we'd returned to Taryn.

I wandered down a hollow corridor, with only the sconces on the walls flickering and casting my shadow across them. My footsteps echoed softly, yet they sounded loud in the dead of night. My body was clean of the blood and ash of the day, my hands no longer soaked in the crimson that had gotten onto them from having touched Sindri's blood-soaked hands.

I'd scrubbed for what had felt like forever in the bath, cleansing the dried remnants on my skin and hair that had been turned a dark maroon, the white of it stained by the blood. Sindri hadn't come back through all of that, gone or disappeared somewhere in the castle, but if I knew him as well as I thought I did, he would be in the gardens.

The moonlight greeted me first when I stepped out of a doorway of the castle, and into the gardens that was lit only by fireflies that twinkled and dim light shining down from the moon.

I walked barefoot across a cobblestone walkway, then onto the grass that bent and felt soft beneath the soles of my feet. The warmth of the day still coated the grass, leaving it to be a comfort to walk on, rather than chilly and nipping.

My venture to find Sindri wasn't long, as when I drew upon the portion of the gardens that held a great, wide oak tree, I saw him leaning against its trunk. His eyes were trained on the bristling leaves of the tree, lost to them, and seeming saddened by the unfocused, glossy nature of his gaze.