After their decisive victory over Orinovo, Lys-Akkaria's army crosses the border to take back territory that used to be theirs. With the combined forces of a lightweaver and shadowforger, Orinovo doesn't stand a chance.
In spite of their newfound a...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Fennrin was worried, to say the least. He couldn't believe Ainreth had somehow managed to discover what he and Daryan had done. But he tried not to panic. That was the last thing anyone needed right now.
"Are you okay, my dear?" asked Daryan. He and about a dozen guards were walking with him to public speech Daryan had to give to try to calm down the questioning citizens—a task Fennrin didn't envy him—but Fennrin had barely noticed they'd left the palace.
"I... No." Fennrin decided to be truthful. "This is a terrible situation."
Daryan put his arm around his waist, stopping briefly to hug Fennrin. "Do not worry about anything. I will handle this."
Fennrin took a deep breath, clinging to Daryan for a bit before pulling away and nodding. Of course. He didn't need to worry about this. He just needed to trust in Daryan.
"Of course."
"Good." Daryan nodded at him, keeping his arm round him as they started walking again. "I have something I need you to do."
"Oh?" Fennrin blinked, but he was immediately ready to complete whatever task Daryan had for him.
"I need you to arrest Ainreth. You are the only one who can," Daryan said, making Fennrin swallow as he tensed up.
"Yes, of course," he said, even though he didn't feel all that ready to do this. Ainreth wouldn't go with him of his own free will, so he would have to fight him. And the thought of that made him feel sick. But knew it had to be done.
"Thank you," Daryan said with a kind, warm smile. It made Fennrin smile back, no matter how anxious and upset he was inside. "Take a few guards and raid the warehouse you found. Search the city if he is not there. But he must be brought to justice."
Fennrin nodded but grimaced as he did, torn a little as he whispered to Daryan: "Is arresting him warranted, though? That man was technically innocent."
"My dear Fenn," Daryan said, his voice surprisingly stern, though still kind. "I need you to stop second guessing me and yourself. Don't you trust me?"
Fennrin nodded immediately. "Of course I do."
"Good, then let me worry about these things. I will tell you what to do, and you won't have to worry about anything else."
Fennrin nodded, feeling very silly now for doubting him. He really shouldn't question what Daryan did. Daryan was the Herald, not Fennrin. And if not for Ainreth figuring out the truth, it would all have worked.
"Of course. Good luck with your speech," Fennrin said, sighing.
Daryan leaned in to kiss his forehead lovingly. "Do not worry about anything. All will be well. You'll see."
Fennrin nodded again, kissing Daryan briefly before turning into a shadow, heading to the baracks. He'd grown so used to doing that—just melding into nothingness and traveling around Kyr-Toryl. More and more often, he didn't wish to be perceived by other people than Daryan, and since he had the power to avoid that, he used it.
