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.“That is your stance, then?” Valen asked him.Leer raised his hand, palm up, as if to say he could offer nothing more.Valen looked to Star.“Was there any indication of this either way?”Star had to remind herself what he referred to.That Leer intercepted the letter to protect Valen? How would she know? She was just the messenger.“No, no indication either way.”“And this is the man who accepted the first letter?”“Yes.This is him.He expected it.”Valen seemed to be considering many issues at once.Star could sense his inner turmoil.She suspected he yearned to believe his cousin.She studied Leer’s timeworn features and tried to find any indication of his purpose, but she could not penetrate his tough facade.All she saw was a man hardened by a rough life, confronting a privileged cousin who had the kingdom in his hands.The situation did not bode well.“I must think on this.My guards will question you further.” Valen turned to leave.“Come, Miss Nightengale, we need to report his position to the authorities.”Valen led Star out of the cell.As the guards closed the door behind them, she fought the urge to look back.She did not want to give Leer another reason to tease her.Valen gestured to the winding stairwell and they began the ascent back into light.Dawn would break soon and the morning sun would peek over the horizon.Star was eager to see it, for the dark of night had settled in her eyes and she felt it would never go away.“I didn’t know he is your cousin.” Star studied Valen’s back as if she could look into the inner workings of his heart.“Not many people do.” He paused on the stairway.“We were friends once, back when we were small boys.Our mothers were sisters and when they went out together, they brought us along.We went riding, played cards and chess, all the typical family activities.A friendly competition developed between us, but it became clearer the older we grew I was to be king and the rivalry turned sour.I think the inequality of the situation weighed heavily on him.I promised him that, as king, I would see to it that he would have everything I had, but that didn’t seem to placate him.He wanted power, prestige and wealth, and he wanted to gain it for himself, not be given the scraps from his younger cousin.”Valen rubbed his face with his hand, as if to wipe away his memories.He gestured for her to keep climbing.“The first major rift between us happened the day my mother died.”Star had heard an accident claimed his mother’s life, but no one knew exactly what transpired that day.The royal family refused to speak of it.She was surprised he confided in her, a messenger from another kingdom without an ounce of royal blood running through her veins.It meant he trusted her.“I remember it clearly, like the instance froze in my mind, a timeless picture.”Suddenly Valen’s footsteps were silent.He froze in mid-step, clinging to the railing like it held his salvation.His eyes grew distant, looking beyond the stone to the ground outside the fortress walls.She walked back to him, stopping one stair above so her head was even with his own.“Go on.”“We were fishing out by Ellis Lake.This was back almost ten years ago, when the Elyndra were held at bay by archers and groups strolled the countryside with a guarded retinue.”Valen clutched the railing, the back of his hand turning white.“My mother and Fallon’s mother were beading pearl necklaces on the shore.They called to us to come in for the day.Darkness came and the mist thickened around the water’s edge.I wanted to go back immediately, but Fallon insisted we linger.Ambitious and insatiable as always, he wanted to try for one more fish.”Anxiety bubbled in her stomach as she listened, as if the rippling waters lapped at her feet while she watched the mist flow in an ominous tide.Part of her wanted him to stop right there, but a larger part needed to know his pain.“Go on.” Star placed a hand on his shoulder.“It’s all right, I’m listening.”Valen nodded, looking down at the moss-crusted floor.“We fought.I finally convinced him to help me paddle back to shore.By the time we reached the shoreline, the mist seeped all around us, pouring in like water over a cliff.Our surroundings changed from peaceful to precarious in moments.“We had stayed out too late, but Fallon’s anger overshadowed his fear.I’d caught more fish and he couldn’t deal with defeat.When I held up my catch of fish to my mother, he ran off into the mist.His mother boarded the carriage to take us back to Ravencliff and was unaware, but my mother had stayed to see we reached the shore safely.“I remember the beads falling on the beach around my feet like scattered hopes.At first I thought I’d tipped a basket over.When I turned around, I saw my mother had dropped the baskets of necklaces to run after him.I watched as the trail of her indigo shawl vanished into the mist.The archers were already in pursuit.I struggled to run after them, but my guards locked me down.They could not chance losing their future king.” Valen let out a long sad breath.“Fallon was the only one who made it back.”Star covered her mouth with her hand.“My goodness, Prince Valen, I’m so sorry.”He waved her concerns away.“I’m not telling you this for your pity.And it’s not meant to upset you either.”Sniffing back the tears that were already brimming in her gray eyes, she wiped her face with her sleeve.“I’m okay.Please, keep talking.I want to hear the whole story.”Pearls of sweat sprinkled his forehead and Valen wiped them away.“If you wish.” But he didn’t continue.They stood there on the uneven steps with awkward silence falling between them
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