The King's Guard

Chapter 43

The training grounds had emptied with the fading sun, only a few scattered voices echoing across the stone courts. Kael sat on the edge of the outer steps, elbows balanced on his knees, head lowered. He’d kept Archon’s words locked in his chest for two days, and each passing hour tightened the weight.

He didn’t hear Reyna approach until her shadow cut across his boots.

“You’ve been quieter than usual,” she said, lowering herself to sit beside him.

Kael didn’t answer. His hands flexed against his thighs, the memory of Archon’s voice still raw.

Reyna tilted her head, studying him. “This isn’t the silence you wear when you’re brooding. This is the kind that festers. I’ve seen it before.”

“You’re observant,” Kael muttered.

“Comes with watching you stumble through drills lately,” she replied. “Talk to me. What’s eating at you?”

Kael shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

Reyna gave a short laugh, humourless. “You don’t stay up half the night for ‘nothing’. I saw you at the barracks window last night. Not sleeping. Not writing in your journal either. Just staring like the walls were closing in.”

“I didn’t think anyone noticed.”

“I notice,” she said firmly.

The words struck him harder than he expected. He exhaled, shoulders sinking. “If I tell you something, you don’t repeat it. Not to Kyna. Not to Jared. Not even to Darius.”

Reyna’s brow furrowed. “That serious?”

“Yes.”

“Alright,” she said. “Then speak.”

Kael stared out at the field where torches burned low, voices distant. “I overheard Archon. He wasn’t alone. Someone was with him, someone I didn’t see. They were talking about the King.”

Reyna stiffened. “What kind of talk?”

Kael hesitated, then forced the words out. “A plot against him.”

Her breath caught. “You’re certain of what you heard?”

“I’m very certain. I don’t mistake words, Reyna, especially not when they carry that much intent.”

She leaned in, voice lowering. “What exactly was said?”

“Archon mentioned ‘removing the King from the board’. That’s all I caught before they moved on.”

Silence pressed between them, heavy and cold.

Reyna finally said, “This isn’t small. If Archon is planning something against the Crown…”

Kael cut her off. “Which is why I can’t tell anyone else. If I speak and it spreads, who do I trust? Darius? He serves the system still. Kyna? Her ties already run too deep into networks we don’t understand. Jared? Oh, no. He'd rat me out immediately to gain the upper hand. Such a crazy guy .”

Reyna’s jaw tightened. “Okay, so Jared aside, your plan is to say nothing?”

“My plan is to survive long enough to know who’s actually holding the knife.”

Reyna frowned, gripping the step’s edge. “Kael, this isn’t something you can carry alone. Secrets rot. They change the person holding them. You’ve already been different since the valley. Now this? It’ll tear you apart.”

“I’ll manage.”

“No,” she said sharply. “You think you can, but you’re not made of stone. You bleed, you doubt, you falter. That’s not weakness… it’s being human. But it means you can’t shut everyone out.”

Kael’s gaze dropped. “I trusted once. It didn’t end well.”

The reveal struck like a blade. Reyna’s lips pressed tight.

She softened her voice. “I’m not them. And this isn’t then.”

He closed his eyes briefly, then shook his head. “I can’t risk it. Not yet.”

Reyna leaned closer, refusing to let him withdraw. “Then risk me. Tell me more. Give me something to hold so you’re not carrying all of it.”

Kael looked at her, caught by the quiet insistence in her eyes. “He said the Council is fractured. That the King has fewer allies than he thinks. That when the time comes, some will look away.”

Reyna’s throat worked. “That’s treason.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re sure he knew you weren’t there? That you weren’t listening?”

“I stayed in the dark. They didn’t notice.”

“Good,” she said. “Then keep it that way. But Kael…you need to tell Darius. He deserves to know.”

Kael shook his head. “If Darius already suspects, he’s keeping it quiet for a reason. If he doesn’t know, then telling him paints a target on me.”

“You can’t hold this alone,” Reyna repeated.

Kael’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I already am.”

For a long time, neither moved. The sound of crickets swelled at the edges of the courtyard, a faint wind tugging at their cloaks.

Reyna finally broke the silence. “When Liam stood beside you back in the village years ago, when he punched that boy for running his mouth, did you tell him your truth, or did you stay silent then too?”

Kael’s eyes snapped to hers. “How do you know about Liam?”

“You mentioned him once, in passing. You didn’t realise. But I listened.”

Kael turned away. “Oh, I actually spoke to you about him. Well, I never told him. He didn’t ask. He didn’t need to.”

“Then let me be that for you now. Don’t make me guess.”

Kael’s hand clenched. “I don’t want to drag you into this.”

“You already have.”

The words hung heavy.

Reyna shifted, her shoulder brushing his lightly. “You trust me enough to fight beside me. Trust me enough to hold this too. Or you’ll break under it.”

Kael’s voice rasped. “And if I’m wrong?”

“Then I’ll bear it with you,” she said simply.

The simplicity of it disarmed him more than any elaborate oath.

He stared at her, searching for a crack, a hesitation. There was none.

Finally, he said, “He used the phrase ‘before the crown falls’. That’s what he said. Like it’s already decided.”

Reyna’s face hardened. “Then we can’t waste time.”

“Reyna—”

“No,” she cut him off, fierce now. “This is bigger than us, Kael. Bigger than the Rift, bigger than the squad. If the King’s in danger, you can’t sit on this. Tell Darius. Let him decide the weight.”

Kael shook his head, voice low but firm. “Not yet.”

Reyna’s eyes narrowed. “Then when?”

“When I know who’s safe.”

“By the time you’re sure, it may be too late,” she warned.

Kael rose to his feet, shadows cutting sharp across his features in the torchlight. “Better late than dead for speaking too soon.”

Reyna stood as well, standing almost toe-to-toe with him. “You’re playing with fire.”

“Then I’ll burn,” Kael said quietly.

Reyna’s hand hovered as if she might reach for him, then dropped back to her side. “Promise me you won’t bury this completely. If not Darius, then at least me. Don’t lock it away.”

Kael gave a slow nod. “I promise.”

Reyna studied him for a long moment, then stepped back, the tension still taut between them. “You’re stubborn to the point of madness.”

“You’re only realising that now?” he tried, but the humour fell flat.

She gave a faint, humourless smile. “You’ll tell me when it’s time. Until then… I’ll be watching you.”

Kael’s gaze dropped to the ground. “Not yet,” he repeated.

The words felt like a verdict.

Reyna shook her head, exhaling hard. “Not yet.”