The King's Guard

Chapter 52

The palace quieted after midnight. Torches burned low in their sconces, shadows crawling along the stone. Kael sat on the edge of his bunk, boots still on, eyes fixed on the ceiling beams. Sleep wouldn’t come.

A knock at the door broke the stillness. Three short raps. Reyna’s code.

He opened it. She slipped inside, cloak pulled tight.

“Arvel left his chamber,” she whispered.

Kael straightened. “When?”

“Minutes ago. Guards didn’t move to stop him. That’s not routine.”

Kael’s brow furrowed. “They just let him pass? At this hour?”

Reyna nodded grimly. “Didn’t even glance at him. Like it was expected.”

Kyna appeared behind her, already armed. “I saw him too. He’s heading for the east wing.”

Kael frowned. “And Jared?”

Reyna muttered, almost through her teeth. “Already outside. Of course.”

Kael’s jaw tightened. “You think he’s tailing Arvel, or helping him?”

Kyna’s eyes narrowed. “With Jared, both are possible.”

Reyna crossed her arms. “If he wanted to warn us, he would have. Instead he slinks out alone? Suspicious.”

Kael exhaled sharply. “Or reckless.”

“Or both,” Kyna added. “Either way, if Arvel’s moving under cover of night, this isn’t a walk to clear his head.”

Reyna glanced toward the door. “If Jared ruins this before we even know what’s happening…”

Kael cut her off, voice low but steady. “Then we’ll make sure he doesn’t.”

Kael grabbed his cloak. “Then we follow.”

The east wing corridors stretched long and silent. The squad moved in the shadows, keeping distance. Arvel’s footsteps echoed faintly ahead.

Reyna kept her voice low. “He’s not wandering this time. He knows exactly where he’s going.”

Kael nodded. “Which means this was planned.”

Kyna pointed to the faint glow further down. “There. He’s turning into the courtyard.”

They slipped closer, hugging the walls.

The courtyard lay empty except for Arvel, who walked to its centre and paused. He glanced once around, then traced a rune in the air. The ground shimmered faintly.

Kael’s breath caught. “A ward.”

Reyna hissed, “Sound barrier.”

They edged closer, but the moment Arvel spoke, the air thickened. No sound carried. His lips moved, words lost.

Then a second figure stepped from the shadows opposite him: cloaked, hood drawn low.

Kael’s chest tightened. “Someone’s already here.”

Reyna pulled him back behind the column. “Careful.”

Kyna whispered, “Can you read lips?”

Kael shook his head. “Too far.”

Jared appeared suddenly beside them, smirk faint. “Miss me?”

Reyna scowled. “Where were you?”

“Scouting ahead,” Jared said softly. “Saw him meet our mystery guest. Thought I’d wait for you.”

Kael’s voice was flat. “Convenient.”

“Practical,” Jared corrected. He tilted his head toward the pair in the courtyard. “Well? What’s the grand plan? We rush them, or stand here and hope they start waving banners?”

Reyna shot him a sharp glare. “If you’d wanted subtlety, you wouldn’t be smirking like a thief caught red-handed.”

Jared’s grin widened. “I am a thief caught red-handed. Difference is, I don’t get caught.”

Kyna groaned under her breath. “Can you two not start right now? We’ve got bigger problems.”

Kael leaned forward, trying to catch any stray syllables through the barrier, frustration tightening his jaw. “I don’t like this. Whoever that is… Arvel’s treating them like an equal.”

Reyna narrowed her eyes. “Or like a master.”

“Lovely,” Jared muttered. “So either we’re watching a negotiation or a sermon.”

“Quiet,” Kael snapped.

For a moment, they all stilled, the silence pressing. Arvel’s head bowed slightly as the cloaked figure lifted a hand. The movement was deliberate, controlled.

Kyna whispered, “Why does that look like… a ritual?”

Reyna gripped her arm. “Because it probably is. And if we interrupt, we may trigger whatever they’ve set up.”

Jared leaned closer, voice dripping with mock cheer. “So, we’re just spectators at the heretic theatre? I didn’t buy tickets.”

Reyna clenched her teeth. “One more word, Jared…”

Kael cut across, low and firm. “Enough. Focus.”

They returned their attention to the centre just in time to see the cloaked figure reach into their sleeve and produce something small, glinting in the ward’s shimmer.

Kyna’s breath hitched. “What is that?”

The figure extended it. Arvel’s hand closed around it with a kind of reverence.

Kael’s eyes narrowed. “A shard. Crystal. Maybe glass.”

Reyna muttered, “Exchange. Evidence.”

Jared smirked. “Or a gift. Maybe they’re old friends.”

“Quiet,” Kael hissed.

They watched a moment longer. The conversation stretched, words lost in the barrier. Arvel nodded once, sharply, then turned back toward the palace. The cloaked figure faded into shadow, gone as if swallowed by the stone.

The barrier dissolved. The courtyard returned to silence.

Reyna exhaled. “Well. That’s something.”

“Not enough,” Kael said grimly.

Jared shrugged. “So we learned he likes midnight strolls and secret friends. Hardly shocking.”

Kyna hugged her arms, eyes narrowed. “You think this is routine? People don’t conjure barriers in the dead of night for casual chats.”

Reyna nodded. “Exactly. He wanted secrecy. Which means the crystal—”

“...is dangerous,” Kael finished, voice low. “Or valuable.”

Jared rolled his eyes. “Or shiny. Could be a trinket. You lot always jump to apocalypse.”

Kael glared. “Because we’ve seen apocalypse. More than once.”

“Careful,” Jared said with a smirk. “Your paranoia’s showing.”

Kyna snapped, “Stop it, both of you. This isn’t a game.”

“Never said it was,” Jared murmured, leaning against the wall as though they weren’t one misstep from exposure. “But the more tightly you grip, the more you miss the obvious.”

Reyna’s jaw tightened. “Which is?”

“That Arvel didn’t even bother checking for tails.” Jared tapped the column with one finger. “Almost like he wanted us to see.”

Kael froze, frowning. “He… left the path clear. No guards. No wards on the corridors.”

Reyna’s brows drew together. “You think it’s staged?”

Kyna’s voice dropped. “To what end?”

“Bait,” Jared said simply. “To see if we’d bite.”

Kael growled. “Or to test loyalty.” His fists clenched at his sides. “Damn it. We walked straight into it.”

Reyna touched his arm lightly. “Easy. We don’t know that yet.”

Kyna shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. Whatever he’s carrying, it matters. And we weren’t supposed to see it.”

Kael nodded, grim. “Which means we were meant to fail this assignment. Darius wanted us to know something wasn’t right.”

Reyna frowned. “Or test if we’d notice.”

Jared gave a short laugh. “Or bait us into overreacting. Which you’re both doing quite well.”

Kael turned on him. “What’s your angle, Jared?”

“My angle?” Jared grinned. “Survival. And watching you tie yourself in knots while I enjoy the view.”

Reyna snapped, “Enough. We take this to Darius. Quietly. Before Arvel realises we followed.”

Kael hesitated. His instincts screamed to act now, to intercept, to demand answers. But he forced the urge down.

“Fine,” he said. “We report. At dawn.”

They returned to the barracks, silence heavy between them. Reyna finally spoke.

“Don’t let Jared get to you.”

Kael muttered, “Too late.”

She touched his arm. “Focus. Arvel’s the problem. Not him.”

Jared, already ahead of them, called back, “I heard that.”

Reyna rolled her eyes. “Good. Maybe it’ll sink in.”

Kael pulled his cloak tighter, eyes drifting back to the courtyard in his mind. The rune. The shard. The hidden guest.

It seened a lot was unravelling right in front of them, and they were standing in the middle of everything.

Back in his bunk, Kael opened his journal again. His hand moved quickly, words pressing deep into the page.

> Arvel left chamber at midnight. Sound barrier ward. Met cloaked figure. Exchange: crystal shard. Meaning unknown.

He paused, then added another line.

> Jared’s calm. Way too calm for his personality.

The ink smudged as his hand lingered.

He whispered into the dark, “Tomorrow. Darius will know.”