The King's Guard

Chapter 60

Chapter 60

The night after the cipher discovery pressed down like a weight. Kael sat in the barracks long after the others slept, journal open but words refusing to come. The parchment copy of the coded message lay folded under his cloak, heavy as stone.

Reyna found him there, candle guttering low.

“You’re still awake,” she said quietly.

Kael didn’t look up. “So are you.”

She moved closer, sitting across from him at the narrow table. “Because I know that look. You’re circling the same thought over and over.”

Kael shut the journal. “I should confront Jared.”

Reyna’s brows lifted. “And then what? He’ll deny it again. Or worse.”

“He’s lying,” Kael said, voice flat. “Every word he speaks bends around the truth.”

Reyna crossed her arms. “He bends words because that’s what nobles are trained to do. Doesn’t mean they’re poison.”

Kael frowned. “You didn’t see his face when I mentioned the crest.”

“I saw it,” she said softly. “And I saw yours. You looked ready to run him through.”

Kael’s voice sharpened. “You think I can’t tell when someone’s hiding something?”

“I think you want him to be guilty,” Reyna countered. “He grates on you—his mouth, his pride. He reminds you of every officer who ever looked down on you for not having a title.”

Kael’s eyes flicked up, anger and truth flashing beneath. “Maybe. But that doesn’t make him innocent.”

Reyna sighed, rubbing her temple. “No. It just makes this mess harder to see clearly.”

Kael reached into his cloak and laid the folded cipher on the table. “This isn’t just a mess. These marks match a Varion trader’s code—routes through the riverlands, timed shipments. That can’t be coincidence.”

Reyna leaned closer, tracing the faint lines. “If this truly links back to his family…”

“Then we have proof,” Kael said.

“Proof of what?” she asked quietly. “That a house known for trade uses coded routes? That’s not treason, Kael—it’s good business.”

His jaw set. “Not when those routes align with rebel movements. We’ve lost two convoys along the same line.”

Reyna’s gaze flickered. “You think Jared’s passing information?”

“I think someone in Varion is,” he said. “And he’s the one sitting next to us, pretending to share our loyalty.”

Reyna hesitated. “He’s arrogant, not suicidal.”

“You underestimate the things people do to protect their own names,” Kael muttered.

Reyna leaned back in her chair, studying him. “You sound like someone who’s already decided the verdict.”

Kael looked at her then—really looked. “Would you trust him?”

She didn’t answer right away. “I trust the team,” she said at last. “That’s all I can afford.”

Kael almost smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one that keeps us alive,” she replied.

Silence hung for a moment, broken only by the hiss of the dying candle.

Reyna spoke again, her voice quieter. “You care too much to see straight sometimes. That’s your strength, but it’s also the blade you hold to your own throat.”

Kael stared down at his hands. “And what about you? You act like none of this touches you.”

“It touches me,” she said. “I just don’t bleed in front of people.”

That drew a faint, tired laugh from him. “That’s very you.”

Reyna tilted her head. “And very inconvenient for anyone trying to argue with me.”

He met her eyes again, something gentler there now. “If you’re wrong about him—”

“Then I’ll admit it,” she said. “But not before we’re sure.”

Kael nodded slowly, gaze dropping to the cipher again. “So we wait while he hides more?”

“We wait while we watch,” Reyna corrected. “Rushing him only plays into his hands.”

Silence stretched. The candle hissed.

Kael muttered, “When I killed that man at the market, it was fast. Clear. Necessary. This…” he tapped the journal, “...this feels slower. Harder. Like drowning in mud.”

Reyna’s voice softened. “That’s because blades are simple. People aren’t.”

He gave a short, humourless laugh. “You sound like Darius.”

“Maybe,” Reyna said. “But I don’t think you need his lectures right now.”

Kael looked at her properly then, shadows cutting across her face. “So what do I need?”

Reyna hesitated, then said simply, “Patience. And someone who won’t let you fall under the weight of it.”

Their eyes locked for a long moment. Kael swallowed hard, looking away first.

The next morning drills came and went, but Kael’s focus wavered. Jared’s presence nearby felt heavier than usual: his smirk lingering, his words pointed.

During sparring, Jared feinted left, blade tapping Kael’s guard.

“Distracted?” Jared said.

Kael shoved him back. “Focused enough.”

Jared chuckled. “Good. Because focus is all that keeps your secrets safe.”

Kael froze. “What did you say?”

Jared’s grin sharpened. “Relax. Just a word. Unless there’s something you’d rather confess?”

Reyna, watching from the sidelines, called out, “Enough talking. Fight.”

The bout resumed, but Kael’s strikes came faster, sharper. Jared parried each with mocking ease, leaning close to whisper, “You’ll choke on silence before I do, or maybe something else...”

When the match ended, both stood breathless. Jared smirked, bowed theatrically, and walked off.

Reyna approached Kael, eyes narrowed. “He’s baiting you.”

“I know,” Kael muttered. “And it’s working.”

Later, by the outer courtyard wall, Kael and Kyna spoke in hushed tones.

“He’s covering something,” Kael said.

Kyna nodded. “I don’t doubt it. But if you move too soon, you’ll lose everything. Archon already favours him.”

Kael frowned. “So what do we do?”

Kyna glanced toward the training fields. “We build. Watch. Record. And when the time comes, we strike with proof no one can burn.”

Kael pulled the folded cipher from his cloak. “This is proof.”

“Not enough,” Kyna said. “Not yet. A cipher means nothing without the key. We need the bigger picture.”

Kael’s voice dropped. “And if Varion is behind all of this?”

Kyna’s gaze was sharp. “Then Jared’s loyalty isn’t just to his family. It’s against us.”

That evening, Reyna found Kael again, sitting by the fire pit.

“You spoke with Kyna,” she guessed.

Kael nodded. “She says wait. Watch.”

“And you?”

“I want to act.”

Reyna sat beside him. “So act differently. Not with your blade. With your eyes. With your mind. That’s how we win this.”

Kael looked at her, tired but steady. “And if I’m wrong?”

Reyna gave a small, rare smile. “Then at least you won’t be wrong alone.”

Kael almost smiled back.

Sleep that night brought no comfort. Kael dreamt again of voices, whispers in corridors, faces half-hidden. And when he woke, Jared’s bunk was empty.

The unease clawed deeper.

The next day, Darius summoned the squad. His gaze moved between them, unreadable.

“There are rumours spreading,” he said. “Whispers of noble houses, conspiracies, traitors. If I hear them from your lips, you will regret it.”

Kael’s chest tightened. He forced his voice calm. “Sir, what if the rumours are true?”

Darius’s stare locked on him. “Then they will be proven by those whose task it is…not you.”

Jared smirked faintly from the side, but said nothing.

Reyna and Kyna exchanged a glance. Kael’s fists clenched at his side.

Darius finished, “Until then, you follow orders. No deviations. Dismissed.”

As they left the hall, Jared leaned close to Kael, voice low. “You hear that? Even Darius knows your questions are worthless.”

Kael stared straight ahead. “One day you’ll slip.”

Jared’s grin was thin. “One day you’ll choke on your own doubt.”

Later that night, Reyna caught Kael outside near the training grounds. The moonlight was pale on the stones.

“You wanted to confront him, didn’t you?” she asked.

Kael didn’t answer immediately. Then: “Yes.”

“And?”

He looked at her. “I didn’t. Because you were right.”

Reyna folded her arms. “You hate waiting.”

“I do.”

“But you’ll do it anyway?”

Kael nodded slowly. “I’ll watch. I’ll gather. And when I have enough, I’ll cut through every lie.”

Reyna studied him in the silver light. “Then I’ll stand with you when you do.”

Kael swallowed, throat tight. He whispered, “Thank you.”

Unseen by them, Kyna stood at the edge of the shadows, hearing every word. Her eyes narrowed.

Because patience was one thing. But lies had a way of spreading faster than fire.