Crown of Iron (Book 1 of the Crown Trilogy)

Fifteen

Greer leans in her doorway, a hand on her hip and her brown eyes following my every movement as I move through the quiet hallway. I can't believe she waited up for me. Kyron must have given her strict orders which she doesn't plan on disobeying. If only she knew what I'd been up to all day. I wonder if she would be more surprised to learn that I spied on the general, or that my punishment for Kyron catching me was to clean a washroom. I'm sure she would debate that he went too easy on me. And she would be right.

"Where have you been all day?" she asks.

"Don't worry, I was doing the bidding of our fierce leader." It's not a complete lie, but there is no need for her to learn how I came to do his bidding. Besides, if Kyron wants her to know, he will tell her. I open my door and waving my fingers at her. "Goodnight, Colonel."

She huffs and steps inside her quarters.

Removing my jacket, I cross my small room. My living space is nothing like Leif's—a bed, a four-drawer dresser, a multipurpose table for two, and a washroom. It's bland, functional, and better than sleeping in the stables.

I complete my nightly routine and crawl under the soft sheets, sinking into the mattress and folding my arms over my stomach. As I stare at the ceiling, my mind flashes through thoughts like lightning during a storm. I came here with a single focus, but as the days carry on, things grow complicated. The people around me divide my attention, and my purpose feels lost in the muddle.

My biggest distraction is still Kyron. Everything I witnessed today replays in my head. I don't dwell to long on the kindness he showed Shianne and her children. It may have been his guilt that drove him to her doorstep, but it is clear to see that Blaze and Mia are the main reason he returns every other week. The compassion and attentiveness he shows the two goes beyond sorrow and earning forgiveness. Superseding the gentler side of him, is his give. I can't stop thinking about it. His power is intense and unlike anything I've ever encountered. Tonight, it was demanding, drawing me in, and I couldn't get enough. If I wouldn't appear insane, I could have basked in the addictive feeling all night. I couldn't get enough.

"Shit," I whisper.

I've never understood why the lure of a comfortable life keeps Cyffreds in Stigian. Beautiful things and a carefree life can't always be worth the draining of their power and ultimately death. They must come to a moment of clarity, a desire to be something more than the remedy to a Stigian's grotesque habit. People grow and minds change; someone has had to want out. Unless they have an addiction of their own.

How the Stigian tap into the powers of another is not common knowledge in Lucent. Some have their theories, but no official confirmation. It's feared if our people know how siphoning power works, the curiosity of some will get the better of them. We cannot cross that line, or we will battle within our walls and the foundation of our free kingdom will crumble.

Kyron could only earn those black eyes in Stigian. He knows what me and so many others don't. What if he is siphoning gifts and everyone is so enraptured with the sensation he emanates they didn't even know? Maybe it is why the soldiers follow him so blindly. Did he siphon from my father, and he is the reason he left our family? Did he do the same to me tonight? It's the only explanation that makes sense.

"Asshole." I punch my pillow and turn onto my side.

The rest of my night is much of the same, flopping around and cursing Kyron. I question my theory, poking holes in it, only to confirm I have no idea what is going on. But something isn't right about Kyron LeFur.

Despite not getting a wink of sleep, I'm up before daylight and ready to fight. The sun sits behind the horizon, casting orange rays across a cobalt sky. The crisp breeze catches my ponytail, swinging it to match the tempo of the sword on my hip. I march past the obstacle course and the archery range, and when I reach the sparring field, three familiar faces await me.