Chapter 41 : : : : : Lukas Arrives in Whitelark

*Alec*

A few days had passed since we came back from rogue territory. I hadn’t given another thought to that crackpot’s words, but I hadn’t slept easy either. My plan to get Lukas to Whitelark was working, but my stomach churned at the thought of the cost. There was something about the whole situation that felt too easy. Every night I went to bed, I found I couldn’t sleep. Ember was in her chambers. I knew the castle was safe, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of looming danger.

As the day that Lukas was meant to arrive drew closer, my sleepless nights turned to anxious fever dreams. I saw my mother and her kind smile. I saw my father and his blood splattered across the ground. I felt the agony of that blade in my back from all those years ago, as if my mind was dragging me through my memories or something inside me was sending me a warning. When the dreams turned from the past, I thought I would at least sleep easy the night before his arrival, but I was wrong.