Chapter 18: You Must Carry Him
Astara and Daylan had sealed their deal, but Daylan wasn't satisfied with the scraps of information she'd given him—he needed more.
"Why didn't you just tell your parents about this? I mean, you are the princess."
Astara rose from her seat. "I would have trusted the real Daylan with it, but I'm sorry, I can't trust you."
Daylan smirked as he watched Astara pull a book from the shelf. "If you don't trust me, why ask for my help? You already know I barely remember anything about Daylan."
"I always planned on using you as bait to draw them out," Astara admitted, her voice steady. "But now I'm having second thoughts. I still don't think I'm strong enough to face them. And since you've got some of his memories, I might have to force you to remember everything. But if it comes down to it, using you as bait is still an option if nothing else works."
Daylan took a deep breath, getting up from his seat. He strode to the entrance. "By the way, thank you for saving Mother."
Astara nodded, but by the time she did, Daylan had already left.
He had no issue with Astara's decisions, but a thought lingered in his mind—how would his parents and Medora react if they learned he wasn't the real Daylan? He knew they'd be hurt, devastated even, to find out that the person they loved and cared for had been dead for weeks, and that the person standing before them was nothing but an imposter.
Amid the flood of thoughts, one thing remained clear—he had to tell them before it was too late.
He headed to his room and threw himself onto the bed. His mind raced, jumping from one thought to the next—when should he tell them, and how much should he reveal?
Before he could settle on an answer, exhaustion overtook him, and he drifted off to sleep.