Touch of Power (Alythian Legacy #1)

Jun Hanson.

Five years of friendship. Five long years of being best friends. Five years of being roommates. Five years gone.

I've been knowing of our rift for a couple weeks now, especially when we parted Glasswood after we got our assignments and when she taunted Kit about his feelings for me at his grandparents' place, but this makes it final. She's chosen her path and I've chosen mine. She's with Scarlett.

I wipe my tears and apologize to Patrick for leaving him alone for the moment. Then as I feel like it's the world against me, I ask my ex-best friend, "You couldn't find love with the prince, so you went to the princess, is that it?"

Jun wearing Kit's face grows serious. A look to Scarlett and then the facade falls. When I meet eyes with the one I trusted for years, my heart breaks again and again. How could jealousy of all things really break us apart?

Sneering, Jun points her finger at me. "You pretend as if you haven't been seducing the prince for months now, slowly winding him around your finger."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You've always wanted more in life and the opportunity came to you and you took it." My hands shake as I try to decode her words. Does she really think that I'm using Kit for power? What a load of shit.

My eyes wander to Scarlett and of course she has a grin plastered onto her face. How long did she know Jun was there to spy on her? When we were at the Erros Estate? Before? After? The whole fucking time? My mind wanders back to when Jun and Scarlett were talking in the hallways when we got our assignments and how ominous the situation all felt. And that's also the moment I truly understood the jealousy Jun was feeling the entire time. Scarlett's known about this the entire time. Using my friend's jealousy to drive a wedge between us.

She's known this whole time.

Since the Blue Moon Festival when she called me the center of chaos. She's been slowly feeding everyone rumors to go against me, to use me as the scapegoat. Making me out to be the epitome of greed and lies. Did she also suspect Kit to fall in love with me as well? To make it seem like I've been using him for his powers to get power? Did she know that even when we were suspecting her that Kit would still be hesitant to call her out on it because that's just the kind of man he is?

My eyes glance to the King, his eyes slowly starting to understand that scope of Scarlett's plan like I am. That his assassination attempt was planned all along. To get him here at Glasswood, to get Kit here as well. But Scarlett underestimated my love for Kit, underestimated his love for me, and the lengths that I would go to protect him. If Louis has done what I've asked, Kit should be long gone and far, far away.

Scarlett once asked me to persuade Kit on taking her side. All those weeks ago she knew it would come down to this. But she did not expect Kit to not be by my side right now. Instead she improvised and got Jun to do her bidding to torture me.

All this bloodshed for just a little bit more power in her lexicon. She was already next in line for the throne, all she had to do was wait for the King's death to start her reign in terror but yet she couldn't wait to kill hundreds of people without even batting an eye.

Again, I look to the King. Do I have enough time to get up there and get rid of his bonds? If he's under her spell, can I even help him at this point and how can I even do it? There's so many what ifs that I can't decipher how to solve any of them.

Turning back to Jun, I shrug my shoulders. "I have never been your enemy, Jun Hanson," I say quietly. "And the fact that you cannot see that makes you a fool."