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Marth stepped closer to Rothnic, who slashed out with a knife of his own, aiming it at my gut. I sidestepped, mouth going dry, and Marth caught his hand, easily plucking the knife. A low, dangerous snarl ripped through the night. Rothnic froze.
“I’m fine,” I murmured to my overprotective mate.
Marth leaned close to Rothnic, his eyes turning distant. “Jamic was moved because Regner wants him to travel in his carriage to make his defenses more secure. He currently has him in one of the gatehouses along the city wall. Three—no four—to the left from the entrance we used when we arrived.”
Rothnic whimpered. Marth just angled his head. “Four guards on the door, three at various points on the stairs, and four up the top of the gatehouse with Jamic. The boy is wrapped in fae iron. We’ll need a key for the chains. One of the guards will be holding the key.” He stepped back and glanced at Vicer.
“Look at me,” Vicer whispered, fixing his gaze on Rothnic. His voice seemed to echo in my ears, and all the fine hairs on my arms stood at attention.
Rothnic looked, and his face turned slack, blank, empty.
Vicer leaned close. So close, their noses were almost touching. And Rothnic’s eyes began to flicker back and forth. As if he were dreaming with his eyes open.
Vicer’s own eyes darkened, the pupils expanding until only a tiny sliver of gray was visible.
They stood like that for a long time. Long enough that I leaned against the alley wall. Madinia stood so still, she might have been a statue, her eyes burning as she watched Vicer with a considering look.
Finally, Vicer lifted his head. “It was nice to see you tonight,” he said. “But you still owe me a rematch.”
“I still owe you a rematch,” Rothnic repeated. Then he grinned, young and boyish. “Next time, drinks are on me.”
“Remember, you had a great time gambling tonight. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. When you walked out of the tavern, you went straight back to the castle.”
Rothnic nodded. “Nothing out of the ordinary happened.”
He turned and wandered out of the alley, paying no attention to Madinia or me. For a long moment, my mind struggled to understand what we’d just seen.
“He was strong,” Vicer said.
“Explain.” My voice was hoarse.
He sighed, rubbing his temple in a way that made it clear using his power had hurt him. “I have the power to take and replace memories. It was what made me so useful to the king. I was still learning how to use my power when he killed Rosin, but I knew at some point I would be forced to move in to the castle. And to work directly for him.”
The thought of Regner wielding that kind of power made me shiver.
“You could have told me,” I said.
Vicer just sighed. “No one truly wants to know what I can do.” He nodded at Madinia, who was staring at him as if he were a particularly poisonous creature she needed to kill. “She’s wondering if I’ve ever used my power on her. I could have. I could have used it on all of you, and you would never know.”
Both of Madinia’s hands lit up, flames at the ready. But I shook my head. “Except that you wouldn’t do that. It’s not the kind of man you are. If you don’t want us to tell anyone what you can do, we won’t. But don’t be ashamed. You’ve just saved Jamic’s life. And in turn, that will save thousands and thousands of lives. Lives that Regner would snuff out without a second thought.”
His eyes met mine. His pupils had returned to normal, and I saw gratitude there now. “Thank you, Pris.”
Marth glanced around the filthy alley and sighed. “Let’s get out of here.”
By the time we got back to the safe house, my eyes kept sliding closed, and my head was pounding. We had one day to ensure Madinia’s plans were finalized, Vicer could get his group of hybrids out, Lorian could get to Jamic, and Madinia and I could get into the castle.
Marth and Rythos left to watch the gatehouse where Jamic was being kept. The choice of location was a clever move by Regner. Not only were the gatehouses incredibly secure, but no one would notice if one of them had a few more guards than usual. They each had just one entrance point and could only be accessed by the guards stationed along the city walls. Not to mention, Jamic was guarded by Regner’s most loyal men. By hiding him somewhere other than the castle, he’d ensured none of our spies would be able to find his location. Without Kaliera, we would have been unlikely to have located him in time.
Still, there was still so much that could go wrong.
Lorian’s arm came around my stomach, and he closed the bedroom door, holding me in place as he pressed a kiss to my neck.
“It will work,” he said.
That was what I was telling myself.
“I have a surprise for you,” Lorian murmured.
