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I open my mouth to retort.
“Don’t you dare say that you don’t die. You may be willing to test that theory, but I’m not,” he says, his gray eyes cutting into me. I wince down to my soul.
Unimaginable pain.
“I wasn’t the only one hurt last night,” I say, staring at the bruises along his jaw and his scabbed knuckles.
Gods, we all look a mess.
Marcus has a matching black eye to my own and a broken nose. Silas ended up with a large gash on his head from the impact on the ground and likely several broken ribs.
“No one else matters,” Nyx stresses each word.
I give in and relax in my seat.
“Have we figured out how they knew we were coming?” I ask as he settles into his chair across from me.
“Not yet, but we will keep digging,” he answers.
“Thank you,” I say, picking up the now-vacant viewing crystal.
Its purple hue catches the sunlight through the high windows, reflecting the color across the floor.
“I find it odd that there was nothing out of place on the footage,” I say, questioning what we just reviewed.
“I do too. It’s peculiar that all the raven captured was a moment between the captain and the Lux princess. She looked pretty devastated watching him go.” He finishes cautiously, watching for my reaction.
My heart breaks for Junie. I wish I could tell her he is safe with me, and I won’t let anything happen to him, but she wouldn’t believe me if I tried.
“But I think the strangest part wasn’t what was captured,” Nyx continues. “It was that there was nothing of King Leopold and his guards. There were no random outings to the market or strolls through the village. They seem to be holed up in Brightwick.”
What are you up to, Leopold?
There is a knock on the door and Marcus steps in, holding a fresh cup of my tea. Nyx jumps up and retrieves it immediately, preventing Marcus from coming in any further. Nyx has not let anyone except Loma near me all day, and he’s apparently not planning on it soon.
Nyx shuts the door, then places the teacup gently on the desk. The warm, herbal scent sends a wave of anticipated relief through my body. I never ask Loma what’s in her mixtures. I trust her and her wild remedies with my life.
Blowing on the hot liquid, I take a small sip and revel in the calming sensation flooding my system. I drink down the cup while trying to figure out an action plan for my kingdom. The throbbing in my head subsides.
“Have the letters revealed any more information about what’s going on in Lux?” I ask Nyx. He spreads out two letters before him. I reluctantly push mine from Amelia toward him.
“They are more delayed than usual. It seems like our spies are having a harder time getting messages out to us. Maybe the post is being restricted as well?” he asks, looking up at me.
“That would make sense. Amelia’s letter is from before Theo left for Umbra, so they are at least a week or more delayed. She said the villagers are becoming increasingly unhappy with the lost lives over the king’s amulet. The turmoil and distress seem to grow daily. Leopold could be restricting movement within Lux, which is adding to the low morale among the people,” I reply with my best guess about what the lightning king could be doing.
“What about the amulet? Were the spies able to gather anything on it?” I ask, hopeful that one letter holds an ounce of useful information.
“Nothing of real value. One said the amulet was still within the kingdom, hidden away to perpetuate the lie Umbra stole it. The other said the amulet never existed and King Leopold fabricated the lie to come after Umbra,” he answers, leaning back in his chair.
“I find it strange that no information is coming out of Lux. It isn’t normal,” I say as dread fills my stomach.
“More reason for us to believe they’re coming after us. We should remain on alert,” he replies.
Commotion sounds from the other side of the door before Hiram bursts into the room. His eyes are wide and his nostrils flare in frustration. There’s food in his hair and down his shirt. Small pieces of vegetables fall to the stone floor as he walks.
“Hiram, what’s going on?” I ask, fighting to get the words out through choked laughter, earning me a scolding look from Nyx.
“The captain! He has gone mad. He threw his dinner at me and dumped a pitcher of water on Emery!” Hiram shouts, looking exhausted and fed up.
