Brannal had been Summus for almost seven years, and the entirety of the Mage Warrior community and everyone in the castle knew why that was.
“Why are you listening to me?” Cormal asked.
The Prince looked at him with an amused expression. “Because you’re talking to me?”
Cormal huffed a breath, turning to stare out at the water. “No, I mean—why listen to any of my explanations? Along with Perian and Brannal and your sister, you’re probably the person I hurt the most. So why are you listening to a word that comes out of my mouth?”
The Prince was silent for a moment, and then he said, “Because you need to be heard.”
Cormal sucked in a sharp breath and closed his eyes, concentrating on breathing for a moment so that he didn’t do anything embarrassing like cry. He could feel the tears prickling at the back of his eyes, and his breath wasn’t coming out entirely steady.
He’d wished so much to be heard formonths. He’d given up on anyone really hearing him. It hadn’t even felt like Delana was listening, although she let him vent. But it had been like there was an impenetrable wall between him and everyone else, and the Prince had chosen to pierce it.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
The Prince said, “If I ask you something, will you hear me?”
Cormal sniffed, swallowed, nodded. It was the least he could do, wasn’t it?
“I’ll try.”
“I believe you, you know, that you genuinely thought Perian was a danger in that corridor.”
Stupid tears. He swiped at his cheeks.No onehad believed him.
“I might even believe that you didn’t know where you were sending him.”
Cormal blew out another breath. “That was a terrible mistake. I panicked. He needed to be gone, and what I thought I needed to do conflicted with how much it would hurt Brannal—I needed a solution in a hurry. I knew Gribon didn’t care for Perian, so I thought he could help me. I figured with Perian gone, Brannal would come to his senses, and then everything would work out.”
“And you thought that Perian would just stay where you stashed him? That he would simply never come back? You do know how that looks, right?”
Cormal groaned. “I thought Perian would realize the game was up. Once the seduction wore off Brannal and the truth was known, Perian would stay away because what would be the point in coming back? There’d be nothing to gain anymore.”
The Prince sighed. “Oh, Cormal.”
He huffed out a breath that was definitely not a laugh. “Yeah. I was scared for the people I cared about, and I concentrated a whole lot of energy on keeping them safe… my way. Brannal told me I was making monsters. He wasn’t wrong, I guess.”
“So telling everyone about what Perian was? That was trying to keep Brannal safe no matter what he thought?”
“Yes!” Cormal exclaimed. He made a sound in his throat. “I know it sounds asinine, but Brannal wasn’t listening to reason—that became immediately apparent the way he reacted to Perian’s disappearance. I couldn’t just let a carnalion back in the castle and pretend everything was fine!”
He realized he’d raised his voice and was practically shouting. He regulated his tone and confessed, “I didn’t know what else to do. It wasn’t spite, or at least, I didn’t mean it to be. There was a demon in the castle, and Summus thought that was fine. I had to protect everyone.” He swallowed, and with difficulty, he added,“But I can’t deny that I also wanted Perian gone, before I ever knew what he was. So. Make of that what you will.”
The Prince was nodding, staring out to the water himself now, and they fell silent for a long moment. Then the Prince spoke.
“I think your feelings may have blinded you to some of the reality of the situation, but I will accept that you thought you were doing what was necessary at the time.” The Prince turned and shot him a look that pierced him. “I don’t think you were doing what wasright, and I don’t think even you believe that.”
Cormal grimaced.
Face stern, Prince Kinan said, “It was a nasty trick, picking us off one by one so that you could get rid of him. Especially Brannal. I don’t think anyone has forgiven you for that.”
No, Cormal knew they hadn’t. It had strained things so badly between him and Onadal that Cormal had left practically every communication to be relayed by Molun or Delana. They were supposed to be working closely together to protect the castle and the country, and they didn’t trust that any information Cormal gave them would beaccurate.
“It was a mistake,” he admitted thickly. “I still thought everything would go back to normal if only we could get rid of Perian.”
“But you let him live. How close did it come, Cormal?”
He swallowed, his throat thick. “Very.”
