I didn’t have the strength to match wits with him. I tried to catch my breath as I examined my wound. Not a kill shot, exactly as Roman had claimed, but it hurt. Still, his death hurt more. I hated what he’d done, but I hadn’t wanted him dead.
“I’d offer to help you with the doctoring, but my vivisection says no.” With a sunny smile, Victors motioned to the bandage peeking out from the neckline of his shirt. The lightness in his eyes provided a shocking contrast to our miserable dungeon, our abysmal situation, and the barbarity inflicted upon him.
“How were you recaptured?” I asked, opening the first aid kit.
“Oh. That. I turned myself in again.”
You’ve got to be kidding me.“Why would you do such a thing?” Especially after all he’d already suffered.
“For starters, I didn’t want to miss the big finale. Also, I thought it might be nice to take a beat and prepare you. The worst is still to come, my dear.”
I flinched and muttered, “We are living in a horror novel.” I needed as much strength as I could muster, as fast as I could muster it. Hands shaking, I withdrew the disinfectant. No painkiller. Better to maintain my wits right now. As I squirted the cold liquid directly into my wound, I struggled to silence my scream. The sting! I could only breathe through it, waiting for black dots to stop flashing. When I could see again, I applied the healing gel, then a butterfly bandage to seal the sides of broken skin together.
Deep breath in. Out. In, out. Okay, the worst was over, at least.
“Have you forgottenThe Book of Ardenis a romance?” Victors asked. “Give it time.”
“Romances are supposed to end with the bad guys defeated and the couple headed for a bright future. It’s science. Look it up.” My shoulders rolled in. “I can’t see a way we can recover from this.”
“That’s too bad. The you I see has learned from her mistakes and is making better decisions, heading for a better destination.”
Well, he wasn’t wrong about that. Ihadlearned from my mistakes. If I could go back, I would avoid Cyrus on the battlefield, exactly as ordered, trusting my fellow glowers to aid him.
Where would we be today if I’d listened? Here, now, we’d accomplished our goal, yes. Cyrus wasn’t just king; he was emperor. But at what cost?
Bonding to Domino had been the beginning of the end for my relationship with the high prince. I’d helped save our lives, but I’d also changedbothour destinies. While part of me wanted to resent the librarian, I couldn’t bring myself to regret our dealings. But now, we were all on a train speeding along the tracks, no longer able to brake.
“I’d argue the use of the wordbetter,” I muttered.
“And that’s your problem,” Victors said. “You are focusing on the moment rather than the end.”
“Thisisthe end.”
“So shortsighted,” he tsked. “Do you really think I’d be here without a foolproof plan to save you?”
“Why do you even care?” I muttered. “I’m one person.”
“Ah, but you’reourperson.”
Anger flared. “Cyrus is—was—our person, too, yet here we are,” I griped. “He’s possessed, and the war is raging.”
“I hear blame in your voice. You know nothing of what we’ve done for him,” Victors snapped with an unexpected anger of his own. “NothingI’vedone. Did he share with you the messages I brought? The warnings Ember and others delivered? Tell you of his meeting with Soal? Explain the whole story he read?”
I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth and shook my head. I’d had no idea Victors visited him. No idea Cyrus met with Soal himself.
“No one but Cyrus is responsible for his choices. Not even you, Arden. You acceptthat, I hope.”
“I do,” I said and sighed. The new emperor of Ourland was as much a free moral agent as I was. “And I don’t.”
Victors tsked again. “Careful, my dear. A little drop of doubt poisons the entire glass of water.”
I pursed my lips. “How very Victors of you. Cryptic responses have always been your specialty.”
“Thank you,” he said and grinned.
“That wasn’t a compliment.” Frustration uncoiled, wrapping around me. My chin trembled. The shock of it all was fading, leaving me with emotions I wasn’t ready to deal with and certainties I didn’t like or have any idea how to change. “Soal imprisoned Astan before. He should be able to do it again.” Thereby freeing Cyrus.
“Tsuri imprisoned the gods.”
