“No, but there’s no one else in this realm who’s capable of destroying him. You did what you did to save others; your father did it out of cruelty.”
“You’ve done much out of cruelty too.”
“I have.”
His eyes clashed with mine. Neither of us trusted the other, but we needed to rely on each other to get what we sought. That might be a better basis for trust than friendship.
But he was wrong; there was another who could destroy Veni. I didn’t mention Ellery to him. I wouldn’t remind him of her existence.
Samael wasn’t as ruthless as Veni or Gaius, but he also craved power. He freed us, but we could never trust him. I fully expected him to turn on us at some point, but it wouldn’t be until after the duke was dead.
“If you kill that man, I’ll throw you a party, Ryker,” Samael said.
“I can’t say the same to you, Samael.”
His lip twitched toward a smile before he suppressed it. Samael opened the door and poked his head into the hall. “We have to move fast.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ryker
“Where are we going?” I inquired as we followed Samael into the hall.
“Your father?—”
“That man’s not my father,” I interrupted. “I don’t care if we share blood or not.”
“The duke—” I scowled at him when he shot an amused glance over his shoulder. “—has taken thousands of fighters from the other aristocrats. Thousands upon thousands of them stand outside the palace, and hundreds fill the halls within, but there are many servants’ passages that Veni doesn’t know about. We should be able to get to them and, from there, exit the palace.”
“I’m not leaving without killing him. We won’t have the chance to get this close again.”
Samael’s lips pursed together as he studied me.
“Did you expect to flee into the Revenant Woods and hide out with us?” I inquired.
“I expected you to raise an army before going after him. It would be the wise thing to do.”
“It would also be what he expects of me too. If he learns I’m free, he’ll expect me to go straight for Ellery… or is that why you’re here?” I asked. “Am I to lead you straight to her for Veni? Is that why you freed us?”
Samael released a bitter laugh. “Would you take me to her even after I freed you?”
“No. If I can ensure it, you’ll never see her again.”
“I thought so, and your father wouldn’t be so foolish as to believe you would take me to her either. He desperately wants her, but he’s not an idiot.”
He was right about that, and if Veni had let Samael free us with the intention of having me lead him back to Ellery, it would never have happened. They both knew that.
“How does she possess all five weathers?” Samael asked.
“I don’t know,” I said truthfully. “None of us do.”
His gaze flicked past me to Tucker and the others. He was judging the truth of my words, but there was nothing more to reveal. We had no idea why Ellery was not only the first female lightning bearer, but also the only amsirah ever to control all five weathers.
“Did the duke take over Leo’s old rooms?” I asked.
“Yes,” Samael said.
“That means there’s no servant passages onto his floor.”
