Sie’s fists clenched, his jaw clicked, but he didn’t move.
“Why?” Rainer asked.
“Because he’s going to die the second he steps into one of the kingdoms. We can’t ignore the fact that he’s been made into a villain. The broadcasts are atrocious.” We’d been watching them daily now. At the same time they aired to the kingdoms, we also witnessed the horrors. The killing of rank zeroes didn’t stop and somehow their deaths kept getting more and more grotesque. I had to force myself not to pull my gaze from the screens. And each person, each rank zero, had an ‘S’ carved onto their body somewhere.
It was ‘Sie’s’signature move.
It was vile. I tried not to wonder if it was carved into them before or after they died, because knowing the Lux King, my gut told me it was while they were still breathing.
“Everyone from both kingdoms hates him. He’ll be killed—”
Kallon interrupted Dravenburg. “That’s not true.”
“What’s not true?”
“That everyone hates Sie. There are some people that actually support him. Not everyone believes the Lux King.”
“We’re watching the same broadcasts, right, Kal?” Dovelyn asked. “No one likes him.” She turned to meet his cold stare. “There’s no denying it. We shouldn’t assume otherwise. It’s not like he had an amazing reputation to start with.”
“What I said isn’t an assumption, Dove. It’s a fact.” Her voice was firm as she tucked a green piece of hair behind her ear.
“How do you know it’s a fact?”
“From a source…” She bit her lip.
“Who?” Dovelyn’s eyes narrowed.
Kallon didn’t answer.
“Who Kal?” Brock asked, gentler than the princess had. Rainer was next to Kallon and was the only one who didn’t seem shocked by what she was saying. He didn’t say anything. He just stared at her, and I felt like an unspoken conversation was going on between them. He knew whoever Kallon was referring to, but he wouldn’t say. He’d keep quiet for her. The two of them were closer than anyone else out of their friend group. Since coming to Brighta, I caught glimpses of it whenever I saw them together. I glanced at Tezya to see if he knew what was going on, but from the expression on his face, I could tell it was news to him too.
“Does it matter who?” Kallon asked as a slight blush crept over her pale cheeks. “If I say it’s true, then you guys should believe me.”
“I am not your friend,” Dravenburg stated. “You may ask the others to trust you from blind faith, but if you’re going to start making decisions that will dictate this war, I need facts.” WhenKallon didn’t say anything, he added, “Right, well if you won’t tell us your source, then Sie’s not fighting.”
“The fuck I’m not,” Sie spat, and I shuddered. Every time I heard his voice now, it was more and more menacing. Probably because he rarely talked, but whenever he did, it was dripping in rage and disdain. “You don’t get to order me around. If I decide I want to fight, then I’m fighting.”
“You’ll die,” Dravenburg deadpanned.
“Then I’ll die. It’smychoice.”
“I have a girlfriend,” Kallon said abruptly, and the words seemed so random that everyone stared at her in bewilderment. “That’s who my source is. I won’t tell you her name, but she can be trusted.” Kallon took an unsteady breath. “She told me there are groups of people who support Sie. He’s the face of the rebellion just as much as he’s been made into the face of the enemy.”
“How do you know this?” Brock asked.
“Because I still see her.” Kallon cracked her knuckles as she let out a shaky breath. “She won’t come to the camp. She won’t leave her family, but I have a portal in her home and I… visit her sometimes. She’s been telling me what’s been going on.”
“Why is this the first we’re hearing of this, Kal?” Tezya asked.
“Because I know what you’re going to ask of me. She won’t spy for us. I refuse to put her life in danger. If she happens to come across some knowledge then great, but I will not ask her to do anything that puts her at risk.”
There was a long silence before Dravenburg said, “How many people? Do you have numbers for who supports Sie? And is this in Lux or Tennebris?”
Kallon shook her head. “I don’t have numbers, but she lives in Lux. I don’t know anything about what’s been happening in Tennebris, but there’s… enough. Many people aren’t happy with the guards in their homes, many hate the new curfew, and most have already hated the Lux King before all the broadcasts. There’s a lot of people who are seeing through what he’s doing and realize it’s all a farce so he can control them. I think we could use it to our advantage.”
“I’m fighting,” Sie said again, his voice lethal. “That’s final.”
“Fine,” Dravenburg scoffed. “But it won’t be my fault if your blood is spilled.” He sighed then moved on. “Who has the ring that was obtained?”
