“Said he wouldn’t raise Thorne swords against you.” She paused, watching his face. “He was worried they wouldn’t bring you back alive. Threatened war with Sorrel over it.”
Sebastian stared like he hadn’t heard her right. Kara found herself smiling – not out of amusement, but at the ridiculousness of it.
“It’s funny,” she said, a small huff of laughter escaping her.
“That’s funny?” His tone sharpened, but he looked curious.
“Well, you know. Funny how long ‘unity’ lasted.”
“Why would he risk that with Sorrel? For me?” Sebastian asked in disbelief. “I’m damned anyway.”
“He’s your father. He wanted you to have a trial. Give you a chance to explain.” She kept her voice gentle. “Even now, Sebastian, they might understand–”
“They won’t,” he interrupted, fast and defensive. “People have died.”
The words made her feel cold. “I know. You didn’t want that though.”
His gaze didn’t waver. “But I did it. I knew it was a risk. If they catch me, I’m dead.”
No. I won’t let that happen.
Sebastian continued, “He’ll have no choice but to send Thorne now. Once Henry gets word to them about what happened.”
Silence settled again between them. Kara knew he was right.
“So,” he said after a moment, a faint smile tugging at his lips, “They really thought you were the best option?”
She furrowed her brow, almost offended. “Hale was a neutral House,” she said. “And we have... well, we have the magic that I–” She stopped herself, the memory of her binding him flashing hot and unwelcome.
“That you used,” he finished for her.
She just nodded – she didn’t trust herself to say more. The guilt knotted unpleasantly inside her.
“Yes,” he said quietly. “That was far more powerful than I’d have expected.”
Something in the way he said it made her heart falter. It wasn’t accusation this time... more like he was lost in the memory. When he looked at her, there were several emotions warring on his face. She wanted to read him, break her promise to herself and use her Lyran power, but she wouldn’t cross any magical line with him again. Couldn’t. It would be up to him what he shared with her.
“It held me,” he said. “No one’s ever been able to do that before.”
She swallowed hard, heat prickling up her chest. It was certainly not something she was proud of. “I hated it,” she said. “Every second. It poisoned my magic.”
She opened her palms without thinking. The olive light erupted from her skin, cold and corrupted, so different from her warm emerald.
Sebastian locked on it instantly. He pushed back from her, his boots scuffing roughly in the dirt – crimson light in his own hands flaring to life, hot and defensive. Pure instinct. His body had braced against her as if she was...dangerous.
She snapped her hands shut, the dark green tendrils disappearing at once.
“I’m sorry – I wasn’t going to–” Her words tangled, desperate. “I’m sorry, Sebastian.”
Shit. Just as he was starting to talk to me.
His crimson stuttered but didn’t vanish as quickly as her own magic. “It’s fine,” he breathed. But it sounded anything but. She swore she saw a trace of shame cross his face before he turned away. “We should get some sleep.”
Without another word he unfurled the bedroll from his pack, and lay down with his back to her. A deliberate wall between them. She stayed sitting there, cursing herself.
Stupid! So stupid!
Of course showing him that only hours later would make him panic. What had she been thinking? She dragged out her bedroll on the opposite side of the fire, angled so she could still see him through the flames. Not that there was much to see. His shoulders stayed stiff a long time but eventually his breathing slowed and evened out.
