He cut me a glance. “I know nothing, I swear.”
“I know.” I pressed my palms flat against his chest, and he deflated, loosely draping his arms around my waist. “I believe you. It’s just… Can I really blame her for wanting to save them?”
Noc’s smile was sad. “No. But that’s not the problem. The problem is her actions. Attacking her own kind in the name of saving them? Nothing justifies that.”
Closing my eyes, I buried my nose in his tunic and breathed in his honeyed scent. It soothed my nerves and chased away the doubts brewing in my gut. I needed to be strong. A figure my people could trust. And if there were actually Charmers in the capital, I’d save them, too.
“We should get some rest.” Noc lifted my chin up with his forefinger. “We still have a few days’ ride ahead of us before we reach Tyrus’s Ruins.”
Standing on my toes, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. We had a fight on our hands, but at least we had each other. But as we walked back to our camp, the gleaming city of Wilheim still glowed in my peripheral vision, a distant fortress where our enemies safely waited for the right moment to strike.
Nine
Yazmin
“You went after Noc? Without my knowledge?”
King Varek sat before us, reclining on his golden throne and drumming his jeweled fingers along the armrest. Candlelit fixtures lined the pale, ocean-blue runner and cast the room in flickering orange light. Darrien and I remained kneeling before him, neither of us flinching at his obvious disgust. He wasn’t a real threat. The Sentinels stationed along the brick walls, however… I glanced at the nearest one and pressed my lips together. A pair of cold, brown eyes stared back at me through a slitted helm. They’d never move against their king, which is why I needed Varek’s favor. For now.
“My king,” I said, voice low. “It was my mistake. I should have informed you of my plans, I just…” I tilted my chin upward and looked at him through my lashes. I needed to be subservient. Reverent. No matter that the sight of him made my stomach churn. He needed to believe I was on his side. “I wanted to do something for you, as a show of my devotion.”
Beside me, Darrien coughed. He recovered quickly, clearing his throat and keeping his head bowed.
King Varek spared him a momentary glance before turning his attention to me. His salt-and-pepper hair was freshly oiled, and the air around him was heavy with the scent of rosemary. With a belabored sigh, he adjusted his platinum crown before steepling his fingers together. His hard glare softened.
“You are forgiven. I’m no stranger to those looking to seek my favor.” After a moment, he relaxed and gestured to us. “Please, stand.”
Both Darrien and I rose to our feet, but Varek only had eyes for me. His gaze roved from my collarbone to my feet, and though my long-sleeved gown obscured everything, there wasn’t an inch of me that felt unseen. I suppressed a gag and waited for his gaze to return to my face. Moments later, it did.
He cleared his throat. “I take it he escaped. Again.”
Darrien flinched beside me. Noc and his brethren had managed to kill a handful of our forces, while Darrien had been entirely unsuccessful. It certainly would’ve been advantageous to take Noc off the board so early, but it hardly mattered to me. I got what I wanted. I bit my lip to keep from smiling in satisfaction. Eliminating Gaige would shake the Council and make Leena weak.
Darrien finally found his voice. “We were able to take down one of his most trusted accomplices.”
Most trusted accomplices?Gaige was powerful, yes, but one of Noc’s brethren? Hardly. But Darrien knew as well as me that some syrupy words could go a long way.
“Better than nothing, I suppose.” For a moment, Varek’s brows scrunched together. He raised two fingers and gestured to his nearest Sentinel. Quiet words carried between them, much too soft to be audible. The soldier gave a curt nod, and then hurried off. Two more peeled off the wall, abandoning their stations and following their leader.
“Everything all right?” I asked. This figurehead king didn’t strike me as a master strategist. He’d spent too many years locked in his castle, steeped in festering paranoia, to plan anything truly brilliant.
Varek smirked. “I know where Noc is heading. If you’d come to me in the first place, we could’ve formulated a stronger attack. Now…” He pursed his lips. Sighed. “We’ll play the hand we have.”
“Where’s he going?” Darrien inched closer. Anger edged his words, and the hint of a shadow toyed with his fingers. Varek eyed it more out of curiosity than concern. With so many Sentinels nearby, all with the power to completely annihilate Darrien’s shadows, he was hardly a threat.
Fool. If only he’d act like the assassin he was supposed to be. Slinking through shadows, unseen. Killing in an instant, without any warning. He could’ve had the world. Instead, his judgment was clouded by misguided rage. His conviction wasn’t strong enough. Not like mine.
“The Gaping Wound. That’s where Tyrus’s Ruins is.” King Varek stood, brushing his hands along his indigo tunic. His fingers paused over the silver griffin embroidered on his chest. “Assuming you’re not mistaken and he has already visited Nepheste’s, Oslo’s, and Silvis’s Ruins.”
“I’m not mistaken.” My words came out too harsh, and he raised a brow. I tilted my head in apology. “It’s worth noting that exceptionally strong beasts reside in places of power. There’s a creature in the Gaping Wound no Charmer has tamed. It can take them down.”
“Interesting.” King Varek walked toward the throne room’s exit, simply waving over his shoulder and expecting us to follow. It vexed me to my core, but I did. As did Darrien. “That said, we’ve relied on beasts before and come up empty-handed.” Darrien opened his mouth to speak, but Varek silenced him with a hard glare. “The same can be said for your…talents.”
We stepped into the main hall of the castle and were met with an already assembled group of Sentinels. Clad in mercury-tinted armor, they stood a full foot taller than us and waited without moving. Even their breaths were hidden behind their chest plates. Varek came to a halt before them, a glint of pride in his stare.
“We’ll combine our forces and send an ambush. Darrien, you and your assassins will join forces with my Sentinels. Yazmin…” He turned, arrogant smile on full display. “Tell me about this beast.”
Ten
