Fragments of gold weave between us as he lifts my chin. Surprisingly, there is little pressure and no threat. Just my gaze meeting his.
“What does he have you doing with the dead?”
I hate that it soothes me to feel him in my mind after so many days of silence. His voice calmed me for years back home. There’s no denying it still has the same effect.
“I’m trying to do what I’m meant to.”I press my lips together. “I’m trying to wake them.”
“Have you?”
I shake my head once, barely holding back the burning behind my eyes. If he only knew the bodies that rest on those tables in the depths of the palace were his people, he wouldn’t be staring at me with such sympathy.
“I’ll keep trying,” I assure him, since that’s probably all he cares about. I’m no good to either of them if I don’t.
Wilder releases his magical hold on my chin, taking a step back. His cold mask makes it impossible to read his face.
“You’re up late,” I point out, changing the subject.
“I’m always up late.”
“Nightmares?”
He catches my gaze, not answering, which is answer enough. If my nightmares of the prison are any indication of what demons those walls plant in the mind, then I can’t imagine what haunts him after being locked in there for a century.
I rub my arms, but it does little to warm them. “Why do you stay at the palace? You could try to go home. Some Arches must be working if armies get through. Your people must miss you.”
“Would you go home if you were given the chance?”
“I can’t. I’m not done yet.”
If I go home now, my people will die. And even if that’s my fate if I fail here, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.
“Then you understand,” Wilder says, pulling a dagger from his belt.
He turns, tossing it at a target across the courtyard. It’scloaked in shadows, but he strikes it dead center. Walking over, he pulls the dagger out, pacing back to his spot and doing it again.
I’m sure his magic could retrieve the dagger for him, but he repeats the steps, over and over.
“You realize I’m going to choose King Malachi, right? There’s no point trying to change my mind. So if you’re sticking around just to see if the Rite goes a different way, it’s pointless.”
Wilder throws his dagger harder this time, not responding.
“Unless you do know that, and you’re simply here to irritate him until it happens. Isn’t that a little petty when there’s a war to worry about?”
“Probably.” He smirks, seemingly proud of it. “It’s worth it either way.”
“To get under the king’s skin?”
“To get to Selia.”
My gaze lifts, and I’m surprised to hear him say her name, even if it’s obvious that he loves her from the way he watches her the moment she steps into a room. Wilder glances over at me, and I drop my eyes to the ground.
“Right. Selia.” I brush my hands over my stomach. “She seems… pleasant.”
“No, she doesn’t.” He chuckles.
I roll my eyes. “Well, she’s beautiful, so I understand. It must be hard to watch your ex with the king. Or is she your mate? That’s what you call them, right?”
“I tend to just refer to her as my sister.”
