Page 16 of Accomplice to the Villain

A few of the knights shuffled nervously at the king’s side, waiting for a reaction from the man with so little tether. But the king wasn’t angry; instead, he began one of Trystan’s least favorite pastimes.

The son of a bitch laughed.

“A wonder you can jest under the circumstances, my boy.”

Trystan’s magic stirred beneath his skin, and when Sage brushed against his arm, it was no longer at his side. It swept out so far and fast it swiped one of the knights at the catapult, leaving a black spot shining.The kill spot.

The man dropped dead as soon as his magic struck true.

Trystan let out a ragged sigh and ran a hand through his hair. Killing by accident was a terrible thing. It was far more gratifying when done on purpose. “Humorous enough for you, Benedict?” he called.

Benedict blinked at his fallen man with the same interest Trystan gave a speck of dust floating through the air. “Now, now. Let us not argue. I’ve come to strike a deal.”

“No.”

Sage went to reach for Trystan, and he lurched away from her. If she touched him one more time, the whole parapet was going to collapse beneath their feet. Her eyes went downcast, but there was a resolve in the set of her shoulders. “I think you should ask what it is first.”

Trystan scoffed. “In the mood for negotiations, are you?”

“No. I just think it’s better to know things than to bury your head in the sand. Butyou’rethe boss,” she said with a smile so fake he wanted to pull his hair out.

Tatianna glided onto the parapet with a cursory glance at the group of them. “Fluffy won’t be of any assistance in the fire-breathing department, I’m afraid.”

“Why?” Sage asked, a note of worry in the word.

“Blade said he has a cold.”

Lyssa trailed out from behind her. “He’s sneezing little poofs of smoke!”

Sage swept past him until she was turning Lyssa around by the shoulders. “Back inside now.” She paused. “And stay away from the front door—and the windows, for that matter. I wouldn’t trust their ability to continue aiming at the same target without missing. No glass. No doors. Go.”

“But Tatianna said you were doing villain things!” Lyssa dipped under Evie’s arms and ran for Trystan. “I have to observe!”

Sage let out a small growl and stomped her boot. “Lyssa, that is absurd. Go inside. Now!”

Trystan whistled low. “Didn’t you just say the same thing, Sage?”

Sage planted her hands on her hips, betrayal gleaming in her eyes. “Shall I test my villainy on you?”

“If it’ll end this faster, have at it.”

Lyssa laughed, and Trystan’s mouth twitched. Until another crash shook the manor, causing everyone to fall against the stone ground. Except Trystan.

“Forgotten about me?” Benedict’s voice carried to them on the wind.

“For the love of the gods,” Trystan yelled, lifting the speaking trumpet back to his mouth. “What deal do you want to make, Benedict? Out with it!”

Even without the looking glass, Trystan could see the king’s smile stretching wide, sinister in a way Trystan had never fully mastered. It was an irony he had no trouble acknowledging that the purest forms of evil seemed to be buried inside a man so desperate to reach ultimate power and all those who would ignore his wrongdoings to keep him there.

“I’ll tell you the entirety of Rennedawn’s prophecy. Here and now.”

No. Too easy. “And in exchange?” Trystan drawled.

King Benedict’s greedy gaze fell upon Sage and Lyssa, who’d made their ways to his side. Trystan contemplated ripping the king’s eyes out, but then the king said something that caused a riotous silence on the raised platform.

“I want Nura Sage.”

Chapter 8