Page 103 of Down Comes the Night

“You’ve both played the game admirably, but I’m afraid it was always a losing one. Aren’t you tired, Cavendish? Youlooktired.”

Hal said nothing, only glared at him with open hatred.

“You know as well as I do that you won’t get far in this weather,” he said, undeterred. “If you don’t kill me—which would leave your ladylove here in an awkward position—I will tell the Guard you’re here. But if you help me, we can come to another arrangement. Your eyes for your life. What do you say?”

“Whatever vengeance you think you’re enacting will sorelydisappoint you,” Hal said lowly. “As soon as I am powerless, my people will care nothing for me.”

Lowry sputtered out a laugh—a delighted, fraying sound. “Do you truly believe this is about something as petty asrevenge?”

Hal faltered.

“No, this is bigger than me and my father. This is about Cernos. Since recorded history, we’ve lived in fear of the likes of you. Never taken seriously, even though we are superior in every way. We have electricity, while you still fumble in the dark. Soon we will have carriages with no need for horses. Fully automatic firearms. Meanwhile, you still cling to the superstition of your gods. You rely on magic as power.

“However, my countrymen are shortsighted in their isolationist tendencies. Had your armistice held, peacetime would have allowed you to develop better technology, more sophisticated warfare. You may have hoped to catch up to us in a few decades. But if Cernosians were to seize magic for ourselves, we could secure our place on the global stage. We couldspreadour greatness instead of hoarding it. We could save countries like you from yourselves, give you the proper guidance.”

Lowry tipped his chin toward Wren again, his eyes blazing with righteous fervor. “All I need is your help to demonstrate the procedure can be done. That a magic as detestable as his can be harnessed. Once Cernosians have magic, the world will finally know peace. Under our reign, no one will suffer again.”

“No. Never,” Wren spat. “You’re even more delusional than I thought if you think you can save the world by conquering it.”

Anger colored his cheeks for only a moment. He drew in a calming breath, and when he spoke again, his voice was cold and measured. “Your loyalty is misplaced. Nothing but this alliance can stop the war I’ve set in motion. As forhim,he’ll leave in the end. Do you really expect him to sacrifice his reputation to be with you? His family? His home? Would you be so cruel to ask him to?”

“Stop talking.” Wren allowed her voice to go entirely flat. “Youcan’t manipulate me anymore. No matter what you do, no matter what I lose, I will never help you. I would sooner die.”

“Itriedto be generous with you.” Lowry raised the knife again, pointing it directly at Wren. Its tip still shone crimson with blood. “Talk sense to her, Cavendish, or I will—”

But he never finished his sentence. Lowry broke into tremors, his eyes flung wide.

It was a look of pure terror.

Wren slowly turned to see Hal, thefolaaround his eyes lit silver, his gaze locked on Lowry’s. Lowry began to scream, and Hal winced. Every time Wren had seen his magic at work, his victims had perished silently. She knew she’d healed him incompletely, but she hadn’t anticipated this.

It only took a few seconds before Lowry collapsed, saliva dribbling from the corner of his mouth. He wasn’t dead, judging by his heaving sides and panicked breathing. His eyes were glassy and somewhere far away.

A trickle of blood welled up from Hal’s right eye and carved a crimson line down his face. He sucked in a pained breath through his teeth and applied pressure to his eye with the heel of his palm.

“That was our last resort,” Wren said. “Our very last resort.”

Hal stooped down to retrieve the blade Lowry had dropped, his eyebrows drawn together. “I know. I didn’t know what he was going to do. I thought he might hurt you. I just… reacted.”

The sound of Lowry’s anguished scream still seemed to reverberate through the silence of the estate. Wren cradled her face in her hands. The only thing she could think to say was, “This is bad. This issobad.”

Lowry was right. If the Guard found him this way, if they saw her and Hal together…

No, she couldn’t fall for his lies. The evidence would be enough.

Distantly, through the sound of her own teeth chattering, she heard the rustle of fabric. Felt the weight of Hal’s jacket settling over her shoulders. When she looked up at him, angry red linesfissured his sclera, and blood still smeared his cheek. She ached to reach out and soothe the pain with her magic.

“You need to go before the Guard finds you,” she whispered. Somewhere, she heard the pounding of boots on the grand staircase, the muffled barking of orders.

Hal shook his head, just barely. “And go where?”

“Home. Anywhere.”

“I’ll never make it. I’ve no magic left. I have to surrender.”

“No.”The force behind it startled them both. “I won’t let you. What about making Vesria better? What aboutyou?”

“I have no choice,” he said, his voice strained. “If what Lowry said is true… If the evidence truly means nothing—”