Page 71 of The Necromancer's Prisoner

His icy gaze found Alistair and stopped there, the tension in his face relaxing as he smiled dazedly. “You’re here.”

Alistair brushed a trembling hand down Iggie’s cheek. “Of course, I am.”

Iggie let out a contented sigh, his eyes drooping shut. “I’m glad. I…I’m sorry for leaving.”

Alistair’s chuckle came out a half-sob. Too many emotions to sort clogged his throat. “I’msorry for driving you away. You were right—I should have stood up for you. What good is blind adherence to duty if it leads one to betray their own principles?”

“Sounds about as useful as it is to hate others just because they hate you,” Iggie replied, his eyes still closed. “I’ve let others’ perceptions of me color how I see myself for far too long. From now on, I intend to do the right thing, no matter what anyone else thinks.”

Alistair leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Iggie’s lips. “Well, whatever happens next, you’ll always bemyhero.”

When he pulled away, he found that they’d attracted an audience. Kelvin and Liliana stood several paces off to the side, a group of murmuring villagers at their backs.

“I see that you’ve fallen even farther than I realized,” Kelvin said, his voice laced with disgust. “The Light has forsaken you.”

Alistair rose and slowly turned to face the priest. “Has it? Because if anything, it looked to me like the Celestialsendorsedmy desire to heal Iggie.”

“A trick, no doubt,” Kelvin sneered. “Some sort of vile pact between you and the necromancer to corrupt your dawnflame. How else could it mend a servant of the Dark?”

A few of the gathered villagers nodded their agreement, but Alistair caught looks of uncertainty on more than one face. These people had watched him channel dawnflame to slay the harmonite golem. Perhaps that bought him a certain degree of leeway, no matter their allegiance to Kelvin’s teachings.

Alistair’s gut roiled. He felt like he hovered upon a great precipice. He could retreat from the brink, doing what he could to appease Kelvin and maintain his position in the Order…or he could leap. This was his chance to take a stand. To do what was right rather than what was easy. To fulfill his duty, not to the Order, but to himself.

Holding out his hands, Alistair scrounged what little dawnflame he had left until golden fire danced over his fingertips. He gave Kelvin a challenging stare. “It seems to me that my magic works just fine. It worked well enough to slay the monster I was called here to fight, as well as to heal the man wounded protecting this town while you cowered in the caves.”

Kelvin’s eyes bulged. “How dare you! The Church will not stand for this!”

“Perhaps. But I’m beginning to think the Dawn Aspects care less about what the Church thinks than you like to believe. Perhaps they trust their followers to make theirownjudgments about what’s right or wrong rather than hiding behind doctrine.”

“I will see to it that your Order learns of this…thisheresy!” Kelvin said through clenched teeth. “I hope you enjoyed this mission—it will be your first and last as a Knight!”

Alistair shrugged, surprised at how little the thought bothered him. “So be it. If they disapprove of my actions here, then they can accept my resignation.”

Kelvin raised a trembling finger toward the mouth of the cave. “Get. Out.” His fervent gaze flicked to Iggie. “And take that wildling with you. You are not welcome in Singer’s Rest any longer. I pray your dawnflame is enough to see you through the harsh winter.”

Quiet murmuring greeted Kelvin’s pronouncement. Wordlessly, Alistair knelt and cradled Iggie in his arms. The necromancer appeared to have drifted into uneasy sleep, exhausted from his part in the battle. Alistair could certainly relate. Tucking Iggie against his chest, he started toward the entrance, stepping around shards of crystal that still flickered with ethereal blue light.

“Wait.”

Liliana’s harsh command cut through the silence. Alistair paused but didn’t turn. He had made his choice and was confident in it. Let her and anyone else who wanted to judge him do so. He could bear it.

“You’re not going anywhere, Sir Knight. Neither of you are.” Shock jolted through him, and he spun to find Liliana giving him a fierce grin. “What would a Dawncoming celebration be without the heroes of the hour?”

Alistair’s surprise deepened when he realized how many of the nearby villagers were smiling and nodding. They…theyagreedwith her?

“Youwould defy the will of the Church as well?” Kelvin said, his voice high and reedy. His hand gripped his holy sigil as if it alone could ward off her words.

Liliana crossed her bulging arms and narrowed her eyes. “No. I would defy the will of one stubborn old man more concerned with outdated rules than what’s right here in front of him. Now, I don’t know much about dawnflame or duskflame. But Idoknow that those two both risked their lives to save us, and I won’t allow you to toss them out into the cold like yesterday’s refuse. So long as I have a say in the matter, they’re welcome to stay here.”

“That is utterly unacceptable!” The priest whirled, searching the crowd until his gaze fastened on a disheveled-looking Maxwell in the back. “Master Maxwell! You are a man of the Light. Surely,youwill put a stop to this madness?”

The mayor blinked, appearing a bit shell-shocked as he glanced between Kelvin and Liliana. Then, his gaze fell upon Iggie in Alistair’s arms, and something seemed to settle in his expression. He straightened, looking Kelvin right in the eyes.

“My apologies, Brother Kelvin, but if you have an issue with Mistress Liliana’s ruling, I suggest you bring it for a vote at our next council meeting…though I suspect the ruling won’t be to your liking.” He deliberately turned his back on the outraged priest, dismissing him despite his continued sputtering as he focused on Iggie. “Now then, let’s see about finding the lad some place to rest. It’ll be a long trip back to Singer’s Rest, and we’ll all need our strength.”

Alistair nodded, still feeling like he had awoken within some sort of alternate reality. As he followed Liliana and Maxwell, he held Iggie close, grateful to have him safe and sound in his arms once more.

He had no idea what this might mean for his position in the Order or what shape his future might take. But glancing down at Iggie’s peaceful face, he decided that for the first time in quite a while, he wasn’t afraid to chart his own path and find out.