Page 55 of Between Two Kings

“Gabriel?” she prompted. “What’s going on?”

He pursed his lips. Tem knew he was remembering their promise—how they’d sworn to be honest with each other. “There’s meant to be a protest tonight,” Gabriel said finally.

A protest—the very thing Leo had mentioned at dinner. Tem hadn’t wanted to believe him. She stared at the villagers gathered around the bar. These were men she’d known since childhood. They were peaceful people. Tem couldn’t imagine them protesting.

“About what?” she asked, although she felt like she already knew.

He shrugged. “Money. Food. Everyone’s starving. There’s nothing to go around. Even your old farm is running out of eggs. Trust me, I checked.”

“You…checked?”

If Gabriel had checked her farm for eggs, that meant he was suffering too, that her best friend in the entire world had been affected by her decisions—that she’d inadvertently hurt yet another person whom she loved.

“I’m fine, Tem. I work in the castle, remember? No food shortages there.” But something about the way he said it sounded bitter.

“What do you mean?”

Gabriel shrugged, avoiding her eyes. “Our soon-to-be queen eats well.”

It was all he said. But Tem knew exactly what he meant. The royals were not suffering; they never would. The consequences of Tem’s actions would land squarely on the villagers—the people who deserved it the least. Evelyn would not feel the pain of constriction; her stomach would not tighten with hunger. Tem thought of the dinner she’d had just an hour ago—roasted chicken, golden potatoes, luscious greens. Gabriel was right. The new queen ate well.

“What can be done?” she whispered.

Gabriel shrugged again before taking a tight sip of beer. He didn’t answer, and he didn’t have to. Tem’s eyes slid once more to the men gathering at the bar. Protesting was the only way to retaliate, the only way for the villagers to make sure their voices were heard. But it created a precarious situation for Leo. Protests, no matter how peacefully they began, were just one slip away from violence.

“Gabriel,” she said. “This is dangerous. Whoever got you into this doesn’t have your best interests at heart.”

His eyes narrowed. “I got me into this, Tem. It’s my choice to be here.”

“I know, but—”

“I got everyone else into it too.”

A moment passed as Tem understood what he was saying. “You organized this?”

“People are angry, Tem. I’m one of them.”

Tears pricked her eyes. Things were going so very wrong. Everything was supposed to be fixed now that the bloodletting was over; that was supposed to make everything better. But it had only made everything worse.

“I work in the castle, Tem,” Gabriel said. “I see it firsthand.”

“Gabriel,” she said slowly. “What exactly have you seen?”

Gabriel rolled his shoulders. His normally relaxed posture was stiff, his arms crossed protectively. He didn’t look her in the eye as he answered. “I see how they eat, how they live. I see that they’re still drenched in gold while the rest of us starve.” He paused, and his next words came quietly. “And I saw how they freed the snakes.”

Tem’s heart thudded in her chest. “What do you mean?”

Gabriel finally looked at her. “You know what I mean.”

For the first time, Tem heard accusation in his tone. She wondered what he’d overheard within the castle walls. Did he understand that it was ultimately Tem’s plea that had freed the basilisks? The last time they were here, she’d told him she was half-basilisk. He’d been understanding then. Would he hold it against her now? Tem and Gabriel had never faced a crossroads in their friendship, never reached a point where their ultimate goals were at odds. Now Gabriel was protesting the very thing Tem had begged for—the thing she knew was right. It felt deeply unfair that a win for the basilisks was a loss for the humans. It always would be.

Tem raised her hand, cupping his cheek. “We said no more secrets,” she whispered. “We promised each other, remember?”

Gabriel sighed. “I remember.”

Tem opened her mouth to say something else, but a cheer from the bar cut her off. The men were heading toward the door.

Gabriel stood, and Tem stood with him. “What are you doing?” he asked.