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He winks at me. “I don’t think your light mate is a bad guy, ZoZo, baby. I think he’s a cunt, but not because he’s working with the rebels. I think he’s trying to change this kingdom for the better. I think he’s been doing what he can to help a very bad situation for a very long time.”
“That’s so sad.”
“What’s sad is that he’s been doing it alone,” Ryes says. His eyes harden. “We were his people. But we fucked him off when he became an asshole and didn’t push hard enough. He’s been working to make changes in our world, changes that will benefit you when you take the crown. Things we need to start helping him with because he deserves to realise that we’re on his side.”
“You want to be a rebel?” I ask, blushing when he laughs.
“I never thought I did. But, sometimes, bad guys have all the fun.”
“But what about Saturday?” I ask. “He must have known that they were going to attack.”
“Did you know that when Ciar secured the east wing, Etrix came back a little later?”
“I noticed that. It was like a minute or two, though. He was sorting out the west wing, right?”
“So he claims. I think it’s coincidental that Ciar’s captures went missing, and Etrix had just long enough to free them,” Ryes says, tilting his head. “Do you not find it strange that your magicae was only really targeting the guards? You encountered a few rebels, but it was us that handled them.”
“Except that one.”
“We can ask him about that,” Ryes says. “But I want you to know that I’m on your side, always, but I think this time, Etrix needs us on his side, too.”
A portal reopens, and Ryes drops the calm serious attitude and smirks as I feel his magicae retreat.
“What took you so long,densissima caput?”
I blink, the sudden shift in his behaviour startling, but Mael just rolls with the insult and places the bags on the table.
We settle in to eat sushi, watch reality TV—because apparently, Mitagus has its own shows, and I find them so interesting. Think socialites with magicae. It’s great—and we don’t bring up the conversation we just had.
It’s bliss, living in ignorance, and it’s something I’ll take.
17
ELZORA
“What’s going on?” I whisper, clutching at Mael’s large hand. It makes mine feel dwarfed, but the heat radiating off it makes me smile. My fireanima nexumruns just that little bit hotter than the rest of us.
It’s dark, and the clock on my side table shows it’s only 2 am. I don’t understand why Mael has woken me up, or why he was so alarmed.
“I need you to listen closely, okay?” he asks, using his fire to give us a tiny little bit of light. The shadowing on his face in the dark makes this moment even scarier, but he seems calmer now. “I need you to close your eyes, and—”
“I’ve got it,” Ciar says, appearing in a cloud of smoke. I can’t see him properly, even with my glasses on, until he comes a bit closer. “Mo sholas, we’ve got you.”
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” I whisper.
“It’s another break-in,” Ciar replies. “But this time, I don’t think it’s a test from Mr Downey.”
Oh no.
“You’re going to hide, okay?” he asks, and I nod slowly.
“Shouldn’t I just… leave?”
“No,” Ciar and Mael say at the exact same time. Ciar finishes alone, “If you leave, they might follow, and we’ve got the advantage here. Trust me. Okay?”
“Okay,” I whisper. He encases me in smoke, hiding me from view before the two of them leave.
Do I stay where I am? Do I follow them?
