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“Already dead.” Conreth’s eyes glinted. “Regner displayed their broken bodies for all to see.”
I closed my eyes, attempting to block out the image. It didn’t help, and my hands shook with my rage. “Your uncle attacked.”
“Yes. But he was weakened—the herbs and fae iron had worked, making him slow, ensuring he couldn’t trust his own mind. Even with all the power in that amulet, it still takes someone strong, with enough power of their own, to wield it. And even though my aunt had managed to cease poisoning him, much of the damage remained. They fought on the outskirts of a city called Valtana. What my uncle didn’t know, was that Lorian had followed them.”
Even knowing Lorian had survived didn’t help. My heart still pounded in my chest. “He saw your cousins.”
Conreth nodded. “Lorian saw everything. He saw my uncle, bloated with power but out of his mind. He saw my aunt, immediately killed by a bolt of fae iron to the heart. And he saw Regner use the power of the other two amulets to kill my uncle and take the final amulet.
“My father had woken to find the castle asleep as if dead, the amulet gone, and Lorian nowhere to be found. He managed to rouse my mother, and they tracked the amulet to Valtana. But it was a trap. Regner’s men had created a device filled with fae iron. When it exploded, my parents perished—already weakened by the loss of their power and the sleeping draught.”
My eyes stung. “And Lorian?”
“Our father shielded him with his body, but it was still somewhat miraculous that he survived. When residents of Valtana finally approached, they found nothing but the dead—and a young fae boy still sparking with lightning. Lorian had tried to attack Regner, you see. And even with most of his power gone, he was still a force to be reckoned with. Regner and his men had used most of the power they could drain from the amulet and had been forced to flee.”
“And anyone who arrived from Valtana found the Bloodthirsty Prince waiting, unharmed.”
Conreth sighed. “Yes. Regner made sure to encourage those rumors. He made it seem as if Lorian—who was still a boy—had come to the city of his own accord, simply to destroy it. And Lorian didn’t exactly help himself—he was furious at the residents of the city for not coming sooner. For not helping his family. He roared at them until my father’s best friend arrived and carried him away.”
My eyes burned. Lorian had faced all of this as a small child. I opened my mouth, but Conreth sighed, his gaze on his hands.
He lifted his gaze. “I believe it is your turn to answer some of my questions.”
I nodded.
“Who did you believe Lorian was when you first met him?”
I frowned. “No one. I believed he was a mercenary. I thought they all were.”
He angled his head, as if even with the blood vow, he still couldn’t quite believe it. “You had no idea he was fae?”
“No.” My mouth opened, and I continued speaking, the vow demanding more. “I spent my life in small human villages. Lorian didn’t look much like a merchant—and he didn’t travel with a caravan of goods to sell. All of them looked dangerous and heavily armed, leading me to believe they were mercenaries.”
“And in the castle?”
“I’m not sure I understand your question.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “When you realized Lorian was also in the castle, what did you believe he was doing?”
“At first, I believed he was there to kill someone close to the king. Perhaps to discover some information. When I learned he was looking for something, I decided it must be incredibly valuable.”
He seemed to accept that, folding his hands together on the table in front of him. “At what point did you realize he wasn’t a mercenary?”
I thought back. “I don’t know,” I told him honestly. “But I didn’t think he was fae.”
Conreth’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly, and he waved his hand, gesturing for me to continue speaking.
“Truthfully, I was mostly focused on finding a way to save my best friend. And then on freeing all of the hybrids in that dungeon. When I gave it any thought—which wasn’t often—I assumed Lorian was also one of the corrupt. Like I was. And that he was working for someone with an interest in protecting the corrupt.”
The look Conreth gave me made it clear he wondered how it was possible to be that stupid. I refused to allow my cheeks to heat. I didn’t give him permission to make me feel small. In fact, it was to my benefit if he underestimated me.
“And tell me, how do you feel about the fae now?”
I chose my words as carefully as the vow would allow.
“In Eprotha, we’re told the fae are vicious and that you want us dead or enslaved. But that’s not what I’ve seen. Your biggest problem when it comes to my people hasn’t been outright cruelty. It has been indifference and a failure to act.”
Conreth’s mouth opened slightly, and our eyes met. “You don’t hold back, do you?”
