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“Me?” I stared back at her. “Why me in particular? We were all out and about.”
“But you’re the one person Grey must fear the most.” Nik’s eyes burned into me, hard and determined. “You’re the one who not only knows all his secrets but is more powerful than him. He can mesmerize, but so can you—and you can block him and purge his lies as well.”
“Thank goodness he doesn’t know you worked out how to purge other people of mesmerizations,” Amara said. “If he knew that, he’d tear the city apart to find you.”
“Thank goodness for your foresight in coming to this stable instead of an inn,” Nik said to her. “How many people know you left Acorn here?”
“No one, as far as I know. Unless the stable master told anyone.”
“Someone will need to talk to him,” Nik said, brisk and focused now that the threat had narrowed in on me. “He doesn’t seem the loquacious type, though, so we might be fortunate.”
“We need to get you out of the city, immediately.” Luna’s eyes were wide, her expression panicked. “But not through that gate. The guards might have orders to stop you. Does anyone know another way out?”
“Wait, stop!” I stared around. “Are you all serious? Do you really mean to smuggle me out of the city? What about stopping Grey and freeing Eldrida before he gets his claws the rest of the way into it? We can’t just flee now!”
“We don’t have to flee,” Hayes said. “But you do. It’s too dangerous for you here.”
“I can’t just leave! You all just said it. The only way to stop this turning into a proper war is to send someone to infiltrate Miro’s so-called palace, and I’m the only one it’s safe to send. I’m the only one who can protect myself against Grey, and the only one who can reverse his power.”
“You want to walk straight into Miro and Grey’s arms?” Nik asked, incredulous.
“Think about it,” I said. “I can purge Grey’s mesmerizations, which means all I have to do is get close enough to Miro to touch him and I can end this whole thing. Miro must be inclined to vainglory if he’s ripe for Grey to use like this, but he never tried anything treasonous before. Grey must have convinced him of all kinds of things, including that he’s not going to suffer repercussions from Tarona. Everything is playing into Grey’s hands because with the capital locked down, there’s no one coming to Eldrida to shake those lies. So we need to strip them away ourselves.”
I looked directly at Nik. “You don’t have to tell me you don’t like the idea. I already know that. But it’s the only plan we have that might actually work.”
ChapterSixteen
The fight only ended when Nik stalked out of the room. I’d managed to convince everyone else—even Amara—but he was stubbornly resistant.
I watched him go with equal parts frustration and sadness. It might be easier if I thought he was being unreasonable, but who wanted the person they loved to throw themselves into danger?
“Is it wrong of me to be a little glad?” Gia asked in my ear as everyone got up and began to spread out, beginning the preparations for bed.
“Glad?” I turned to stare at her.
She gave me a cheeky grin. “I’m not saying the changes in Nik aren’t great—they are. But it’s nice to know he hasn’t turned into an entirely different person.”
“Gia.” Renley gave her an exasperated look, but she just laughed.
“I like this new kind of selfishness, though,” she said. “It suits him better than the old kind.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “He won’t actually try to stop me from doing what needs to be done. He never has before.”
Gia shook her head. “Just how much danger do you perpetually throw yourself into?”
“Far too much.” Amara approached us with a look of long suffering. “I knew there was a reason I never took apprentices! I’ll be gray by the time Delphine graduates.”
I threw her a guilty look, and she smiled.
“I know, I know, you can’t help yourself,” she said. “And how can I stand firm against you when your motives are always so reasonable? I’m the one who chose an unusual apprentice and gave her the promise of an unusual apprenticeship. I can hardly quibble now when things have turned out to be so very unusual.”
“Very sensible.” Gia nodded approvingly. “My parents could have saved themselves a lot of heartache if they’d accepted it the first time I told them I was never going to fit their plans for me.” She glanced toward the door. “Things might have turned out differently if they’d invested in Nik from the beginning and shaped him to be the future king.”
Amara followed her gaze, letting her eyes linger on the empty doorway. “Actually, while the path may have been painful, I’m inclined to think things turned out just as they should have. I’m not saying Nik couldn’t have been shaped into an adequate king, but I don’t think he would have been either a great one or a happy one. Whereas now…” She paused for a moment. “Let’s just say I have hopes for him.”
Gia burst into laughter, causing both Amara and I to give her affronted looks.
“No, no, I perfectly agree.” Gia wiped at her eyes, her mirth finally subsiding. “I just wish Nik could have seen your face and expression when you said that.”
