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That’s not good at all. “That’s not in Alev’s natural abilities. He’s using the power he accumulated from other raids to incapacitate his victims.” I snarl. “What’s his next move? He’s powered up again—more than ever. Is he going to retreat behind his walls now?”
I can’t see it. With all the lives he’s sucked in, he could conquer half of Nyxar.
“If he believed he could take you, he would have followed you last night. He retreated. And he needs a new moon to perform his spell again. My guess is he’ll go back home this time.”
But not the next. He’s almost powerful enough to take me, that much is clear. We could be at war by the next new moon, five weeks away.
I’m missing something. My mother’s prophecy said there was a chance and I did my part. “Never mind them, then, what’s our next move?” I press.
“We need to take care of his spies.” It comes from Silver, poised at the tent’s entrance, before Lark is done with her calculations.
My general nods her agreement. “He knew where our forces were. He was prepared for us to come to the south. They’re the real threat.”
I’m glad to have a direction, somewhere to focus my energy as well as my rage. “Where’s Alrion? We need everything on the tower—location, strengths, weaknesses, manpower.”
“He’s cooking for the survivors,” Vess tells me. “You know him.”
I do. My cousin’s always been a caretaker, hence why he took our abysmal situation so hard and volunteered to investigate himself, knowing the assignment would take him away from the court he loves for long years.
“Go get him.”
42
RHEA
I listen in silence, my heart thumping in my chest, in guilt and fear.
So many deaths. So many. Not a village—the equivalent of a hundred of them, obliterated in moments. The one reason I’m alive right now is the king who shielded me with his power—the king I blamed for the better part of three years simply because I was told he was guilty. I believed it without question, without thinking. And now, several people just like me are in danger. I don’t know everyone at the tower, but I can name at least five dozen of the spies. They all have stories like mine, Sorsha’s, Doplov’s.
Alrion spills everything I’ve known about the Tower, and then more. They talk about destroying it, killing everyone in sight. And I get it. They want to avoid another massacre like this.I get it. But if I hadn’t volunteered to go north, if I hadn’t tried to kill Doryn, if Doryn hadn’t been merciful enough to spare me and open my eyes to the truth, I would have been one of them.
Part of me wants to explain that to Doryn, make him understand that he shouldn’t simply kill everyone. He can explain, show them that he isn’t responsible for the massacres…but I remember how certain I was days ago. Certain enough to murder without question, although I had no proof. The rest of them will be no different. They aren’t going to believe Doryn. Not for days, not without proof.
They could believe me.
I could prevent another massacre. Save people I fought and trained with for years. I might not have been able to do anything for my family, but I can help Doplov and the rest.
Getting up, I make my way to the council table. “Do you have to kill them?” I ask. “They’re like me. They don’t know our king is responsible.”
“I wouldn’t automatically assume that,” Alrion says, with an apologetic smile. “Your king is always surrounded by a fair few followers fully aware of his actions. Those in charge, at least, likely know exactly why they’re sending the spies to locate our armies.”
I lower my eyes. I’m incredibly angry at my friend for betraying me, but Alrion did what he had to, not only to help his country, but to save innocents. All the while I was feeding information to the true monster. Who am I to judge him? “But not everyone.”
“Not everyone,” Doryn agrees. “We’ll spare those we can spare, but we have to take out the officers.”
Vessorian bobs his head. “They’ll regroup and find another lot of gullible kids to do their dirty work otherwise.”
Gullible kid. That’s me.
It hits me that his list would include Doplov, a northern man who lost so much already. He found me, took me in, trained me. I can’t believe he’d follow the king if he knew he was responsible.
I bite my tongue. This isn’t right. It’s notaswrong as what the Kind King’s doing, but their solution still slaughters plenty of innocents. I have to do something.
A vague plan forms at the edge of my mind. It’s not perfect, but it’ll get as many innocents out of the way as possible. The rest can all rot in the void for all I care.
“I need to wash,” I say. “Is there a stream nearby?”
“There’s a lake south of the valley. Someone can take you.” Doryn looks around his circle, but everyone’s intensely focused on their scheme.
