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He would have disobeyed, but the shard was threatening to cripple him right here. If he ended up temporarily paralyzed because of it, Tenah would linger behind. It would put her in more danger. He wouldn’t have that.
Renton forced his legs to carry him up the stairs. This fight would have to wait. Oh, but he would have it one day soon.
“It’s no use, Tenah,” Cirel bellowed from the temple depths. “I own you. No matter what, I will have my war.”
Renton paused at the landing of the stairs. Through his teeth, he pushed out the words. “Let me kill him. Please let me kill him.”
“Keep moving,” she ordered, eyes wide and swirling with emotion. Shame. Desperation. Sadness.
Renton peered down into the stairwell. A true hunter would have thrown themself back in, set on victory or death. The protective asshole in him wanted to prove to the king that Tenah did not belong to him, bond or no bond.
Instead, he took her hand in his and let her guide him out of the Void.
Chapter36
Tenah
Tenah couldn’t shed her panic as they raced back to Denoden.
The climb down the plateau had been excruciating, assuming any moment Cirel would appear from the rift and tear out Renton’s heart.
Then again, wouldn’t he just force her to do it? She’d been so close the other night. Was there a limit or a range to his power? It seemed improbable judging from the potency of it. The only hindrance to his spreading destruction thus far was his lack of efficient travel across the isles.
But with her under his control…
She was his power move. His queen piece.
Cirel could use that mammoth rift in the Ruzgorn camp to march his armies here and spill poison into her homelands. Tenah needed to return to and seal the rift. Then she would ensure her father removed the shard from Renton’s heart.
Everything would be fine.
At Denoden’s gates, Aeyis’s cool press of magic gave her warning.Your cousin is here.
Tenah’s growl reverberated through the air. “Now is not the time.”
Still, she couldn’t help the urgency to assure her cousin was in one piece. Dropping from her horse, she allowed Aeyis to guide her through the villa into a small, breezy meeting room.
Entirely dressed down, Hakkan stood beside one of many golden chairs arranged around a polished wooden table. He wore a white T-shirt, cut off at the sleeves to reveal the bindings around his midsection. Three of his cronies stood behind him, tall enough to knock heads with the hanging potted plants.
Tenah stormed up to her cousin. She barely rose to his chin, but the searing glare she bored into him shaved the edge off what seemed to be his permanent scowl. “I’m done fighting you.”
Hakkan raised his hands in surrender. “I’m not here for that.”
“What other reason would you have for coming then?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe the giant hole in the sky that’s spitting out Corrupt?” His features twisted. “It was just a handful at first. Now they’re falling out in clusters. While my warriors appreciate the practice, I’m not keen on losing the one spot we’ve found in weeks with clean drinking water.”
Tenah’s shoulders drooped. “I was headed there to deal with it before your interruption.”
“Then we’re on the same page,” Hakkan said, tossing a look at his barbarians. Somehow, they’d been allowed inside the villa with giant battle axes strapped to their backs. It was no wonder Boedworth had managed to steal the Chaos tome. Did the guards posted at the gates do anything at all?
Hakkan leaned closer, his voice dropping low. “Tell me—was that hellhole all part of your plan to kill us off?”
She winced. “It was an accident. As was the…stabbing. You should get that looked at while you’re here.”
When he drew back, his dark brows were pushed together, creating a wrinkle at the bridge of his straight nose. “Can you close it?”
Suddenly, all eyes were on her. She squirmed, wishing she had the confidence to say that she could fix everything. “I’m going to try.”
