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She just scoffed. “I willnot.I’m coming.”
“We can’t have too many people up there,” I reminded her. Morales shrugged as if she didn’t give a shit about Dima’s sanity, and she probably didn’t.
I huffed out an irritated sigh. Is this what Ren felt when I didn’t do as I was told?
MaybeIwas the unnecessary visitor here. If she wanted to be the one to expose Vidrio – or exculpate him – that was fine.
“ThenI’llwait here,” I snapped.
Morales looked even more pissed about that, for some reason. “No.”
I ignored her, glancing out of one of the slitted windows and preparing to wait for the councillors’ return. I’d visit Dima myself afterwards to confirm what he’d read in Vidrio’s mind, and-
I found myself shoved face first against the outer wall of the tower, one of my boots slipping off the step and jarring my ankle. Sharp fingers folded around both of my wrists, pinning my arms behind my back.
“I’m afraid we really must insist on you accompanying us, Your Highness,” Morales said, her voice cooler than it had been all day.
I struggled desperately against her grip, but she held me as proficiently as she had done Xio back down in the throne room. I had the same freedom to move as he’d had; that was to say, none at all.
“Please cooperate, Nathanael. Don’t make me drag you up there.”
“Fuck you,” I spat against the cold stone, fury rising in me. “Aitor!”
There was only silence.
“Aitor, arrest her!”
I heard the guard clear his throat lower down the staircase but was unable to turn my head to look at him. “Councillor, I…”
“Aitor, we talked about this,” Vidrio said from where he stood above us. His tone was gentle, his expression sympathetic. “Your responsibility is to Quareh, not its consort. This man is not the king.”
“Yes, councillor.” Aitor sounded a lot surer this time.
I snarled out my rage and continued to fight against Morales’ hold on me, feeling the sting of my cheek splitting open on the rough wall.
“For fuck’s sake,” she muttered. “Vidrio, some assistance, please?”
He descended the steps between us and grabbed one of my arms, Morales keeping a firm hold on the other. I cursed them both out as they began to haul me up the stairs between them, throwing a glare over my shoulder at Aitor. The young guard shifted his weight awkwardly between his feet, watching us go, but made no move to stop them.
All that bullshit Morales had spouted about Vidrio acting suspicious and meeting with Hierro...who she probably already knew Ren and I weren’t on speaking terms with. Fabricated breadcrumbs designed to trick me into letting both councillors up here past the guards. It had been nothing too incriminating; vague enough doubts that letting Dima take a look at Vidrio’s mind was a logical conclusion, even as opposed to using theHearken as I was. She’d fucking played me, and she’d done itperfectly.
“What did you do with Ren?” I demanded, ensuring to make our ascent as difficult as possible for the two traitors at my side yet unable to do much more than slow us down. They may not have been soldiers, but there were two of them and only one of me. “Is he still alive?”
Morales scoffed. “I suppose we shall soon find out, won’t we?”
*
Chapter Fourteen
“Don’t do this,” I snarled as we reached the door at the top of the tower, tasting blood with each word. All three of us were breathless from fighting each other every step of the way, and their efforts to subdue me had only doubled when I’d managed to trip Vidrio over by planting a boot on the bottom of his robes as we climbed. I’d fallen with him and earned myself a bloody nose to match his when we both smacked our faces on the stairs, but I was counting it as a win nonetheless. “Don’t you dare hurt him.”
Morales shot me a confused look. “Hurt who?”
“Dima,” I snapped. “The man has done nothing to you.”
She let out a long sigh. “Of course we’re not going to hurt him.” The words were spoken with mild exasperation – or maybe it was just exertion – and I bristled. I didn’t think they wouldkillhim: a Hearken was worth nothing to anyone dead, but he was hardly going to leave with them peacefully when he could read every deceitful thought in their minds and know exactlywhat they intended for him.
Was that why I had been brought here? I’d been willing to stay behind with Aitor…foolishly, now I’d had time to think about it, trusting the councillors to visit Dima alone, but my presence had apparently been important enough for them to blatantly reveal their treason to me like this.
