“Then find her. We’ll take care of Haldron—he’ll be at the Skorn trial. Between Rykr and me, we can find a way to kill him, right?” Seren shot me a look, waiting for my support. She glanced back at her father. “You find Esme and we’ll kill Haldron. End this once and for all.”
Kill Haldron?
Her determination, her honor sent warmth through me.
Even Thorne looked impressed. “You’d kill the leader of your people?” He raised a skeptical brow.
“He kidnapped my sister, manipulated my father, is hunting my family, and wants to lead my people to war. I owe him nothing. He’s not worthy of my deference, and I won’t submit to such a leader.”
“Your people won’t see it the same way, though. They’ll kill you before you set foot out of Emberstone. Your family will be exiled from the Viori, and your father is already an exile from Lirien. There will be nowhere for your family to go.” Thorne sheathed his sword, and some of my tension fizzled with the motion.
Amahle, who had been silently listening to every word, moved beside me. “Seren, it’s not just your family, either. Our entire tribe is in the House of the Veil—your mother and Tara. If something goes wrong, who do you think will suffer first?”
My gaze shifted to Ciaran. He may have concealed what had happened to the skinwraith, but his sister had suffered the consequences. I doubted he would take that risk again.
“Ciaran is a liability,” I told Seren.
He shifted under my hard stare, as though reading my thoughts. “I’m here, aren’t I?” he snarled. “Not in the House of the Veil.”
Seren’s eyes softened as she looked at him. “Your family?—”
“You’re my family too, Ser.” Ciaran’s voice was thick with emotion.
The room was suddenly too crowded, the air rife with distrust.
Brogan drew out a slow sigh and looked at his daughter. “Thorne is right. You can’t kill Haldron without risking your life and the safety of the tribe.” He took Seren by the shoulders. “But you and your husband can escape. Right now. Give Haldron one less hold on our family. Go with Thorne through the mountains and don’t stop until you reach Pendara. It’ll be dangerous and risky, but it’s the best choice. Haldron may be furious, but the tribe may have time to leave Emberstone. I’ll keep trying to save Esme.”
“If I die, I die, but I’m not leaving here without doing my part, Father. You can’t ask me to run now,” Seren gritted out fiercely. “You didn’t raise me to run.”
Brogan dropped his hands from Seren’s shoulders. He met my gaze. “I’d like to speak to you alone.”
“No,” Seren and Thorne answered in unison.
Thorne crossed his arms and glared at Brogan. “Given what you just admitted, you can understand why I don’t trust you.”
Ragnall’s request intrigued me.
“I can handle myself.” I gestured back toward the door. “We can go to the other room.”
Thorne opened his mouth to protest, but I cut him down with a look. “Ragnall won’t kill me. He knows the consequences.” I pushed past them all, my footsteps hard against the floorboards.
A few moments later, Brogan followed. I opened the door, scanning the room that, minutes ago, felt like a private refuge. I hadn’t cared that Ciaran or Amahle knew Seren and I had spent the night together—but Ragnall? He might loathe me even more for it. He stank of sweat and unwashed clothing, and the sound of his breath filled the quiet.
The man who had murdered my mother was in my grasp.
And even if he was as innocent as Seren claimed—he had orchestrated my father’s and brothers’ deaths. Maybe even killed some of them himself.
Hatred wasn’t enough to describe what I felt toward him. And still. He hadn’t murdered me. He’d honored his oath to my mother and kept me alive.
“Do you regret not killing me when you had the chance?” My voice was low, flat as I turned to face him. I should be more wary of this man, yet I didn’t fear him in the slightest.
“Yes.” The word echoed in the room. Brogan’s eyes narrowed. “I should have. My family wouldn’t be in danger right now if I had.”
His certainty left no room for doubt. “You’ve always picked your family over honor, it seems.”
“The love of family is a powerful magic and motivator. I won’t lie to you. If I could have picked any Ederyn prince to save, it wouldn’t have been the ‘Scourge of the Viori.’ But I vowed to protect you. Now my family is suffering for it.”
Guilt blazed through me. The depth of his knowledge was startling.
