A lump formed in my throat. A knot of sadness for the mother I never knew. “Nikella was trying to get my parents out of Aquinon via boat, but my father never made it on. Weylin stabbed him in the back while my mother screamed from the deck. Then Renwell wounded her and Nikella as they sailed away. Between the pain of losing her husband, her wound, and labor, my mother didn’t last the night.”
Kiera’s hand jerked away, and she stared at me, horrified. “Renwell injured a fleeing pregnant woman?”
“Yes.” I glared into the invading night. “He tried to shoot my mother with an arrow, but Nikella stepped in the way. Took it in her shoulder. When she fell, he shot my mother in the chest.”
Kiera stumbled backward. “Renwell . . .”
I placed a steadying hand on her arm. “You probably didn’t see much of him at the palace, other than when he arrested you, but that man is just as much of a monster as Weylin is.”
“Gods, that—that’s awful. Then Nikella took you and raised you herself?”
“Yes. We lived in Twaryn for most of my life.” Misty, thick forests filled my mind. “She taught in the villages there and told people I was her orphaned nephew.”
“I thought you might’ve lived there a while,” she said with a small smile. “When we first met.”
“I remember,” I murmured. I’d been so angry that she’d managed to pry those personal details from my lips. But here Iwas—letting them spill out of me. It felt more relieving than I ever could’ve imagined. “But I didn’t bring you up here just to tell you stories.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “Did you also want to scare me?”
“No. I wanted to help you try to make peace with your fear.” I held out my hand to her again. “Let’s visit the Four, shall we?”
She hesitantly placed her hand in mine, and we walked along the balcony to Mynastra’s tower.
In full truth, I wanted to make peace between us as well.
I tired of spending day and night near her without being able to touch her, talk to her, tell her everything. I longed to have her back in my arms more than I longed for food or sleep. But I craved her trust even more.
Each time I thought of getting closer, I remembered that stark fear in her eyes when I’d threatened her and again in the sitting room when I’d come to get her.
We stopped at the walkway leading to the bell tower. “Touch the bell with me,” I said, tugging on her hand.
Kiera paled, gazing over the railing at the ground a hundred feet below, then at the narrow bridge to the bell.
She shook her head vigorously. “Why are you doing this?” she whispered.
“Because I want you to win,” I said. “Once you’ve proven to yourself that you’re stronger than your fear, you’ll win every battle it wages.”
Her erratic breath warmed my lips. “I watched a woman die once. She fell off the bridge to the palace during Mynastra’s Tide.”
Ah, that was why.
I drew her close. “I swear by the Four, I will never let you fall.”
She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing, inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. My heartbeatgalloped like a runaway horse, pounding blood through my body, as I savored her nearness.
My grip on her tightened, and she opened her eyes. “Let’s go,” she said.
The bridge was barely wide enough for the two of us, so I hugged her close to my body. She didn’t seem to mind.
The wind pushed us a little harder out here in the open, and Kiera let out a whimper.
“Just reach out and touch it,” I said, guiding her arm forward.
Her fingers trembled as she inched closer. Finally, she lunged forward and grazed the smooth brass bell. She made to flee back across the bridge, but I held her back.
“Go slow and easy,” I instructed her. “We’re safe.”
The moment we reached the balcony, Kiera sagged against the smooth white dome.
