“That’s exactly what it is!” She was furious with him now. “So what’s it to be? Are you giving up? Or are you going to get off your arse and put things right?”
Oskar’s eyes locked onto her and she saw something glinting within them. “Ye never let me off the hook, do ye?”
“Nope. And I never intend to.”
He smiled wryly, shaking his head. “Ye are right, Lily. This is how the Disinherited win. They bring out the worst in us. They play on our fears, our hatreds, make us believe the lies they tell. Well, they’re not going to win this time. I’m going to find a way to fix it.”
Lily nodded. This was the Oskar she knew, the man who always did the right thing, even when it was the hardest choice.
“Good. Although you’re wrong about one thing.Weare going to fix this.Weare going to find Eberwyn and make him pay.”
“No, Lily,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s too—”
“Don’t you dare tell me it’s too dangerous!” she snapped. “Over these last few days I’ve been threatened, attacked and imprisoned. How could it be any more dangerous than that? Don’t you think I want to make them pay too?”
Oskar stared at her for the longest moment. She saw something shifting in his eyes, the shadow abating a little. “Ah, Lily,” he breathed. “My Lily. Ye are a lioness, ye know that? I dinna deserve ye. Yer courage humbles me.”
“Courage?” she said with that self-deprecating smile he loved so much. “Actually, I’m scared witless but I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.”
A soft laugh escaped Oskar. “Agreed. As long as ye dinna tell anyone I’m scared witless too.”
And just like that, Lily felt the tension between them evaporate. Oskar reached out and tentatively brushed the tips of his fingers down her cheek.
“Dear God, I’ve missed ye, Lily.”
“I’ve missed you too,” she said as the worry of the last few days caught up with her. “And I could really do with a hug.”
He stepped forward, his strong arms enveloping her and pulling her close. She clung to him, crushing her cheek against his hard chest. Everything seemed better now she was with him.
“I’ll never let anyone hurt ye, Lily,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head. “Never.”
She didn’t know how long they stood there like that in the ruins of Oskar’s old home, but finally Lily stepped back. She ran a shaky hand through her hair.
“Okay,” she said, taking a breath. “What’s the plan?”
“Two-fold,” Oskar replied. “First, we need to free Magnus and Emeric and then we need to find a way to prove the Order’s innocence. Do ye think ye could find their hideout again? They blindfolded me when they led me out so I dinna know where it is.”
Lily nodded. “I think so. I wasn’t taking too much notice of my surroundings when I ran, but if you can get me in the general vicinity, I think I could find it.”
“Good. Then we’ll creep up on the hideout and storm it.”
“What? Just the two of us?” Lily asked incredulously.
“No,” Oskar replied. “We are going to need help and I think I know where we might be able to get it.”
