“You should go,” Nova sniffed.
The thought of taking Caly away from her sister tore at my conscience. I couldn’t watch her go through that. She would never be the same. If it was easy to do, she would have run away long ago. But she knew she wouldn’t survive it—it’s why she’d come this far.
“We can’t,” I said, and all eyes turned on me.
Caly looked up at me, a frown creasing her brow.
“You have another suggestion?” Nyx ventured.
It was all clear.
There was only one solution to all of this.
“I have to kill Arkyn.”
Everyone spoke at once, but I couldn’t be swayed.
Even if it ended in my death it was the only way to keep everyone I loved safe. Caly had her bond with Nova to fall back on if I was executed for my crime. They’d healed Nyx from his severing with Kol, so they’d be able to heal Caly from losing me too.
“Enough!” Jaxus’ voice rose above the rest. He fixed his gaze on me, brother to brother. “Are you sure about this?”
He was the only one not trying to dissuade me.
“It’s the only way this ends.”
“You’ll be charged with treason and?—”
“Not necessarily,” Nyx interrupted. We all looked to Nyx like he’d taken leave of his senses. “Not if I tell the King I witnessed Arkyn try to kill you, and you fought back.”
I shook my head. “It won’t matter to the King why. You shouldn’t put yourself in this. It only puts you in jeopardy,” I told Nyx. “The realm needs you, but I’m expendable. What matters is we stop Arkyn and put the better brother on the path to the throne.”
Caly opened her mouth to object.
“No, wait, Nyx is right,” Jaxus cut in. “The King was clear about the need for dragons being more important than his son’s feelings. What if we all witnessed him trying to kill one of the King's most vital resources? What if it wasn’t just Nyx putting his neck on the line, but all of us? If we all saw you defend yourself to the death and none of us stopped you, what will he do? Charge us all with treason? Lose more dragons?”
We stood still, all of us processing. I had no words for the loyalty on show by this group.
This family.
“What are we doing then?” Nyx asked, glancing around, knowing as well as I did that we didn’t have long before word got to Arkyn that I’d been freed.
I looked down at Caly, and she nodded, tears in her eyes, but resolve was there too.
“Let’s do it now,” I said before anyone lost their nerve.
I threw open the door to the prince’s suite while Nyx and Jaxus dealt with the guards. They were a necessary sacrifice. Dagger in hand, ready to fight Arkyn, I froze. The scene I found was not at all what I’d expected.
There was blood everywhere. In the middle stood one prince, his back to us, while the other laid at his feet—dead.
The prince lifted the drink to his lips and sipped like he wasn’t standing in the middle of a murder scene. I knew the heir was ruthless, but to kill his own twin? I’d thought perhaps Alaric’s was the only life he actually valued, but clearly, I was wrong.
Slowly it dawned on me. Maybe this was a trap. Maybe word had already reached him I was free, and he would frame me for his brother’s killing. That would give the King reason to let Arkyn kill me. How had I not seen it?
“All of you get out.” I barked, grabbing Calytrix to pull her back. “I will finish him and take responsibility for both deaths. You don’t have to be involved.”
Before I could move, I was grabbed from behind.
“No,” Kol said, releasing me as he shoved past me to enter the room. “It’s not what you think.”
