‘He’s … inside the Citadel,’ Arawn whispered. ‘In the dungeons.’
She felt like she was going to crawl out of her own skin.
‘Why?’
It was Kinlear who answered. ‘Because he’s a traitor, Ezer. Shortly after he arrived here … he discovered what we were doing with the raphons. He was the one who broke into the catacombs, where the raphon pups were kept.’
She shook her head, because what he was about to say …
She didn’t think she would survive hearing it.
But Kinlear spoke anyway. ‘He’s the one who killed Six’s siblings. He killed themall. And he almost killed Six, too. He’s the one who left that scar on her beak.’
31
The sun rose.
And Ezer led Six from the cave, out into a forest of fresh-fallen white. It was bitter cold, the sky heavy with the threat of more snow.
‘Ezer.’
Arawn had no cloak, but he didn’t seem to notice as he rushed after her, the snow blurring his features. ‘Ezer,please.Let me talk to you, let me explain why I didn’t?—’
She turned Six around, so fast that her beak nearly collided with Arawn’s face.
He stumbled back, eyes wide.
‘You knew,’ Ezer said, as she tapped on Six’s shoulder. The raphon bowed, dipping a wing for her to climb on. ‘From the moment you plucked me out of my tower. And you let me think he was dead.’ She looked past his shoulder. ‘Get on, Kinlear.’
The prince climbed on behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle.
All the while, Arawn stared up at them, his arms slack at his sides.
‘You let memourn,Arawn, for a loss that wasn’t even real to begin with,’ Ezer hissed.
‘It is real,’Arawn said.
‘He’salive!’Ezer screamed. ‘He’saliveand you knew the whole godsdamned time.’
Somewhere in the distance, birds rose from the treetops. She could hear their cries growing closer, as they came towards her call.
She felt like she was burning inside.
Like she was going to keep burning until it took everything down with her.
A raven landed in the trees overhead, cawing down at them.
Then another.
Gods, she had missed their mournful song.
‘Please, Ezer,’ Arawn’s voice broke.
‘Raphonminder,’ she corrected him. ‘You have no right to call me by name.’
Another raven cawed from above.
She could almost feel the sky filling with them.
