Zuri’s brown eyes were grave as she took a step toward him and placed a hand on his arm. ‘I did,’ she said quietly.
‘And so you condoned his actions,’ Aidon hissed as he stepped out of her grasp. Too much. This was too much. He had to get out of this room. Perhaps even out of this godsdamn city.
His mother was not swayed. ‘I did not know of the bargain he made. When she died, he led us to believe he was enraged with Kakos; that they were untrustworthy, and the rumors of their dark-affinity work were lies. He blamed them for her death.’
‘But you suspected, didn’t you?’
Her gaze softened. ‘I have long feared what your uncle was capable of. But yes. When the tradesmen were caught in Tala, your father and I began to suspect perhaps his loyalties were not as he said they were.’ His mother cupped his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze. ‘And I waited until we had a chance to act.’
Because Dominic made an agreement with the most dangerous kingdom in the realm – one she did not expect them to escape. Not without allies.
She had been lying in wait.
It had been his mother who had taught him the value of patience, after all. His mother who had emphasized that the power behind a blade was not nearly as important as the timing of the strike.
A move he understood intimately.
Five weeks, he’d known Aya’d been stealing the tonic. In small amounts, hardly noticeable with the size of their stores, but he’d known exactly what he was looking for. He’d let the knowledge slip on purpose to see what Aya would do – to see if his uncle was right in his doubts of Tala.
Dominic had accused them of wanting to further their own interests; perhaps even framing the tradesmen to gain leverage in their trade agreements. And while Aidon couldn’t prove it, hedidhave a way to see if they were truly here to deepen Tala’s pockets.
A gamble, he could admit, but Aya would never have suspected what the tonic was truly for; that Aidon had been taking it every day since his power had been discovered.
He told her Dominic had been hoping to leverage it in trade. But even then, Aya and Will hadn’tdoneanything with it. With their missives to Tala being watched, he would’ve known if they’d sent a sample to their kingdom so that theymight create their own, or even share word of it. He’d had their rooms searched, and there had been no sign of it there.
And so he waited …
Because something was nagging at him, that familiar battle sense urging him to pay attention, tolookfor the threats he could not see.
Helene’s kidnapping. The attack on Aya and Will. The Bellare’s lack of revelations during questioning. Viviane’s disappearance. Avis’ rage. The implication of a match between him and Aya that his uncle had never shared with him. Each was a piece he couldn’t quite grasp as he circled closer and closer to some truth, somethinghe was missing but couldn’t put his finger on.
But his uncle … his uncle had been the common thread in it all.
Aidon ran a hand over his face, his pulse thudding in his throat as he looked at Aya and Will. ‘I told him of your power to garner his trust; to get in on whatever he was planning so I could uncover who was involved and put an end to it. I had no idea he’d already suspected you, or thatthiswas what he intended.’
He hadn’t realized his uncle was monitoring the tonic so closely – or that he’d suspected a saint in their midst. And he’d given Dominic the confirmation he’d been waiting for to make his next move.
Aidon had set this very plan in motion and endangered them all.
‘Dominic told me he suspected your power … and that he’d uncovered the Bellare’s plan to reveal my power to the kingdom; to render me ineligible to rule.’ He fixed his gaze on Will. ‘He said you were a part of it, and that, should you return, you’d need to be questioned. I agreed, thinking I’d bethe one to do it, and that once you were back we could figure out a plan.’
He had shown his uncle exactly what he wanted to see:
Duty.
Responsibility.
Loyalty.
‘But then you returned, and he brought me to the dungeons, where he revealed Viviane and my father.’A necessity, Dominic had explained to Aidon when he asked after his father as they strolled through the dungeons.He won’t agree with my methods.His mother remained free, and Aidon knew it was to make sure he’d behave.
‘I needed time,’ he rasped. He jerked his chin toward the Enforcer. ‘I slipped you the tonic, hoping it was just to subdue you for a short time for questioning. I let him believe I was onboard with it so he’d keep me involved. So that when I saw an opportunity, I could get us out. All of us.’
Duty, to his kingdom.
Responsibility, to his family.
Loyalty, to his friends.
