Liam’s shackles jangled as he waved a dismissive hand. “I doubt they’ll risk us dying. Hyacinth’s orders are for us to be returned alive. And killingyouwould start a war with Trahir—one she cannot afford.”
“Your certainty is doing wonders at convincing me,” Aidon retorted dryly.
Liam shrugged. “It’ll create a hells of a diversion. Maybe one big enough to catch them off guard and give us a chance at fighting our way out.”
Will wiped at the blood on his mouth, a sickly feeling stirring in his gut as he took in Liam’s reasoning.
How had he not seen this? Hours he’d spent in this godsforsaken wagon, desperate to come up with a plan to get to Aya, and never once had he thought of using Aidon’s Incend fire to burn their way out.
The answer was right there, that voice that sounded like Galda said.You couldn’t see it because you are desperate.
He was. He did not remember the last time he’d been free from the tight hold Desperation had around his neck. But now, he could hardly think clearly with how fiercely it clung to him.
A hiss of pain escaped Will as he pushed himself off the floor and onto the bench. Aidon watched him warily.
“I’m not going to apologize,” the king stated as he folded his arms across his chest.
“I’m not going to ask you to,” Will muttered. “Can you burn the wagon without hurting yourself or us?”
Aidon glanced around the wagon. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Managing my affinity has gotten easier, but…”
“This wouldn’t require a great deal of power,” Liam assured him. Will shook his head.
That wasn’t Aidon’s concern.
“You still struggle to control it when your emotions are high,” Will answered for him. He had the burn scars to prove it. Aidon’s fire had seared his arm just days ago, and it hadn’t been a purposeful attack.
And now, Will had goaded him into a state he wasn’t sure he could trust himself in.
Willloathedthe sour taste of remorse.
Aidon gave a terse nod. “And there’s the matter of trusting the Royal Guard to come to our aid,” he added.
Of course Will didn’t trust the Royal Guard. But…he did trust that he knew greed intimately. Hyacinth could tout her devotion all she wanted, but this—arresting them and ordering their return alive—was about more than obeying her gods.
This was about coveting revenge in the name of the Divine.
“Liam’s right,” Will murmured. “They won’t let us die. At least not on purpose.”
“Reassuring,” Aidon grunted, but he lifted his chin and scanned the space again, as if he were mapping every nook and cranny.
“I can start at the front,” he finally said, his jaw set in resolution. “It should catch their attention faster and give us more time in case I…get carried away.”
He motioned to the rear door. “You two will need to stand there and be ready to fight.”
Will rolled his neck, the joints cracking with the movement. “That won’t be a problem.”
“We know,” Liam deadpanned. But Aidon…Aidon was watching Will carefully.
“We’re outnumbered,” he reminded him, as if Will didn’t know. Will opened his mouth to retort, but the firm set ofAidon’s mouth halted him. There was a question woven in the warning.
Isthisthe risk you want to take?
It was terrifying to not be able to trust his own instincts, to know that Desperation had rendered him rash and unpredictable and uncertain. It choked his air and made his thoughts half-formed, made him miss solutions that were right in front of him.
Is this the risk he wanted to take?
Will closed his eyes for a beat before nodding to the front of the wagon.
