“Everything you just said makes him a fucking traitor, mate.”
“Sure,” Bones said, still sounding bored. “Fine. He’s a traitor. But only if we assume every fucking royal needs to fight. But we don’tneedeveryone to fight. We’ll need royals to help us manage thingsafterthe war, too, and Alaric would be great for that. If his father would just accept him for who he is, and stop trying to turn him into some kind of Warlock-level fighter––”
“Like you,” the black-haired mage with Elysia Warrington muttered.
Bones looked at him, his expression unmoving, then shrugged.
“Probably,” he said, still sounding indifferent. “His father’s always been competitive with mine. My point is, this whole thing is overblown. Alaric’s no soldier, not for either side. He’s certainly not a mastermind spy infiltrating our ranks. This wholething about some insider conspiracy led byGreythorne,of all fucking people, is just stupid.”
There was a silence after he spoke.
Bones ran his fingers through my hair, caressing the back of my neck.
“You’re saying they should just let him spill all our secrets?” Pants retorted.
Bones aimed a stare at him. “What makes you think Alec intended to spill anything?” he retorted back. “He told hisbrother.Who you’ve just said yourself is loyal.”
He tugged gently at my hair, his other hand wrapping around my hip.
“His father should just let him go to Greece,” he said, still sounding annoyed. “The whole point of recruiting heavily from the lower classes of mages, and bringing in Warlocks from the East, is so we don’t have to do all the heavy lifting ourselves. EvenIwon’t be on the front lines where we’re likely to encounter the heaviest fighting. Why would I be, when we could put a Warlock there? Or a lower-born? Or do you think we should make this entire generation of royals into cannon-fodder, just to prove how loyal we are?”
There was a silence after he spoke.
I fought to control my heart rate through it.
At the same time, I could feel the weight of Bones’s words. I could feel the influence they had, at least with everyone who wasn’t Pants, Voltaire, or Scar. I glanced up at Bones with a coy smile, and kissed the side of his face.
He gave me a heated look, right before he kissed my throat.
Don’t worry,he murmured in my mind.They’re more angry with his father for not controlling him than they are with him. For once, Alec pretending to be an idiot is working in his favor. No one sees him as a real threat. I’m just reinforcing that message.
I felt some deeper part of me fight to take in his words, to exhale.
You know that for sure?I asked.
I know enough.He hesitated. His thoughts grew a touch harder.Speaking of discussion points, are you ever going to tell me what’s really going on with you two? The truth, I mean.
I managed to keep the smile on my lips, my eyes on his.
Are we still talking about Alaric?I asked.
Yes,he thought at me.We’re talking about Alaric.
I nuzzled the side of his face.We already discussed that.
Yeah. And I’m asking you again.
Because you don’t believe that he could possibly be one of my closest friends?I asked, leaning my head against his shoulder.Or that I might be terrified out of my mind that Dark Cathedral could decide to murder him for being a traitor? Or torture him to death, partly because of me?I paused.Or is it just that you think I’m a liar in general?
Bones didn’t move.
That’s all it is?he asked.
All?I blinked.Honestly, why are you so convinced it’s more than that?
I glanced up to see his lips tighten, right before his gold eyes shifted away from my face. He didn’t loosen his hold on me, or stop massaging my back with his fingers.
You’d really tell me?he asked next.If it was more?
