I wasn’t cruel. I wasn’t going to hurt them. I was merely taking them away for a bit. I wasn’t cruel. I wasn’t monstrous.
Eyes closed, I repeated the thoughts over and over in my mind. A battle between falling into the icy indifference—to hide—and standing boldly beside a strange group of royal thieves who did not flinch beside the power in my blood.
The more my mists crept forward, the more shadows retreated. When the darkness of the king thinned, the guards lifted their chins.
One of the men crossed his sword over his chest. “No. Not this time, Kase. We’re under strict orders not to move.”
“I admit, I’m impressed by all this new boldness,” the king said in a voice so easy he almost sounded bored. There was a strange sort of confidence in his tone, like he wanted them to be at ease, but in truth he had them exactly where he wanted them.
“Wearing talismans to ward off mesmer,” Raum murmured. “That’s a Niklas addition. Our Falkyn has switched sides.”
“Think I can’t touch you because shepoachedthe Elixist?”
“Not this turn.” The guard stiffened.
Gods, he’d done this more than once.
The king laughed—it wasn’t kind, more a deranged sort of delight. “But we’ve made a few changes ourselves.”
With a gesture, the king summoned me forward. It took a few breaths of the guards gawking at the mists spilling from my palms before they realized.
“No.” One guard tried to unfasten the tether linking him to the doorway. “No, dammit.”
A skein of mist curled around his shoulders and pulled him toward nothingness. Terror was there, but also a bit of annoyance that they’d been duped.
I wanted to shout apologies, but bit them back, realizing the curses of the guards were aimed at the Kryv, even toward the king. Words likeshameless bastard,didn’t fight fair, all manner of insults that faded until both guards were engulfed in my magic.
Whenever I held matter in the Nothing, my blood grew heavy. The urge to toss them aside, or fade them into oblivion was there.
I blew out a few breaths, concentrating on merely keeping them tucked in darkness.
On lonely days in my childhood, I learned to play games in my chambers. Mists would gather items in my room, then toss them, striking a mark on the wall to practice my aim and speed.
Sometimes I would practice holding them, like a rain-filled cloud waiting to burst. I focused on those moments, those days.
The king signaled to his men with his hand. Isak moved forward, knelt at the lock, and with impossibly swift motions had a whalebone pick clicking the lock free.
“All right?” Kase asked as Lynx and Raum tugged the heavy doors open.
I nodded. “They’re still there.”
“I know. They’re both a little terrified. Serves the bastards right for siding with?—”
“Withwhom, Kase Eriksson?”
I did not think the alver king was a man taken by surprise often, but at the voice, his eyes went wide and he spun around.
There, standing in the middle of a narrow room with towering walls of shelves was the damn queen. Malin had her crimson hair a little tousled over her shoulders, a dark cloak shielded her body, and her mouth was pinched in a tight line.
All around were shelves of scrolls, pouches of coin, fine jade, gold. Good hells, this was the treasury safehold.
Kase cursed. “How?”
Malin took a step to one side. “Do you know me at all?”
“I know you inside and out, Mallie.” Kase stepped in the opposite direction.
“Then you know I’m not above corrupting your crew.” She glared at Raum. “You don’t even remember it, of course. Very clever plan, though.”
