‘Wait!’ Eda called up to the defenders above her. ‘Hold the gate.’
The gate continued to lower.
Eda watched Basil trot towards her, braying. Roul caught Eda around the waist and dragged her back from the gate as she went to duck below it. ‘Wait!’ she pleaded.
The gate shuddered to a standstill, and Basil came to a stop a few yards away, ears flicking back and forth as he realised he had been shut out.
Roul let go of Eda.
She turned to him. ‘Please.’
Cursing loudly, Roul looked up and shouted, ‘Let the animal through!’
The portcullis rose once more, and a moment later, an utterly exhausted and completely chuffed donkey walked through.
They had made it—everyone. Relief gripped her in dizzying waves, and she bent to hold her knees. But the relief was short-lived.
‘I want Commander Thornton taken into custody,’ Prince Becket said behind her.
Eda straightened and looked at him, nausea rolling through her. For a moment, no one moved. Not even the defender whom Becket had given the order to.
‘I trust you will go without a scene?’ the prince asked.
Roul nodded slowly. ‘Yes.’
Tatum and Alveye stared at their feet. Blackmane turned away, kicking the ground.
‘Your Highness—’ Eda started, stepping forwards.
‘Go home to your family,’ Roul said, stopping her before she could say anything more. ‘They’re waiting for you.’
CHAPTER34
Roul was placed in the tower while Prince Becket went to reunite with his mother. He had been in his cell around thirty minutes when he heard someone climbing the steps.
Harlan emerged, eyes landing on him. ‘You killed the fucking king?’
That was one way to start the conversation.
He marched over to the cell door, eyes ablaze. ‘Tell me I’m wrong.’
Roul pushed off the wall and walked closer. ‘You’re not wrong.’
Harlan punched the bars, then reached through them, grabbing him by the front of his tunic. ‘Look me in the eyes and tell me you shot King Oswin, then stayed silent while Blake and her family were starving to death waiting for the killer to reveal themselves.’
Roul did not struggle. He looked Harlan directly in the eyes when he said, ‘I killed the king. I remained silent.’
Harlan released him with a shove. ‘Never in my life would I imagine a time that I would call you a coward, but that’s what you are.’ He began pacing, eyes trained on Roul. ‘I can’t even make sense of it.’
There was so much he did not know. ‘Who told you?’
‘Tatum. For some reason I can’t fathom, he wants me to save your arse. I’m going to need you to start talking. Is this the reason you came to Chadora?’
Roul resigned himself to the fact that the secret was well and truly out. Enough people knew now that one more was not going to make a difference. ‘Queen Fayre sent me.’
‘Of course she did.’ Harlan shook his head. ‘She loves getting peasants with no options to do her dirty work. Go on.’
‘She wanted information. In exchange for taking care of my family.’
