Roque rushed forward now that he could.He crossed the throne room in three quick steps, his full focus on Berith.He knew that Mikal and the others would take care of Ramiel’s people.It wasn’t Roque’s job to worry about them.
Berith was still standing, but he swayed again just as Roque reached him.His face was pale, and he had a hand pressed over the wound in his side, but it wasn’t enough.Blood seeped between his fingers and had started dripping to the floor.
“I’m fine,” Berith said.
Roque wasn’t impressed.“Nice try.Sit down, you asshole.”He looked around the room, satisfied to see Reyni already rushing their way.“Reyni’s coming.”
“He’s going to scold me.”
“As he should.”Roque grabbed Berith’s hand and guided him toward the steps that led up to the throne.“Sit down before you fall on your face.”
“Let me see the wound,” Reyni said when he reached them.He was already digging in his bag for whatever medical supplies he’d need.He didn’t call Berith an asshole like Roque had, but it was clear he was thinking it by the expression on his face.
Thankfully, Berith didn’t resist and allowed Reyni to poke at his wound.His jaw was clenched, but he didn’t ask for painkillers, which was ridiculous but very much like him.
“The cut isn’t too deep,” Reyni said, still sounding annoyed.“He missed the lung, but you’ve got at least two broken ribs, and you’ve lost a lot of blood.You need rest and to spend some time in the infirmary.”
“Later,” Berith said.“First, we need to—”
“Now,” Reyni interrupted firmly.He wasn’t giving Berith the opportunity to waltz off to face the rest of Ramiel’s forces.He looked like he’d rather tie Berith to the throne rather than allow him to try.“You’re going to bleed out if you push yourself too hard, and where would that leave us?Where would it leave your daughter and your consort?”
Roque was glad that Reyni was intimidating enough that even Berith listened to him.He wanted to stay here and take care of his friend—and it was his job to do just that—but now that he knew that Berith would be okay, he found his thoughts drifting toward Dimri.
Roque hadn’t heard from him in a while, but they’d all felt the explosions, and Dimri had been in the tunnels.Was he okay?
“Roque,” Berith said quietly.“Go.”
“What?”
“Go find Dimri.I can see you’re thinking about him.”Berith winced as Reyni began cleaning his wound.“I am, too.Let me know how he is as soon as you find out.”
Roque hesitated.He should stay with Berith, but Berith was right.Roquewasthinking about Dimri, which meant he was distracted.Besides, Berith was currently surrounded by enough guards that not even a fly could get to him without someone noticing.He’d be safe, even without Roque.If anything, Yakim would make sure of it.
As soon as he was done with his phone call to Lucifer anyway.
“Go,” Berith said again.“That’s an order.”
Roque turned and ran.
Everything seemed mostly normal outside the throne room, but that changed the closer he got to the entrance of the tunnels that Dimri and his team had used.Servants and guards pressed against the walls to let him pass, and people whispered.Roque suspected that word of Ramiel’s death was already spreading, which was good and hopefully meant that Ramiel’s soldiers would stop fighting if they hadn’t already.
Roque finally reached the right hallway and immediately knew something was wrong.The air was thick with dust, and there were new cracks along the walls and the floor.Several guards stood by the tunnel entrance, looking uncertain and dirty with white dust and blood.
“What happened?”Roque demanded.
“Explosion in the tunnels, sir,” one of the guards reported.“It brought down everything.”
Roque’s stomach dropped.“Survivors?”There had to be some.Dimri couldn’t be gone.
“We don’t know.We can’t enter the tunnels.”
The guard was right.The ceiling had come down, and the debris blocked the tunnels.Even if Roque tried, he wouldn’t be able to get in.“Dimri!”he screamed.
If Dimri was in there, Roque needed to get to him.He couldn’t even consider the possibility that he hadn’t survived.Dimri was alive, and Roque would find him.
* * * *
DIMRI WASN’T SURE HEwas fully conscious.His head spun, and he felt weak, which wasn’t a surprise considering everything he’d been through in the past few hours.He wanted to crawl into bed and never leave it again, or at the very least, spend at least a week between the sheets, possibly with Roque by his side.Would Berith allow that?He might need Roque depending on what had happened in the throne room.Dimri wished he knew.He wanted to get to his feet and find out, but he was too tired.
