“They likely killed our reinforcements,” I say.
“We let them go,” says Wadestrom. “Because they had the sense to lay down their weapons.”
Bert throws his ax to the ground, then turns to run.
Wadestrom shoots him. Bert makes a small sound, and his body crumples in the rain. It sets off a chain reaction of activity, because Nook cries out and tries to run next, but Wadestrom shifts to shoot him, too. Thorin tackles him around the waist, and the shot fires wildly, just as Francis gives a shout of pain from somewhere to my right. Another cloaked guard aims for me, but Reed shoots first, shoving me out of the way before I can even lift my crossbow. I slam into the mud and go skidding into the midst of the melee. My weapon bounces into the darkness as men shout and other bodies drop, and I lose track of what guards and attackers still have a bolt left.
But then I realize Nook has slipped, scrambling in the mud, and Lennard has his crossbow aimed at the boy.
“Hold,” I say sharply—then I aim a kick right for Lennard’s ankle.
The guard hesitates, then stumbles when my foot cracks into his leg. It earns Nook a fraction of a second—enough time to get his feet underneath him. He splashes into the flooded part of the path, hopefully cloaked by darkness.
But Nook isn’t the real quarry here, and I’m in the mud with no weapons. Lennard lets him go, turning to level that crossbow at my throat.
Behind him, Reed and Francis are lying motionless in the mud. So is Jarrett, who has landed crookedly, his cloak falling across half his face. A short distance away, Wadestrom and Thorin are wrestling for control of a crossbow.
The fourth cloaked man is still standing at a bit of a distance. I can’t see his face at all. It’s too dark, the rain too heavy. Like allmy guards, he’s tall and carries himself like a soldier, so there’s no clue to be found there.
He’s the only one who hasn’t said a word, and he raises his crossbow to aim at me, too.
I sit up, glaring at them both. I should be afraid, but I am simply filled with so much fury, so muchresentment. “I will not surrender to you.”
Lennard looks at the nameless guard, then over to where Thorin is still struggling with Wadestrom. “Kill Thorin. And Reed, if he’s not already dead.”
I’m so shocked by this that I almost can’t comprehend the words. “No,” I say. “No.”
To my surprise, the cloaked guard is shaking his head, too. “No. I said we could take the king. That’s all.”
And then I recognize his voice. The cloak slips back a little, and I see the edge of his jaw, a bit of his blond hair. This is Sommer.
Heisyoung, probably the same age as Corrick, probably one of the youngest of my personal guard.
Honestly, he seems like he’s starving.
I should have paid closer attention when Reed said that the consuls had stopped their pay and frozen their accounts. I should have considered how that would affect my guards.
“They werewithhim,” says Lennard. “They’re not going to let us take him.”
Sommer swallows so hard I can see it. He looks from Reed’s motionless body to Thorin to me, but he doesn’t move.
I consider that he didn’t move before.
He didn’t shoot—and he could have.
“This is treason,” I say. “Youknowthis is treason, Sommer. They’ll turn on you, too.”
“Kill them!” Lennard snaps. “You want a part of the reward, you’d better earn it.”
Thorin is struggling underneath Wadestrom, but he must hear what’s going on, because he calls, “Don’t listen to him, Sommer. We came to you because you wereloyal—”
“Shut up!” Wadestrom snaps, and he tries to punch Thorin. They scuffle in the mud.
“Lennard will killyouas well, Wadestrom,” I say. I keep my eyes on Lennard, because it’s clear now who orchestrated this, even if I don’t know all the maneuvers yet. “Though I rather doubt any of you are getting silver out of Sallister or whoever is promising it. They’ll say we were working together and throw you right in the Hold with me.”
“Fine,” says Lennard. “I just need to bring back your body.” He looks down the line of the crossbow.
I suck in a breath. Time stops. I hear the snap, then the whistle.
