I put a hand to the pendant under my robes. I can’t help it.
“You too,” he says. “I have artifacts here. You would be protected.”
That makes me look up. “You do?”
He smiles ruefully. “Your turn.”
“I genuinely don’t think she’s looking to escape,” I say. “She wants to hear from her people. You in particular. She said you’ve always been loyal.”
He’s quiet for a moment, and I can tell those words affect him. “If she didn’t summon me herself, and she gave you a false reason to come here, then she’s hiding hermotivesfrom the king. Are they still sharing a bed?”
I flush—especially since I can name several occasions when it was clear the king hadn’t been in the queen’s chambers. That feels so private, sointimate.
“That’s not my business,” I finally say.
“And that’s answer enough.” He doesn’t sound victorious about figuring it out. “Behind closed doors—are they at odds?”
“Not that I’ve seen. But then I’m not behind those closed doors.” I think of the queen’s sorrow, the way my sister leapt up to give her a hug. Maybe it’s about more than just the baby she lost.
“You’re frowning,” he says.
“Because she’s sad,” I say quietly. “The queen seems so sad.”
That affects him, too. I expect his eyes to light with frustration or anger—or maybe even calculation—but he looks just as sad as I feel.
Despite all his stories, his explanations,thatis what finally makes me believe him.
I pull him to a stop. “You really care.”
“I do,” he says. “My loyalty isn’t an act. My mother died to protect Syhl Shallow. So did my sister. Magic was banished years ago—and now it’s sitting on a throne. If the queen needs my help, I’ll give it.”
“And everything you did in Briarlock—none of that was about attacking the queen?”
“No. I still haven’t been able to determine who was behind it. Lady Clarinas is gone. There have been no messages at any of my usual merchants. The Truthbringers have fractured, and there are those, like me, who still want to protect the queen.” A bit of anger slips into his tone. “And others who simply want to eradicate magic, no matter what the cost—even if it means destroying the entire royal family.”
“And—”
“Your turn.” He shifts to start walking again.
I scowl, then search my thoughts for something to share. “The queen said there are rumors of scraver attacks since what happened in Briarlock.”
He nods, and he doesn’t seem surprised. “I have spies on both sides of the border. I’ve heard these rumors. No doubt the king is sending his minions to wreak havoc and instill fear.”
Spies on both sides of the border.I tuck that bit of information away to examine later. “I don’t think so,” I say.
That gets his attention. “Why?”
I frown and shake my head. “I was there. During the battle in Briarlock. He didn’t summon them.” I remember a scraver leaning over Nora,lending magic to help heal her wounds. The same secret magic I have in my veins, thanks to this pendant—just like the queen gained from her rings. “The king wasn’t . . . ?he wasn’tusingthem. He wasn’t commanding them. They came to help.”
“They came to help—and now they’re attacking?”
I falter. “I don’t know for sure. But that’s what I’ve heard.”
He scoffs. “Rumors always carry a shred of fact, Callyn. A generation ago, scravers were treaty bound to stay in the ice forests of Iishellasa—and the magesmiths went there with them. If scravers are attacking our people, they’re either working with the king—or they’re breaking the treaty. Either way, it means nothing good for the people of Syhl Shallow. Magic was banished once, with good cause, and it should be banished again.”
Magic.I touch that pendant again.
Then we turn a corner, and he leads me through a set of heavy doors, into a wide room humming with activity.
