I nod. “As you say.”
He’s quiet, so I’m quiet, and I stare into my tea. The mug is warm against my fingers, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve disappointed him, and I don’t like it.
I’m sure you have duties, Jax said.
I shouldn’t have strayed from them.
“You said two,” Grey says eventually.
“What?”
“You said there were two battles. That Alek wasn’t responsible for the state of your armor.”
“Oh. Yes.” I hesitate, wondering how this is going to go over. “I found Nakiis at a tourney in Gaulter. Kept in a cage, the way Iisak was.” I pause. “They forced him to fight. Do you remember Journ?”
His eyebrows go up. “Of course.”
I nod. “He was running the tourney there.” I frown. “He told me they’ve kept Nakiis there for years.”
“I will send soldiers. Have him liberated. I’m surprised you didn’t send word immediately—”
“You don’t need to. I broke in and freed him.”
Grey goes still. “Tycho.”
I can’t tell if he’s shocked or outraged, so I rush on. “He was earning them too much silver! They weren’t going to let him go. You remember how Worwick was with Iisak. So I paid the entry fee and faced him in the arena. At first, I don’t think he knew who I was. But he did by the end. He had his claws over my throat, and he could’ve killed me,but he didn’t. So I snuck back into the tourney that night, and I broke the lock. I offered to bring him back here, but he’s—he’s—” Grey’s expression has darkened, so I falter for words. “He’safraid. Afraid of being trapped by another magesmith. He’s worried you’ll demand a debt for healing him years ago. I told him he would find friends here, but as soon as I broke the lock, he slammed through the door and disappeared.”
He draws a long breath. “So the King’s Courier entered atourney,” he says, “risking hislife—”
“Again, I’mfine.”
He gives me a narrow look, and I clamp my mouth shut and scowl.
“And you broke in!” Grey says. “What if you’d been caught? Can you imagine the scandal? We already have enough pressure from the Royal Houses.”
“You would’ve done the same.”
“No,” he says fiercely. “I wouldn’t.”
“Because you’re the king,” I say, “and you wouldn’tneedto. Would you rather I had left him there?”
“For the two days it would’ve taken you to gethere? Yes. I would have.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I say tightly. “I freed him, and he’s gone.”
“You freed ascraverwho bears resentment formagesmiths.”
I’m not sure what to say to that.
Grey’s voice is very careful. “He was not Iisak, Tycho. He was not your friend.”
I have to look away.
He sits there, regarding me, and again, I feel as though I’ve earned a reprimand. Maybe I deserve one—or maybe I owe him an apology. But I don’t feel remorse. Not about freeing Nakiis, and not about what happened with Alek.
Not about the time I spent with Jax.
Maybe Grey can sense my reticence, because he draws back a bit. “Did anyone see you?”
