“I will not send my sister without a chaperone, either.”
Jory inhales sharply, but Charlotte leans in, and whatever she says makes the princess’s mouth form a line.
Prince Dane turns to the guards at my back. “Return this man to the dungeon. His debt will be set to one million silvers—”
One million. I was focused on Jory, on what this meant forher, but Dane’s words are like a steel bolt shot right through my chest. My breathing becomes a sudden roar in my ears, and I can’t even hear what he says after that.
I’ll never earn out a million silvers. Not in a brothel, not in a fighting arena, not on my back or on my knees for the richest citizens of Astranza.
Never.
But another round of gasps goes up around the room, and I realize Maddox Kyronan has spoken.
Prince Dane is staring at him, and his eyes are wide with shock. “What did you just say?”
“I said the debt is owed to me.” The king pauses and folds his arms. “Is it not?”
Dane’s mouth works like this question has never been asked before. “I—I suppose you could see it that way, Your Majesty, but—”
“You will not grant yourslavers”—he says this word like it’s distasteful—“A profit of one million silvers. Nor will you line your own coffers. Not when the crime was committed against Incendar, and most especially if this man is an agent of Draegonis.”
My veins fill with ice. I can’t move.
“Forgive me, but I do not believe you understand the intricacies of how justice works in Astranza—”
“Do not patronize me.” The king’s voice is low and intense. His fingers form a sigil, and a new swirl of flame appears in his palm.
The tension in the room thickens again. Even Dane falters.
In the silence, Maddox Kyronan continues. “This man shall be subject to Incendrian justice.Notyours.”
Prince Dane hesitates, and for the first time, he looks directly at me. His face has gone a bit pale. We’ve all heard every story of how Incendrianjusticeis meted out. I watch that fire dance on the king’s palm, and sweat collects between my shoulder blades, making the burn sting.
I know how badly that brand hurt, and I have no doubt the king could do something a thousand times worse.
“I’m not working for Draegonis,” I growl. “Believe what you like, but my orders were—”
“Silence him,” Dane says. This time the guard takes a gauntleted fist and drives it right into my stomach. I find myself dry heaving over the stone floor of the throne room. Breath rushes in my ears again, and I can’t focus on anything at all. Voices are speaking, but nothing is clear until I hear Jory.
“If you do this,” she’s saying, her voice low and vicious, “I willnevermarry you.”
It draws my gaze up, but the king isn’t impressed by her vow. “You shouldn’t be surprised, Princess. You keep speaking of my brutality.” His eyes flick over me one more time, dispassionately, and for as warm as his eyes looked in the flickering firelight, they’re bitter and cold now. “Alliance or not, rest assured, Incendar knows what to do with Draeg spies.”
Chapter Sixteen
The Warrior
Once again, I’m riding in a slow procession across the snow-covered fields of Astranza. I thought I’d be returning to Incendar with a new bride in a carriage and a flutter of hope in my chest, but now I’m bringing a woman who hates me and a prisoner who wants me dead.
Sev is silent at my side again, my soldiers trudging along behind us, the carriages creaking and rattling as we pass over uneven ground. The clouds overhead have shifted, allowing the moon to beam down on us all, promising another endless night.
It’s reckless to travel again so soon. We’re all exhausted and hungry, driven by nothing but duty and desperation, the worst combination for any soldier. But we need to get away from the palace. We need to get out of thiskingdom. I have no idea who I can trust, but so far it seems to beno onein Astranza. Dane spoke a lot of words to point the finger at Draegonis, but I don’t believe any of them. It was too neat. Too easy. I couldn’t challenge him, however. Not with such a small group of soldiers. Not without risking my sister being left alone. It was bad enough when I thought Dane’s men were going to attack in the snow.
On the way here, I remember wishing I’d brought the whole army—and just now, I’m regretting that we didn’t. If I had more soldiers, I’d send runners ahead to have troops waiting at the border, just in case.
But I don’t, and I’m not sending any of my men away. Not while I’ve got a vengeful princess in one carriage and a chained-up assassin in the other.
When Jory arrived in the palace courtyard with half a dozen trunks and her lady-in-waiting by her side, her expression was cold and her eyes were fierce. I offered them both a hand to climb into the carriage.
