Perhaps while the king and queen are separated, we have an opportunity to resolve things in a way that will satisfy everyone.
My heart pounds for an entirely new reason. I wish I could climb on Mercy right now, but I know I’m in no shape for this kind of ride. “You said Malin was sending Leo to the Crystal Palace?” I say. “To alert the queen?”
Jax nods, then glances at the window. “At first light.”
Just as he says it, another roll of thunder carries across the sky. I shake my head. “Go. Stop him.”
He’s already extracting himself from the bed. “Why?”
“That meeting was inEmberfall. They killed the queen’s courier to stop her from bringing a message to Grey.” I hold up the steel arrow. “And thisisIishellasan steel. Magic can’t heal any damage it causes.”
His eyes go from me to the bolt and back.
“Jax, if they’re armed with weapons like this, they’re not on their way to attack the queen.” I touch a finger to one of the barbs. It’s razor sharp, and blood wells on my fingertip. I hold it up to show him. “Someone needs to warnthe king.”
CHAPTER 23
ALEK
This day has grown too long, and I’ve been desperate for a hot meal and a soft bed for hours.
Unfortunately, it’s the middle of the night, and I’m loading a half-conscious scraver into my carriage. Our journey is going to end in a country I loathe, in the presence of men I can’t stand. I’m exhausted and hungry, and my clothing feels stiff and tacky with two days of dried sweat. If there’s any relief here, it’s that the creatures’ magic has dropped the temperature by a good ten degrees— though even that comes with a price. Igaa watches our efforts, and I have no doubt she’s ready to rip out my throat if I do anything suspicious. She might’ve been growling at Callyn, but it’s no secret that I’m the one who hates magic here.
When the queen agreed to have us help the scraver, my immediate reaction was to wonderhowwe’d do such a thing. Nakiis wasn’t exactly willing when Callyn tried to help him. But maybe his efforts to fight us yesterday stole the last of his will, because he was barely conscious as Callyn and I carried him through the woods, and evennow, his eyes barely flicker open as we ease him onto the carriage floor.
The whole time, Nora asks a thousand questions and the young princess chatters from where she clings to the queen, but Callyn and I have been completely silent since the moment we were bickering in the carriage. I have no idea what emotions are behindherreticence, but it seems that any path we choose to follow always ends this way, with both of us at odds.
The only distraction is the fact that we’re spending so much time doingthis, when we should be crossing the border into Emberfall by now.
I swipe sweat from my forehead, feeling a swell of exhaustion. I hardly slept last night, desperate to ride back to the Crystal City to warn the queen— though I knew I had to wait until nightfall. Now I feel as though I haven’t slept in days. Dawn can’t be far off, and I’m not sure how much longer I can stay awake. Callyn can’t drive the horses, which means Nora likely can’t either. I have no doubt that Lia Mara can, but I’m reluctant to have the queen out in the open while I sleep in the carriage.
If I even could. Injured or not, the idea of being trapped inside a carriage with a scraver still makes me want to shudder. When Igaa brought Callyn to the ground, it took everything I had to keep from filling her back with bolts from the crossbow.
Once Nakiis is loaded in the carriage, Igaa doesn’t say a word. Her pale purple wings snap wide, and she leaps into the air.
— Go,she says.—Now.
I roll my eyes at the order, but I climb up onto the driver’s seat.
I’m actually shocked when Callyn reclaims her spot beside me. A spark of anger flared in my heart when she accused me of treason, and it seems determined to burn. I almost ask her to get down and ride in the carriage. At this point, I might prefer Nora, even though she’dlikely spend the rest of the journey yanking on my ears and trying to break my fingers.
Hell, maybe that would be better. It would keep me awake.
“Alek?”
I look over to find that Callyn is staring at me, and I realize I’m just sitting here.
I run a hand down my face and sigh, then chirp to the horses and snap the reins. “LordAlek,” I say sourly, even though I don’t really mean it. I just hate the way she persists in getting under my skin at every turn.
“I’m sorry,” she says quietly.
For a moment, I think she’s apologizing for neglecting my title. But the weight in her voice tells me it’s more.
“It’s fine,” I say flatly. “You’ve made your feelings clear, and more than once. I’m the fool for continuing to think otherwise.”
“You have to admit that you make it hard to trust you.”
I scoff. “Do I? I’ve only ever spoken the truth to you.”
