“Am I?” His tone was light, but there was a hint of danger underneath. Nisien put on the face of a polite courtier, but he had the same spine of steel I’d been gifted by our brutal father.
I growled, “What did you do?”
“I’ve done nothing,” he said, feigning innocence. “Truly.”
I took a step toward him. Not threatening—yet. Just close enough to see the flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.
He either knew something or already had something in motion. I bit back what I wanted to say and turned my face to the wind.
The monster stirred inside me, clawing at my restraint, hungry not just for a fight but for the blood and chaos that would follow.
Not here, not now, never my brother.
When I turned, Nisien’s smile deepened, and my stomach dropped even further. He was crafty enough to keep whatever was happening from me until the worst possible moment.
Cursed gods, I’d walked into something again.
Chapter 7
Emrys
After washing the road off my body and eating, I found Nisien in his apartments, legs kicked up on a bench, a goblet dangling from one hand, a letter dangling from the other. The hearthlight danced across his hair, painting the room in cozy, pleasant,uncomplicatedlight. Just the way he liked it.
The golden bastard looked like he hadn’t worried about anything in weeks.
“You raided the military coffers again,” I said without preamble, slamming the door behind me with a flick of magic.
He didn’t even look up, just smiled over the rim of his goblet. “Hello, Emrys. I missed you too. Though I shouldn’t be surprised this is how you start a conversation.”
“Nisien,” I warned.
He sighed and finally met my eyes. “I moved some funds.”
“Some?” I probably had a murderous look, but he ignored it.
“Enough,” he said calmly, simply. He set his wine down and gestured at the ledgers scattered across the table. “I moved the funds to where they were needed most.”
The pressure started behind my eyes, a slow, pulsing ache. My voice trembled with a coiled intensity. “You pulled crown taxes from our standing forces during a year when the northern border is a single spark away from war!”
Nisien’s face showed patient restraint, as if he were talking to a toddler. “There were other needs—”
“Nisien!”
He had the nerve to look exasperated. “You act as if we don’t have the levies,” he argued. “The peasant forces on our borders have been effective for years.”
My laughter was harsh, humorless, and far too loud. I took a breath and allowed the air to escape between my teeth in a sibilant hiss. “They are effective because we send them fresh arms and trained soldiers every winter to drill with them.Thatis how we ensure they don’t die screaming the first time they see a warhorse charging! The levies don’t hold because youwish it so, you insufferable shit. They hold because we make them strong.”
The table next to Nisien groaned under my weight as I leaned on it, fists clenched, magic gathering beneath my skin.Not now.
Nisien’s gaze was steady, if a little wary. He felt it. “Do you doubt my desire to do what’s right for Darreth?”
“No.” I shook my head, jaw tight as I fought the urge to break something. “I think you’re afraid of being wrong.”
That got him. Nisien’s posture straightened just a little. A cautious look settled on his face, but he didn’t argue. “I’m listening to my advisors, Emrys.”
“You take too much advice,” I snapped. From everyone but me.
And there it was at the surface now—the flare of magic pulsing on my skin, a restless war drum demanding release. “Don’t forget you’re the one wearing the crown. You have a more comprehensive view of the kingdom than nearly anyone else.”
