Rolant and Sveinn.Keller was right. Fuck.
The doctor steps forward as well, a gun to his head.
“Drop the gun, Ottar,” the older one says, who must be Rolant. “Now.”
Hands in the air, Ottar lowers to the ground, dropping his gun, and then rises back up, his movements very slow, very purposeful.
“Who else is in the castle?” Rolant shouts.
“Just Keller,” Ottar says, loud enough that I’m pretty sure Lara and Keller can hear.
“Get him out here.”
Keeping his hands up, Ottar replies, “He’s in bad shape.”
“I don’t fucking care. Get him out here, now.” He shoves his gun at Runa’s head, causing her to start crying.
Her lip is shaking, and I can’t stand seeing her like this, so I call out, “Keller, I need you out here.”
And I pray that only Keller comes out, not Lara.
“Tell him unarmed, or Runa is the first to go.”
I swallow and yell, “Unarmed, Keller. They’re going to shoot Runa if you don’t.”
There, that should tip him off, hopefully.
After a few seconds, Keller appears at the arch of the door, arms up as well, moving slowly, but he appears and stands next to me, if not slightly in front.
“There he is,” Rolant says. “The bane of our fucking existence.” He pushes Runa forward, and Sveinn does the same with the doctor, coming fully into view. “You realize the shitstorm you’ve caused us?”
“I’m sorry,” Keller says, his voice strained. “I was just trying to get to my girl.” It’s odd, hearing him sound so subdued, because in a moment like this when guns are involved that could be pointed very easily at me, he would normally be growling, ready to pounce. But he’s also a smart man, and antagonizing Rolant and Sveinn wouldn’t be the smartest plan.
“Your girl.” Rolant shakes his head. “I’ve never seen someone sleep their way to the top like you. Quite impressive, don’t you think, brother?”
“He’s been wanting into this family from the very beginning, when Papa took him under his wing, treating him like a son he never had, when in fact, he had two fucking sons. And then you slip into the role of his personal secretary. How many decisions did Papa make that were actually your brainchild?”
Keller clears his throat and says, “None.”
“Bullshit,” Rolant says. “When Sveinn left, you went straight to find the next replacement, you didn’t even give him a moment to come back.”
“Why didn’t you come back?” I ask, knowing I should probably keep my mouth shut, but I’m curious.
Sveinn glances at me. “My brother is the one who brought me back, brought me in. Instead of searching for me, my parents searched for you. Why would I go back to a place where I’m unwanted?”
“You were wanted,” Keller says. “Theo was desperate to have you back.”
“Shut up,” Rolant says, now pointing his gun at Keller, causing my entire body to seize with fear. “Don’t lie to my brother to make him feel like our parents cared, because they didn’t. They never did.”
I want to shout that’s not true. Theo and Katla are loving and kind, and some of the most warm and welcoming people I know. If Rolant didn’t feel that energy with them, that’s his fault, not theirs.
“Why are you pointing the gun at Keller?” Sveinn asks, looking nervous.
“Because he’s the reason we’re here. This was supposed to be easy,” Rolant says.Man, this guy is unhinged. Which makes this even more terrifying. “Blackmailing Elias was simple; give us the information we need, and we won’t tell anyone about how he gambled away some of Mama’s prized jewels. Looping in Cornolia was even easier because Elias had dirt on her. They gave us the information we needed and helped put a dent between you two.” Rolant motions his gun between me and Keller. “Kidnapping Keller was a breeze, especially since you didn’t take any precautions with the hidden passageways in the palace, something Elias was able to inform us about. But here is where the problem was. Taking Keller was supposed to devastate Lilly, make her leave Torskethorpe and forfeit the crown to Arkham, but to our surprise, it seems like Keller cares more for her than she does for him.” Again, I want to shout that’s not true, but I surprisingly hold my tongue. “That’s why we brought in the Sotherbys to force their son to talk to the future princess, but Evan was too much of a goddamn gentleman to make the move we needed. And then you have to go and fucking escape.” Rolant waves the gun at Keller. “Just tell me one thing, were you faking it the whole time?”
Keller shifts notably to the right, partially in front of me. His hands are still up in the air as he says, “No.”
“Then how the fuck did you get out?”
